How To Build An Electroluminescent Tron Legacy Costume

Step-By-Step Instructions on how to build a Tron Legacy inspired costume using Electroluminescent Tape (EL Tape).
No matter what your level of experience with Foam Armor or Electronics is, by the end of this half-hour video you will have ALL the information you need to build your own "near screen-accurate" Tron Legacy costume!
Where to find EL Tape:
www.ellumiglow...
Good luck and have fun building!
Chapters:
0:00 Intro & Project Description
1:42 Electroluminescent Technology (EL-Tape)
3:02 Parallel vs Series Circuits
4:09 Supplies
4:40 Drawings and References
5:10 Measuring, Cutting, Heat-Shaping Foam
6:49 Adding Elastic Straps
8:18 Soldering and Wiring EL Tape
12:46 Gluing EL Tape to the Costume
13:22 Contact Cement - 2nd Foam Layer Over EL-Tape
16:08 Mounting Disc to Back
18:00 Heat Shaping Details in Chest Armor
19:11 Embedding Lights Into Chest Armor
22:17 Chest Wiring Layout - Fitting It All Together
24:34 Battery Pack - Mounting to Costume
26:51 Suiting-Up - Connecting Everything
27:49 The Complete Costume - All Done
28:22 Showing Off! - Costume In Action!
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[@dumplingking494]

you are a great dad

[@buriedegg8636]

Thanks so much! What a nice thing to say!

[@apo_lawson561]

Beautiful costume sir! Tron:Legacy is so underrated, I would die to get my hands with those limited edition disks 😭

[@buriedegg8636]

Thank you! Yeah we spent months hunting on eBay but in the end we ended up with the blue disc …and two red discs as well! Maybe when I retire from my day job I’ll have time to build a Rinsler costume.

[@awesomeerr8765]

"Just a dad" is its own super power.

[@VlikeInMewe]

I am a competitive level cosplayer and I am trying to learn more about integrating lighting into my designs. You really helped demystify and motivate. You made an awesome costume for your son and I am glad you took the time to show us all on the internet

[@cpt.walker6273]

My kid's Tron costume was $15.00. I took a Batman kids fabric costume and sewed elastic loops onto it. Then took thin, blue glow sticks from the $1 store and tread it thru the loops. It looked great for a kid. He was so happy.

[@godofnothing520]

Dude this is really my childhood dream since the movie was released. I always wanted a Tron costume but I never find one like In the movie.

[@buriedegg8636]

Yeah it was a ton of work but it looks like, for now, the only way get one is to build it!

[@stevenblakeakahashburns]

Love the original Tron. Love Tron Legacy. I also watched the making of Tron original and legacy covering lots of aspect of the films but only touched upon the real life costumes which has led me to here. Fantastic work, you should definitely do more cosplay stuff and great informative video

[@leaflyd]

This is next level! It looks incredible, love all the detail. I stumbled across this looking for Tron costume inspiration/EL tape info. I've never worked with any of these materials but this is super inspiring, maybe I'll finally make a Tron costume.

[@buriedegg8636]

Thank you! It was quite a bit of work but I really hope it helps other builders out there!

[@tobiasfischer7921]

Man this is super cool, thanks for the video! And it is pretty rad that your son can enjoy what you crafted. Subbed!

[@buriedegg8636]

Thank you! Yeah it’s gonna be sad when he grows too big to fit in it anymore. I’m NOT building him another one when he grows up!

[@DirectorAriel]

You sir are a legendary dad! Super cool outfit and will definitely be coming back to this video in preparation for Halloween!! It looks amazing, well done!

[@buriedegg8636]

Thank you! It was a heaping crapload of work but I really hope it helps others out there looking to work with these kinds of materials!

[@hextoken]

Great video! Kids love it! Superdad!

[@zalfandi5926]

I wish someday I could do cool stuff like this with my kid

[@TommyMacTube]

man you have me thinking this is possible even for me, I love the 82' version and bought a 2010 Ducati for when the movie came out. maybe help from friends and I can do this. great video

[@damidget41]

I hope you get more views soon, sir. Great video and great job with the costume - your son will remember this forever :)

[@adityachauhan7972]

its looks amazing man i love it

[@buriedegg8636]

Thank you!

[@RaymondCinemato]

This is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing. I’ll be using this technique for a cyberpunk film project I’m working on! Thank you! :)

[@buriedegg8636]

Thanks for the kind words! I am also a huge cyberpunk fan. Read all the W. Gibson, Bruce Sterling, WJ Williams, PKD novels as a teen in the 80’s. I think I’m also like the ONLY “super fan” of the Cyberpunk 2077 game as well. Despite all its bugs, the pc version (with a good enuff GPU) is the absolute apex of visual gaming presentation. It’s like an RTX and particle FX showcase!

[@222supergamer2]

@@buriedegg8636 You aren't the only super fan. I've ALWAYS loved the game and I can't get enough of it.

[@spiker546]

Thank you for this! I'm making myself one for this Halloween and I'm pretty nervous about it. This helps me out alot.

