Jurassic World inspired Raptor costume
The family and I made this 11' long Jurassic World inspired raptor costume for my 10yr old son. The frame is 1/2" PVC, the skin is 1/2" upholstery foam covered with 2 way stretch spandex fabric. We textured the foam with a wood burner before we sprayed adhesive on it and added the fabric. I found a pattern for the raptor head for $5(here) and I purchased a raptor toy and made a pattern from it for the body. I scaled it to fit my son. We cast the eyes from epoxy from Lowe's in a ping pong ball cut in half. WD40 as release. We used fingernail polish to paint the eye details. We polished the eyes with a hand drill and buffing wheel. I we used spray paint to color the raptor. We used EVA foam for the claws and sculpty clay for the teeth. We used a backup camera and small monitor inside so he could see outside ($25 from Amazon). I had a bluetooth speaker we used for dino sound effects played from my phone (free apps). We mounted the battery for the camera in a fanny pack he wore around his waste. The neck was articulated with small steel rods and a ball joint made from a fooseball and PVC molded around it. The tail was filled out with a pool noodle but the structure was PVC. We used metal clothes hanger wire to stick through the raptor feet and bent it into his shoe so when he lifted his foot the raptor foot would move with him.

Video 1
Video 2













Lessons Learned:
- Scale it a little bigger so the lever for controlling the neck is longer. He had a hard time holding the head up for long periods of time because the pipe on his side of the lever was too short for the weight of the head
- Build the frame first and estimate the weight of the head, instead of build the frame inside the skin.
- Get a adhesive sprayer instead of cans of Super 77 and 90. Adhesive costs added up.
- Figure out how to degas expoy (we had air bubbles in our eyes).
- Start early than mid-September
I took a scrap piece and put silicon caulking on it. It looked good but kind of thick. I want to thin out silicon caulk with Naptha and spray it on with a paint sprayer to see if it gives it a wet reptile look.
We had a great time making it as a family.

Video 1
Video 2













Lessons Learned:
- Scale it a little bigger so the lever for controlling the neck is longer. He had a hard time holding the head up for long periods of time because the pipe on his side of the lever was too short for the weight of the head
- Build the frame first and estimate the weight of the head, instead of build the frame inside the skin.
- Get a adhesive sprayer instead of cans of Super 77 and 90. Adhesive costs added up.
- Figure out how to degas expoy (we had air bubbles in our eyes).
- Start early than mid-September
I took a scrap piece and put silicon caulking on it. It looked good but kind of thick. I want to thin out silicon caulk with Naptha and spray it on with a paint sprayer to see if it gives it a wet reptile look.
We had a great time making it as a family.
3
Comments
-
amaaaaaaaazing !!!! waaah
0 -
That is awesome! Looks like you guys all had fun! Getting my wife and son to help with my son's costume was only due to running tight on time! Hehe0
-
Awesome! It’s not every kid who gets to have/be a dinosaur. It must have been a great night. Loved seeing your process.0
-
Hit the epoxy eyes with a heat gun (before it is cured) and it should eliminate the air bubbles. Be careful not to warp the ping-pong balls or use something thicker next time. You'll just have to test and experiment.
