Sheryl's Mike (Macross Frontier)

Let's make Sheryl's mike with lionboard!

Here we're going to try to make Sheryl's mike with a styrofoam rod and some lionboard! You should be able to get your hands on the styrofoam rod at your local home center or hardware store, you can choose whatever size best suits you. Just be sure to choose something that you'll be able to wrap the lionboard around (in other words, take into account the thickness of the lionboard when choosing your rod).

Materials list:

1. Lionboard
2. cutter knife (razor pen)
3. sandpaper
4. stryofoam rod
5. glue gun
6. carpenter's glue
7. gold wire
8. spray paint (laquer) in gold
9. top coat (glossy finish)

 Step 1. Cut and lay out your lionboard 

 

First cut the lionboard as shown in the diagram. Make sure you cut enough "D" parts to cover the whole circumference of your mike.

Step 2. Sanding

 

Sand the ends of your lionboard pieces to get a slightly rounded edge. This way when you put them in place around the rod, they'll look more finished.

Step 3. Cut the mike head

Now let's cut the top of the styrofoam rod in the shape of the mike head. Take off just a little at a time, being careful not to cut too much.

Step 4. Stick the lionboard to the head

 Using the glue gun, stick piece A to the (short tip of the) head, and attatch piece B around the neck beneath. Glue both C pieces over top of piece B to complete the shape of the mic-head.

Step 5. Stick the lionboard to the body of the mic

Attach piece E to the bottom end of your mike then wrap the D pieces diagonally around the styrofoam rod, gluing as you go. Cut the last piece to fit.

Step 6. Seal with glue

If your prop is left as it is, it's only a matter of time until it comes apart, so cover the whole thing with waterproof glue (like the carpenter's glue shown above). Dry and repeat 3~5 times.

Step 7. Make the antenna

 

Use your uncut lionboard and cut a strip to cover your gold wire (about the width of your thumb from the look of it). Bend the lionboard and wire into a triangular shape as shown.

Step 8. Seal the antenna with glue

(Not mentioned, but shown: a small piece of lionboard has been used to tip/hide the ends of the antenna and hold the wire together) Repeat the process from step 6 with your antenna. Dry and repeat multiple times.

Step 9. Paint with gold spray paint

When the glue has completely dried, spray both the mike and the prop with gold spraypaint. Repeat the process several times to make sure the paint doesn't shrink or fade.

Step 10. Attatch the antenna to your prop

 

Press the wire carefully through the styrofoam core of your mike. You should only try this after you've checked that the spray paint is completely dry.

Step 11. Spray with a topcoat

To add a nice shine finish, let's spray the prop with a topcoat. Be careful to do this in a well-ventilated area.



Source: cosplay.com