Cosplay 101: A Guide to Armor Materials || MangoSirene

[@nighteyesiv]

My favorite material to use for armor making is the cash I throw at other cosplayers when I commission said armor :')

[@BrasilianFury]

+Night Eyes Cosplay My life sometime next year.

[@Tealkun]

#relatable

[@redjack2629]

And the makers thank you for it~

[@kewintaylor7056]

@@redjack2629 sure....one lazy but rich,and the one that want to do the job..win win outcome!...lol😝

[@redjack2629]

@@kewintaylor7056 - Pretty sure they call that free market capitalism. It's also BALANCED free market capitalism, since the consumers and producers have the ability to regulate eachother on that small scale. :P

[@xXPeaceyXx]

My favorite material to use is my tears, There's always plenty of those when it comes to cosplay. ;)

[@corrupt_vault]

Same.

[@kaylafrancis5214]

me

[@basilboultbee2377]

I love working with fibreglass! My dad is a mechanic, and I have a ton of extra fibreglass, so I like using it for creating gem type details, and things like that.

[@gardner.emilia]

what a great video! this helped me so much! (also,I LOVE your Panne Cosplay (at least, I think it's panne..) Fire Emblem Armour is Extremely hard to make,and now with the new games,the costumes and armour just keep getting harder,but I'm proud to say that i have pulled through and finally finished my Seliph (His Heroes model though,not his Original from Genealogy) cosplay,and when I was extremely stuck on how to make the Armour,I always came back to this video,so thank you so much!)

[@oatyarts7489]

My favorite material to use is my empty bank account

[@kewintaylor7056]

U dont have to pay...cardboard are mostly free!....😝

[@aimeeshimizu]

When the music cut out, I felt like it just got soooo serious lol. Love the video •u•

[@MangoSirene]

+Aimee Shimizu I'm not quite sure what happened to the second background track when exporting, hopefully it wasn't too distracting! ;A;

[@shadowXsora]

I laughed a lot when you mentioned Fire Emblem because I'm in the beginning stages of research to make Silas from Fates xD Thanks for putting this out, it's a big help! ^^

[@kendralynn5134]

I tried making armor for the first time this con season for my Jet cosplay from atla. I ended up using Styrofoam boards, paper mache, paper clay, and some craft foam. I like the way it came out but there was soooo much sanding involved. I wasn't too sure about a lot of the other materials I could experiment with, so this video is super for the next one I have planned! Thanks ^_^

[@isaacramirez3729]

I made a small armor piece out of ductape rolls and backpack liner foam with notebook spine to hold the curves. It turned out very good.

[@scp049hasbreachedcontianme9]

Nice

[@MarijaEnchantix]

It's all about the crafter not the material. Only the best of the best can make cheap things look cool ^^

[@ThePixelMagus]

EVA Foam is currently my favorite material to use. I really like the damage and etching you can do with a wood burning tool.

[@Chibigunnerpro]

you should add Terra flex to the list is sold in stores in the US and is cheap but work just like warbla

[@Antifreke]

One of the most important parts of all of this is studying actual armor and how it functions. Ignore the mechanics of anime/gaming armor and do a little research on medieval combat armor. I've outfitted most of my works using techniques made in the old days, and its made it much easier to live in all day.

[@ChateauLonLon]

Do you normally go for more realistic medieval looks? Or have you applied these techniques to more modern and fantasy characters?

[@savannahseaver7492]

I just made armor out of cereal boxes and It looks amazing and I recieved so many compliments 😄

[@pinkgurl1246]

nexus savv What did you cosplay? 😀

[@k1ng757]

i really want to do cosplay like wearing something heavy armor, but one thing is stopping me money........

[@marissaangel5385]

SINTRA IS SO GOOD FOR YOUR BASIC ARMOR! Super easy to work with, and relatively affordable if you go to the right place. All you have to do is heat it up and mold it and KABAMO! Beautiful, easy to sand, smooth, ready to paint pieces that can be easily adorned with foam to make more complex shapes. It is also easy to cut and pretty durable after it is sealed!

[@momo18496]

After watching this I bought all the Kamui Cosplay books in the ebook bundle special. I can't wait to use them to make armor for me and my friends. Thank you for this, I really needed this.