[@buriedegg8636]

That’s great to hear! My only recommendation in hindsight would be that you do NOT use the hot glue method to seal the soldered crimps to the EL Tape. Instead try clear packing tape or even electrical tape or gorilla tape to secure the crimps to the EL Tape. I think the hot glue actually separates the connections over time creating disconnects in the EL tape. Good luck!

[@spiker546]

@@buriedegg8636 I luckily did buy a el panel tron kit before hand so I don't need to use solder crimps. But thank you for the advice.

[@DanCheck-zs7ky]

Ideas on how to make it out of leather for a motorcycle jacket and maybe a spandex type halloween body suit?

[@kingofblu2067]

Honestly I thought the suit was cgi, this is incredible!

[@dice268926]

Super impressive 👏 Great work

[@taqresu5865]

Now I'm curious if something like this is doable for Tron (1982) costumes.

[@TheNextDecade]

Hey "Dad who made something cool for their kid", You just helped a professional find his new EL supplier. Give yourself some more credit, everybody starts somewhere and you came out SWINGING!

[@captaingenius-o1c]

I'm guessing your son is a HUGE Tron fan also? Seems to really like his uniform...

[@ROMExPRIME]

Do you have a link to the velcro you used? Great info from the video and the final costume looks good!

[@buriedegg8636]

Thank you! No link. I just went to Michael’s craft store and bought it. They have big reams of Velcro there. As much as you need. Single sided, double-sided.

[@buriedegg8636]

Oh no! I’m so sorry. The industrial strength Velcro strips were actually from Walmart. Here is the link to the EXACT product I used in this video: www.walmart.com/ip/VELCRO-Industrial-Strength-Fasteners-4-x-2-Strips-Black-3-Count/17190461?athbdg=L1200

[@zodadotpaul]

The split loom on the proton pack going to the crank generator is too long, shouldn't extend out past the side of the pack.

[@Eman-iw1rq]

That is soo cool. Subbed!

[@buriedegg8636]

Thank you!

[@lanceislateagain]

Outstanding work! I dream of making a casually-wearable version myself someday. How long do those batteries last, btw?

[@buriedegg8636]

My kid was out on Halloween trick-or-treating for hours and we didn’t have to replace the batteries even once that night. Maybe 4-5 hours? I would still highly recommend having spares ready. You just never know.

[@lanceislateagain]

@@buriedegg8636 thanks for that info! And again, really great work on the Tron suit!

[@DAGGR]

Now I can become tron

[@masterpanther1]

I an soooo doing this!!! I am in the furry fandom and my character is a tron legacy panther. So this is going to help me immensely!! Thank you very very much 😁 🥰🥰🥰

[@ravastarkskywalkermcqueen95]

Just wondering cause I’m hoping to create my own costume, does the el tap come in various widths for some of the larger lights on the armour?

[@buriedegg8636]

Yep!

[@brenthays2660]

Hey brother, my son and I are working on our own Tron costume. I'm wondering how you made all the different shapes with the EL tape. Did you buy all the different sized EL pads? or combine several pieces to make larger sections?

[@buriedegg8636]

@@brenthays2660 great question. The two upside down hockey stick shaped EL shapes on the chest were made with 2 pieces over lapping to form the L shape. In other words, each “hockey stick” is actually 2 straight pieces. Good luck!

[@KrazyKya]

Would you be interesting in making a TRON costume as a commission?

[@luchackcadler1438]

Your soldering iron is old version, can distroy your costume. Youse soldering iron moder version, for good bond and clean finish product.

[@franklinsoto3316]

What kind of fabric did u use for the suit

[@buriedegg8636]

This costume: a.co/d/0KrXs27 We cut the head off and the last three fingers on each hand to match the index/thumb gloves in the film.

[@Isidore22]

Did you use a separate inverter per section, per light, or one for the entire costume? I am trying to use El Tape for a different wearable project. Anytime I connect more than one El Tape my lights get significantly dimmer. Subbed and liked.

[@buriedegg8636]

One single power inverter for the entire costume. You need 12volts (8x AA batteries) for my costume. The basic 2x AA setup most EL Tape comes with (like from Amazon) will not be sufficient to power more than one tape strip. Hope that helps!

[@Isidore22]

@@buriedegg8636 It does help. Thanks!

[@Isidore22]

@@buriedegg8636 I think my problem might be the two prong wire split 5 ways that I got from Amazon. No matter what volt/amp battery I plug in the lights dim using the 5 way splitter. I though that would be a good parallel solution but it seems I was wrong.

[@omerbilgin1143]

babaya bak be

[@1051449]

Where were you able to find the identity disc?!?

[@jessd.294]

They sell them at Disney world now, 2023

[@yeetrpg]

Sorry, but can you write the name of connectors, or give link to them? Thx in advance!

[@buriedegg8636]

www.ellumiglow.com/electroluminescence/electroluminescent-wire/el-wire-accessories/crimp-connectors-10-pack

[@vellwagener7756]

Would you make in adult size

[@jonahhex9620]

Helmet?

[@sandmangti7040]

Needs a helmet.