The Pasties!

The what now?  I mean, I like a good pie or other meat-and-pastry product as much as the next man or odd, egg-shaped thing, but what, as Tina Turner never sang, do pasties have to do with it?

Well, those of you that are familiar with the design of the encounter suit will surely know that, behind each shoulder and over the curtain are... things... that I guess look a bit like shells.  But I tend to refer to them as pasties, because that's what I see.  (Freud would have a field day.  Actually, on second thoughts he'd have a brief and ultimately un-interesting day.)  I wanted to include this detail in the costume as well, since it gives Kosh a nice, almost insect-like appearance from the back (as of a beetle's shell open and the wings extended).

However, despite making the pasties I actually didn't end up using them.  I wasn't entirely sure how to attach them securely and had concerns about narrow doors and other issues like that, so I just left them out.  But I'm including details in this blog just for completeness.

Of course, we had to eat all the chocolates first.  Shame.

I didn't really put as much effort into those as I did other parts of the costume.  Partly because I knew that they'd only be glimpsed from the back and all the cool stuff was going on at the front, and partly because I was sick to death of papier mache at this point.

Basically I just cut two cardboard shapes out, and then, to create the knobbly-surface effect, attached the trays from a box of chocolates.

I really can't tell what this is yet

I then splurged a whole load of papier mache over the top and... that was that, really.  The desired effect was lumpy, and lumpy it was.  Although I chose not to use them in the end, crude as they were I do think they would have worked.  Maybe next time.  (Next time..?)

With the pasties completed and put to one side, I was able to move onto the final, and as it would transpire much more stressful stage of decoration...