Ok, it is not as much fun as making it yourself, but for roughly €100 you can feel awesome with this Hasbro/Marvel Iron Man helmet. It even comes with light-up features and sound effects, and you can take the front plate off. The only thing you still have to bring along is imagination. And that goes for every cosplay outfit, made with or without prefab parts.
Still it can not compete with all these self-made armor outfits I always see during the Elfia events in the Netherlands, but not everybody is gifted with two right hands.
What is actually quite funny is that it is clearly a bunch of men at Hasbro and Marvel, steering the wheel of this new initiative. They totally overlooked the fact that almost two-third of the cosplay and costume communities are female. In the next release, they should consider female costume parts.
Anywise, I personally appreciate this commercial step of these entertainment giants. It is definitely a sign that they finally see a huge potential in the cosplay and costume market. It also means that these groups are coming in growing numbers. It is no longer a hobby of a small bunch of freaky nerds. Just forget a minute about the commercial aspect of this Hasbro/Marvel initiative. The signal that they are giving is quite clear. They are taking nerds and costume geeks seriously. Geeks and nerds are the new cool. And the more adult they are, the cooler they are. Because older geeks normally have the money to spend and are willing to spend. So, step aside lover-boy, step aside mister fancy pants, here comes Tony Stark.
Oooh, and just for the record in case your imagination is taking you a bit too far out: the Captain America shield is not really made of a vibranium-steel alloy. Don’t even think of saving that girl out of the hands of bloodthirsty IS fanatics while trying to catch their bullets with it. Just saying.
Stefan Struik 