I know what you mean about the old cartoons and stuff like that. It is always funny when i watch The Dark Crystal, which scared the tar outta me....but i could see that. But the old cartoons, the are quite funny!

Sorry to butt in. I found your LJ through an image search on Google (go figure) i was looking up stuff for Berserker Rikku and apparently you had a pic posted once of the armor, which is my current nemesis. I am working on that costume for a friend (for Dragon*con), though being my first costume i think i bit off more than i can chew!!! I like reading all you cosplay stuff....although it makes me feel like a COMPLETE failure...lol. maybe i'll learn something.

I am always in awe of cosplayer like yourself :)

Lady Sith

YAAAAAAAAAAAY! No, really - I love random visitors and meeting new people. I'm glad you stumbled in (and seem to find my ramblings interesting). ^_^ I've been meaning to write up a detailed explanation of how I made the Berserker armor, but I've been busy with my Dynasty Warriors stuff and just not in a writing mood, so I've put it off. In the meantime, here's the basic procedure:

- Make a pauldron-shaped base out of something. (I used heavy wireform mesh. Others seem to prefer craft foam.)
- Cut/sand the horns out of styrofoam. I used floral foam because it can hold more detail than regular styrofoam, but it crumbles and makes a dusty mess and can't be cut with a hot wire. If I were to redo my armor, I'd use insulation-grade styrofoam, which also holds detail but is much less crumbly and won't melt and give off disgusting fumes if you hot wire it.
- Carve/sand an appropriate notch in the bottom of each horn. Attach the horns to the pauldrons somehow (I used hot glue and floral wire for reinforcement). It doesn't matter if this is super-duper sturdy at this point - you just need them to stay put through the next steps.
- Cover the entire thing with a layer of papier mache. Newspaper strips and Mod Podge worked for me.
- Cover that with something sturdier and more sandable. I used paper clay because it's easy to work with (although it cracks like crazy when it dries and you have to keep slapping more clay in said cracks) and I could sculpt the recessed triangles right into the edge of the piece while covering it. Others have gone with Bondo or a ton of layers of gesso. The one major problem I had with the clay is that it tended to pull the pauldron sides apart as it dried, so I had to crack, bend, and spackle them to get the pieces to look right, and both of them did not turn out exactly the same, which annoyed me. If I had been able to make a stiffer base, that probably wouldn't have been a problem.
- Sand the crap out of the pauldrons. Spackle any low spots with your filler material. Repeat until they look the way you want them to (or you're about to go insane).
- Now you get to paint them. Weeeeee. I used Krylon acrylic primer and spray paint for the blue base and cheapo craft paints for the triangles and round dealies.
- To attach the pauldrons together, I just used E-6000 to glue a length of elastic between them at the front and back. This stayed put very, very well. The same glue was used to put the fur on the bottom edges of said pauldrons.

I hope that helps. If you have any questions, let me know. It's way past my bedtime, so me go pass out now... *zzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

see?!? this is what i am talking about!! Your all super awesome....i am not. Well you just have more experience i am sure. I couldn't do these things your talking about! And i have sorta run outta time. I just took a simple road (that i have seen done anyway) i just took high density foam batting and cut and hot glued it and "upholstered" it with the right fabric :) But i HATE the spikes i did....plus they don't match. My friend is super cute so i was thinking about leaving it (i have torn these apart 3 times already) figuring good poses and her cuteness would take away, but you have given me an IDEA!!!! Which it think will look MUCH better...no where cool as yours, but like i said it is the first time outta the gate for me, so i think i am doing ok :) here is a link to what i have now...you can see the mess of it all in the backround! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/LadySith13/smallrikku.jpg

I made a GREAT set of Chii ears (if i so say so myself) for her as another costume she is doing. Dragon*con is only 24 days away.

Plus she was going to use paper macie, but we decide it may be heavy or more importantly GET BROKEN on the way to Atlanta....airlines are gentle with luggage. at least what i made are soft light and flexible....just the spikes are pissing me off....And i have yet to make the horn *slaps self*

Do you have any pics of you in this costume or of and other parts of it...i would love to see it!! I'll be sure to send you pics of our mess too....(ps your Felica Costume was really cute)

Lady Sith

I was 6 when "Time Bandits" came out. I remember seeing it & it affected me so much that for the next several months, when I was mad at my parents I would leave pieces of black rocks or charcoal lying around where they would find them & maybe TOUCH them...because maybe the black rocks or charcoal would actually be bits of evil & then THEY would turn into little bits of evil balck rocks or charcoal when they touched them & then I could run off & live with James Bond.

I still occasionally have that fantasy.