The Riddler's Mark - a custom commission

[JokerMan]

Hey folks - I know, I've been quiet. I thought I might update you on what I've gotten up to recently.

I contacted Tiger Stone FX for a custom commission for the pin that the Riddler wears on his hat in the New 52 story arc, "Zero Year". I absolutely love the design used, and I wanted to use it for my next Riddler cosplay. After several weeks of correspondence, a package arrived for me, containing not one, but two pins.


I had commissioned the pins to be silver instead of the gold that he wears, mainly because my costume is mostly black instead of green and purples. They were experimenting with different silvers, so they sent me two pins instead of just the one, with different shades of silver.

The pin itself is fantastic. Over the weeks, they showed me several digital sculpts of the pin from the images I provided, and listened to the changes I asked for. Honestly, I could not be happier with the design - as soon as I opened the package, I was in love with it!

The main reason for this pin was to wear it as a hat pin on the side of the hat I'm set to wear. I tried it on...and that's where my main (but only!) issue is with the pin.

It's too small! Alas, I measured the size of the pin I wanted wrongly, and so, I take full responsibility for the size - Tiger Stone FX are not to blame!

However, I still intend to wear this to the upcoming Wales Comic Con, so I don't really mind about the size at all - in fact, I got a clever idea for what the pin could also be used for...

The pin is conveniently small enough to be used as a lapel pin!

Overall, I am very happy with this commission, and I cannot thank the awesome guys at Tiger Stone FX enough! This was designed as an open commission, so it can now be ordered from anyone - if you're looking for a pin to accessorize your Riddler cosplay a bit more, or just looking for something to make you stand out from the crowd, this is your product!

 

[JokerMan]

A couple of days with these pins, and I've spotted a design flaw which I'm surprised I hadn't noticed sooner.

Because of my wrong measurements, the pin on the back of the question is located at the bottom of the mark (the thickest part). This means that gravity and motions will cause the pin to fall upside down. Again, my fault. However, if the pin clasp is pushed against the fabric tight enough, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Especially with the wool felt of the hat I'm wearing.

Also, the pin clasps have already started to break - not sure why that is. I'll more than likely be looking to replace the clasps.

 

[Vox]

The pin looks great, man. I'm always a fan of Tigerstone FX.

The pin clasps have probably started to break because you've had to push them so tight. One thing you could try is cutting up some double sided tape to apply to the back of the rest of the pin, to help it stick to the fabric. Hats and lapels don't shift too much, so the tape may give you just enough hold to keep them swinging upside down..

 

[JokerMan]

The pin looks great, man. I'm always a fan of Tigerstone FX.

The pin clasps have probably started to break because you've had to push them so tight. One thing you could try is cutting up some double sided tape to apply to the back of the rest of the pin, to help it stick to the fabric. Hats and lapels don't shift too much, so the tape may give you just enough hold to keep them swinging upside down..

Tigerstone FX really are awesome - such a great help throughout

The tape is not a bad idea - I'll try that

Meanwhile, I'm in the middle of trying to find some spare clasps, and also redoing my cane for the Con.

 

[JokerMan]

Hey folks - just a quick update on this

So, I went to Wales Comic Con on both Saturday and Sunday, but I only wore the pin on the Saturday. This is because I wore a different Riddler outfit on Sunday, including the bowler hat from the previous year. I had planned to wear the pin on the fedora on Saturday, but...let's just say welsh weather isn't exactly friendly. I knew the pin back wouldn't be strong enough to hold the pin in place on my hat, so I wore it on my jacket lapel. For those interested, here is a shot my friend took of me (with another Riddler we saw there, but I thought it would be wiser to crop her out - she might not like having her photo on forums)

The entire costume composed of a black suit and pants, purple shirt, purple gloves (had them in my pocket when this was taken - I was eating when my friend introduced me to her - how embarrassing!) a grey floral tie with a question mark tie bar, and a fedora hat, along with a cane I had made for the event. I took the cane with me on the Sunday as well, but unfortunately, not even an hour into the con and it already broke! Like I said, welsh weather is not friendly. I am constantly updating my costume, so it's still in the embryonic stages at the moment XD

Anyway, the pin held on really nicely, but the pin clasp made it just very slightly loose, so I had to readjust it every now and then. Hopefully, I can find some replacements that will do the trick - I found a pin clasp that made it hold on even more securely, but someone else was using it at the time XD

This pin, however, is not the last pin that will be a part of my costume! I've just recently commissioned another pin of a larger size from Tiger Stone FX so that it will look right on my hat This time, I measured the dimensions correctly, so it will be much better! It will be the same silver colour, and I will continue to use it until I brave the green suit - then I shall upgrade it to a gold one

Stay tuned, folks!