In the first of what I hope to be a number of retrospectives looking back at a few of my earlier cosplays, we roll the clock back to early 2018. Having had initial success with my Cyberman and War Doctor Cosplays at October MCM (2016 and 2017 respectively) this was the first time I would be attending the May comic con in costume. I would learn that designing costumes for specific conventions would require some consideration of the time of year, but this costume may have been the one to teach me that lesson.
With a couple of solid Dr Who costumes under my belt I wanted to branch out a little. Monty Python had always been a favourite in my household growing up, and the Holy Grail seemed a good medieval fantasy aesthetic with which to break out of my Science Fiction cosplay roots.
As with all my cosplays I intended to make at least one component from scratch, and evidently the helmet would be the prime candidate, and thus the focus of my efforts. The rest, including a LARP-safe sword, I would seek to purchase, along with inkjet-printable iron-on transfer paper for the symbol on the tunic. I sourced a close-up screenshot of the helmet to use as a reference.
The plan was to use two layers for the helmet: An inner layer of 3mm foam for comfort, and an outer layer of Cosplayflex thermoplastic for the outer layer. Between the two layers I would sandwich a layer of thin black fabric (sourced from a pair of tights) to obscure the inside of the helmet whilst maintaining some visibility. As I had not worked with Cosplayflex before, I considered this the new material/skill I would encounter for this project. The first step was, of course, the cardboard prototype, to check and confirm measurements and fit:
A few adjustments to line up the eye slit correctly were required, but overall the prototype was a success, so I felt confident moving on to the actual manufacture. First I focused on cutting the 3mm foam inner layer, along with a circular T-shaped piece, the goal of which was to go around the inside at approximately ear-level to hopefully secure the helmet at the correct height, as well as provide a joining surface for the seam at the back of the helmet.
I had originally purchased a heat gun so that I could try and mould the Cosplayflex to the desired shape, but given it came as a roll already it seemed to fit a cylindrical design without the need for it.
The Cosplayflex was surprisingly easy to work with, even using scissors and a craft knife to cut the pieces. I cut a circular piece for the helmet top from both 3mm foam and plastic, as well as a narrow rectangular piece of the plastic to patch over and reinforce the back seam. Then it was a matter of lots of hot glue, as well as the addition of the “rivets” which I simply cut from more 3mm foam. I also added a top ring of plastic.
Painting the helmet involved a base layer of black, followed by a layer of “Natural Steel” metallic paint (two layers of each) followed by a black wash.
The only other piece of the costume that I had to create was the tunic, which was the combination of a black medieval costume tunic with an iron-on transfer (which unfortunately limited the size of the image I could apply to A4).
The remainder of the costume was purchased, including a costume chainmail shirt, faux-leather black gloves, and a LARP-safe sword as close to the Black Knight’s as I could find. The brown belt, black trousers and shoes I already had.
The costume was fun to wear, and got a fairly positive response at the convention. The visibility from the helmet was quite good, considering, however with the outer plastic layer it was heavy and did not take long to become uncomfortable to wear. If I were to remake this costume again, I would definitely use two layers of 3mm foam for a lighter and more comfortable helmet, even if it would sacrifice the rigidity the plastic provided. I would also try and hand-sew the tunic design, as it was a single colour and not too intricate to create, given time.
As a bonus, two friends of mine had a fancy-dress themed wedding a few months later on a bridge in a Scottish glen, and given a bridge in a natural setting the Black Knight cosplay was a must (despite the logistical challenge of getting it across the country intact).
