If you’re dressing like Captain America, his shield is a key part of the costume. It doesn’t matter what scale you make it or whether it’s made from plastic or vibranium, you need it. Imgur user Connelly Photo crafted a gorgeous Captain America shield for his daughter’s superhero ensemble (it looks like he dressed as Bucky Barnes) and shared an album of 47 process photos (and some gifs) with notes. Does anyone else practically drool when they see this many in-progress pics? I love see how simple shapes and objects evolve.

The shield started life as a simple red disk that they cut, primed, and sanded into a beautiful circular metal pattern. Rather than drilling the shield to add the handles, they used epoxy to adhere it to the back – the four handles are basic sash lifts they picked up at the hardware store. The shield was finished with Metalcast spray paint. And it worked beautifully!

See more photos and read about the entire process at Imgur.