@kamuicosplay

If you like cosplay then you know that there are many cosplays that have armour. Buying cosplay armour can be expensive. Fortunately there are some ways to build you own that are a bit cheaper.  I’m no expert in armour building, but I’ve been learning. There are a couple different ways to build cosplay armour. Here’s how I do mine based on cost and look.

The first thing I do when building an armour piece is get reference photos. I try to get a photo from as many angles of the piece of armour as possible. Once I feel I have enough pictures, then I begins to create the pattern.  What I do to create the pattern is wrap a plastic wrap around the body part that the armour is for (I do not recommend doing this for helmets). Then I cover the plastic wrap in duct tape and cut it off. With that you have the pattern for the piece that fits your body.

Once I have a pattern I trace it out onto paper first. I tape this together with masking tape and try it on. From there I make any adjustments that are necessary. Then I trace it and cut it out of EVA foam. These pieces are then put together using contact cement. If you chose to use contact cement make sure you are in a ventilated area. From there I smooth out the seams with a Dremel and seal any holes or gaps with caulk. I then coat the EVA foam with plastidip and paint it.

This is the method that I chose for making my armour, because it looks the best for the price. I’ve previously made armour out of duct tape. The armour is cheap and it looks okay, but I wouldn’t recommend it as it is incredibly hot to wear. Another popular method for building armour is worbla. Worbla is a thermoplastic (it can be heated up and molded). It looks great for cosplay, but it is more expensive than EVA foam.

I’ve picked the best armour building method for myself, but everyone has a different opinion. If you’d like to get into armour building I recommend checking out KamuiCosplay on YouTube. The photo at the beginning of this post is their work. Their tutorials are very helpful. If you have any recommendations on techniques, tools, or materials for building cosplay armour leave a comment below. How do you build your cosplay armour? If you’d like to read more about cartoons, cosplay, media, and more please subscribe to Media Mania.