Ran my first 5K. Dressed as Batman.

[spexandwally]

I finally completed my Batman build, just in time for my first 5K, the CASA Superhero Run. They support abused children, and sponsor a run every year where everyone runs in costume. I'm not a runner, but this seemed like a good place to start.

Overall, I'm happy with the way the build turned out. The cowl was based off of JFCustoms Arkham Origins foam unfold, and the neck and shoulders were done from the Iron Patriot unfold. The gauntlets and leg armor were my design. The belt was made using French army surplus cartridge cases and a brass insignia buckle.


I've been hitting the gym four times a week, and have lost almost 90 pounds in the last nine months. Once I lose a bit more, I will invest in a better suit. As I've seen from the pictures of the event, I'm not quite in Batman shape yet, but I'm miles ahead of where I was last year.


About the event itself, I was surprise to find there weren't really any other cosplayers there. It was mostly people in storebought Halloween costumes and Hot Topic t-shirts, so even as a doughy Batman, I still attracted a lot of attention and posed for quite a few pictures. And yes, the suit was incredibly hot to run in, but I finished. Go me.

 

[VaultUK]

Congrates on the build and run
Great to see you using batman to help other.

 

[jrenemtz321]

Suit looks great. Nice job!

 

[sauranas31]

Awesome! Great cause and good job on the build

 

[RevolverOcelot]

Yeah, I recognized the JFcustom mask by that bat-emblem in the brow. I'm working the same mask myself. Congrats on the run! I can only imagine running in that kind of gear. Kudos!

 

[spexandwally]

Thanks! A few things I learned from my cowl build:

- Tape is your friend.I learned too late to tape the parts together at the seam, then glue from the inside so the glue didn't show. I would have remade the cowl if I'd had time, but the neck and leg armor turned out much better.

- I had to put foam blocks in the top and back to make it fit better. And I have a pretty big melon, so that's saying something.

- The Origins cowl was my third build for this costume. I started with the Arkham City cowl, but the cardstock build was too small, and when I scaled it up by 10% and built it in foam, my head was swimming in it. I liked the Arkham City cowl, since it had the neck and shoulders built in; when I switched to the Origin cowl, I realized I needed a neck or I was going to be Bobblehead Batman. The Iron Patriot neck was a good choice, but I modified the back to make it match the look of the Origins neck in the game.

- It took four coats of Plasti-Dip to seal and paint. I would have done a few more, but I ran out of time. The foam drank the first two coats.

- Holy cats, it was hot to run in! I was drenched when I crossed the finish line. I tried taking off the cowl to cool off a few times, but people kept asking for pictures, so I eventually gave up and decided to just be hot.

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Oh, I also had a black balaclava to cover the gap between the cowl and the neck, but it was too hot to wear for the race. It wasn't really noticeable, though.