Cosplay Survival & Repair
When the convention floor is crowded, accidents happen. Here's a couple of ways in which you can repair your cosplay depending on the materials you have on hand.
Fixing 3D Printed Armor & Props
If you have ever 3D printed a prop or a piece of armor for your cosplay, you know that certain materials such as PLA can snap if dropped or collides with a wall or another prop. Getting chips, breaks, or cracks can often times be devastating, especially if your cosplay relies on that prop or piece of armor to sell the character.
The Fix?: Aside from bringing the prop to your in-house Cosplay Repair Station during the con, bringing along a bottle of Super Glue and Adhesive Spray can actually save you in a pinch. For my personal selection, I would use Gorilla Glue (which you can typically find in the adhesive section of your local Target or Home Depot).
Another alternative (if you don't mind spending some time to wait for it to cure) would be JB Quikweld, which is a quick-curing two-part epoxy that holds stronger than super glue or adhesive (JB Quikweld can be found in most hardware stores alongside Gorilla Glue).
Shot provided by OtakuThon; Shot by Dan Pham (2024)
Photo by Exeliax.uk (2014)
Securing your outfits
Whether you're rocking a custom costume or bought yours off the many retailers that are out there, ensuring your costume survives con wear and tear is very important. Loose strands and deterioration is common, however, we can minimize them with the following
Most often or not, you will find thread and sewing machines in cosplay repair lounges in case you need to do a quick stitch fix. Need to handsew a piece onto your costume, they'll have it covered. But in the event that you cannot find a cosplay repair lounge with items like needle and thread, it'll be nice to carry along an emergency repair kit.
Emergency Repair kits usually will come with a couple different needles, pins, thread, a thimble, and a pin/needle holder. Along with this, glue and extra buttons are always nice to hold onto if your outfit has them, so it'll be a good idea to check your cosplays beforehand so that you can match your stuff up. In the event you have straps on your cosplay that are coming off, having fabric glue is good as well to carry and hold onto.