Techpriest Cosplay

    

    Recently I went as a Techpriest from Warhammer 40K to the local Fan Expo. It was a good learning experience and I thought I would share what I learned, how well I thought I did and what I would do differently next time.

    First major thing I learned is that these things take more time than I had originally anticipated. A lot more time. Next year I'll probably estimate how long it will take to finish and then multiply that number by three. A lot of things ended up being rushed and there were more than a few ideas that I didn't even get to start. Also another major thing I learned is to be careful about your budget as things tend to end up costing more than realize if you're not paying attention.

    The robe was sewn together (mostly by my girlfriend) using a template made by Tiffany Hinnen (mieljolie.blogspot.com), and modified very slightly. There were initial problems as the sewing machine we first purchased kept breaking. After getting a far better one it went by smoothly.

    Working with EVA foam was a new experience. I used it to create the chest piece and the backpack, and I think there are a lot of things I could have done better. I didn't use a template and relied mostly on taking measurements and holding it up to myself to see how it would fit. It mostly worked. I also didn't heat seal the foam and hoped a layer of Polycrylic would smooth things out. The paint that went on afterwards did adhere very well but the texture was still visible. I used LePage low odour contact cement to glue the foam together and it works well if you use a thin layer and let it dry completely before sticking the two pieces together. Using some flexible acrylic medium and a palette knife I filled in the gaps before priming.

    To prime the foam I experimented with a mixture of acrylic gesso and clear levelling medium to make a brush on primer that would level out any brush strokes. I wanted to avoid using any aerosol products. I only used one layer, as I was quite pressed for time, and I think it was mostly successful. Two or three coats would have been better so further experimentation will be necessary. 

    The parts I printed with my 3D printer were designed in Fusion 360. The Mechanicus symbol was quickly thrown together using a skull model from Thingiverse (Found here by BREXIT). The other parts I designed myself. A cheap set of goggles (that dug into my face) and respirator, some gloves, a balaclava, and molle pouches finished up the costume.

    To be honest, I think the costume is... okay. The robe is good, but the other parts are lacking a lot of detail and the painting is quite bland. With a lot more time it would have looked far better. Adding some other elements, like the Servo-skull I wanted to make, would have been good too. 

    So, a solid C+.