0 -
Great light-weight dinosaur costume for kids. I want to make one for my son too. Most realistic dinosaur costumes are up to 20 KG, that is too heavy for children.0
-
Fantastic. Loved seeing your process. I'd like to make one for myself as well, but had no idea where to begin. Thanks for sharing.0
-
This is awesome homemade work. It looks cool.Here's another DIY Dinosaur Costume Tutorial: https://onlydinosaurs.com/how-to-make-realistic-dinosaur-costume/Here's 4 minutes The Making of the Dinosaur Costume video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHdIrcmEQu4Content from Only Dinosaurs
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 97 CURRENT CONTEST
- 97 2025 Halloween Costume Contest
- 1.3K COMMUNITY
- 1K General
- 62 Tutorial Reviews
- 98 Suggestions and FAQ
- 82 Job Listings
- 40 Artists for Hire
- 1.8K CHARACTER CREATION
- 165 Costumes & Cosplay
- 148 Lab work
- 95 Props
- 152 Puppets
- 36 Stop Motion
- 18 VFX
- 39 Student Projects
- 478 Sculpture
- 159 Fabrication
- 160 Animatronics
- 177 Makeup Effects
- 130 Painting
- 29 Traditional/Digital Design
- 8.1K PAST CONTESTS
- 244 Creature Making Contest 2025
- 100 2024 Halloween Costume Contest
- 198 Character Making Contest 2024
- 343 Creature Making Contest 2024
- 131 2023 Halloween Costume Contest
- 168 Monster Making Contest 2023
- 239 Creature Making Contest 2023
- 117 2022 Halloween Costume Contest
- 309 Character Sculpting Contest 2022
- 133 Character Makeup Contest 2022
- 170 2021 Halloween Costume Contest
- 261 Creature Sculpting Contest 2021
- 209 Character Makeup Contest 2021
- 354 Creature Making Contest
- 200 2020 Halloween Costume Contest
- 203 Monster Makeup Contest
- 372 Creature Painting Contest
- 244 Horror Character Contest
- 182 2019 Halloween Costume Contest
- 260 Character Makeup Contest 2019
- 351 Character Sculpting Contest
- 279 2018 Halloween Costume Contest
- 292 Alien Art Contest 2018
- 251 Character Makeup Contest
- 389 Monster Making Contest
- 167 2017 Halloween Costume Contest
- 153 Heroes & Villains Contest
- 221 Cosplay Contest
- 215 Creature Sculpting Contest
- 107 Puppet Contest
- 161 Alien Art Contest
- 98 Halloween Costume Contest
- 149 Robot Art Contest
- 269 Dino Art Contest
- 592 Creature Contest
- 5 ALUMNI
- 275 ON DEMAND WEBCOURSES
- 1 Hand Puppet Detail and Finishing Techniques
- 24 Animation for Animatronics
- 9 How To Make a Mask - Wearable Dynamic Art
- 11 3-Axis Robotic Mechanisms
- 5 Neck Mechanisms
- 24 How To Make a Monster Suit with Bill Bryan & Ted Haines
- 19 Character Animatronics
- 5 How to Sculpt a Dinosaur
- 5 How To Build An Animatronic Head
- 5 Creature Costume Basics
- 4 Puppet Mechanism Basics
- 1 Tattoo Makeup - Cover, Create, & Apply
- 2 How To Make Horror Props
- 1 The Fine Art of Horror Painting
- 1 Fantasy Maquette Sculpting In CX5(S)
- 14 The Business of Making Monsters
- Production Design - The Process Of Creating A World For Film
- 4 Character Makeup - Multi-Piece Prosthetic Application
- 3 Prosthetic Makeup Basics - Gelatin Facial Appliances
- 5 Stop Motion Animation with the Chiodo Bros.
