Thinking about being a MAGLite for Halloween...

So I'm trying to come up with a fun, yet reasonably simple costume for halloween. And I decide the being a maglite might be fun. Everyone would know what a maglite is, yet I've never seen anyone dress up as a flashlight for halloween... This is for a party at a popular bar here in town. :rock:

I'm looking for some ideas to help with the costume. I know you guys are complete maniacs (in a good way) when it comes to flashlights, so what better place to ask?

I'm thinking of using sonotube (heavy cardboard tube used to form concrete pillars) as the main body, roughly 24" diameter. Then using a larger, shorter section of sonotube for the head, with a cardboard transition between the two. It won't be as 'sculpted' looking as a mag, of course, but I need to keep this simple. My carpentry and modelmaking skills aren't very good. My legs will come out the bottom and I'll have to cut holes for my arms and face. Anyone have any other ideas on how to simply accomplish the general shape of the light?

Next, I need to figure out how to 'finish' the sonotube. For now, I'm thinking of just painting the whole thing black and using some white sticky vinyl to show 'maglite' around the head.

Then I'll need to have some light coming out the top. for now, I'm planning on direct-driving a few luxeons with optics off of some simple 3cell battery holders from ratshack. I know, mag doesn't use led's. I'll just say that I have modded my mag in true CPF tradition. I don't need to really overkill the amount of light, I just want it to be noticable.

Any ideas or comments would be appreciated. :thanks:

Fletch,

If you do indeed do this costume idea it is a must that you share pictures of it with all of us!

Keep us updated,
John

I think that's an excellent idea. How to get the curve of the head, I'm not sure. If you email maglite, they'll send you some "Mag-Lite" decals that would look slick on a costume and maybe some other stuff since you're giving them all this advertising, in effect.

Your face could come out the switch hole. (Just an idea.)

This would be TOO cool, cant wait to see the pics. I wont ask about where the spare bulb goes...

Jeff

WildRice said:

I wont ask about where the spare bulb goes...

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LOL

Using the button as hole for the head is a great idea. And you have to make sure you can reach your mouth with your hands, no fun being at bar when you can't drink...

If you could come up with a shoulder harness, a Costco HID blasting out of the bezel of your magLite costume would be true CPF style....

It would light up the bar for sure.

-PSM

This doesnt sound like a very bright idea....

You could always papier mache the round part of the flashlight head. A black light weight ski mask over your face would help with the button look, and you could still drink and eat.

Just watch out that you don't stand next to the guy dressed up as a SureFire and make sure he doesn't laugh at you.

Test your costume early, before you put a lot of work into it. Those cardboards forms get heavy after a short time. You might find a ring suspended around your shoulders and a matching ring around your waist and knees will provide enough form for a black cloth tube. Then you could sit as well as drink.

I've seen costumes made from sheets of foam glued into a tube.

Daniel

Sheets of foam... That's more like it. Better for a comfortable night of drinking. Off to the store.

Hopefully I don't run into any surefires out there - they's steal my thunder for sure.

That's a GREAT idea!

Remember that brouhaha over the Milwaukee Brewers' "Sausage Race"? I take it your costume would be sort of like the sausage suits?

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/caple/030714.html

http://www.jsonline.com/site/slideshow.asp?slideshowid=101&SlideOrder=1

Don't let Craig Johnson (the curator of The LED Museum) get near you in that costume! He'll whack you with a steel bar, run over you with a 400 lb. wheelchair, and chuck you in the toilet!

Fletch said:

Sheets of foam... That's more like it. Better for a comfortable night of drinking. Off to the store.

Hopefully I don't run into any surefires out there - they's steal my thunder for sure.

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Just say your that USL or whatever hehe boom becomes a bright idea~

You could use a headlamp and point it up to give that lite effect through whatever head piece you come up with too~

A button somewhere for people to push would be fun and a real nice conversation starter..."hey can you turn me on"....just make sure you can see really well before using that very old but so corny it still works when dressed up as a flashlight line.

I think just wearing all black with some sort of elaborate head piece with a headlamp with a face hatch or door in it and just carefully skillfully paint a button on your chest would work too and it would be funny to suddenly stand at attention when asked what the hell you are and "become" the mag light

To really make it fancy you could rig a remote switch to the headlmap that runs through your shirt and into your black gloves and when ever you get punched in the chest the light would miracalously light up, you could also make a velcro hatch on your rump (or front area if you feel so bold) area when pulled down you could have a picture of that spare bulb hehe

also make sure whatever you make the head of the flashlight out of that it doesnt show any light through the sides only the top~

GET us a picture... you might even make it into the 2006 cpf calender

Fletch said:

So I'm trying to come up with a fun, yet reasonably simple costume for halloween. And I decide the being a maglite might be fun. Everyone would know what a maglite is, yet I've never seen anyone dress up as a flashlight for halloween...

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Yeah, but......................... How could you make something so... so.... DIM???


LOL

All you have to do is dress in all brown, cause Mags are pieces of...

Just kidding- don't want to enrage the Mag fans out there. The costume sounds like a cool idea.

Just throwing a few ideas out. How about an appropriately shaped plastic plant pot or trashcan for the head. Get a clear salad bowl that fits over the top so the light reflects off it to be more easily seen. Then you won't need serious light power for people to see the light. You could also use straightened then arched coat hangers to hold out plastic wrap and accomplish the same effect.

For the letters you could try some of the die cut ones available at the local office supply place.

Might see if the local Home Depot has thin walled black plastic pipe for the body. The cardboard forms are heavy as mentioned above. Super light idea would be hoops inside of black plastic trash bags.

Good luck can't wait to see the pix.

-LT