Cosplay Q&A – Armour making
This Cosplay question comes from Scott who likes to say "Winter is coming" :) on my fb cosplay page https://www.facebook.com/pages/RayeRaye-Cosplay/283471871850682
Q "I need help with armour..."
Answer - Ah yes the fun and games of armour making - luckily I haven't had the burden of making a full suit yet but I can tell you a cost effective way of making it. So after asking you a few q's on pm I found out the armour you're looking to make is for one of the Tempestus Scions.
Now you've given yourself approx six months for the build and while you're unsure on costs this is what I would do in your situation.
1: First part of the build. Once you're committed to the project it's best to stagger your supplies. I would make armour using the following for stage one (which is getting the armour ready for smoothing)
Corrugated card (buy a roll on eBay)
Hard card (again you can get sheets for cheap on eBay)
Craft foam sheets (ideal for placing for patterns and good to support arm guards and leg guards instead of using hard card which doesn't bend well)
Duct tape (don't buy the main brand kind)
Hot glue gun and glue sticks (clear or plain is fine for build stage - clear is mainly needed when you use it where it's visible - just make sure it's the hot glue gun - you can buy online or in good craft stores - I got mine from the Range in Norwich)
Newspaper (not magazine paper - for paper mâché)
PVC and applicator stick (big bottle will be more cost effective - for paper mâché)
Key chains and hooks (this is so you can attach the front and back breast plate)
Velcro (this may help with arm guards depending on how you want to split them up)
Polystyrene head (this will be ideal for the helmet making)
Now, before you go on a spending spree, total up how much that will cost you (I can help you link items online if you get stuck) - this cost is your base cost - you need all these supplies to make the armour itself - this is excluding stage two of the build which includes smoothing and paint/varnish.
2 Second stage of the build. This is where it will cost a bit more depending on what you can get your hands on for cheap.
Grout (I use pollyfiller - this is so you can smooth any paper mâché issues)
Sandpaper (so you can sand down the grout)
Primer paint (not essential but will ensure your final paint looks well covered)
Paint (you'll need any colours on your reference picture but I buy white and black to help with shading and I always have silver - Reeves paint sometimes goes on sale in hobbycraft for the big bottles!)
Varnish (you need clear gloss varnish - very important so you don't milk down your work)
I hope that helps you! In terms of a tutorial I can offer you some step by step help as you work your way through the build so you can get stuck in (what to use first and how to layer your materials etc) but as I haven't made this kind of armour myself I won't have a template specific to the character you want to make.
But with these tips you can become a step closer to what you want to achieve :) I wish you the best of luck!
