Draconian Warlord

[Bossk]

This past summer, I went to Dragon-Con for the first time and thought I'd bring a costume that I made a few years earlier, when I was still stationed in Germany. It was a very big 'hit', and many people encouraged me to enter the big "masquerade" contest. I did, and to my surprise, won the "Best Fantasy Character" award. Now I have been 'bitten by the bug' and wrking on something much bigger for next year!

This is my first, 'non-historical' costume, and Bossk is only my second. This one used elements of one of my most elaborate historical costumes, a mounted Bavarian knight of ca. 1480.

The Draconian uses a heavily modified latex mask built over a bicycle helmet to give support for the real spiral animal horns I found at a flea market in Metz. The teeth and spines are real polished bone, and were originally supposed to be eagle and bear claws. The eyes are glass taxidermy alligator eyes.

The hide is a kind of textured leather I found in Germany. The wings have plywood frames and unfold to about a 10 foot wingspan.

The armor is real combat grade and a faithful reporduction of a set for the 1470's of the German 'Gothic' school. It weights about 75 lbs with about another 20 pounds of chain mail. The wings added nearly another 30 pounds and it made marching in the Dragon*Con parade a real killer.

Because the costume was so popular, I am reworking it now, redoing the wings to make them much lighter, and having the ability to unfold by pulling cords. I am also making a much 'beefier' tail, a helmet, and will be using a much more elaborate, though authentic style armor that will seem more 'fantastic'.

 

[mothmonty]

Looks great! Dragonlance Chronicles was my second favorite series growing up (LOTR being the first) You trooped in a lot of weight, I complain about wearing the jetpack for my Fett.

 

[AaronLee]

Awesome work. I loved Dragonlance too. Any pictures of the back of the costume?

 

[Uncle]

You did great work and it was nice to see it at DragonCon.

Here's a link to the DragonCon Masquerade pics:
http://photos.dragoncon.org/main.php?g2_itemId=107794

And here's a few links to pics of it (I hope I post these correctly):

 

[TECKNOVIKING]

Outstanding. Love how the plate mail works nicely with the Draconian flesh.

Jason

 

[Bossk]

Awesome work. I loved Dragonlance too. Any pictures of the back of the costume?

Thanks, Aaron. Unfortunately, no back photos yet, but I will soon be finishing the "operational" wings and trooping this again at a 'con', so will get better photos, all aound. The bigger tail I am working on will make it look better too, and with the new armor and helmet, it will look quite a bit different.

 

[Tambo Fett]

Your Dragon is very well done Dan. Can not wait to see the improvements.

 

[Bossk]

Outstanding. Love how the plate mail works nicely with the Draconian flesh.

Jason

Thanks, Jason. In the second generation version, you'll see a lot more dragon hide. Out of the same scaly leather If have now made big theropod type thighs with protruding spines which will make the overall impression far less human-like and much more 'beastly'. I am also working on scaly arms and body areas to be seen under the armor. If you go to my German Knight thread you will recognize some of the same armor, though the second generation costume will utilize a more exotic gothic armor, based on the super elaborate Archduke Sigismund harness in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.

 

[cavedwellar]

Saw you at DC and you looked awesome!thumbsup

 

[Krull]

Ey new guy here,'ello!

Bossk reading this I see you say the chain mail weighs 20 pounds,being into all kinds of real weapons I hang around sword/armor sites and noticed they have aluminum chain mail that weighs 7lbs

Maybe that'd be of some help with how heavy it is?

Also may want to check out the leather armor they sell,you could paint it sliver to look like metal.

Hope that will help you,if you want to know where to get it yell at me.

 

[propologist]

That is great , i enjoy seeing something original for a change. Tired of seeing overweight stormtroopers and 1000 variations of boba fett

I remember when costume contests where good back when " Atlanta Fantasy Fair" was around . There was a pinhead that was outstanding. I miss that con.

 

[LittleBit]

Lovin' propologist's comments ...

Bossk, any video footage of this available? Gotta see 110 lbs of that movin' about.

 

[Bossk]

Lovin' propologist's comments ...

Bossk, any video footage of this available? Gotta see 110 lbs of that movin' about.

I think there should be. The Masquerade contest was televised throughout Dragon-con, and a lot of people in the audience had video cameras. Each person or group had to do a little routine, so I did some stomping around and halberd drill. I don't have any footage though.

 

[Bossk]

Ey new guy here,'ello!

Bossk reading this I see you say the chain mail weighs 20 pounds,being into all kinds of real weapons I hang around sword/armor sites and noticed they have aluminum chain mail that weighs 7lbs

Maybe that'd be of some help with how heavy it is?

Also may want to check out the leather armor they sell,you could paint it sliver to look like metal.

Hope that will help you,if you want to know where to get it yell at me.

Welcome to the form, Krull. I'm prett knew here myself!

Thanks for the tip, though I am already familiar with the aluminum mail. Believe it or not, many of the more authentic weapon and armor items coming out of India were designed by me. When stationed in Germany, the firm, Deepeeka paid for my trip each year to go to India and design most of their historical items, ranging from Greek and Roman armor to WWII Russian camouflage uniforms! I never picked up the aluminum mail because my historical impressions all have to be totally authentic. I am pretty much used to wearing real full plate and mail all day long, but not wth an additional 30 pounds of wood and leather dragon wings hanging on my back. This has been solved now by making them out of ethafoam and pvc tubing, and they look just as good and now light enough to 'flap' on a pulley system. So the armor can remain completely authentic weight and materials.

 

[Krull]

Welcome to the form, Krull. I'm prett knew here myself!

Thanks for the tip, though I am already familiar with the aluminum mail. Believe it or not, many of the more authentic weapon and armor items coming out of India were designed by me. When stationed in Germany, the firm, Deepeeka paid for my trip each year to go to India and design most of their historical items, ranging from Greek and Roman armor to WWII Russian camouflage uniforms! I never picked up the aluminum mail because my historical impressions all have to be totally authentic. I am pretty much used to wearing real full plate and mail all day long, but not wth an additional 30 pounds of wood and leather dragon wings hanging on my back. This has been solved now by making them out of ethafoam and pvc tubing, and they look just as good and now light enough to 'flap' on a pulley system. So the armor can remain completely authentic weight and materials.

Cool,I know how it is,if I want something I want it to be as real as I can get (which is why I don't get into prop guns so much-I hunt so I have the real things)

There is a guy I've seen making armor from stainless and titanium now....I don't get on well with bare steel so maybe I'll finally get some armor :love

 

[Bossk]

Your Dragon is very well done Dan. Can not wait to see the improvements.

Thanks Tambo. Hope to be able to debut the improved version at the upcoming 'Nooga' event, and Major Toht as well!

 

[Bossk]

Cool,I know how it is,if I want something I want it to be as real as I can get (which is why I don't get into prop guns so much-I hunt so I have the real things)

There is a guy I've seen making armor from stainless and titanium now....I don't get on well with bare steel so maybe I'll finally get some armor :love

Yep, I know what you mean. I cannot even begin to estimate how many hours of my life have been consumed in cleaning rusty armor. But stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, etc, just doesn't look right. It would be okay for fantasy, but most of the things I do are historical, with many venues at museums, historical sites, and quite a number of 'History Channel' type productions as well.

I recently blued my 16th century full plate harness to now be a "black and white" armor, which will mean less rust to clean!

Here's a pic of the armor before it was blackened. Tambo has some photos after I blackened it. I will probably post a thread about the complete costume after I do a bit more work on it.