**A 4.5-Hour Build: Creating a Foam Power Loader Suit for Ripley the Wonder Dog**

Conn and Bill, designers and creators, sat down with us to showcase their quick build project at Designer Con. The goal was to create a foam power loader suit for Ripley, their mascot, which would not only be a fun project but also a unique addition to their collection.

**The Build Process Begins**

The team started by discussing the basics of the power loader design, including the cage shape and placement on Ripley's head. "We should make it so the cage is just kind of on her head," Bill suggested. "That way, she can walk with it like a little pirate costume." Conn nodded in agreement, adding that they would create a frame to fit Ripley's body, attach the legs, and add arms to complete the suit.

As they began working, Conn mentioned that they had been thinking about this project for a while. "We've talked about this a bit yesterday," he said. "Let's keep it simple and not overcomplicate things." Bill added that they wanted to ensure their design would meet Ripley's needs, saying, "I look at all the little details; oh yeah, we have some great references."

The team got to work, using foam as the primary material for the suit. They employed various techniques, including PVA foam and craft foam, to create the structure and add details. Conn praised their work process, stating that they were moving quickly and efficiently. Bill mentioned that he was a bit sloppier than Conn due to his speed, but both were happy with the progress.

**Adding Details and Paint**

As the build progressed, the team added more details, including arms and legs. "I've got some arms done," Bill said. "Arms are just about there; a couple more pieces to do." He also worked on the torso, adding an antenna and making adjustments to ensure a proper fit.

Conn shared that they had received a new favorite marker from Revmark, which would add color and details to their suit. "I'm excited to use it," he said. The team continued to work, painting the suit with yellow paint and applying glue to secure the pieces in place.

**The Final Stages**

With only an hour left on the clock, Conn and Bill worked together to finalize the design. They had learned a valuable lesson about the limitations of yellow paint, which didn't cover as well as they had hoped. "We'll just have to slam it out the best we can," Bill said. Despite the setbacks, they remained confident in their abilities and the project's outcome.

As they worked on the final touches, Conn mentioned that they had discussed this build at dinner the night before. "This isn't an official screen-accurate build," he admitted. "Maybe it's just version 1.0." Bill chuckled, noting that as Ripley grows, they would need to make adjustments and create a more accurate suit.

**The Reveal: Meeting Ripley**

Finally, the moment of truth arrived. Conn and Bill placed the completed power loader suit on Ripley, their mascot. They carefully fitted it onto her harness and tested its design. "It was designed to fit on her harness," Conn said as they watched Ripley move with the new suit. However, the legs seemed a bit long, so they mocked up some sizes and made adjustments.

The team was thrilled with the result, acknowledging that this quick build project had turned out quite well. "A little bit of it isn't bad for a prototype," Conn said. Bill added, "I think we need to do this like every time the dog." The duo shared their excitement about creating more projects featuring Ripley, and they eagerly looked forward to their next adventure together.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey we're here at designer Conn and bill and I are gonna do a quick one day build yeah we are we're gonna have some fun today a four and a half hour bill that's right what are we gonna do bill we got our mascot here the tested mascot Ripley the wonder dog and Ripley of course needs power power loader suit so we're gonna make a little foam power loader soon for Ripley the power power pup the power loader power loader pup yeah so we got foam Frank grabs a bunch of foam from his shop yep we got a table we got knives we got glue we have some paint maybe yeah I'm gonna see what happens yeah what's up let's have some fun let's have some fun today some fun little power loader so we should we were talking about this a little bit yesterday we should probably make it so the cage is just kind of on her head yep and then she could walk with it like kind of those little pirate costume yes up the dogs damn so build like a little frame that would fit like just right in here and then you can put the legs that are kind of the length of the legs and then we'll just have the arms just kind of water yes that's perfect that make sense yeah no no need to overcomplicate this thing yeah and we'll do our best to make it RPF happy I look at all the little details oh yeah we have some of so many references all the references great all right you've been working for about an hour yeah we got about what three four hours ago how we looking very good a lot of structure about the cage here yeah this goes right on the doggy there it's just like that she seems pretty into it it'll connect to her harness right there and then I got the arms in progress still that I'm working on the mounts and they'll go right here all right there we go looks like a hundred years to sneak through here so I'll put this bar down a little lower so what do you what do we use it we reason foam boom PVA foam mostly floor mats and craft foam yeah it's all pretty normal foam baby stuff got our persona blades the sharpest sharpest blades it out there terrifyingly sharp nice little exact dose using some drop glue which is similar to barge but it's a little bit better viscosity lasts a little bit longer so that's good yep and then I'm a kind of new favorite marker these guys Rev mark sent me these through the int through the instagrams and it the caps on the little thingy is on the other side so it just I don't know I like it to go it's nice to have right there yeah that's what we're doing really amazing yeah basic materials basic tools moving real fast yes I'm a little sloppier than you I'm moving this fast all right a lot of little pieces sticking to my fingers because I'm putting a little stuff on right so oh I think it's alright we're having fun we're having a blast fun alright well let's break into a puppy nap montage while we keep working you you you oh hey guys our uh power loader pups taking a little bit of a nap but we're still working over here I've got some arms done arms are just about there a couple more pieces to do torso looks pretty done torso is just about there little antenna copy antenna and then I'm working on some legs they'll go down there and we're thinking maybe we might try and just loop them around our legs so that they move a bit while she runs we'll see sure yeah cool I think we're we're doing pretty good we are how many hours in are we to 11 so we've been at it for almost three hours all right not bad yeah all right but lots of people hadn't come and hang out yeah well we're working on you guys we'll see in the time-lapse for chit chatting and hanging out and taking pictures it's awesome hanging out letting people watch us build and make a mess yep we got our supervisor the guard keeping an eye on things feel confident yeah we're doing all right yeah I'm pretty confident in all this we're gonna get it done I'm as soon as I put these couple pieces on the hand I'm gonna start painting the hand good good yeah keep them separate for pain yeah yeah I'm gonna leave just this place that gets glued not painted so we can keep keep it moving wonderful cool I can probably start painting that soon too yeah check it in a bit all righty all right we got one hour left yes we do I think we're in our final stages of yes fiddling we did learn a valuable lesson which I think we've opened before yellow paint is not always that opaque yeah it's not covering as well as we'd hoped but we only have an hour left so we're gonna slam it out the best we can well in all fairness we did think of this like at dinner last night and just kind of throw things together yeah last second so this isn't an official what we could do build maybe that's sorry it's not screen accurate yeah this is not screen accurate but maybe this is only version 1.0 yeah as the dog grows we'll have to make yep more that's Treader bigger so we got the arms on we got the most of the paint down you got the legs ready to go we'll do a test-fit and see where the legs ought to go and get it all fitted and put on the doggy yeah all right let's let this paint dry a little bit longer yep well then all done was it four or five hours five hours dude together our loader when you do our final test fitting with the power loader pup right Oh Ripley the power unloader pup all right it was designed to fit on her harness let's just try setting it on there okay we'll try setting it see how that goes okay kind of works legs are maybe a little long so we mocked up some of the sizes we figured out how to build the harness yep made some arms legs made this all out of foam through some paint on there done and done it was kind of fun for a quick 5 hour build here at designer con not bad at all a little bit of it not bad for a prototype I would say yeah I think we need to do this like every time the dog yeah every year so when the dog are you talking about bark - yeah actually I think she could even grow into this one a little bit yeah it seems like she's doing all right in there yeah walk I don't know get away from her you if the legs are a little long for all right let's go up let's go take Ripley to go find the alien queen all right you\n"