Astrid Cosplay Tutorial
Our Astrid cosplay features dragon scale armor which is intended to mimic Astrid’s dragon, Stormfly, in many ways. The armor is made of several different pieces, and our cosplay includes the helmet, pauldrons, chest plate, torso guards, skirt, gauntlets (forearm and wrist guards), knee pads, and boot covers. As with any cosplay, we took some creative liberties — some because of time and others because we felt they could be omitted without ruining the overall look we were going for. For example, Astrid’s actual armor also features two wing structures that help her fly when necessary, but since they’re usually folded and invisible, we decided to omit those. Also, her armor extends through the legs and boots; we decided a pair of brown tights and brown boots would suffice.
Some of the details of Astrid’s armor made this project particularly interesting for us. For example, Astrid’s suit is supposed to be made out of the scales that Stormfly has shed, so they feature an iridescent blue color with hints of green and purple. Since these scales came from Stormfly, they make the armor effectively fireproof. The scales are attached to what appears to be a leather base. Since we didn’t have that particular adhesive at our fingertips, we had to figure out a more creative way to add scales to our cosplay. We also incorporated the small metal skull details around Astrid’s waist belt and the various spikes that mimic Stormfly.
Creating the Pattern for Astrid’s Armor
This is the first post demonstrating how we built Astrid’s armor from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In this post, we showed how we created the pattern for the axe with saran wrap and duct tape.
Cutting Foam and Assembling Astrid’s Armor
This is the second post demonstrating how we built Astrid’s armor from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In the last post, we showed you how we created the pattern for the armor using saran wrap, duct tape, and construction paper. In this post, we showed how we transferred the pattern to EVA foam, how we cut and assembled the various pieces of the armor, and how we adhered them together.
Adding the Details to Astrid’s Armor
This is the third post demonstrating how we built Astrid’s armor from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In our last post, we cut and assembled the armor out of L200 foam. In this post, we added all the details, including the dragon scales and skulls.
Painting Astrid’s Armor
This is the fourth post demonstrating how we built Astrid’s armor from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In the last post, we showed you how we added all of our armor details, including the dragon scales, skulls, and straps. In this part, we showed how we put the final paint job on our foam armor pieces using a variety of paints and techniques.
Strapping Astrid’s Armor
This is the final part demonstrating how we built Astrid’s armor from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In the last episode, we primed and painted our armor with its final coats of color. In this post, we demonstrated the four ways we attached straps to our armor and got it ready to wear to the convention.
Armor Supplies
CosBond Products:
Tools:
- Scissors
- Markers
- Box cutter (fresh blades)
- Soldering iron
- Belt sander
- Shaping tools
- Cardboard
- Paintbrushes
- Paper towels
- Lighter
- Ruler
- Sewing machine
Other Products:
- Saran wrap
- Duct tape (preferably white)
- Construction paper
- 1/4″ L200 EVA foam
- 1/8″ craft foam
- Contact cement
- Apoxie Sculpt
- Plasti-Dip
- Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X Paint & Primer Spray Paint(Espresso)
- Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic Paint (brown, black)
- Plaid FolkArt Multi-Surface Metallic Acrylic Paint (6311 – Teal Topaz, 6310 Malachite, 6313 Tanzanite)
- Nylon straps (various widths)
- Parachute clips
- Black zippers
- Black Velcro
- Brown elastic
- Brown thread
Patterning, Sanding, and Assembling Astrid’s Axe
This is the first of four tutorials demonstrating how we built Astrid’s axe from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In this post, we focused on the insulation foam axe head — showing you how we patterned it, cut it out, and sanded it, as well as how we started assembling it.
Prepping & Protecting Astrid’s Axe with Worbla
This is the second of four tutorials demonstrating how we built Astrid’s axe from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In our last post, we got the ball rolling by developing the pattern, cutting out the axe head from insulation foam, and assembling and sanding the axe head. In this episode, we continued our work on the axe head by adding some details but also protecting the axe head with Worbla.
Adding the Final Details to Astrid’s Axe
This is the third of the four posts showing how we built Astrid’s axe from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In our last post, we started adding the underlying details to the axe head and protected it using Worbla. We also added a dowel screw to the axe head so we could easily attach and detach the axe handle (to make it easier to ship). In this post, we added all the little details on the axe head and handle and got the prop ready for the final paint job.
Painting and Weathering Astrid’s Axe
This is the fourth of four posts showing how we built Astrid’s axe from How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In our last post, we added all the details to the axe head and the handle. In this episode, we finished the axe with a final paint job including details to give depth, dimension, and “weathering.”
Axe Supplies
CosBond Products:
Tools:
- Permanent marker
- Scissors
- Scotch or masking tape
- Ruler
- Box cutter
- Dremel
- Belt sander
- Sanding block
- Soldering iron
- Heavy duty shears or tin snips
- Heat gun
- Shaping tools (spatula, etc.)
- Vise/vise-grips/pliers
- Rags
- Artist brushes
Other Products:
- Printer paper
- Construction paper
- 1-1/4″ thick insulation foam
- 1-1/2″ diameter wooden dowel
- Sandpaper (medium and fine grit)
- Construction paper
- 1/4″ thick EVA foam (craft foam)
- 1/8″ thick EVA foam (craft foam)
- Worbla
- 1-1/4″ diameter wood dowel
- 1/4″ x 3″ dowel screw
- Wood stain
- Aluminum foil
- Faux fur
- Plasti-Dip
- 3/8” googly eyes
- Rustoleum Hammered Spray Paint (grey)
- Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X Paint & Primer Hammered Spray Paint (grey, silver)
- Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic Paint (pink, blue, brown)
- Liquitex Basics Acrylic Paint