Carbon Costume

Eddie Blake is not what you would call a nice man. He’s done his fair share of hero work as The Comedian and the press loves his patriotic public persona. But behind closed doors he’s not what most people would call a hero. Jeffrey Dean Morgan manages to bring a certain charm to the character in Zack Snyder’s 2009 adaptation. But it’s up to the audience how long that charm holds out.

Blake is a military man and a good portion of his costume is inspired by the military. Black combat boots, black tactical pants, and his thigh holster with a (costume) pistol all stem from his interest in the military. His chest piece is pretty easy to recreate with a paintball vest and leather belts can be repurposed as the straps over his shoulders. His belt buckle can also be recreated using black foam painted with the same silver spray paint you’ll need to modify pre-made shoulder protectors so they have the red, blue, and silver colors Blake wears.

Add a mustache, mask, and smiley button as your finishing touches and you’re good to go. Just don’t forget the cosmetics glue to keep your mask in place!

Don’t let the comfy laidback look fool you. Leon is legendary and we do mean legendary. Voiced by Thomas Hageena, he’s one of the fastest characters in the game and is absolutely lethal at close range. He might rock an oversize hoodie, but when he brawls he aims to win.

Leon’s look is all about casual comfort. After all, he’s tough enough without having to put on a show about it! Unfortunately his hoodie is as unique as he is which means it takes a little bit of DIY to recreat.

Start with a green zip up hoodie and some yellow fabric paint. The Soft fabric paint is a great choice because it keeps your garment soft and flexible rather than making it go stiff. Use this to paint a yellow stripe from the from of the hood all the way back to the neck seam. Then use the same paint to turn the entire hem area yellow. Use blue fabric paint on the pockets to turn them blue.

The giant buttons are a little bit tougher. Before attaching them to the sweater, use blue cat bowls black hot glue sticks to create the “thread” inside each “button”. Then you can either glue them straight to the hoodie or glue magnets on the bottom and use use the other side of the magnet to keep the bowls in place through the hoodie. Once you decide on how to attach them, use the pink foam and the glue gun to add the bit of Leon’s hair that sticks out from under his hood.

Now all you need to finish your look is a pair of denim shorts, a lollipop and invisible shoes like these, and you’re ready to brawl!

HBO Max introduced Jason Todd as Red Hood in season three of their Titans show. The look was hyped for months beforehand and not just by Curran Walters, the man under the hood. Fans everywhere were dying to see what HBO would give them and they were not disappointed.

Recreating Red Hood’s look is no easy feat. And it starts with the mask. Unless you’re an experienced crafter and cosplayer, your best bet is to get one from Etsy. They tend to sell out very quickly and you might have to purchase a 3D printer pattern and have an Etsy printer run one off for you. Then, of course, you need a red zip up hoodie and a brown leather jacket. Under that you’ll want the chest piece which is pretty easily replicated with a paintball vest and fabric paint. Because the vest is black, you’ll want to paint the bat symbol first in white and then in red so the red will show up against the background. Finally, to finish off the upper layer you’ll need a pair of motorcycle gloves.

The bottom half of the costume consists of a pair of motorcycle pants, two thigh holsters, two costume pistols, a tactical belt, and a pair of brown leather work boots. Todd also has a pair of leg bracers that go down over his boots. You can purchase the leg portion premade and then fashion the section over his toes with craft foam and silver adhesive vinyl.

It’s a costume with a pretty steep level of investment. For for Red Hood fans it is worth it.

Peeta Mellark is a central character in The Hunger Games literary and cinematic universe. He is a baker from District 12. At the Reaping, he gets selected to participate in the 74th annual Hunger Games alongside Katniss Everdeen.  She remembers Peeta giving her a loaf of burnt bread that saved her family from starvation. During training, Peeta proves to be a master of camouflage. Katniss and Peeta partake in a “star-crossed lovers” narrative, which results in favoritism and sponsorship from the Capitol. Peeta finds this difficult because he actually likes her, so he doubts whether she likes him back, or is just playing up for the camera. As the final tributes, they almost commit suicide together, but then they’re both declared the winners. Peeta returns to the Arena again with Katniss for the Quarter Quell. While Katniss gets rescued by the Rebellion, Peeta gets captured by the Capitol. They brainwash him into calling a cease fire and thinking Katniss is the enemy. The rebels save Peeta and he slowly regains control of his memory. In the epilogue, he resides in Victor’s Village, where he is married to Katniss and have two children together. Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta in the movie adaptations.

Ultraman crashed onto the scene in the 1960s and soon became a giant in every right. His long run of success has landed him on Netflix where a whole new audience is growing to love Ultraman and his current voice actor, Kaiji Soze.

The hardest part of Ultraman’s costume is getting the jumpsuit right. You can also start out with a silver body suit and add in the red details using fabric paint. Once it’s dry you can use a hot glue gun to attach shoe soles to the bottom of your suit. These will make it much safer (and healthier) to walk around cons in your costume. Finish the look off with his helmet and you’re ready to go!

Bowser is the head honcho, the King Koopa, the guy who keeps stealing Mario’s princess and putting her in another castle. He’s had thirteen voice actors over the years in two languages alone. And that’s not even going into his live action appearances. He’s mean, he’s nasty, and he’s always ready to take on Mario!

The easiest way to get a King’s look is to start with the base costume set pictured above. It will give you Bowser’s body design and is a great jumping-off point. The costume does come with an inflatable shell but it’s very small. A larger one is also listed here for those who want to upgrade. A pair of yellow clawed slippers finishes off the clothing while face paint in either yellow or pink can help your face blend in a little more with the Bowser mask.

Adriano Zumbo found his passion early and has been chasing it ever since. His show is a unique gem in Netflix’s cooking show lineup, Zumbo’s Just Desserts for a man who has dedicated his life to his craft. And when you consider that the man has Willy Wonka tattooed on his arm, it’s easy to see where he got his inspiration from!

Zumbo’s usual look is easy to pull off. Kitchen shoes, black slacks, a white t-shirt, a chef’s jacket, a black middle finger ring, and a wrist cuff. It’s a very straight-forward look. Zumbo sets them apart with his signature bald look and his Willy Wonka tattoo which you can copy using the printable temporary tattoo paper listed above. If you’re feeling like an accessory, add a box of macarons. He is knows as the Macaron King after all!

A post apocalyptic wasteland isn’t the ideal spot for a summer barbecue. But when a friendly super mutant shows up and offers big rewards for hosting the best barbecue this side of the Appalachians, you give it your all. It doesn’t hurt that the rewards include some sweet looks for your next summer cook out.

There are a couple of ways to style the reward you get from Graham. You can rock the cleaner look with a black “Fancy Chef’s Hat” and “Grillmaster” outfit complete with a white button down cuffed at the elbows, a black bow tie, a clean white apron, black slacks, and black shoes.

Or if you want a grittier look you can for the Bloody Chef’s hat and a bloody apron over your button down and slacks. Just take the fake blood spray to one chef’s hat and one apron.

In both cases you’ll want a couple of handy cleavers and you can even paint your own meat week flag using fabric paint, a blank white flag, and the picture above as a guide. After all, you can’t be too prepared in the world of Fallout.