This project was a confluence of interests. At the time I started this, I was getting interested in cosplay. I had been to Emerald City ComicCon a couple of times. The cosplayers were one of the highlights. I started following several channels on YouTube (Kamui Cosplay and Punished Props). Adam Savage participated in a maker box subscription program. His contribution was a foam helmet. I plunked down the cash and waited eagerly for the box.
While I waited, I thought about what kind of helmet I wanted to make. Medieval? Sci-Fi? Cyberpunk? Steampunk? What eventually triggered my maker motive was Science Ninja Team Gatchaman. This 1970’s era anime was a big chunk of my childhood. It arrived in the US in 1978 under the name G-Force: Guardians of Space. It was nothing like the other cartoons I watched at eleven years old. There were massive space battles. The heroes were teenagers. They won through cooperation. It never felt patronizing to my young mind. Yeah, that struck a chord in the adult me that was wanting to grab some of that back.
Washio Ken was the leader of the Science Ninja Team (c’mon now, what kid doesn’t want to be a member of THAT team, right?). His helmet would be the one to make. I dug into internet for some decent example images. Keep in mind, Gatchaman was a hand-drawn anime. Moreover, it was largely animated on the cheap. Key frames illustrated in Japan. Tweens drawn in Korea. There were a lot of static frames given life by rocking background paintings or sub-frames.
Because of all of this, there really isn’t a solid canonical or screen accurate illustration of any of the costumes. I had to guess at the general shape and location of details. Eventually, I settled on my design of Washio Ken’s helmet. When the box arrive I was ready to dive in. There’s a lot to the helmet that I didn’t do. It is missing the visor and and antennae on the back. I’m happy with the work completed. It’s my first (and only to date) foam project. One day, I will build a new version of this helmet complete with blue acrylic bird beak visor and the antennae. My eventual goal for the helmet is to be part of a costume: Old man Washio Ken. The cape in tatters, thread bare jump suit, battle damaged helmet. Still ready to scrap.
