@frankenroc is our Cosplay of the Week Winner. Here's an interview with one half of the MEGA MARIO BROS!
What motivated you to make this particular cosplay?
I saw a piece of fan art combining Mega Man and Mario by an artist named Jake Parker. After obtaining his permission to turn it into a cosplay, I told my best friend about it and he said "you know, Mario has a brother..." It was then I realized that Mega Man does as well, so from there it became a 2-player project.
What was your first cosplay?
The first cosplay I did for a convention was a Sim. I made a bright plumbob prop with super-bright LEDs inside,and "suspended" it above my head with a clear acrylic rod I attached to a vest I was wearing.
How long have you been doing this?
Three years with the cosplay mentioned above.
What is the best and worst part of this costume? E.g. people's reactions and making it etc
Best part easily was the instant recognizably. Everyone who saw it instantly knew it was combining Mega Man and Mario Bros. and I was 100% enthusiastic about it from beginning to end. There were a couple of minor issues, but "worst" implies they were bigger issues than they were. I think my helmet-hats could have been a little better... and whenever I went out as just Proto Mario without Mega Luigi it wasn't as quickly recognized - a situation I corrected a few months ago with a slight edit to the costume.
What's your dream character to cosplay? Who's your biggest inspiration?
There are several from the X series I would like to do, but I think the one I would like best is just (Mega Man) X, in one of his full armor pieces, e.g. his Ultimate Armor (I would like to do that with the giant "Infinity Buster" which was briefly seen at the end of Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite).
Several inspiring folks come to mind. I've met a lot of amazing cosplayers both locally and online in this wonderful community. If I had to narrow them down, I followed a lot of Evil Ted's tutorials when building my last few costumes and finally got a chance to meet him last year. Hokuprops does outstanding costumes but I've not personally met him yet.
I saw a piece of fan art combining Mega Man and Mario by an artist named Jake Parker. After obtaining his permission to turn it into a cosplay, I told my best friend about it and he said "you know, Mario has a brother..." It was then I realized that Mega Man does as well, so from there it became a 2-player project.
What was your first cosplay?
The first cosplay I did for a convention was a Sim. I made a bright plumbob prop with super-bright LEDs inside,and "suspended" it above my head with a clear acrylic rod I attached to a vest I was wearing.
How long have you been doing this?
Three years with the cosplay mentioned above.
What is the best and worst part of this costume? E.g. people's reactions and making it etc
Best part easily was the instant recognizably. Everyone who saw it instantly knew it was combining Mega Man and Mario Bros. and I was 100% enthusiastic about it from beginning to end. There were a couple of minor issues, but "worst" implies they were bigger issues than they were. I think my helmet-hats could have been a little better... and whenever I went out as just Proto Mario without Mega Luigi it wasn't as quickly recognized - a situation I corrected a few months ago with a slight edit to the costume.
What's your dream character to cosplay? Who's your biggest inspiration?
There are several from the X series I would like to do, but I think the one I would like best is just (Mega Man) X, in one of his full armor pieces, e.g. his Ultimate Armor (I would like to do that with the giant "Infinity Buster" which was briefly seen at the end of Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite).
Several inspiring folks come to mind. I've met a lot of amazing cosplayers both locally and online in this wonderful community. If I had to narrow them down, I followed a lot of Evil Ted's tutorials when building my last few costumes and finally got a chance to meet him last year. Hokuprops does outstanding costumes but I've not personally met him yet.
And what's the best cosplay you've ever seen yourself?
At PAX South about 2 years ago, there was a couple doing cosplay that admittedly I wasn't familiar with, but the detail on hers and the sheer size of his made it immediately stand out. I was "Mega Deadpool" in the picture I'm including.
Anything else you'd like to add?
My friend and I will do an encore of Mega Mario Bros. at this year's PAX South. I plan to do a version of Link from Breath of the Wild, but I have a number of props I want to make/finish for that one. I also have a Twitch channel (twitch.tv/frankenroc) in which I will sometimes work on an upcoming cosplay.
At PAX South about 2 years ago, there was a couple doing cosplay that admittedly I wasn't familiar with, but the detail on hers and the sheer size of his made it immediately stand out. I was "Mega Deadpool" in the picture I'm including.
Anything else you'd like to add?
My friend and I will do an encore of Mega Mario Bros. at this year's PAX South. I plan to do a version of Link from Breath of the Wild, but I have a number of props I want to make/finish for that one. I also have a Twitch channel (twitch.tv/frankenroc) in which I will sometimes work on an upcoming cosplay.
Go follow @Frankenroc on Twitter to see all his socials and what he's up to!