Hi! So I’m posting several large, wearable Kanohi masks that I’ve made over the years, as well as a full-body Vezon cosplay.
I should have posted these (all but the latest one) years ago; the reasons I didn’t were a mix of not feeling 100% happy with how they turned out, lacking internet access for a stretch of time in 2016, and also just foolishly not prioritizing doing so. But better late than never.
Anyway:
- Kanohi Olmak
This is my latest, which I just completed earlier this month. It is made of foam. Glued together with a mix of industrial-strength glue (for the main shape), and hot glue for the smaller details. I covered it with white plasti-dip spray, then spray-painted it with a really great metallic gold.
It’s not perfect but I am still really, really happy with how it turned out. The metallic gold paint in particular really looks awesome.
At first I didn’t know where to start, because the curved shapes did not make it obvious to me about how to reproduce the shape with foam pieces. The “eureka” moment was to take two sillhouettes of the mask (from the front and from the side) and slide them together; from there I was able to figure out the rest.
I was able to attend San Diego Comic Con this year.
I stopped by Stuart Sayger’s table to show him this mask. He is just the nicest guy ever, so friendly, and you can truly feel his love for Bionicle.
He actually signed the inside of my mask!
Unlike the others I made, I think I actually made it the right size to cover my whole head while still being the correct shape (e.g. not “stretched” to be tall).
My original intent was to make a full Brutaka costume; unlike many other characters, I think Brutaka lends himself really well because his proportions are fairly humanoid. But when I finished the mask, I became worried that it was too big compared to my body; I didn’t want the Brutaka costume to look bobble-headed. But after looking at myself wearing it, I decided that the size is good enough. So now my plan is to go ahead with the full costume; my goal is to have it completed by July 2023.
- Vezon costume
^At Brickfair, 2019 I think.
This one was very ambitious, but I thought Vezon lends himself well to a costume; I could make the main body just black and still look good, and the cape would look cool. The problem was that I made the mistake of scaling the entire head around my glasses, when I should have scaled it around my own head, so while the head looked very good on its own, it ended up way too big. Oh well. Overall I’m really happy with it.
I also made the eyes light up- I’m proud of being able to pull this off, and I think it looks great. The teeth are also painted to glow-in-the-dark; you can’t see it with this picture, but they glow really well.
San Diego Comic Con 2019 was when I first met Stuart Sayger (who, again, could not be a nicer guy). He signed the inside of the head!
- Kanohi Kraahkan
^(The poster on the wall is an awesome fan-designed Bionicle poster from Redbubble. I would credit the artist, but I don’t actually know who made it, the poster was a gift).
Made in 2016. This one I did not make on my own, I made it in collaboration with a wonderful friend and mentor. He is a cosplay expert, so it was much more refined than the others I made, with beautifully smooth edges using a dremel he has. It was made of thicker foam sheets, and painted with black plasti-dip. I think it was the exact right size needed to cover my entire head; but given the unusual and inhuman shape of the Kraahkan, it had to be pretty large. It has two inner straps, so it can be worn as both sides/configurations of the mask.
It was originally much more curved, but over the years, gravity has made the sides become overly straightened compared to the Lego piece. This is something I could probably fix with a heat gun.
I also did a giant Great Kanohi Ruru in 2013. Unlike the others, it was made of cardboard and black duct tape, with transparent green cellophane in the eye holes. I wore it to San Diego comic-con, and also Brickfair Virginia, in 2013. Unfortunately, I cannot find any photos of it, and it is currently not intact (cut off the sides to mail it home, and I don’t have black duct tape to repair it). It was way way too big, but other than that I was very happy with how it turned out.
Anyway, every time I make one of these I learn a lot more and improve in certain ways. I am really excited to do more in the future, specifically the full Brutaka costume!