- 11 Blood, Gore and Makeup Effects
- 7 How to Punch Hair - Hairwork for Silicone Characters
- 3 Bodycasting on a Budget with Ted Haines
- 2 Portrait Illustration with Terry Wolfinger
- 5 Mastering Marionettes - Design, Construction & Performance with Scott Land
- 1 Creature Makeup - Multi-piece silicone prosthetic application
- 12 Muscle Suit Fabrication
- 11 Wig & Hair Basics
- 4 Silicone Prosthetic Transfer Appliances
- 3 Building Miniatures: Small-Scale Model Making - Part 5
- 9 Toy Design & Sculpture for Action Figures & Collectibles
- 1 Building Miniatures: Small-Scale Model Making - Part 4
- 2 Human Head Anatomy & Sculpture
- 1 How to Make a Foam Puppet - Part 3
- 1 Building Miniatures: Small-Scale Model Making - Part 3
- 5 How to Make a Foam Puppet - Part 2
- 3 How To Make a Foam Puppet - Part 1
- 1 Building Miniatures: Small-Scale Model Making - Part 2
- 14 Animatronic Control Systems - Arduino Programming Basics with David Covarrubias
- 3 Building Miniatures: Small-Scale Model Making - Part 1
- 3 Advanced Creature Teeth: Prosthetic Dental Appliances - Part 2
- 1 3D Pumpkin Carving - How to Carve a Pumpkin from the Outside In
- 5 How To Make A Latex Rubber Mask Part 3
- 3 Advanced Creature Teeth - Part 1
- 11 How To Make A Latex Rubber Mask Part 2
- 6 How To Make A Latex Rubber Mask Part 1
- 294 PAST LIVE WEBCOURSES
- 11 Monster Sculpting
- 8 Platinum Silicone Mask Painting
- 5 Feather Work: Puppets, Costumes, Hair & Makeup
- 9 How To Make Eyes For Puppets, Masks, & Makeups
- Working with Wigs - Wig & Hair Basics with Connie Grayson Criswell
- 14 Muscle Suit Fabrication with Ted Haines
- 7 Homework - Muscle Suit Fabrication with Ted Haines
- 13 Toy Design & Sculpture for Action Figures & Collectibles with Sandy Collora
- 10 Homework - Toy Design & Sculpture for Action Figures & Collectibles with Sandy Collora
- 13 Human Head Anatomy & Sculpture with Jordu Schell
- 11 Homework - Human Head Anatomy & Sculpture with Jordu Schell
- 18 Mastering Marionettes - Design, Construction & Performance with Scott Land
- 13 Homework - Mastering Marionettes - Design, Construction & Performance with Scott Land
- 16 Puppet Mechanism Basics - Eyes, Brows & Ears with BJ Guyer - Watch & Chat
- 11 Homework - Puppet Mechanism Basics - Eyes, Brows & Ears with BJ Guyer
- 12 Advanced Creature Teeth -- with John Cherevka
- 3 On Camera Hand Puppet Performance
- 9 Silicone Prosthetic Transfer Appliances - Age Makeup with Neill Gorton
- 3 Practical Magic: The Art of In-Camera Visual Effects with Joey Shanks
- 9 Buisness of Making Monsters with Shannon Shea
- 11 Stop Motion Animation with the Chiodo Bros
- 5 Foam Carving Puppets with BJ Guyer
- 3 3D Pumpkin Carving with Andy Bergholtz
- 4 Prosthetic Makeup Basics with Rob Burman
- 13 How to Make a Latex Mask with Tim Martin
- 2 Character Illustration with Terry Wolfinger
- 3 Halloween Costumes - Fabric Effects with Dawn Dininger and Amy Whetsel
- 9 Blood, Makeup & Gore FX with Gary J. Tunnicliffe
- 13 Hand Puppet Design and Fabrication with BJ Guyer
- 3 How to Sculpt a Dinosaur with Christopher Darga
- 2 Airbrush FX: Beginning to Advanced with Craig Fraser
- 1 Female Figure Sculpting in Cx5 wtih Adam Beane
- 3 Creature Design: Maquette Sculpting with Casey Love
- 3 How to Make a Sci Fi Helmet with Fon Davis
- 2 Hyper Realistic Silicone Painting with Tim Gore
- 2 Josh Herman Zbrush Creature Sculpting
- 13 Textures and Forms with Don Lanning Oct 26, 2013
- 9 Character Rendering in Photoshop with Dan LuVisi
- 2 Creature Maquette Painting with Jordu Schell
- 24 Textures and Forms with Don Lanning May 04, 2013
- 3 Tattoo Makeup A-to-Z: Cover, Create, and Apply with Christien Tinsley
- 11 Creature Design w/ Casey Love - Sculpting
- 7 Creature Design With Casey Love - Translucent Creature Painting
- 3 Creature Maquette Sculpting with Jordu Schell



