Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
The outfit is Bumblebee from Transformers the Movie, based on both the version released in 2007 and Revenge of the Fallen in 2009. As soon as I saw this movie, I knew I had to build it. I really wanted to make a mecha costume for quite some time and this one had to be it.
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
It took about 3 months to design and build. It was made with craft foam, cardboard, colored vinyl sheets, polysterene plastic sheets, LED lights, and lots of hot glue. It was also the first costume I’ve ever made for myself. It weighs about 20 lbs, which is really not that heavy, and takes about 20 minutes to get into and even less to get out. It’s been a blast to wear for about 6 conventions and is now retired, but the effort was totally worth it.
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ? ^^
At Dragon-con in Atlanta, Georgia, there was this really sexy black lady who cosplayed as 7 of 9 from Star Trek Voyager. She posed with me a bit and I joked about how sexy she was before she left. About a minute later, I felt some hand go up the back of my crotch and a squeeze! Yowch! Wow! And I looked back and it was her! Crazy lady! haha She proceeded to do it again 3 more times. So at the end of the night, I’m taking off my costume in my room and when I take off the crotch part, there’s a dollar bill inside! Wow! I swear Bumblebee just gets all the crazy ladies.
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
I’ve always loved the cosplay scene doing photography and making props for friends since the early 1990s. When I started seeing mecha costumes, I just naturally started working towards making one of my own.
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
The first convention I attended was Anime Con 91 in San Jose, California back in 1991 and I’ve been going to conventions ever since then, neve skipping a year. I’ve been to over 200 conventions now. I’d say my all-time favorite convention would be a tough choice between Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California and Dragon-con in Atlanta Georgia. Both conventions are very diverse and huge and offer something different in terms of fun and friends you make. To compare the two is like apples to oranges but really those two are my top choices for the year. My second choices are Fanime-con in San Jose, California and Anime Weekend Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, mostly because of the great sunny weather and very nice people who go there.
What does cosplay mean to you ?
Cosplay is an art form. Like painting, drawing, sculpting, cosplay is all those things and much more. There’s very little science to it. There’s plenty of room for individual interpretation and I always enjoy the different ways people come up with to make a costume that looks similar to the original character it’s based on.
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
Oh gosh, honestly, my dream costume was Bumblebee! I mean, really if there was any other costume to beat it in terms of popularity and fame, there just isn’t another substitute. It’s really tough to think what other costume would take the place of it because everyone from kids to parents to veteran costumers loved it so much.
