Make an EVA Foam Legend of Zelda Hylian Shield

Link's Hylian Shield

Halloween is approaching and it's time to start making. I'm working on a Link costume from The Legend of Zelda.
This is for a child's costume, so foam is a safer material than wood or resin.

Materials:

• Shield pattern, I've provided the pattern but it is scaled to a child size
• EVA foam floor mats
• craft foam
• contact cement
• plasti-dip
• Rustoleum spray paint - silver, blue, gold, red. I used Rustoleum

Tools:

• hobby knife and blades
• band saw (optional)
• sander
• dremel with grinding bit
• heat gun
• painter's tape

Preparation:
I drew the patterns in Sketchup, using images of the shield as  reference. To determine the height of the shield I used Link a a reference, noting where the bottom was in relation to his knees and the top in relation to his shoulders and head. I scaled this to an 18" height, which is in proportion to the costume wearer. An adult would need a larger shield.

 

I then printed out the template and traced it to the foam. I buy anti-fatigue mats from Harbor Freight as they have the best price. I cut it out with a hobby knife. I used the dremel to smooth out rough edges. The beveled bit is less likely to cut a line into the foam when compared to a straight cylinder bit. If you keep your blade sharp by replacing often the cuts should be crisp.

The base of the shield is a floor mat. The front edging is another floor mat with the back edging in craft foam. I split the front edging into three separate pieces.
The triforce and filigree are floor mats cut at an angle.  I tried to keep my hand at a consistent angle as I cut. You absolutely need a fresh blade for the small details. The phoenix is craft foam.

Contact cement attaches the details to the shield. With contact cement, apply it to both surfaces, then let it dry for ten minutes. You only get one shot at placement, most of the time, so get it right. If you wait for less than ten minutes while the contact cement is still wet it won't be as sticky.
The foam likes to soak up the contact cement, so I apply two coats, doing the second coat immediately after the first.

The filigree was difficult to cut out and I had a few gouges and rough cuts. I used acrylic caulk to try and smooth it and fill it in. While you can see in the image, I just spot applied it, I should have applied the caulk to the entire filigree PRIOR to gluing the filigree in place. The caulk is a different finish texture than the foam so my filigree looks splotchy after paint.

I heated the shield to give it the curved shape before gluing the edging, hoping this would help retain the shape. I heated the shield a few times to get the curve right. As it cools, the curve decreases. The curve also makes the edging have a bit of an angle where I cut the joints which looks like the reference material.

The half dome bolts/rivets are craft foam heat formed to shape with a 3/4" diameter rubber ball. I didn't try to free hand it as that hasn't worked out for me in the past. I heated the foam, then pushed the ball into it. With the craft foam being so thin, it's easy to burn all the way through it. I cut a base for the dome since it is hollow. I don't want it to depress too far though it did return to shape during initial testing. I made more domes than needed as some I stretched too far and others not enough.

I used the floor mats to create a base for the dome. I didn't have a hole saw bit the right size, so I made 1" holes and cut to fit. I would have been better off to just draw a 3/4" circle and cut it out by hand, but it all worked out in the end. I glued the bases in place, then glued the domes over top. In this case, don't let the contact cement dry, pull the dome over the base while it's still wet. This allows you to adjust the position.

The back is craft foam edging, a craft foam handle and then craft foam to look like a handle bracket. I left the texture of  the floor mat on the back which provides a nice texture contrast.

Once everything is glued in place, use a heat gun to close the pores of the foam before plasti-dip. The foam will darken slightly and acquire a sheen. This step doesn't take long, so don't burn the foam. You don't have to heat it, but this closes the pores so that the foam doesn't absorb so much paint.

I plasti-dipped the entire shield once assembled. I used a piece of wire looped around the handle so I could paint the entire shield in one turn. Then I taped off to paint the various parts. I wanted to give the shield a dark wash for a more realistic look, but the costume wearer refused =).

To do that, I would have thinned black and/or brown acrylic paint with water and then wiped it into the crevices, corners, and edges. I would then wipe the paint off with a towel lightly. This would leave the dark color in the edges, providing contrast and a used look. You could create smears and streaks as desire, dry brushing paint around the rivets which is where grime would accumulate.