[@scarletmoon3689]

Me and my friend were making armor for our newest cosplays! I thought we were silly to be using craft foam for it but this was both our first times with armor and just went for it. I was waiting for craft foam not to show up in the video. Yay, it is not stupid to use it! Thank you for the video and restoring my confidence! :)

[@Konecochan]

I usually use a lot of foam and cardboard with the odd piece of worbla and resin gems. But what I think should never be underestimated is the power of a simple t-shirt. And I am saying this in all earnesty. Having a cheap tight fitting shirt as a base for torso armor can help figure out how to make the plates move properly, it gives a nice even ground to pin or glue it to and it helps keep your armor pieces all in place so you don't have to readjust every 5 minutes.

[@esiwl]

I haven't made an entire armor but I've used this for a bunch of props: first, form the entire product out of tinfoil. It shouldn't be hard because tinfoil sticks to itself and is soft to shape. After that, carefully wrap the entire thing in painters tape. You judge how many layers you need. At the end of this you should have a flexible but relatively sturdy shape to work with. After that you are going to want to cover it with something. I usually use craft foam but I'm sure worbla or any other such material would work. Then you can ad details, prime and paint however you want. The end product should be very light and soft but be careful about squishing it. It should also be noted that this works best for round shapes or for mimicking stuff like tree branches. I saw someone else do something similar on tumblr once but I can never seem to find the tutorial in question.

[@niamh3494]

I always love challenging myself with new things like these. My most recent cosplay is Genos from OPM, before him I've never worked with armour so I decided to search up tutorials and improvise! And now I know how to work with Eva Foam and how to make armor :) What I mean with that is that cosplayers should always try new things out and knowing that making mistakes is not bad because improvising cosplay always gives you so much knowledge. Which is my favorite thing about cosplay tbh, the experience that you get from it.

[@jinxapologist]

I just used Worbla for the first time and I love it! I even painted it without priming cause I need a leathery look and it worked so well!

[@grecaiyi]

I made Ayato Kirishima's mask from cereal boxes a tea box. The tea box's surface was incredibly perfect for the mask. It was black matte, easily curved, waterproof (!!!) and I didn't even have to paint it. What I wanted to say is: don't throw away anything! It didn't cost me anything to make a mask and it turned out great

[@OysterRose]

I love worbla and craft foam! They are my best friends when it comes to armor, expensive but worth it.

[@djbubblegum9975]

I just recently started working on my very first cosplay, it's of Tsunayoshi from Reborn! I'm using Worbla TranspArt to make the flames on his gloves and forehead (still need to think of a way to actually make it stay on my forehead). Aside from the gloves themselves (which will be custom made), I already have everything I need to cosplay him. Tsuna is a very simple character and I managed to save costs by not buying a wig as I have the same hair colour as him, so all I need to do is grow it out just a bit longer then spike it up. I'm reeeeally excited, not only for the cosplay itself, but to become part of the cosplay community!

[@ishimura6160]

This video helped me a lot! I'm working on Nohr Noble Corrin and I was afraid about picking the material for the armor. Now, I'm more than sure. Thank you!

[@linh637]

When making 3D-MG from SNK instead of taking the time to make detailed and creating foam pieces to the engine I said screw it. I grabbed two noodle bowls and sanded them down as well as a measuring cup and it got surprisingly good feedback. It just shows that there is no limit to what you can use.

[@ladytaliastorm8882]

Really love Worbla both original and the black - there is also a clear Worbla now that works like the original but requires a higher heat (and gloves) as well as it does not remain clear when you heat and mix up the scraps - it goes opaque but its still a cool effect. Thankfully I live in the Orlando area and can get Worbla from a distributor - thus no shipping. In Fl there are only three distributors that I know of Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa. Just FYI for anyone in Florida!

[@MangoSirene]

+Virginia LeBrun Yes, I love TranspArt! I wish I had more excuses to use it for stuff. xD

[@Kittywolf13]

+Virginia LeBrun are these actual store fronts?

[@ladytaliastorm8882]

+Kittywolf13 The places you can get the Worbla (yes actual stores) are in Orlando - Embellish FX / in Jacksonville it's Three Muses (pretty sure that's the name - it's run by the cosplayer Candy Keene) but I don't know the place in Tampa by name. At the Worbla Web site you can do a search for distributors by state. Hope that helps.

