How to Make a DC: "Gotham SWAT" Costume
Introduction: How to Make a DC: "Gotham SWAT" Costume
For the 2020 Chicago Comic Entertainment, our friends wanted to go as a <PERSON> group. One of the members has never cosplayed before and we wanted to ease him into the process, so nothing too elaborate. I asked if he would be comfortable being a sway team person so that would mean he work just clothes and had his face covered. He loved the idea and the rest was history.
The nice thing about this costume is that you can have a group of people wear the same thing and go as a team. Or maybe have a commissioner <PERSON> and also a few swat team people with you. It's nice too because since much of the outfit is just regular clothes, it's likely that there are many of these items in your closet already.You can also vary the outfit so that there is a little bit of differentiation and personalization with each officer. Let's get started!
Supplies
-Black tactical vest
-Black military helmet
-black balaclava
-black button down shirt
-black dress pants/ cargo pants
-black dress shoes/ black combat boots
- black tactical gloves
- gotham police patches
-gun holster
-toy guns
-handcuffs
-Toy knife
-extra belt carrying pockets
-white zip ties
-knee and elbow pads
-Walkie/talking
or:
-EVA foam
- old twisted cell phone car charger
-craft foam
-exacto knife
-strap
-Rod (metal or dowel)
Step 1: Reference Pics
Before I ever start ANY costume, I look up a ton of reference photos from various sources and put it in a folder. The more pictures from different angles, the better. Look up:
1. Actual photos of the character from its source (movies, comics, action figure, etc)
2. Cosplay pictures. You can see what has been done, what you like, what you don't like, how to improve on a design. You can also start getting an idea of different poses you think you'd like to do.
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I start looking at art work. I usually look up things via google images, deviant art, tumblr, etc. This way, you can see different renditions of a character through a new perspective and once again, start thinking about what you like, don't like, etc.
4. Use your own imagination. Think about what you want, how to make it your own original design, what are some tricks you think you'd like to incorporate.. perhaps you want to try out a new technique with this build, etc
5. If you can draw, I sometimes will take all my reference sources and start drawing out my own design
Step 2: Purchased Items
Clothing - If you are lucky, you might even have some of these things in your closet now.
1. Black Button Down shirt - You can use any type of black button down shirt in my opinion.
2. Black pants - Dress slacks or even cargo pants would probably work
3. Black dress shoes - Regular Dress work shoes would work, but it would be fantastic if you had combat boots
Items
-Military helmet- Purchased from Amazon. Most are standard fits but just be mindful if you have a giant head
- black balaclava- you can get a full face one or just a mouth one.
-tactical airsoft vest- I went with this one because it had velcro spaces to attach patches.
-Knee and Elbow pads - Any variation will do. The cosplayer was a bit too big for our so i had to create extenders for him on the straps
-gun holster- even though the vest comes with a chest hand gun holster, i personally liked the leg holster as it gives the suit a bit more detail
-Tactical Gloves- you can wear even weight lifting gloves, but i do like the idea of having something that looks "tactical"
-cheap handfuls- i Suggest getting play handcuffs and attach them somewhere on your vest
-Zip ties- I couldn't find any white ones. The zip ties are actually very functional in case something on a suit breaks.
Step 3: Patches
Found 3 patches: Gotham Swat, Gotham Police Department, and a larger velcro Gotham police department badge to add to the vest. There are several variations of the badge, so i will add a few
-Sew your badges on to the shoulders of the black shirt and also attach your velcro badge to your vest. 348