Black Widow Comic Version Cosplay - A Budget Speed Build (Hopefully)

[bushybrush]

Components of the suit:

Web belt
Two drop leg holsters
Body suit
Black boots (owned)
Bullet bracelets - DIY
Red wig (would dye my own hair, but I have to be ready for a Snow White cosplay the next week...)
Two air soft pistols on the cheap

Decided to take advantage of the Amazon Prime free trial. I only searched for items that were Prime compatible and got free two-day shipping. Pretty awesome. Between the four cosplays I am working on, this has saved me about $200.00!

Not worried about screen accuracy, but rather focusing on the main components of the character that are most recognizable.

I've had the idea to do this since - oh, sometime last year - but never started. And now with TWS release coming up in LESS THAN A MONTH, I figured I better get my rear in gear.

Oh, and having MegaCon in two weeks didn't hurt my motivation, either.

 

[Stucky]

How's this cosplay coming along?

 

[bushybrush]

My catsuit and wig came in the same day! It was like Christmas! Got home today and was so glad to see them at my door.

Here is a list of the items I've purchased:

Amazon.com: Epic Cosplay Theia Dark Red Long Straight Wig 20 Inches (10DR): Beauty
Amazon.com : Military Bullet Belt : Plastic Toy Ammo Bandoleer Army Costume Accessory : Toys & Games
Amazon.com: Catsuit Black Medium: Clothing
Amazon.com: New Right Side Black Drop Leg Holster TaiGear: Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com: New Left Side Black Drop Leg Holster Taigear: Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com: UTG Heavy Duty Web Belt - Black: Sports & Outdoors
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C185VZI/ref=oh_details_o05_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And I'm still waiting for this to come in, which should be Saturday. Amazon.com: Condor Tactical Belt (Black, Up to 44-Inch Waist): Sports & Outdoors

The wig is super high quality and worth every one of the pennies that made up the around $40.00 purchase. The color is not accurate to the image, however, and it is a wee pink. But I still love it.

I wasn't going to buy the body suit, because 1) I was afraid I'd feel uber thick in it, and 2) It was more money than I wanted to spend. A year ago at Salvation Army they had costume supplies and I found a ballet type body suit for only $8.00 was going to use that, but it was a scoop neck and not shiny. Also a tad see through. (EEK) So I bit the bullet and purchased the suit for around $60.00, which isn't bad considering that around Halloween the price was at $100.00 or more for the same suit!

Also, another way I saved money, I used the free Amazon Prime trial. Whenever you purchase items that qualify for Prime, you get free two-day shipping. I got this even on items that cost under $10.00. SO WORTH IT. Between the FOUR cosplays my hubby and I are in the middle of, we've probably saved over $200.00 just by not paying shipping on all this craziness. But now our house looks and smells like we run a retail shop, all crammed with packages and smells like plastic.

I still feel a bit self-conscious in it because I'm not nearly as thin as I'd like to be. And growing up plus size is difficult. But I finally decided WHAT THE HECK. I'm gonna rock it this year!





Figuring out the cuffs was a trial and error process. I'll post detailed images of how we came to figuring it out.

 

[thatparkerluck]

This looks fantastic! You absolutely do rock it.

(And your dog is adorable. Oh my god, I love dogs.)

 

[bushybrush]

Thanks! :3 I love dogs, too. Haha. He's a Shetland sheepdog, aka Sheltie named Riley. He is under two years old.

Now if only I could learn to sew...

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

[Elderpred13]

Well done Bushy, and glad you appreciated my quote on the plus size post. I would wager you would be a kick ass Wonder Woman, or Red Sonjia, (I think that's how it is spelled.)

 

[bushybrush]

Thanks, EP! I'm looking forward to it giving it a spin.

I'll post some build photos this evening.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

 

[Doc Spengler]

Your costume looks great. You're a dead ringer for Black Widow in the Bendis run of Daredevil (my favorite appearance by natasha). I'm going to have to show my fiance this thread since i've been trying to get her to be Black Widow to match the comic style Daredevil i'm working on!

 

[redderz]

You look gorgeous! Great job.

 

[bushybrush]

Okay, here is how I did the bracelets...

Supplies:



Scissors
Paracord
Lighter or match
Paracord buckles (small)
Bullet belt (link listed in first post)

Cut the bullet belt to fit your wrist, adding the length of one bullet in for good measure. You can always make it shorter but not longer.

Then we folded the paracord in half and cutting the it about 6 inches longer than the actual bracelet. You should have one piece of cord. MELT BOTH ENDS and flatten them before attempting the next step!

We inserted the folded loop through the clip end (not the teeth) end of the buckle.

We then wove the cord through the black portion of the belt that secured the bullet in place, one side of the cord up and one side of the cord down alternatively but not criss-crossing over each other to avoid twisting. If you tried to do this without melting the ends, I'm sorry for your misery. Not only is it a pain, it's practically impossible. If you melt the ends first, they slip right through and it doesn't fray.

On the end, we finished with two bullets not being woven. These would fold over the buckle to cover the join.

To finish the teeth end, we sort of did this cross over thing and just "welded" the cord to itself for security. We had knotted it, but it was bulky and uncomfortable to have it resting on my wrist. In the end, this laid flat and also looked better while staying secure.

That's pretty much it on the bracelet/cuffs. I'll update with the belt buckle detail later.