Homemade Transformers Costumes

Since the birth of the Transformers toy line in the 1980s, the alien robots have starred in comic books and major motion pictures. You can find Transformers costumes in stores, but you can make a one-of-a-kind costume from basic craft supplies. You can adapt the costumes for these four popular Transformers characters to make other Autobots and Decepticons. If the costume is for a child, be sure it doesn't make walking or moving difficult and that its parts don't present a choking hazard.

To dress like Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, start with the chest plate. Cut a piece of red poster board to fit your torso. Use black, silver and yellow duct tape to add windows, a grill and other details to the plate. Paint four shoe-box lids blue for Prime's leg gear. For the headgear, cut two blade shapes from silver poster board and tape them to the sides of a blue bicycle helmet. When it's costume time, wear gray leggings, a red sweatshirt and blue boots or high-top sneakers. Place the shoe-box lids on your shins and calves, and duct-tape them in place. Tape the chest plate to your shoulders and complete the look with blue gloves.

Bumblebee is a small Autobot with big ambition and attitude. To copy Bumblebee's look, wear black sweatpants, a black sweatshirt and silver or gray boots. For the chest plate, cut two pieces of yellow poster board to fit your torso; use markers and duct tape to add a grill and headlights. Fasten the front and back of the chest plate over your shoulders with duct tape. Cut shin, thigh and arm guards from yellow poster board, and duct-tape them in place. Cut a pair of wings from yellow poster board; add black duct-tape stripes, and tape them to the back of the chest plate. Pair a yellow bicycle helmet with black goggles to mimic Bumblebee's headgear.

Ironhide is a gleaming Autobot who serves as Optimus Prime's bodyguard. To create an Ironhide costume, begin with black boots, sweatpants and a sweatshirt, and then use plastic bottles, aluminum pans and silver duct tape to create Ironhide's mechanical gear. Spray-paint plastic 2-liter water bottles silver, and tape them around one forearm to resemble Ironhide's weaponized arm. Make a chest plate from silver poster board, and tape it onto your sweatshirt. Decorate it with gadgets and gear salvaged from your recycling bin and painted silver. Cut blade shapes from silver and black poster board, and tape them to a black bicycle helmet. Pair the helmet with a black or silver ski mask to complete Ironhide's headgear.

Megatron, a Decepticon, is Optimus Prime's nemesis. To make a costume inspired by this hulking, metallic figure, start with gray loose-fitting sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Stuff the calves, thighs, arms and shoulders of the pants and shirt with polyester fiberfill to mimic Megatron's muscles. Wrap duct tape around your arms and legs -- securely but not tightly -- to define the "muscles" and keep the fiberfill from shifting. To make a chest plate, cut pieces of silver poster board to fit your torso and back, and cover them with overlapping silver cardboard scales. Use the same process to make leg and arm guards. Tape the chest plate and guards in place. To make Megatron's headgear, decorate a purchased silver mask with blade shapes cut from silver poster board.