[@Kittywolf13]

thank you so much for the info. ive been considering attempting to make armor or jewelry or head pieces so ive been curious about all of the above mentioned in the video! thanks for letting me know that i can get it some where in state. :D even if it is a bit of a drive from me

[@brewsaughmighty7024]

You are a lifesaver!

[@roseofclarines]

I've used craft foam and EVA foam for almost everything I've done and gotten some pretty good results. Materials aren't too expensive which is really nice, though if you choose this I'd also recommend buying a heat gun. They allow you to shape the foam however you want and you can find good quality ones on Amazon for about $20

[@DakotaCarpenterReaper]

I'm a beginner and just started making my first armor, the material I chose is cardstock, it's similar to cardboard but can be thinner or thicker depending on what kind you get, it's cheap to buy so it works, I'm also using a hot glue gun as well as a hole punch and some leather strips I have

[@amandahowington5493]

I usually use EVA foam....if you take the time to sand down and round the edges, it gives a really nice effect for your finished look!!

[@dolley2512]

"Your latest Fire Emblem waifu" *nervously laughs as i hide my cosplay plans for Celica, Eirika an pretty much all the waifus*

[@AoiKitsu]

heh heh voltron armor.... going to be mainly tears for the base

[@imtryingmybest8342]

Gabby Wagner same though

[@yilingjade7052]

Gabby Wagner I'm currently going to make Pidge armor and blood also seems to be a key ingredient to the base :')

[@leblanc8520]

making my shiro armor, ive found blood, sweat, AND tears make a super good and strong base!

[@wolfcat3061]

I've found tears, blood, and regrets, and cat hairs because they are nosie little demons. I'm cosplaying Keith

[@susflower662]

The best Material for shoulder armour (that I have found ) is shoulder pads or knee pads, from football to hockey. You have the shape already and all you need to do is cover with either spray paint or fabric.

[@slothtier1]

I love using craft foam for armor, specifically 6 mm thickness! It's really durable and wonderful, I made Sully from Fire Emblem recently and used all craft/EVA foam for it and when I remake it after Colossalcon this year, I plan on using mostly 6mm craft foam and worbla/black worbla/thibra at some parts. :)

[@jenniferlantrip1382]

another thermoplastic that's kinda great is terraflex from tandy leather, I'm pretty sure it's bits of leather mixed with something but it has an interesting finished texture that reads like leather if painted right so if leatherworking scares you and you need rigid armor it's worth checking out

[@maskedfoxx7173]

I have yet to make armour, but I am working on a bacterial contamination cosplay that's similar to armour. I'm using expensive expanding foam that no one's heard of before, plaster, and fiberglass sheets. I've never done anything like this before and I'm actually doing the modeling and casting way, so I'm super nervous, but I'm a smart girl and figure this stuff out quickly so fingers crossed I make it through.

[@scarychewinggum]

YOU ARE A COMPLETE GODDESS OMG I'm going to be making a mettaton cosplay to wear in September and I have no idea what I'm doing heh. Thank you!

[@soapi3112]

A tip on the craft foam is to layer it. When I made my Ember Celica or aka Yang's Gauntlets from RWBY I layered my craft foam 3-5x depending on the part I was making. It makes it for durable!.

[@deliciator855]

+Sophia Italia I like this tip especially since I'm making what is basically a helmet and 1 layer is going to be pretty flimsy

[@MiniMexii]

I'm so glad you made this lol I was just thinking about cosplaying Panne soon and using Worbla for the first time... *sweats nervously*

[@emmarose9245]

This is super helpful! I love that you cited Cherche cosplays, because that happens to be my current project ^^ anyway, this is awesome information. Thanks!

[@srmoran99]

This is awesome! Thanks MangoSirene! This video came just in time since I will be starting on my first armor project soon. This video really gave me the confidence to think that I can do it!

