One of the challenges of Warhammer 40k cosplay is getting the scale right. If you want to make something massive like a Primarch or Ork Deff Dredd, how do you bulk out your humble mortal frame to look convincingly massive? Most people use plasterers stilts for the extra height, but Scottish cosplay creator Niall Taylor has another solution – suiting up his children Riley and Mya as a diminutive Space Marine Terminator and Sister of Battle puts his own costume nicely in scale.
“My first cosplay with my son was actually a ‘Little and Large’ Buzz Lightyear set”, Taylor says. “I had originally planned to make one just for myself, but once Riley saw it all coming together, he asked if he could have one too”, he recalls, “that’s really where it all started”. From one armored space man to another, the pair moved on to make Little and Large Space Marines. “There was a lot of trial and error involved, but eventually we got there”, Taylor says, “it was the beginning of something we could work on together”.
Taylor didn’t have any similar plans when he started work on his Warhammer 40k Ork Deff Dredd. “This was a much larger undertaking, but it was something I was 100% committed to”, he explains. “Halfway through the build, both of the kids started asking if they could have their own Warhammer cosplays.”
“I gave them both a couple of ideas, and they chose the characters they wanted”, Taylor says, “Riley picked a Deathwing Terminator, while Mya chose an Adepta Sororitas Battle Sister”.
“I had to think about how to scale everything so that the costumes would look right while also making sure they were comfortable and practical for the kids to wear”, Taylor explains, “there was a lot of trial fitting, reshaping and redesigning involved, but they were always excited to try the different parts on as the builds progressed.” The kids got stuck into painting some of the larger pieces.
Though commitments mean it’s been a while since the Taylors made it to a con, the family loves them. “There is always a great turnout of children at the conventions, and I’d love to see even more of them getting involved in cosplay”, Taylor says. There are reasons why child cosplayers aren’t as common as adults. “I think one of the biggest challenges with making costumes for children is the amount of time and effort that goes into them, especially when kids grow so quickly”, he explains, “sometimes they might only get the chance to fully wear a costume once before they’ve grown out of it”.
Despite the short shelf life on the costumes, Taylor says “I put a huge amount of time and effort into making sure the costumes are solid, durable and able to stand up to plenty of punishment”. All of the family’s cosplays are made from EVA foam and hand-painted: “even though they’re for kids, I wanted them to be properly made and not feel like they were getting a lesser version”.
And that hard work isn’t wasted: “after a convention, I normally give the kids’ cosplays away”, he adds. “I’ve always liked the idea that someone else might get to enjoy them, and hopefully they might inspire another child – or even another parent – to get involved in cosplay and start making something of their own”.
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