I am a huge Batman fan, and villains have great costumes. I made the Mr. Freeze a couple years ago but don’t wear it often due to it being extremely uncomfortable. I wanted to to a couples costume with my wife and we have kicked around the “Nora” idea but this year we finally created a concept that we had never seen anyone do.
I like to make my costumes appear to function in the real world. Mr. Freeze is real steel and copper that I shaped and welded. I made it rusty, since a cold metal would gather condensation and then cause the metal to rust. The tanks on the back do spread cold vapor to the arms and legs when I put dry ice and water in them. The freeze gun does shoot real snow! It is connected to a liquid CO2 tank and when the vapor condenses in the barrel, snow flakes come shooting out. I was kinda lucky my first prototype worked!
Nora had to be lighter and easier to carry. It is several rolls of black EVA foam and the trim pieces are just painted to give the rusty appearance. The cap is real patina on copper, ( I had to put some real metal on it). The whole thing is supported by patio umbrella top and pole connected to a military Alice backpack harness.
Mr. Freeze alone get a great response, but when people saw Nora along side, it really excited them. One photographer told us that he has been doing cosplay photography for 20 years and has never seen a Nora done that way. That alone made the costumes worth it. I always try to put a little extra something into the costumes I make.
Some people thought I put Elsa from “Frozen” in a tank, but usually their friends will correct them. Some just aren’t DC people… I get it. It was fun to see people “connect the dots” when the saw us. They were like “Wow, cool Mr. Freeze!” then when they saw Nora and read the nameplate, it turned into “HOLY SHIT! THAT’S AWESOME!! If we wear them again I will have to put a fan in Elsa’s cryogenic tube. She was getting hot in there, I believe that’s pure irony…
If you do cosplay, you will make friends, it’s almost a guarantee. We definitely have. I would say one of the side effects for me is that cosplay has allowed me to utilize many of the different skills I have learned throughout my life; painting, leatherwork, sewing, auto repair, electrical, even plumbing. Making and wearing costumes has also brought my family together, our kids are 7 and 11 and not only do they suggest and help with new costumes but then we have great family weekends wearing our creations. Parenting win! Cosplay has given me a great boost in confidence, for the first time I feel that I really excel in something that I enjoy.
Don’t be afraid to start anytime and anything. I was 35 when I started, I wish I knew about it when I was a teen. I thought my parents and other family would laugh when I started, but they are actually huge supporters. Don’t be intimidated not knowing how to do something, meet it head on, there’s a world of resource online where you can learn just about everything. I am currently building a real, prototype, road legal, Batmobile that I want to use as a charity, Make-A-Wish vehicle. So watch my page and stay tuned!!!
Photo : Revolution Brewing
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