 BAHAMUT Final Fantasy X Aeon Form |
| Costume Stats: |
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Costume Completed: 2012 Debut: Anime Boston 2012 |
| Convention History: |
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Anime Boston 2012 |
| Photo Castmates: |
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Summoner Yuna: Gale Valefor: Jugglesgeese Ifrit: Crazyflower Ixion: Sweet Pea and Yunalala Shiva: Shiva Yojimbo: Hartley Magus Sisters: Ellystar |
| Photo Credits: |
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Lionel Lum |
Construction Notes:
I thought I'd taken on some crazy projects before, but this took the cake; not only did I learn quite a few new skills, but similar to my first attempt at making Canti, I figured how how NOT to make a giant dragon. I started Bahamut by tacking the wings, which is arguably the most challenging part of the costume. I started with welding together an aluminum frame for each of the four wings which could snap into a backpack. I then individually carved each of the feathers out of rigid insulation foam, coated them with epoxy, and spray-painted each one with a red-purple-blue gradient. Each feather individually snapped onto the framing before being hooked onto the back piece. The claws on top of the wings and other accents were also made from foam and painted, including the gold wheel on his back, which attached to black PVC pipe sticking out of the backpack so it appeared to float in midair.
I originally wanted to make stilts, but after several attempts went south I opted for PVC pipe platforms which I built that strapped onto my feet. The foot talons were made from foam glued onto pipe insulation and the scales were made from craft foam painted to match the fabric; this allowed the toes to bend and allow for easier walking. The legs and arms were carved from foam and covered in vinyl, while the chest was made from vinyl with individual scales made from rubber mats pained gold with craft foam blue scales. The tail was furniture foam wrapped in vinyl and attached to a belt, and the hands were gloves covered in foam scales with claws made from Sculpey. My favorite part of the costume was the head, which was carved completely from foam; the four horns were slowly sanded to keep them symmetrical and the jaw was a separate pieces with a green tongue made from Crayola foam. The entire piece attached to a bike helmet so it was higher than my head, whereas the neck had foam paired with a mesh window for me to see out of. I was really proud of how a lot of this came out, but it was incredibly unwieldy to transport, assemble, and wear; the weight of the feathers also ultimately bent the aluminum frame to the point it was unusable. I learned a lot from this, however, and I'd love to take another stab at making this giant dragon.
Photoshoot Pics:
