Cosplayers are eager to get back to in-person video game events and comic cons. Here’s a fun and easy costume my son Reed came up with, based on the video game Control: a Federal Bureau of Control agent. This costume also works great for a Zoom meeting as it’s a “waist up” design!
Even if you’re making a completely different costume, here are some basic fabrication tips and techniques I helped him with that you can use, too.
Reference
For this costume there was plenty of good reference imagery, direct from the game and website. This basic design looks easy enough: web straps and buckles holding a breastplate and a shoulder strap-mounted module.
TIP: Find front, side, and top views so you can size things.
Sourcing
Buy versus build: Many parts can simply be purchased but to get it looking just right some elements will have to be custom fabricated.
TIP: If you are going to buy components, you may find it is easiest to shop online, but some things are best sourced in person. You can quickly feel materials, see real colors, and check compatibility of sizes, like these straps and buckles gathered at the fabric store.
Fabrication
Weight, durability, and comfort are important in any costume. The two housings are hollow and made of light plastic with thicker, ¼” acrylic back panels for strength.
TIP: You could cut and drill the backing shapes and the strap slots, but that would also mean lots of handwork finishing all the edges. Laser cutting with the Glowforge gives a perfect “flame polished” edge to the acrylic parts — done!
Dry fitting
These straps fit fine but the flat backing panel can be improved.
TIP: Always check your work as you go, by trying the fit and function first before painting or finishing.
Thermoforming
To fit better, the acrylic shoulder piece is given a slight bend at each end. Remove the paper backing from both sides and clamp the acrylic where the bend will be. Carefully warm the plastic at the outside corner of the bend, using a heat gun. When softened, bend and hold the plastic until cooled to make the new shape.
TIP: The clamp protects the end part of the acrylic from bending or warping.I vacuum-formed some styrene to make a hollow shoulder housing. To create a form, I cut and shaped some rigid foam and milled corner recesses for the screws, then drilled holes for the LED and screws. The screws are just for appearance and don’t do anything — they’ll be glued on after the shell is painted.
TIP: Vacuum forming is really great for costume making. You can make multiples fast and it’s perfect for creating masks. For more on vacuum forming and bending plastic, check out my book Make: Fun! and build an easy Kitchen Floor Vacuum Former.
To make the breastplate housing, I fabricated the octagonal shape from glued-up styrene sheet. Triangular gussets inside make it strong and light.
The “lens” of the breastplate is a screw–on plastic jar lid with a disc of styrene glued onto the bottom.
TIP: Be resourceful and find household items or trash that can be used for parts.
Details and finishing
The housings get a “hammered” finish paint, and the backing plates are painted silver. A green LED, battery, and switch go inside the shoulder housing, which is velcro-ed to the backing for easy access. The cosmetic screw heads are glued in place. The yellow knob is a dummy made from solid plastic parts shaped, painted, and then glued into place. The red cord and its black stress relief came from the junk parts bin and luckily were a perfect match!
Loop and sew the straps onto the slots in the backings. The rest is just assembly and final graphics to add the lens and badge.
Add your own shirt, pants, and black tie. The end result is picture perfect: Agent K is ready for the con!
Photos by Bob Knetzger. This article appeared in Make: Vol 79. Subscribe today!
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