Aleksandra Zaryanova "Zarya" Costume build by Heather Stewart
A number of pre-planning steps went into the creation of the Zarya classic skin costume. After researching dozens of how to videos and creation suggestions, we started by drawing an approximate vector layout of how I would be cutting and forming the pieces, and deciding the materials it would be made from.
From there, it was a process of cutting and forming the armor pieces. Some of the initial designs ended up not working at all, while others only needed some small adjustment in shape and size to work. I used regular floor mat foam for 95% of the armor, and thinner craft foam for details and thin sections.
After the armor was shaped to satisfaction and more or less comfortable fit, we attached all of the buckles and straps. We used adjustable length plastic snap buckles for the armor, and hot glue to secure the straps to the foam. We attempted velcro at first, but it put a lot of unnecessary force on the connections to the foam when removing it. Then we finished all of the small three dimensional details, layered with craft foam mostly.
From there, the sealing process began. We heat sealed the foam before attaching any buckles, and then sealed it with 2-3 layers of generic PVA glue, with hours of dry time between each. Then 2-3 layers of plastidip. The we used sandable 2 in 1 filling primer in multiple layers, with time to dry between each one before sanding it smooth and adding another layer. Between these layers, any pits or holes that were still visible were filled, in very small quantity, with glazing spot putty and then sanded smooth.
After a final layer of primer and sanding, we coated almost all of the armor in a shiny silver undercoat. This was to help the weathered, worn look of the armor, as the paint peeling or rubbing away would reveal the silver underneath. Then we started painting in layers of acrylic. First came the base color for each piece, which was at least three layers of thinly applied acrylic to make sure the surface was evenly covered. Then detail painting and finally, weathering. Weathering came in stages with a black wash and then a grungy brown-black and even red-brown in places, dripped and sponged to match the discoloration in the original armor. Everything was sealed with a semi-gloss spray sealant.
Material List
- Glazing Spot Putty (small repairs/filling)
- Barge's Cement (Bonding Foam Together)
- Craft Foam (Smaller detailed areas for foam)
- Airbrush - Anthem - Dual-Action Siphon Fed.
- LED Set - Used in the coupler pieces, along with AA battery packs.
- Many of the other items used were found at local hardware stores such as Home Depot® and Lowe's®. Any questions about materials used, please feel free to contact us, we're happy to explain!