Cosplay is the art of dressing up as one of your favorite fictional characters. It can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. But some cosplayers go above and beyond! Every Tuesday, we feature one of these dedicated hobbyists, along with some information about their chosen cosplay.
This week the spotlight is on AlexanDrake and his uncanny Hiccup cosplay from “How To Train Your Dragon 2.”
What's your name?
Hi! My name is Alexander Nozza. On the web, I'm more known as Alexander Drake, or AlexanDrake89.
What made you want to cosplay as this?
The movie itself! It totally stole my heart. To be honest, I had stopped making cosplay and going to conventions for some years. I thought it was a concluded hobby, but then “How to Train your Dragon 2” happened. I loved the first one, so I went to see it at the theater the day it came out in my country (Italy) and I fell in love with the film completely. Even though I wasn”t into cosplay for a while, I felt the urge to try and make my very first suit of cosplay armor. To tell the truth, I wasn't even so aware of my resemblance to Hiccup until I brought out the cosplay at my first Con and it was a huge success. Everyone who saw the movie was extremely excited and complimented me so much! I would have never thought! I only make cosplay of characters I deeply love for, so being compared to Hiccup so often was wonderful.
How long did it take to create the costume?
The movie came out during the summer, and my very first convention with it was in October. I started to work on Hiccup at the end of August, so we can say it took me nearly a month. But it's actually hard to estimate since I had days during which I could work on it full time, while others I couldn't work on the costume at all. Since I don't have a sewing machine in my house I went to my mom's and worked on the cloth parts there.
How much did it cost?
It wasn't that expensive, all things considered. I used ultra-cheap materials for everything: it's mostly made with gym mat, acrylics and cloth, and I haven't used a wig. Considering the wings (I made them too, even if I don't have too much pictures with them) and all the parts I don't think I spent more than 200€ or about $212 USD.
Do you have favorite comic-con memory from this cosplay?
I have so many wonderful memories! I loved every time someone told me that there should be a live action movie about “HTTYD2” and I should be the Hiccup, or when (at the Dragon Weekend Event) someone told me “They did a really good job casting for this event! You're just like him!” Not to mention some people on my Facebook Page that thought I was the voice actor of Hiccuup, or part of the Dreamworks official staff… But the best memories are about meeting children during conventions and events, giggling and screaming with excitement at me. The costume has really given me wonderful memories.
You can see more of Alexander”s cosplay on his Official Facebook Page!
If you know someone who should be featured in our Cosplay Spotlight, email your nominee to harpy@hitfix.com!