Greetings readers! This is my debut cosplay report, from this past weekend's PAX 2014 in Boston, MA. For this occasion, I dressed up as none other than Samus Aran, in a costume that I put together in two weeks with no sewing machine. I haven't slept in weeks!
Usually, I cosplay as comic characters. To see more of my cosplays, check out my official cosplay tumblr, where I'll be posting a more in depth walkthrough of how I made the Samus costume.
And as much as I love talking about myself, I also loving talking to other people, particularly when cosplay is involved. I'm so honored that GeeksOut is letting me do my very first cosplay report right here on their website!
I looked for cosplayers that had that perfect combination of charmisa, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. Like Mama Ru teaches, attitude is everything, and so I really tryed to gear towards cosplayers who had a great personality and seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Though there were a lot of very elaborate cosplays this weekend, I picked the ones that appealed to me the most. Check out these amazing cosplayers (in no particular order) from PAX 2014!
1. Bowser by Chelsie
Chelsie caught my eye with her adorable take on everyone’s favorite Mario villain. I loved the bright colors of the outfit, and the slippers and short wig added a very poppy cute factor. Chelsie made the dress herself from yellow spandex, and used felt for the stomach details. The tail is made of a similar felt material, which Chelsie matched to the color of the yellow spandex. In total, it took about 10 hours to make.
2. Chel by Brigitte
I saw a few Chels this weekend, but Brigitte’s really caught my eye. Literally. I saw her from across the expo floor and ran over to get her picture. What drew me in at first were probably the heeless high heels. When I asked Brigitte if her feet were killing her, she laughed and said “no more than regular high heels!”
The boots started with a pair of ankle booties that Brigitte found on eBay. From there, she used base of craft foam and bondo to get the proper shape. The white color on the boots is from white duct tape. She completed the boots with small silver rings that are linked together by the black velcro lines. The jumpsuit was also found on eBay, but in a flat orange. Brigitte added the patches herself.
For more of Brigette’s cosplays, check out her facebook page!
3. Link by Alendra
I had to jump in and take a picture with Alendra when I saw her on Saturday. She was one of the few cosplayers I saw who took the time to contour with her makeup, which gave her Link's more elfish appearance. The sword and shield were both handmade. The sword is made of balsa wood, tape, and craft foam, which keeps it lightweight and easy to pose with!
As far as the costume itself, the green tunic, hat, and undershirt are all hand made. Alendra also put together the belt and the sword sheath. In total, it took her about three weeks to put the costume together, including sewing the top parts as well as finding the pants and the boots to complete the cosplay.
For more of Alendra's cosplays, check out her facebook page!
4. Team Link
From left to right: John, Christian, Joe, Quinn.
These boys are con veterans, and this is their second or third year doing a group Link cosplay. I say second or third because Quinn said second, while John and Christian insisted it was their third. Either way, these guys have a history of doing group cosplays together!
The props are all handmade, from the swords to the shields to the bomb bandoliers. The shields are a combination of hand painted wood and craft foam, while the bandoliers are mostly paper mache. The physical costumes themselves were found through tireless searching for matching undershirts and jerseys, which rarely come in bright colors unless custom ordered.
5. Espeon by Tristan
The fastest way to get my attention is to dress as my favorite Pokémon! This is the first hoodie Tristan's ever made, put together out of a soft fleece material. The details on the hood are made of felt, and the ears are black felt in the front and then purple felt in the back, which was hand stuffed and then sewn on. Tristan spent the night before PAX putting her hoodie together, from 9pm-3am. Though she planned to make an Umbreon hoodie as well, she didn't have the time. I, for one, am thrilled by just the Espeon hoodie, which Tristan matched with a wig of a similar color. She took casual cosplay to a whole different level!
For more on Tristan, check out her facebook page!
6. Dart by Jameson
Jameson is a professional leather craftsman, which would undoubtedly explain why his Dart cosplay was so well done. He made the pattern for the armor himself, after looking online at Dart photos. He made the measurements through guessing, which led to some trial and error. Ultimately, he was able to create a pattern that was easy to follow.
