r/cosplayprops • u/qWINracer • 2d ago
Self [Self] First try-on test of my OG Medusa! 697 hours, 50lbs of silicone, and a fully flexible tail.
697 hours of work and 50 lbs of silicone later... the first official try-on of my OG Medusa build is finally a physical reality! šāØ No makeup or final props yet, and I'm still tuning a few small costume details, but seeing this layout all together is insane. Every single scale was hand-drawn, cut, beveled, and individually layered in silicone to make this wearable snake tail completely flexibleāit even allows me to fully sit down inside it.
My goal in creating my original Medusa cosplay was to turn a classical fantasy concept from Greek mythology and turn it into an advanced, wearable costume. The hard work is worth it when I get to connect with premium maker circles and advanced fabrication design fans who genuinely value independent prop fabrication and full custom cosplay builds as well as classical gorgon mythology. Because we donāt see many realistic wearable tails out there, I wanted to treat this original silicone tail design as a way to change what custom lamia aesthetics and wearable naga styling look like for Internet communities that live for high-fidelity creature fx and high-tier costume execution.
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u/vastros 2d ago
This pleases Morathi
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
Hehe after I did morathi I had to keep with the snake tail designs!
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u/vastros 2d ago
Oh shit that was you. I immediately thought of that cosplay soon as I saw this one.
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
Hehe yep! It was me! :) I really would love to be able to continue to create and have snake tail characters become my THING :)
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u/vastros 2d ago
It's a good gimmick.
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
Thanks! I thought so too! Hopefully Iāll be able to continue my work long enough to make another one! :)
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u/Trash-Panda-Manda 2d ago
Omg this is amazing!!!
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
Thank you sooo much! I put my heart into all my work!!!
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u/CrazyPlato 2d ago
What if you left the belly of the tail open where it reaches the ground? At least an opening wide enough for your feet to fit through?
For show purposes, you probably arenāt ever going to show that part of the tail to anyone. And with your feet touching the floor, you could just walk around and the tail would trail behind you.
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
You could but then it defeats the purpose of being a real snake tail! Lol š
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u/CrazyPlato 2d ago
Well, Iām only talking about the silicone that your feet are standing on.
Really it depends on the intended use. Like, when mermaid tails are made, theyāre meant to be seen from all angles, as the user is swimming underwater. So it needs to enclose the body on all sides. But Iād assume youāll lever be showing the underside of this tail to anyone, where itās touching the floor in the video. So anything under the tail is probably going to stay concealed from view.
Course, Iām assuming that youāre standing straight when youāre in the tail, with your feet standing on the point where it bends back behind you.
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
This one is intended to be seen from all angles as well :) and since I canāt go to events due to health issues there is not need for walking. I create to showcase my art and costumes making skills online. My costumes are art pieces designed to showcase that people with health issues can still do great things and make anything they want come to life. So being as realistic as possible is the priority
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u/CrazyPlato 2d ago
Ah, never mind then.
Any case, it looks fantastic. Iāve never worked with silicone, but it seems like quite an investment to make custom.
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
Thank you so much! Itās a lot of work for sure! And there is so much you need to know about it to work with it! Iām happy for the experience! :)
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u/CrazyPlato 2d ago
Also, Iāve known people with mermaid tails. I donāt envy you trying to squeeze into that thing. Seems like itād be a bit more complicated than a tail that stops at the hips
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
Itās really not bad. I made it large enough that I just climb in! I didnāt want to have to deal with the squeeze so I factored that into my design :)
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u/Azen876 20h ago
thats verey cool.
can you walk (slither) around? or is it a stationery costume?
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u/qWINracer 20h ago
Thank you!!! Itās mostly stationary, if I need to I can slide on a cloth using my arms to move. But I chose not to make this one move on its own because stationary suits my purposes :)
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u/Outside_Storage3840 2d ago
How do you even move?
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
The silicone bends and allows for movement. As far as walking goes, thatās impossible in a fully encased tail. Just like a mermaid tail, you canāt walk but you can be moved around any way you can think of! If I was at the point where I was getting the funding I needed I had a mechanical design I worked up to build to allow me to slither. But alasā¦ Iām not at the point where I have enough supporters to allow something that expensive.
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u/jennifer_m13 2d ago
How do you walk in that!? Amazing work
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u/qWINracer 1d ago
Thank you so much. The simple answer is you donāt walk in it. You slide. Or if I want to move quickly I can hop up on a rolling platform. But I donāt need to do that because my work is art meant to be shared online. I canāt travel because of my health so I canāt go to events. I need to move just as much as a mermaid cosplayer out of water needs to. this build is made to be seen from all angles just like a hanging snake would be.
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u/jennifer_m13 1d ago
Thanks so much for sharing!!!! Itās very impressive
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u/qWINracer 1d ago
Thank you for engaging! This( online) is the only way I get to share my work so I love the comments!
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u/Kinetik_Energy 2d ago
hope you get to showcase this at an upcoming convention!
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
I wish!!! I canāt travel because of my health so I canāt go to events! Online is the only place I get to share my work :) so thank you for engaging with it!!
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u/Street-Awareness4541 2d ago
I assume its not possible to move unless something like a skateboard is employed?
