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Hello little turtle and welcome to a new Cosplay Tutorial! Today I’ll show you how I made Astrid’s armor, taken from the third movie of the How to Train Your Dragon saga. And, since many of you asked, at the end of the article I’ll also reveal the secret behind an iridescent-like paint finish! But let’s start from the beginning…
THE ARMOR
The cosplay is quite elaborate and is made up of a sewn part in leather (and lycra) and the actual armor pieces. I also make the leggings in lycra, to which each piece of the lower armor will be attached (1,2).
To create the templates for the EVA foam armor, I get someone to help me and wrap myself in cling film and tape, turning into a little sushi roll (3).
I place the tape bust on the mannequin. I add several layers of newspaper to recreate the bust’s tripartition and apply cling film and tape again (4,5,6).
I draw the 2D model of the armor in AutoCAD (7), with the correct placement of each individual scale, so that the armor resembles the original as closely as possible. I print the design and apply it to the bust (8), adapting it to my proportions. I transfer all the lines onto the underlying layer using a permanent marker (9).
I cut each piece of the pattern and transfer everything onto a 5mm high-density foam sheet (10). Using a sharp craft knife, I cut all the foam parts and glue them together with contact adhesive, heat-forming them with a heat gun where necessary, to shape the armor’s torso correctly (11).
I create all the finer details for the bodice using 2mm foam (12), including: the shoulder straps, the flap to apply on the back, and the strips to place on the joints. All of this will add more realism to the entire project. The good thing is that Astrid’s character design is very well thought out; you just need to follow the seams of the model used in the film to do a good job. That’s not something to take for granted.
On the front part, you can notice small stitches: I use 1mm foam, cut the tiny filaments, and glue them one by one using tweezers (13). A long process? Definitely yes! But in the end, it’s extremely satisfying!
Now we move on to the longest and most frustrating part of the process: creating the scales. Using the model previously made in Autocad, I draw each individual scale on foam. I number each one to remember its mounting position.
Afterwards, I sand the edges to make them smoother and glue the scales to the torso using our trusty contact glue. I repeat this process endlessly (14).
Now let’s move on to the shoulder pads. The process is pretty much the same.
I transfer the base drawn in Autocad onto foam. I glue the foam pieces together to create the first shoulder pad base (15). I use an acrylic sphere to make the shoulder pad as round as possible, placing heated foam on top with a heat gun (16).
I proceed with making the other pieces and also add the various 2mm foam details here (17).
After completing these steps, it’s time to seal all the gaps that have formed between the various joints. I prefer to use Kwik Seal (there are Italian alternatives, but this one is definitely the most effective). After filling the gaps, just run a little water over the surface with your fingers to make everything smoother (18).
Guess what I’m going to do now? The scales (19). You have no idea how many scales I’ve cut for this cosplay. They didn’t look this many in the drawings. A little preview of the torso (20).
Let’s move on to the next piece: the skirt.
For the little skulls, I decided to use Foam Clay, but I didn’t have a mold. So, I take the clay and get my hands dirty. I try to follow the reference images as closely as possible (21). I use silicone rubber to create a mold (22), which will dry in about 24 hours. With a bit of patience, we fill the mold with Foam Clay until we have made the right number of little skulls (23).
As for the other pieces of the skirt, it’s all very simple but quite repetitive. I cut each piece (24), add the faux leather stitching (25), and then a lot of hard work and effort to create the remaining scales (26).
The forearms (27), knee pads (28), and legs (29) are made using the same techniques you’ve already seen.
THE HELMET
The second part of the Cosplay Tutorial focuses on the helmet, which turned out to be more complicated to make than expected. You can see many Astrid helmets online, but almost all are designed with clearly wrong proportions or shapes. So what do I do? I still take the drawing made in Autocad as a reference and then try to create a prototype of the helmet with paper (30).
I disassemble the prototype and, once satisfied, reproduce each piece on 5mm foam (31). I cut and glue all the parts.
I attach the rivets to open and close the helmet (32).
To make the 8 horns, I cut multiple shaped layers and glue them together (33). Using a craft knife and then a Dremel, I emphasize the edges and tips of the horns. I use sealant and water to smooth everything (34).
I apply the various finishes on the eyes and joints and glue the completed horns to the helmet. I attach the previously crafted scales (35).
PRIMING AND PAINTING
We continue with our Cosplay Tutorial: I’m getting ready to apply the first coat of primer. In this case, I’m using Plastidip. Remember: always wear a protective mask and gloves when using these highly toxic products. Shake the can well before starting this step. I make sure to cover each piece with at least 3 layers of product (36).
I paint the scales using metallic acrylics. And now, as promised at the beginning of the article, the trick to create semi-iridescence: on the now dry scales, I apply a coat of semi-transparent light blue metallic paint (37). This simple yet extremely effective technique will allow me to achieve an iridescent effect: light will reflect off two different metallic pigments almost simultaneously, making both the darker, more saturated pigments of the lower layer and the much lighter, shinier upper layer visible.
Now, let’s make sure to cover all the smudges from the previous painting and add some wear here and there, using an old brush to dab acrylic paint of a lighter shade on all the cosplay pieces (38). With the airbrush, I emphasize the shadowed areas by creating gradients with a darker brown (compared to the one used for the base of the entire armor).
Finally, we apply a coat of protective spray on all the pieces.
COSPLAY TUTORIAL: THE FINAL RESULT
It took me about a year to complete the Astrid cosplay. It’s a work of meticulousness and patience, but if you arm yourself with these two qualities, I’m sure you’ll be able to achieve an armor you can truly be proud of.
Here’s the second part of this project, an article where I’ll show you how to make Astrid’s Axe in a slightly unusual way…
That said, if you want to learn more about the world of cosmaking, I’m working on more Videos and Cosplay Tutorials. Curious? Subscribe to the newsletter or follow me on social media so you don’t miss the upcoming posts on the blog!
Now I ask you: which part of the process was the most interesting? Which topic would you like to explore further? Leave me a comment with your answer. We’ll catch up in another article! Bye!
VIDEO TUTORIAL: ASTRID’S ARMOR – HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3
Not a fan of reading the Cosplay Tutorial article? Here’s the Video version of what’s covered on this page! I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful!
Cover photo of Maddalena Montecchio’s Cosplay Tutorial.