The armor started with a base of vegetable tanned leather, which Jameson calls a “regular” type of leather base. He cut out each piece of the armor, and then hand dyed the separate pieces the rich red color that you see on the armor. From there, he sewed it all together. In total, it took around 80-120 hours of work!
For more of Jameson’s work, check out his tumblr!
7. Inquisition Morrigan by Caitlin
Caitlin actually started working on this dress before the official photos were released for the game, instead going off the trailer images. She told me that she was so excited by Morrigan’s costume for Dragon Age: Inquisition that she started it pretty soon after the first trailer was released. When Morrigan’s official pictures were released, poor Caitlin realized that the skirt fabric she’d purchased didn’t fit the costume. That was a minor setback for her, though, and she was able to find a different and equally lovely red fabric for the dress. She said that she was “looking for a fabric that captured [Morrigan’s] wild side while showing her more ladylike qualities that we’ll see in Inquisition.”
Here’s the something wild: Caitlin made everything except the petticoat, even the corset. For that, she found a pattern online for an under bust cincher, and then made the adjustments to the pattern herself for a longer corset. It is hand sewn and hand boned. I was blown away by Caitlin’s attention to detail, from the lace on the edges of the dress to the gold scale effect under the corset.
Caitlin also had a FemShep cosplay that she just recently made, and though she described it as "very warm" it still looked fantastic. We took some space girls pictures together!
8. Team Flare
From Left to Right: Danielle, Colin
Danielle and Colin are no stranger to couples cosplay, though they both told me that they were very pleased with how well Team Flare came out for them! "People recognize it," Colin said, "but we're not getting stopped every three feet, which is nice."
The costume took about three months to put together, since they decided they were going to do Team Flare sometime in January. Finding the signature bright red pieces that make up the look isn't easy in the winter, when red is out of season (like red is ever out of season.) The jackets are both custom tailored to fit, and the details were added after tailoring. Both were happy to be in a comfortable cosplay that was "easy to match" and "fun to wear."
For more of Danielle and Colin, check them out on twitter @dgxlii + @agreatrandom!
9. Nicole as The Heavy
Nicole caught my eye for her gender-bent take on The Heavy, which combines the look of the character with a Rosie the Riviter kind of flare! The physical pieces of the costume were found and pulled together. Nicole did the white piping detail on the vest, as well as the TF2 details on the red shirt. The bandolier is made up of individual wooden dowels, which were hand sanded into the bullet shape and then painted. Nicole finished the bandolier with black fabric and brown fabric paint.
The gun that she's holding was truly a sight to behold. Nicole made it all herself, starting with PVC pipes for the gun's multiple barrels. The magazine is made of a stovepipe. Then, she used sheets of aluminum for the receiver and general shape. The gun's handles are made of medium density fiberboard. Nicole told me that she was able to find everything she needed for her gun at Home Depot. She let me hold it, and let me tell you, that gun is not for lightweights. Nicole told me with a winning smile that she was "very tired."
10. Master Chief (Andrew) and Issac Clark (Adam)
These boys brought deep space to PAX! Both cosplays are commission, though not from the same company. Andrew commissioned his Master Chief armor from Armory Props, and then painted the armor green himself. When I asked him if it was warm under all that armor, he told me that he had wisely chosen to wear thermal gear under it, which kept him from overheating. His gun was actually a very clever stroke of luck: he picked it up when Halo 3 launched and the company was still selling elaborate toys.
Adam's Issac Clark cosplay comes from Propped Up Creations. The boots are made of canvas and EVA foam. The helmet is resin cast and outfitted with EL strips for the blue light effect. Adam put the plasma canon together himself, which started with a PS3 wand attachment for a glowing effect. He then added aluminum and foam for the shape of the cannon. He told me that the plasma cannon had been more elaborate, but since he flew up from Philly, the TSA made him disassemble most of it.
For more of Andrew and Adam, check out their twitters @GeekStanton + @APacManSays!
If you see yourself on this list and want me to link back to your page, contact me here and I'll fix it as soon as I can! You guys were great!
