Welcome back everyone to another beautiful quarantine weekend where we once again have tons of time to discuss and create the things we enjoy. I finally took the plunge and decided to try and be as amazing as some of you are. That means its time for me to start creating my own cosplays. I have talked with tons of cosplayers about there creation process and even interviewed some for my PODCAST. There are also several guides online that have pumped up my courage to the point that I went ahead and purchased all of the items needed to attempt my massive build. I really want to document this entire process to see where I started and how everything ends. So with this post, I want to look at just what I purchased. Let’s take a look at the price of entering cosplay.
Depending on the type of person you are, you can either go with Pepakura, a template, Free Handing, or Armorsmith to create your desired cosplay costume. After using Pepakura for a bit, I realized this program was not for me. I could never get the scaling just right. So, after a week of Pepakura, I ditched it and switched to Armorsmith which cost me $30. This program, in my opinion, is much easier to use and offers a complete visual image of what your armor will look like on your avatar. You can set your avatar to your body’s specific dimensions thus allowing you to scale the armor accordingly. Also, the OBJ files that Pepakura uses are accepted by Armorsmith meaning you will not have to find a new template. Another amazing feature about this program is that it automatically scales the Papakura file for you. This means that whatever size you see on the avatar, ideally you should see once your costume is fully constructed.
Once the costume and program were selected I had to decide the material I was going to be using. It was tough but I talked myself out of buying a 3D-Printer as I did not want to learn the software or deal with the tweaking needed to get the item just right. Also, worbla was a bit too pricy and I did not see as many guides on this material so that means it was time to go ahead and purchase some EVA FOAM. I’m sure there are a variety of thicknesses that you could use to make cosplays but most told me that 6mm EVA Foam was the way to go. Naturally, I hit up Amazon and discovered that they, of course, had it but I could get it cheaper from a different source.
What do I mean exactly? Well, Amazon was selling 6mm EVA Foam at $39 for a 35×39 sheet. I had to be patient and wait as TNTCOSPLAY was out of stock when I decided to purchase my foam. But, as soon as they were back in stock I purchased 10 rolls of 6mm Eva Foam 24×60 for $11.95 each. This brings me to a total of $149.50 with Armorsmith excluding taxes and shipping. These, of course, will vary by your location and the selected shipment method. Also note that I had to order this much foam as I was anticipating messing up a lot and the character, a space marine, requires a ton of foam to create. Other builds I’m sure will not require anywhere near as much foam. But ordering some excess is likely a good idea especially if you are new to cosplay creation.
Next up, I knew I would need all of the items used to mold the foam into the desired shapes. I headed over to Amazon and snagged a Heat Gun, Sharpening Stone, Barge Contact Cement, a Dremel, Utility Knife and Cutting Mat. I have discussed the items needed to begin cosplay before but some of these items are no longer offered so I will once again put a revised list at the bottom of this article. The prices of each of these items at the time of this article were, Heat Gun $34.47, Sharpening Stone $18.99, Barge Contact Cement $29.99, a Dremel $77.91, Utility Knife $8.56, Dremel Snake $28.99 and Cutting Mat $18.73. All of these items totaled $217.64. This brings my total to $367.14. This is a bit more than I planned to pay but once again I need a lot of foam for this project.
These items are highly reviewed on amazon and were recommended by experienced cosplayers meaning they should last me a while. These are all of the purchases I believe were necessary to begin my cosplay career. I decided to hold off on several wave 2 cosplay creations items such as Plasti Dip, Air Brush and Paint as I first need to create the items that will require all of this additional cosplay material. All of the items have since come in as you can see in the picture above excluding the barge contact cement which should be coming in tomorrow.
I can’t stress enough that your price will vary depending on the costume you create along with the manufacturer you choose to purchase your EVA Foam from. Other cosplayers have told me great things about Amazons EVA Foam so if you need the item immediately and do not want to wait this is always an option. I plan to post images of the entire creation process so stay tuned! If you enjoyed this article and have any tips or tricks with regards to creation and purchasing feel free to leave them below. I would love to hear them as I’m sure others would also. For more cosplay news check out my blog HERE and to view some amazing cosplayers hit up my YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Thanks so much again for checking out my work and until next time, stay BOUNDLESS!!!
