Sergeant Calhoun was a breakout character in Wreck-It Ralph. The warrior from Hero’s Duty is a costume I’ve seen a few times, but this version comes with a thorough explanation. It’s not a simple build, as it includes an undersuit and a whole lot of armor pieces. The bracers, pauldrons, and everything else were made from foam gym mat. Joe recommends starting with a mock-up:

When ever designing your own custom patterns, ALWAYS make a mockup!

If it is a sewing pattern, then take that pattern and make a simple version of it out of a cheap material such as muslin (or even some old bed sheets you no longer want or got at the thrift store).

If it is a pattern for foam, try it with something like cardboard or cardstock paper. It’s not as flexible, and you can’t shape it with heat, but it can give a good idea it if will fit or not.

This will really save you time and money in the end. It’s always worse to have to remake a part out of your nice material when you find it doesn’t fit.

Read more at Instructables.