Splatoon Ink Tank, Costume Prop

This is a prop for a Splatoon Inkling costume.

Inklings are the video game characters from the Nintendo WiiU game called Splatoon (now Splatoon 2 for the Nintendo Switch). In the game, you play as squid/kid character on a team of 4 to try and cover the ground in an arena with the most ink to win a match. Inklings use ink weapons to cover the ground and splat the opposing team which sends them back to the spawn point - allowing you more time to cover the ground. It's super fun, i highly recommend it!

For our Inkling costumes we decided on: ink weapon, ink tank, and a hat for the tentacles. Regular clothes would do for us as in the game you can buy fairly regular clothes for your outfit: sneakers, boots, t-shirts, coats, various hats, we just picked from our regular clothes for likely Inkling wear.

The INK TANK does in the game exactly as it sounds, hold your ink that supplies your ink weapons. It is a big clear cylinder that you wear like a backpack. I decided i could make several with plexiglass and craft store items.

Sorry not a lot of pictures in process, i was in a hurry making these: slosher bucket (perfect for halloween candy, see other intractable for it), ink tanks, a roller, a charger, and an aerospray for Halloween (look for other instructables soon!)

[update, ok, not soon, it's been 6 years since that 2015 halloween, but better late than never! -SS]

Parts needed:

• sheet of plexiglass to cut out a piece 12" x 20" to make a 12" tall by 6" diameter cylinder;
  • Alternative: 12" tall section of 6" diameter sonotube (leftovers if you also make a Krak-On Roller in my other tutorial)
• thicker white craft foam sheets, like thickness of foam core board for top and bottom caps of tank;
• thin craft foam sheets in
  • dark green & light green for backpack straps holder; and
  • RED for top cap;
• Thin particle board for backpack straps holder;
• Stapping for backpack straps;
• small bolt and nut to secure strap holder to cylinder;

Suggest Supplies:

• Craft hot glue;
• Epoxy cement;
• Spray paint, medium green & light green; (if using sonotube, your prefence of ink color to paint it)
• white & red electrical tape for ink meter

Suggested Tools:

• Heat gun, for bending Plexiglas;
• Scissors or utility knife for cutting craft foam sheets;
• hot glue gun;
• Oscillating saw for strap holder cut out;
• Drill

Bending this much plexiglass takes some patience, getting it more or less circular takes a bit more;

There are probably ready made clear plastic cylinders now, but that is what i had back in 2015;

• Cut your plexiglass to 12" by 20";
• use your heat gun on high heat to start heating along a section of plexiglass along the 12" width;
• I didn't have any issues with discoloration or bubbling of the plexiglass but still be careful not to hold the heat gun in one spot too long, because as opposed to PVC pipe in my other Splatoon props, you're not going to do any sanding on the plexiglass which would ruin the see-thru-ness;
• when the plexiglass gets pliable, start bending your curve to match a 6" diameter circle curve;
• keep going doing another section along the length;
• when you have it pretty close to round that the ends will overlap, you're ready to clamp the overlapping end together and do some final fine tuning of the overall roundness of the cylinder;
  • don't worry if it's not totally smooth looking, just heat those areas up to smooth out as best you can;
• when you're satisfied with the shape:
  • sand the 1/2" strip on both sides where you'll glue together by overlapping;
  • epoxy cement the ends together along the 1/2' overlap or so to get a 6" diameter, let dry.

Alternative: if you're doing the sonotube or other solid tube, cut to size and now's the time to paint it your favorite color of ink!

Parts of each cap all made from the thicker craft foam:

• Bottom cap:
  
  • 6" diameter circle;
  • 2 - ~9.5" x 1" strips to make sides;
• TOP CAP:
  • BASE, same as bottom cap, except with 3 hold down straps to "hold down" MIDDLE;

    • HINGE connecting TOP CAP to your cylinder;

  • MIDDLE (like a knurled lid) a smaller version of BASE;
  • LIGHT assembly made from 2 foam strip cylinders with red "light" cap, and 3 "connectors" to MIDDLE;
• Bottom cap and TOP CAP BASE:
  • Use your plexiglass cylinder as template to make your 2 - 6" diameter circles for top and bottom caps;
  • cut out 4 - 1" x 9.5" strips;
    • NOTE: save or make extra 1" strips for MIDDLE hold downs, & knurled raised parts of MIDDLE;
  • hot glue the strips to your circles with your strips glued to outside of circle;
  • for TOP CAP BASE, cut 3 - 1" x 4" strips for hold downs, glue to TOP CAP BASE in equal 1/3rds using your TOP CAP MIDDLE for spacing;
  • also, cut out 2 large tabs for the HINGE and glue to outside edge of base;
• TOP CAP MIDDLE:
  • it's a 4" diameter version of the top cap base; I used my can of Simoniz as the template;
  • cut 9 - 1/2" wide strips from your extra 1" strips; Glue to outside of MIDDLE in groups of 3, leaving the a space between the groups for the MIDDLE hold downs;
• TOP CAP LIGHT:
  • cut enough foam and glue together for a 1" diameter by 2" tall cylinder for inner part of light;
  • cut enough foam and glue together for a ~1 1/2" diameter (sized to fit snug over the inner light cylinder) by 1" tall;
  • LIGHT connector is made of:
    • 9 tabs & 6 rounds, see picture how it goes together.
  • From thin red craft foam, cut a circle to cover the LIGHT outer portion and a small strip;

Spray paint, Medium green:

• Bottom cap;
• TOP CAP BASE, including MIDDLE hold downs, and HINGE;
• LIGHT inner/bottom;
• LIGHT connectors inner parts (not pictured above, but i glued them together then painted)

Spray paint, Lime Green:

• MIDDLE including knurls;
• LIGHT outer/top part including connector tabs

Hot glue everything together:

• the MIDDLE to BASE;
• MIDDLE connectors to MIDDLE;
• LIGHT inner to outer
• LIGHT connectors inners to LIGHT tabs on LIGHT outer/top;
• HINGE inner to HINGE outers already on TOP CAP BASE;

The strap holder is mimics the squid head shapes in the game;

• I used my oscillating saw to cut out the particle wood strap holders as it was good at making the slots for the straps;
• then cutout 2 outlines in line green craft foam to sandwich around the wood,
• then cut out a slightly small outline for the contrast color
• glue them all around the wood;
• drill a hole in the middle of holder AND in your cylinder.
• attach holder to your cylinder with small bolt/nut.
• cut strapping to length to fit your wearer and attach!

• Glue bottom BASE to cylinder;
• Glue TOP to cylinder
  • OR if a tight fit don't glue it on so you can
    • open and store things in it or
    • change the color of ink you want inside with tissue paper or such;
• the ink gauge is made of electrical tape cut to size and taped to outside;

The colors make these props really pop out!

These were fun builds and the kids had fun being Inklings!