A couple of years ago while I was conducting research for my book, Cosplay: A History, I attended DragonCon for the first time. If you’re not in the cosplay scene, this convention is something of a mecca for cosplayers: tens of thousands of fans descend on Atlanta, Georgia for the con, and in addition to the panels, parties, autographing sessions, and interviews, there are the cosplay meetups.
This is the con where people work for an entire year to debut something they’ve been working on. Where you might see the usual popular costumes at any other con, DragonCon is where you see the really fun, unusual, and out there costumes – think that one character from a long-forgotten B-movie, mashups, in-jokes, and quite a bit more. And then you have meetups where you’ll see all of the Stargate/ Star Wars/ Marvel / Game of Thrones/ insertfranchisehere fans showing up for a big group photo. It’s a lot of fun to take in.
When I attended the con in 2019, I ran into Jack and Jenni Durnin, who were there suited up as Martian Marines from The Expanse. I ended up featuring the two of them in the book in various places, and they’ve since become good friends who I regularly chat with about cosplay and other nerd things.
Since this spring, I’ve been watching as Jack’s slowly assembled a new costume: Ryland Grace’s spacesuit from this spring’s Project Hail Mary. It’s a cool costume in the film, up there with some of cinema’s most iconic space suits. It’s bright red, and unlike a bunch out there looks pretty realistic and functional while also looking very cool.
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Jack ended up debuting the costume at DragonCon this year, and he posted up a string of amazing-looking pictures that Jenni took of him, and I wanted to pick his brain about how it came together.
This interview has been edited lightly for clarity.
Tell me a bit about your cosplay journey: how did you get into it and what types of costumes have you been drawn to over the years?
I actually started making costumes and props as a student filmmaker about 25 years ago in High school. I took a break from it for a while and came back to it as I discovered cosplay at DragonCon. I’ve seen young cosplayers, who started in their teens, post if they’re too old to Cosplay at like 25. I started at around 30. It’s for all ages!
I’m drawn to a lot of video game and movie armor and space suit designs. I don’t have any sewing skills, so I shy away from anything like that. Maybe one day I’ll have a comfortable costume that I don’t overheat in.
What is it about armor and spacesuits that appeal to you?
The intersection between function and design aesthetics (and it makes you look badass.) I’m fascinated with suit designs that look functional. Nozzle ports, air hoses, seals, vent holes, small pressurized bottles, little warning and instruction labels, etc.
There’s a lot of thought that goes into those designs and then it also can’t look like costumes from other movies. It just adds to the authenticity and work building. With a background in both Engineering and Filmmaking, Spacesuits seem to scratch both itches at once. It’s also a curse. Every time I see armor or a spacesuit, I think “I could make that.”
I try to make my suits as functional as possible (within reason.) Airflow/cooling is mandatory and I try to build it into the design. Also adding those final weathering touches are very satisfying. Armor accentuates your shoulders and arms, making you seem larger and more heroic when posing, while on the inside, you’re slowly dying of heat and getting scraped up from the spots you forgot to pad.
You’ve constructed Ryland Grace’s spacesuit from Project Hail Mary. You and I are both cosplayers, I know there’s a point when you stop seeing the action and start deconstructing the costume. When did that start for you?
I read the book years before the movie, but I … don’t remember how the suit was described in the book.
I actually wasn’t a fan of the suit during the first viewing. When I first saw glimpses of the suit in the trailer, I thought it looked like an 80’s Lego minifig. [But] the more I looked at the details, the more I liked it. I like the designs in the shoulder pieces, with an interesting mix of fabric and hard materials. Mission patches always add a cool level of detail as well.
The chest piece and backpack 02 tank have rungs to attach the carabiner, which makes a ton of sense. Lots of greebles enhance the realism with nozzles, vents, screw heads, etc. Overall it does stand out as unique and recognizable. Now, it looks so cool sitting on the armor stand.
Tell me about the costume: what is it made up of, and how did you go about researching each part?
My phone has a folder full of images; screen shots from the movie, from costume displays, from the auction pictures, Instagram images from the company that produces it, YouTube clips with Adam Savage, etc.
The main suit is race car mechanics coverall as a base. Ia sewn tube of fabric placed over nylon webbing
How did you make the helmet and other assorted equipment?
I 3D printed the hard pieces on a small Bambu machine and glued them together. I Bondo’ed and sanded the seams and added a layer of fiberglass on the inside for strength. With the heat in ATL, I’m glad I did!
I was fortunate enough to find the helmet and armor files online. I am able to 3D model costumes myself, but I usually prefer to see if it has already been done because it takes a massive amount of time. Using engineering software instead of Blender is more dimensionally accurate, but can be time intensive. Blender is more of an artistic modeling software, where you sculpt, stamp, push/pull to create a part. I use Solidworks, which requires you to sketch each component in 2D and assign dimension values. It does help when designing interlocking parts with a small tolerance. But to 3D model organic shapes takes 10x longer.
There was a small collaborative effort, giving the designer feedback on various parts: I would send the designer (Thing_Threed on Cults3d) issues or missing parts that I found and he would update [the model] accordingly. For example, the backing plate on the chest lights didn’t fit properly, so I suggested removing some bump outs that were getting in the way.
I also remodeled some aspects for more functionality. The wrist seals were remodeled to include magnets so they could separate and remove the gloves. The hose connectors were remodeled to have a magnetic input and a swivel head on the hose. The lights were modified and inserts designed to use “finger lights” so no wiring was required. The backpack attachment was modified so I could remove it using just two custom made thumbs screws that hold it in place.
For DragonCon, I settled on an attitude of close enough. It was only going to be worn briefly and I didn’t want to go crazy trying to be screen accurate (Then my job sent me to Detroit for 2 weeks right before!)
What was the most challenging aspect of this build?
The sizing! When I first printed a full helmet and suit, it was too big. I have a 3D representation of myself made by measuring all my dimensions and inputting it [all] into the ArmorSmith software, which I exported it to Solidworks.
When I originally downloaded the files, I placed them on the mannequin in solidworks to check the sizing. It seemed fine but when I printed it, but it was too large, especially around the lower ribs. I did some calculations based on the real world measurements to gauge how I wanted it to fit and scaled the model down to 10%.
What was the reaction like when you debuted it at DragonCon?
It was so hot, I didn’t wear it very long. But the people who saw it loved it! There were four of us in suits at the PHMphotoshoot. (Real feel of 106 degrees in Atlanta). The photos I posted online and it exploded my comment section though. Everyone seemed to love the build and the Westin in Atlanta was the perfect location.
This will remain the 95% complete “good enough” version and not screen accurate. I may wear it again once or twice but it will mostly be on display in my workshop.
I’ve seen a ton of Project Hail Mary costumes this year: why do you think it’s taken off in this way?
I’m in a fan group on Facebook. And the overwhelming sentiment is that the movie embodies a sense of hope and heart that most movies lack these days. The practical VFX and care taken to detail also keep you engaged and immersed. ALSO a t-shirt and coverall comfy cosplay is always going to be popular!
Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary harkens back to an older science fiction tradition
Transfer OrbitAndrew Liptak
Any parting thoughts?
Fist my bump.