[@lizardbath]

I haven’t used Eva foam yet, but for some of the gauntlets that I’ve make I’ve used craft foam from hobby lobby and it works really well. The only downside is that if you use mod podge to prime/seal the project, you can’t really bend the prop without some cracks

[@HarleyMaldonado]

I like using craft foam and cardboard as it fits well into my budget, and my dad helps me figure out ways to make it look less "cardboard-y", with prop-making in particular. I bought a large roll of Worbla at a theatre festival ONCE and have barely touched it as I'm afraid of wasting the good material >.< but I would like to try and use it for a potential Panne cosplay from FE:A or an armoured version of Sailor Neptune

[@tsumihikari]

My roommate spent con crunch time (2 months before a con) to make Hiro's super suit from Big Hero 6 out of Eva foam and craft foam. Major tools were a heat gun and a glue gun. Her helmet was the only thing we didn't make right, but she's looking forward to make Tadashi's Baymax armor for RamenCon...this is why I like working with fabric XD

[@katrinahelena7330]

This video was so great!! I was thinking about doing a armor cosplay and really didn't have any idea where to start, but thanks to this I think I've got what it takes to just kinda go for it. Luv your videos!!

[@SexyPopple]

Awesome video, it really helped a lot to know which materials to use and what my options are. I have only used craft foam before so it will be interesting to experiment with some of the others.

[@giannaa1030]

I made my winter soldier arm out of a tape mold, covered then in paper mache, and then multiple layers of wood glue. then to add the details i just used craft foam. Took a couple weekends to finish completely but it wasn't too too hard!

[@lomnom2971]

Omg you have perfect timing! Ive been thinking about cosplaying as Shigure from Fire Emblem Fates, but I was kinda intimidated by some of the armor he has because I've never made armor before. Thank you Sooo much! This video will come in handy!

[@soulchaserbecky]

What a super inspiring, friendly and encouraging video... as a newbie who is still in the thinking stage of attempting her first cosplay armour I loved learning about the many different materials... didnt realise there were so many! Also want to give you a virtual high-five for the Batgirl poster (superhero librarians rock) and for the Beaty & the Beast figurine (Book loving Belle is a fav of mine).

[@bananabananaman123]

i always been a worbla guy but this thibra is lookiing very intriguing also.... FIRE EMBLEM FTW YAAAS QUEEN!

[@nicknameshorty]

plaster of Paris strips. it is very good for getting curves, and it is durable after hardening. plus you can layer up pretty well, downside is: it can get heavy, and it hardens really tough

[@nicknameshorty]

as an add on material, you can use aluminum tape to augment many armors

[@cherryrosslps240]

my favorite thing to use for Amour is Cardboard 1000%. I have a lot of it lying around my house. Some tips for using cardboard would be to somehow smoothe out the edges. Your armor will look much nicer with smoothed egdes. And also, cardborad a pain in the ass to cut (depending what your using to cut it) so making things with it might get pretty stressful, so you may need alot of patients to use this material. But mango is right about it being light weight, and this material is best friends with hot glue and they work very well together.

[@finaadis1325]

All ur stuffs posters, nendoroids, figures, makes me drool

[@kamlong7358]

According to a few acquaintances of mine, another downside of fibreglass is that it is glass that likes to act as if it was glitter, very tiny and very sharp glitter that somehow spreads itself everywhere

[@TheCurseful]

The scene hair is giving me flashbacks to when I was first starting to cosplay and pretending that UNFINISHED craft foam was ok to wear on its own.

[@alexandriabarton7415]

My favorite material to use is craft foam with mod-podge or even alter safety equipment; for example umpire leg guards.

[@OverZaEast]

This really help for picking which is the right material i'm currently confuse right now in making my Daredevil costume xD !!. I'm kinda new right now on armor but the Netflix Daredevil costume will be my first armor cosplay, wish me luck !!.

[@Steel_blade_alchemist]

Thank you for making this video! I want to do Austaroshe from Trinity Blood and her outfit is FULL of armor. Thank you again.

[@TeaforTinka]

Craft foam+hot glue+wood glue for priming is my favorite. If you use the hot glue correctly and layer it you can get some really nice curves. Sucks that I can only find big rolls of the thinnest foam though :/

[@1337fidoS10]

Thanks! I was just thinking about things I could use for my Wind Waker Mirror Shield, and it looks like EVA foam should do the trick! On a side note, I've heard of some hardcore pakour over-achievers that 3D print armor and stuff, too.

[@aisyahkamal1128]

thank you so much for making this video. I was planning to make Saber armor from Fate Stay Night and the video really helps

[@NightaYuu]

My first self made cosplay is Cherche from Fire Emblem Awakening. It actually is fun and I had less trouble doing the armor than the sewing.

