Project: Mandalorian armor cosplay
Purpose: To combine my love for Star Wars and art. To learn how to sculpt, paint, weather, sodder and sew.
Concept and sculptor:
Jesús González
15 years ago I started i built my first Mandalorian armor. It was a combination of sculpting the helmet out of a used bicycle helmet, some "for sale" plastic signs and other found objects. It was imperfect but i learned a lot.
Last year, I started the process again. This time I used 3D printed parts, bought a few of the clothing items and kitbashed to create greebles details for the weapons, armor and clothing items. This time i wanted to finesse my weathering and painting techniques. I also wanted to introduce some electronics to the cosplay.
I had about 3 months to achieve this, just in time for the London Star Wars Celebration convention. With the timeline in place, a limited budget and a plan, I started to work.
I made mistakes and learned a lot. I painted that helmet several times and used several technics until i found one that i was satisfied with. I wanted to have that helmet modular. So I attached magnets so i can swap props and items to change the profile of the helmet and have different versions of the cosplay.
My main goal with this armor is to tell a story, and that story can change. I had two main modes I wanted to achieve for the con.
The first was a nod to the cyberpunk aesthetic; the hero item of this mode is the jacket. I spray painted a Teotihuacan inspired symbol on the back, but giving it a Star Wars feel to it. I added some electronics and layers of faux-leather to create a sense of armor with the jacket. I finished up that mode with matching slacks and a weathered hoodie that acted as the under armor. The helmet had a white white brim to play off the hoodie and other white details of the armor.
The second mode is more of a classic western aesthetic. I bought a poncho that i weathered and added greebles to give it the Star Wars look. I also used a pair of old boots i had and added a layer of canvas to give them more of a "rough-traveler' look. I left the helmet with minimum attachments.
Overall this was a great learning experience, both in the building of the armor and in walking the con (that is a story for another day).