PamBot3000
New Member
This is my second tokusatsu cosplay. This character (along with the original Kamen Raidaa) was one of my favorite action heroes when I was a kid. "Kaiketsu Lion-Maru" was never shown in the U.S., but I understand it was hugely popular in only a couple of other countries. The series was dubbed and broadcast in Italy in the late 70's, where it was renamed "Ultralion", and also in Brazil under the title "Lionman". (It's sometimes referred to as "Lion Man Blanco" in both places.)
I'd never made a full animal head mask before, so this was another huge challenge for me. As with my Magma Taishi costume, I had to deconstruct and reconstruct several wigs in order to create the enormous kabuki-style hair sported by Lion-Maru. The gold-lined cape took a couple of attempts (first one was too short) and the sword detailing was just a pain in the neck, but other than the mask the most difficult piece to create surprisingly was the belt buckle! I couldn't find any really clear reference photos, so I had to resculpt it at least 3 times. I think it turned out okay though. The only purchased items were the boots, to which I added the gold embellishments, and the wooden prop sword that also required a makeover. Everything else you see was handmade by me.
Materials: craft foam, cushion foam, vinyl fabric, cotton fabric, faux fur, air-dry clay, polyester fabric, gold spandex fabric, gold paint, chrome paint and tons of glue
I debuted this costume at the Nisei Week 2012 Grand Parade and Tanabata Festival, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. In September of 2012 I also appeared by request at a tokusatsu art exhibition at Q-Pop Gallery in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. At both events, I was broiling inside that big furry lion head! Couldn't see or hear at all, but at least I could move around a little easier...compared to the Magma Taishi costume anyway.
(P.S. the mouth on the mask was supposed to be able to open and shut, but I ran out of time trying to figure out the best way to accomplish that. It's movable, but only by hand at this point. When the mouth is open, you can see some nice pointy white lion teeth! Maybe I'll add a photo showing the canines later.)
I'd never made a full animal head mask before, so this was another huge challenge for me. As with my Magma Taishi costume, I had to deconstruct and reconstruct several wigs in order to create the enormous kabuki-style hair sported by Lion-Maru. The gold-lined cape took a couple of attempts (first one was too short) and the sword detailing was just a pain in the neck, but other than the mask the most difficult piece to create surprisingly was the belt buckle! I couldn't find any really clear reference photos, so I had to resculpt it at least 3 times. I think it turned out okay though. The only purchased items were the boots, to which I added the gold embellishments, and the wooden prop sword that also required a makeover. Everything else you see was handmade by me.
Materials: craft foam, cushion foam, vinyl fabric, cotton fabric, faux fur, air-dry clay, polyester fabric, gold spandex fabric, gold paint, chrome paint and tons of glue
I debuted this costume at the Nisei Week 2012 Grand Parade and Tanabata Festival, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. In September of 2012 I also appeared by request at a tokusatsu art exhibition at Q-Pop Gallery in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. At both events, I was broiling inside that big furry lion head! Couldn't see or hear at all, but at least I could move around a little easier...compared to the Magma Taishi costume anyway.
(P.S. the mouth on the mask was supposed to be able to open and shut, but I ran out of time trying to figure out the best way to accomplish that. It's movable, but only by hand at this point. When the mouth is open, you can see some nice pointy white lion teeth! Maybe I'll add a photo showing the canines later.)
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