How to Make Your Own Predator Mask

"Predator" is a classic film with an even more classic villain. However, around Halloween, it is rare to see a "Predator" costume out and about. One of the reasons is that creating a "Predator" costume can seem daunting. However, with a few simple steps and some common craft products, you can be on your way to creating a stunning "Predator."

Things You'll Need

• Hockey mask Sheet styrene (1 foot by 2 feet) X-acto knife Sheers Mesh wire Black acrylic paint Silver acrylic paint Paint brush Hot glue gun Large pot for boiling water Pencil Tongs Wooden board Heavy-duty rubber gloves

Instructions

1. 

   Cut two trapezoid shapes out of the wire mesh to use for eyes. These should be 1/2 inch wider than the eye holes on the hockey mask. Hot glue these to the back of the hockey mask so the wire mesh covers the eye holes.

2. 

   Cut the pieces of the mask out of the sheet styrene. For the forehead piece, lay the hockey mask over the sheet as a guide. Trace around this shape with a pencil. Erase the top third of the shape and widen it. Add a large dip inward at the top.

3. For the chin piece, cut out a trapezoid with the bottom larger than the top. Draw diagonal lines inside this shape on each side that are parallel with the outside edge. Cut these off with your X-acto knife. Turn these pieces sideways, and hot glue them to the sides of the remaining piece. This will make the rectangular mouth/chin piece 3-D.

4. Create the cheek pieces by drawing 2-inch-by-4-inch rectangles on the sheet styrene. Add diagonal 2-by-2-inch squares on the upper right and bottom right corners. Cut these pieces out with your knife.

5. Place the forehead and cheek pieces in boiling water for five minutes. Take the forehead piece out, and while it is still soft, press it against forehead of the hockey mask to give it a rounded shape. Place a board on the left, right and top sides of the forehead piece to flatten the sides. Take out the cheek pieces, and press these against the cheeks of the hockey mask to shape them.

6. 

   Hot glue the forehead piece to the forehead of the mask. Hot glue the cheeks to the cheeks of the hockey mask. Hot glue the mouth/chin piece to the mouth and chin of the hockey mask.

7. 

   Paint the entire mask black. Let the paint dry overnight. Dip your brush in silver paint, and rub most of the paint off on old newspaper. Gently brush this paint on the mask so you give the appearance of burnished metal. You can add spikes to the top or left and right sides of the mask by gluing on Halloween fangs.

Tips & Warnings

• While the sheet styrene is still soft, you can lightly hammer the plastic to give it a hand-forged look when painted silver.

• Paint in an open and ventilated area. Wear rubber gloves when manipulating the hot sheet styrene.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• How to Make a Lightsaber Hilt
• How to Make a Homemade Anakin Robotic Arm