What do you get when you combine cardboard and plastic bottles with some mad skills? An awesome costume, of course! The ingenuity of cosplayers is seemingly limitless, and for July’s Cosplayer Spotlight, I had the opportunity to interview one young man who took a bunch of household materials and turned them into something out of this world.
Roberto Rodriguez is a 26 year-old IT tech from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico who does amateur prop work in addition to cosplaying in his free time. As a big Star Wars fan and video game enthusiast, he’s not new to creating incredible costumes. His latest project is one of the alien “bad guys” from Gears of War. With $100, Roberto used various common and inexpensive materials, and the result is anything but cheap looking.
Q: When did you first become interested in cosplay and how long have you been cosplaying?
Roberto: After attending my first comic convention. It’s been about five years.
Q: Could you explain a little about this character and why you chose it?
Roberto: Well, there are not so many bad guys or alien-like cosplays over here [in Puerto Rico] so I decided to do something different. Plus, it looks pretty bad-ass and it’s a super detailed character in the game.
Q: When did you first get the idea for this particular costume?
Roberto: When I played the game. Everyone was making the hero, so I decided to go to the “dark side”, so to speak, and make a villain character.
Q: Have you done a costume like this before?
Roberto: Sort of. My first costume was a storm trooper since it’s all armor with a helmet, of course. I prefer to make costumes with helmets. I don’t think I look like a hero or villain, or an anime character.
Q: How long did it take to make?
Roberto: Nine months.
Q: What materials did you use and how much was your budget?
Roberto: My budget was $100. My materials were cardboard , paper, tape, metal tape, plumbers putty, empty soda bottles, some plastic boxes and such, hot glue to make the metal buttons, fiber glass resin, modeling clay, big foam sheets to make the basic design, wood and a rubber tire for the bottom of the boots, and lastly, foam board.
Q: What particular challenges did you encounter while constructing this costume?
Roberto: Hmm, well since nobody that I know of has made a costume like this, the challenge was making it from scratch with no measurements, starting from foot to head while trying to keep it proportioned the best I could. Trying to have a bit of movement for the shoulders, hands, and feet was pretty hard. Imagine walking like Godzilla; big heavy steps with poor visibility. It turned out okay, I guess, and I forgot to take the batteries from the Hulk hand I used so sometimes you can hear “HULK SMASHHHHHH!” [when I wear the hands.]
Q: Is it easy to wear? Easy to put on and take off?
Roberto: Not so easy to wear. You have to have a lot of room to walk around and have somebody to guide you. To put on it’s not so bad. I usually wear it for about 2 hours then take a small break. The heaviest parts are the boots, the rest might look heavy but it’s not since it’s cardboard and foam.
Q: What challenges do you have when wearing this costume?
Roberto: The heat and the poor visibility, along with the weight of the boots and the arm movements.
Q: How do you transport it/store it?
Roberto: In my Toyota Echo, although I haven’t found a big enough tote. I store it everywhere in my small apartment.
Q: What kind of reaction do people usually have toward this costume?
Roberto: Some get scared and it’s pretty big when you see it in person. Others don’t believe I made it from recyclable stuff and they usually just stare, looking at the small bits and the paint job.
Q: Do you attend conventions, and if so, have you entered this costume in a contest?
Roberto: Yes, I try to go to as many as I can within the year with my different costumes. I entered this costume into the contest at Puerto Rico’s big convention, called Puerto Rico ComicCon and Pop Culture Expo. I won and had a lot of fun!
Q: What do you enjoy most about this costume? Cosplaying?
Roberto: Making something different that nobody has ever seen and the challenge to make a very accurate costume. And taking photos with the anime and gaming cosplay girls who enjoy the costume, they rock!
Q: What advice/tips can you give for anyone interested in trying a similar costume?
Roberto: Take your time and do a lot of research. A lot of it is trial and error. There’s always something to improve, as you always spot something in the last minute.
Q: Lastly, what are your future cosplay plans?
Roberto: I would like to make a PVC Mazinger or some other weird character.
You can find more photos of Roberto’s work by viewing his Photobucket album and view a progress slide-show of this particular costume on YouTube: Theron Guard Build
July 1st, 2009 at 10:46 am
Wow… That’s impressive.
July 1st, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Nice!
July 1st, 2009 at 8:15 pm
That. Is. So. Awesome.
I’m totally speechless! It’s awesome cosplayers like this, who put blood and sweat into perfecting their costumes, that inspire me to do my best when I make mine!
July 1st, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Wow. Impressive.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Wow you’re so creative. That’s amazing! You’ve really captured the look of the character. When I look at this I can imagine the Locust in a Gears of War movie.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Amazing work! I’m in awe. It really makes me want to shoot the crap out of you …. but that is a GOOD reaction!!!
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:05 am
Wow is right!
July 2nd, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Freaking awesome!
July 5th, 2009 at 11:00 am
wow~!
i’m jealous. ;-;
this is seriously impressive!
July 6th, 2009 at 8:43 am
*blink* *blink*
WOW.
See this is why I don’t cosplay, I can’t compete with that
August 27th, 2009 at 9:46 am
1st place winner at PRComicCon! Saw it “in living colors” and it is a masterpiece. Way to go my friend! Looking foward to see your next creation.