I've always liked Halloween. My dad, an engineer, created elaborate costumes. One year he taught my brother how to walk on stilts so he could be Frankenstein's monster, he constructed a neck and shoulders to sit on top of mine, so I could be the headless horseman, and worked with my mom on a witch's dress and hat for my sister.
This isn't the kind of fun you can buy at a costume store.
It has long been my desire to put together something with a bit of flair. Finally, nearly 30 years later, I came through.
My daughter, Josie, has a lot of medical equipment to help her get around. One of the cooler things is her stander. It gives her practice with balance, and gives her muscles a work out.
We've often thought that it looks a bit like a chariot, so the choice for for a costume was rather obvious. I got some inspiration online.
I then built a 3D model in SketchUp.
At first I was going to build the whole stander. I changed my mind when I realized how complex it would be. Really, I only needed a few dimensions and clearances. The rest didn't really matter for my purposes.
It took a little extra work to give all the pieces thickness, but in the end it paid off because I was able to get exact dimensions for everything.
The virtual model was pretty quick. The physical model took much longer. I had to cut everything out by hand.
Glue the pieces together.
Then check the fit.
Finally I painted it.
The helmet took an inordinately long time to put together. This was the third iteration. Historical accuracy and time constraints encouraged simplicity.
The hobby horse was a last minute addition. Perhaps it could have been integrated a bit better, but I think it added a nice touch.
This isn't the kind of fun you can buy at a costume store.
It has long been my desire to put together something with a bit of flair. Finally, nearly 30 years later, I came through.
My daughter, Josie, has a lot of medical equipment to help her get around. One of the cooler things is her stander. It gives her practice with balance, and gives her muscles a work out.
We've often thought that it looks a bit like a chariot, so the choice for for a costume was rather obvious. I got some inspiration online.
I then built a 3D model in SketchUp.
At first I was going to build the whole stander. I changed my mind when I realized how complex it would be. Really, I only needed a few dimensions and clearances. The rest didn't really matter for my purposes.
It took a little extra work to give all the pieces thickness, but in the end it paid off because I was able to get exact dimensions for everything.
The virtual model was pretty quick. The physical model took much longer. I had to cut everything out by hand.
Glue the pieces together.
Then check the fit.
Finally I painted it.
The helmet took an inordinately long time to put together. This was the third iteration. Historical accuracy and time constraints encouraged simplicity.
The hobby horse was a last minute addition. Perhaps it could have been integrated a bit better, but I think it added a nice touch.