[@GamingSuccub]

Perfect timing! I was wondering how to make the N7 armor for Fem!Shep but I didnt know what to use and it intimidated me to make that full suit of armor. :( Thanks so much Mango! Youre the best!

[@MarijaEnchantix]

Some countries don't have EVA foam and Worbla isn't shipped to them ( or if it is, the shipping costs as much as the material which can ad up to $100 for a large sheet). However, for all the budget cosplayers who don't have Worbla and craft foam is too small - yoga mats work just as well! And they're super cheap. You seal and prime them the same way you would do with craft foam and BAM you have a cheap alternative which, if finished properly, will loo kas good as any other foam.

[@virginiahildreth373]

I've always used fun foam/foamies with a Worbla layer, but I've never made anything big or too crazy detailed. I found a tutorial for making a sword using plastic sheeting so I'm going to try that next.

[@carlylienemann4549]

I just started making Mettaton from Undertale's armor out of cardboard and paper mache and it's working out really well!

[@BrittanyTheHusky1204]

I found this stuff called CosplayFlex, it's marketed as easy to use for beginners, and the finished products made with it look really nice. The only downside is that they're a German company and if you want to buy in U.S. Dollars instead of Euros, I'm pretty sure you have to contact them, but they're easy to contact and respond pretty quickly, and they're really nice.

[@karly9105]

If you're using craft foam and need it to bend/curve, use a hair dryer on it, shape it and let it cool. You may have to do this multiple time before it stays in the shape you want.

[@mscraftyperson]

I havent tried to make it yet, but I like to use craft foam since it's cheap and I can buy it in packs whenever I want to plus it's lightweight and I can cut it easier.

[@crumplezonecosplay3506]

EVA foam and hot glue don't mix when using it for armor, the heat stored inside the EVA from moving to panel to panel causes the hot glue to lose its adhesive purpose and fall apart, use with caution

[@mellaniemellbourne7050]

I feel like fiberglass is my favorite, simply because you don't have to worry almost at all about the durability. Wearing a big fancy suit of armor, but having to walk around like a robot with a rod up your spine just so you don't break your costume? No thanks. Yeah it gets heavy I guess. And it is certainly a pain in the ass to work with, but the durability pays off. I did however come up with my own armor material a few years ago making an HEV suit. It was all made from cardboard and then painted with a mixture of wood glue and white four. It was amazingly strong, super lightweight, and incredibly easy to paint. The downsides were that it was very brittle, took a long time to dry before you could work with it, and took a very very long time to sand smooth.

[@Tylp]

Hands down I use Craft foam for my armor. No real reason other then its available in the small town. Did it for my Jecht Cosplay armor sleeve. and plan on doing it for my next cosplay.

[@moiracourson4837]

This is a really good run down, all I've used so far was craft foam to make a Shiro galra arm which turned out alright. Looking up new ways though to make an Umbreon gijinka armor in less than a month. Unrealistic? Very

[@stormycorgi5062]

omg I see a Sound! Euphonium poster in the background!!! 😍😍😍😍

[@Dragon_Sparkles]

One cool tip I personally learned for making breast plates is use a strapless bra. Just cut everything except the cups and the connection between the cups off and build from there. It makes getting the weird boob shape much easier. (you will need to harden it with resin though)

[@TheNatchan]

First off Mango can I just say I love you?! You're so great! Thanks for putting greats vids out there for us to watch, and as always this one was great. I have yet to work with Worbla, but am planning to in the future. Funny story is it will be for my... Fire emblem cosplay! Lol

[@nothx2016]

I LOVE YOUR VIOLET EYES SO MUUUUUCCHHH!!!!

[@DarkApocalyptiaX]

It's actually the most FUN part of cosplay :)

[@JessePhoenix]

So far my favourite materials are craft foam, EVA foam and worbla (surprise). For any armor that's supposed to be metal (and that doesn't need to be flexible) I like the craft foam+worbla route because it turns out really sturdy (hell to prime tho), and for leather armor I've found I really like craft foam covered with faux leather. The craft foam+faux leather is surpisingly sturdy! And for heavier builds or stuff that needs to move more, EVA foam. Also for stuff with more mechanical angles, I found it to be a lot easier to get clean edges with EVA as it doesn't flop around as much as craft foam. I would also recommend people to check out Evil Ted Smith here on youtube for foam build tutorials, his videos are incredibly useful!

