Hi! I saw your pyro cosplay you did about three years ago. It was phenomenal. I know it was a long time ago, but do you have any tips? I plan on cosplaying pyro in the near future and I'm not even sure where to begin.
Hello! Probably the best thing to do is check my pyrocosplay tag, as I have answered various questions regarding its construction before. Should there be questions that I haven't previously answered, please do let me know and I'll do my best to assist.
I do still wear it to cosplay conventions, so it is in a state of constant, if slow, expansion with regards to props and modifications. I do need to remake the suit because the zip has died, and my partner and I are also looking at an alternative way of securing the backpack. Currently the issue is that the weight of it has a tendency to drag the front of the suit up, leaving me with a very high waist line, and I constantly have to Picard-Manoeuvre it back into place!
In terms of general tips, if you're going to cosplay Pyro, you have to be prepared to get overheated and have reduced visibility and movement. It's not an easy cosplay and can take its toll on you very quickly, especially if you have even a light case of claustrophobia. I've learned to balance intake of water against needing to go to the loo, because once I'm bolted into that suit, I'm not coming out again until the end of the cosplaying day because I'll not want to get back into it, and it's a bloody drama getting in and out of it.
However, if you wanted to make it easier on yourself, don't use a vinyl material to make the suit out of. The vinyl basically seals me off from the outside air, so it's like sweating in a bin bag. If you use cotton or linen instead, that would at least allow some heat dissipation and sweat absorption, but it does mean you won't get the same look to the suit and it'll hang differently.
Otherwise it's just how much work you want to make for yourself with regards to how accurate you want to be to the in-game model e.g. I very, very rarely see Pyro cosplayers with the "right" gas mask (a black Russian GP5, and even that needs modifications). And whatever you do, don't get a gasmask that's too small for your head. It will crush your skull and hurt like a bastard - trust me!
At the end of the day, you're doing this to have fun, so don't stress too much about it all, but do leave yourself LOTS of time to get the outfit together because it can't be whipped up in a week without MAJOR problems.
