This year grandma bought my 3yo his requested Kwazii costume, crossing my fingers that he stuck with his Octonaut choice. I got him his yearly light up shoes for his trick or treating fun and a spyglass just like that scurvy pirate cat has. With all these things bought I really wanted to make SOMETHING for him. 

The day before Halloween I decided to make Kwazii’s ride, the Gup-B. It’s a shark looking underwater vessel. It looks like this:

What I’ve learned with this project:

1. Don’t wait till the last minute
2. Duck tape is awesome to build something but THE WORST to paint over (using latex paint?)
3. More paint doesn’t mean better and it dries hella slow
4. If you’re adding shape to one side of a bucket, it’s imparative to add similar weight to the other side of the bucket or it teeters to one side. 
5. Perfection is not necessary for a candy bucket whatsoever!
6. Don’t wait till the last minute! 

Here is a photo step by step:

• Form the shape onto McDonalds happy meal bucket. Sand papered the bucket and not sure if it was necessary. Used Cereal boxes and duck tape. 

• Paint. I tried “primer” paint (white latex paint) to even out the random colors and graphics. One coat of bright orange. More orange and some of it mixed with brown in the orange for the bottom and the fins. I learned that duck tape does NOT mesh well with this paint. If I painted over it it just wiped right off. Next time I’ll try drafting tape or painters tape. I ended up dabbing the last layer so I didn’t risk smearing the other paint layers. Darn 
• you Duck Tape!!!!!

• Lastly the decals. I just drew the mouth (I found drawing almost straight across helped the smile because once you tape it onto the curve of the bucket it starts to smile naturally). Drew the eyes, bolts along the middle and line etching on the side.  The Octonaut logo I just printed 1.5″.. cut and tape with foam tape.  I put the bucket lid back on. I didn’t paint it because it’s green like the keep forest in the show. And the Gup-B gets stuck in the kelp forest during an episode.

My little Octonaut loved it!