[@bostontracy5151]

I myself haven't yet started the small, lightweight-looking, armor breastplate I want to make for my Star Wars bounty hunter/smuggler character that I'll be doing (I'm currently spending most of my free time building a blaster [Blastech DL-T] out of scratch), but I've been leaning towards the attractive EVA foam as the material I'll use; my dad has a heat gun at work (so I can form it), I'm very familiar with the use of a Dremel tool for detailing, I'm familiar with how to do spray-paint detailing (and how to hide spots from paint), and it's rather lightweight and should be relatively comfortable (which is what I want).

[@K0smicKiwi]

my dad owns a car shop , so he gave me some EVA foam ^^ I'm starting on a cosplay right now lol. Nice guide BTW! very handy :D

[@scandalous316]

I personally like working with craft foam as still a fairly novice cosplayer when it comes to prop and armor making. Cheap, easy to use, and I use Plasti-Dip to prime it. And you can get it to conform to different shapes using a heat gun. :)

[@girlfallsfromthesky3182]

This video was super helpful! Thank you so much!

[@personyoudontknow003]

Perfect timing! I'm getting ready to make Merrill from Dragon Age, and I am just a little afraid of that armor. I've made exactly one armor piece before which was just a super simple pauldron for my Morrigan cosplay, and I just made it with a Life cereal box, tape, and spray paint. It doesn't look super great up close, but the feathers cover up the seam, so as long as the 20 foot rule of theater applies, it works just fine.

[@GamingSuccub]

Oooh a Dragon Age cosplay! I plan on doing Cassandra from Inquisition. :3

[@KirileeCosplay]

Foam and Worbla are my favourites as a pair :)

[@terrisilva8756]

Omg! I love Fire Emblem. I clicked on this video the second I saw you cosplaying Panne.

[@blueskyciara]

Holding up that black worlba I cried. So FaNcY

[@gingerseed123]

For those who are thinking about using craft foam, buy it in a big roll (they're about 7.99 at Michaels) you'll save a lot of money in the long run and you can use a coupon :)

[@casmccracken7422]

Always use worbla on the back of foam bracers to strengthen them

[@Alice-ez7ez]

If you live in glasgow ther's a company called stockline plastics where you can cheaply buy thermoplastic in small sheets

[@safachu6274]

Are these materials also good for making weapons like swords? Its my first time cosplaying and I'm really confused

[@jazzichan4738]

I love using worbla, but it can really make your hands hurt after long amounts of time with it (especially when your stressing to finish a project on time DX ) but I have started casting and moulding weapons now so it's getting quality every time :D

[@therebel1375]

mango don't forget about old fashion metals to make the armor preferably aluminum being lightweight. helps if you have a machine shop or access to one.lol

[@MangoSirene]

+The Rebel I didn't forget, haha! As I mentioned in the description and other comments, I was covering the most common materials that are used by the majority of cosplayers. Metal isn't very common because it requires specific tools/a metal shop, as you mentioned. :)

[@danajohnson3055]

I don't have a favorite yet because I am attempting to make my first ever costume for my husband this year.. Emperor Zarkon. My son (he's 4) recently discovered Voltron on Netflix and is determined to be Voltron this year so I am attempting to include my husband and myself as Zarkon and Haggar.

[@tully9790]

are there any tips about buying contact lenses for cosplay you could share? / could you do a video on contact lenses?

[@Mojje42]

Keep up the Epicness

[@jungwooza3426]

Thank god for my Lucy GMG I don't need a lot of armor! XD I can totally do this. Thanks, Nina!

[@AntiHeroDraws]

also check out Pepakura for making armor!

[@NerdySillyGirl]

Favorite armor material ? 3$ yoga mat and craft foam ! Yep. Worbla is nice and all (I mean, generally I don't have a budget because I don't make that many costumes...) but I just don't like using it. I can't say why though haha

[@secretlightcosplay6544]

this is actually sooo informative, I always look at armored cosplays and I'm just thinking how in the heck did they actually make that!?