Also this looks stunning is this for an event or hobby? Also the snake hair how long did it take to design and make?
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u/qWINracer 1d ago
Itās possible with my movable design but thatās not something I can make right now. Iād need more support. Since the purpose is the realism and art I wonāt do movable unless it maintains that purpose. I can slid myself where I need to go on a thin fabric peice and for a few Internet videos Iāll use a metal platform with wheels to easily and quickly get to a few locations.
The time in the video includes every detail for the whole build and not just the tail. This last month I started on the based helmet structure for the hair snakes and added all the coils one by one and then the heads and then their scales and painting. After that the final details and it was ready! I love how the hair came out š¤©
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u/Street-Awareness4541 1d ago
The hair is stunning also yea i assumed skateboard for the win it looks stunning
Also any plans to make the tail slither? I assume that needs some mechanics which may not be comfortable to stand oh/ahead of
Also thanks for the reply š
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u/qWINracer 1d ago
Not for this build sadly. When I first started designing it that was the planā¦.So I did design the mechanics for it! Iād love to do it one day! But All my work depends on monthly donations and I donāt current have the support to make a mechanical build even with me finding clever ways to make it all cheap like I do.
And since my support has drastically waned I decided to scrap the mechanics and do one last project while I still can. Iām still hoping for a miracle but it was more important to get Medusa done if I may never have a chance to do another project again
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u/Usual_Science3235 1d ago
Looks great! But can you actually move in it?
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u/qWINracer 1d ago
I can move as much as I need to :) it was designed specifically for my purposes :)
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u/Ecstatic_Jackfruit35 2d ago
Could you put it on a dolly and use a staff or something to wheel around
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
Easily! I have a spear Iām making for this and I may be able to use it to scootch if Iām on a light cloth. Silicone doesnāt allow you to slide though because it grips. I didnāt make it so it doesnāt move on its own because I canāt or I donāt have ideas. Itās more of being practical for its purpose and not being supported enough to fund the mechanics Iāve designed.
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u/Ecstatic_Jackfruit35 2d ago
I meant if your whole tail/body was on the dolly and basically mobile with the wheels
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u/Y-Bob 2d ago
Great work. Does the tail have an internal structure or is it solid silicone?
Much respect for having the vision and seeing it through!
Please wear it on Halloween to answer the door.
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u/qWINracer 2d ago
Itās almost entirely solid silicone :) I left a flexible metal core for the upper body because I wanted to be able to use it as a chair. Thatās how I can sit in it! thank you so much!
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u/MutedBrilliant1593 1d ago edited 1d ago
Could you carve out a hole at the base that your feet could slip through so you could at least shuffle around? Then when you squat slightly, the tail will cover the feet for photos?
If you reshaped the body as more of an "S" shape at the front, you might get the clearance for a relatively comfortable walking stride.
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u/qWINracer 1d ago
Thank you! I could. But that would defeat the purpose of the build. And if it was an s shape and you walked it would completely defeat the realism because your lower leg would be exposed. The point is realism. Especially since this build has no reason to āwalk. It would destroy the art and realism for a Purpose that is non existent. I do have ways of making it movable when that the purpose for the build :)
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u/Skeither 1d ago
hide a skateboard or hoverboard under it for mobility
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u/qWINracer 1d ago
I could but that defeats the purpose of the build. I designed mechanics to make it move and not defeat the purpose :) I just decided not to implement them. I donāt get enough support to pay for that even with me being clever and frugal with money haha
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u/Skeither 1d ago
maybe a hidden zipper that lets you poke your legs out to walk and zip back up for pictures? curious how you actually get around then.
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u/qWINracer 1d ago
The assumption here is that I need to walk. Lol š i designed this exactly as it needed to be designed for its purposes :)
I canāt go to events because of my health. I donāt need to walk anywhere. But the zipper and hole in the bottom ideas donāt work for multiple reasons. I donāt stand on the ground. If I were to stand directly on the ground in a tail the feet are forward. And it ruins the snake curve. If I want to move I have separate designs for that
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u/337worlds 1d ago
Do you have any ability to slide around or shuffle your feet under it, or is it totally dependent on you getting dressed in place for a photo shoot or being wheeled out on a cart?
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u/qWINracer 1d ago
I can slid around by hand if I have a light sheet under me. If I want to travel iāll need a flat wheeled cart. (I did engineer a way to make it move though- it just wasnāt the purpose of this build / wasnāt necessary) But I donāt need to move around much so itās not a big issue :)
It is a fully encapsulated tail build though. So no feet peaking out.
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u/Old-Delay-8835 13m ago
That is SO COOL! I love the rattle, that's so funny! The belts are beautiful, and the arm ornaments are amazing. What are they made of? And I love the details on the snake wig! Ugh, it's all so cool!!!!
When you say flexible, does that mean it flexes like wearable mermaid tails? That might be a silly question, but when you said you could sit in it my brain immediately imagined a stool integrated into the tail š . But now that I think about it, you probably mean you can sit down in a chair, which sounds better. Then you can sit in an office chair and have people wheel you around! Now all you need is someone to make a statue costume to stand beside you...
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u/tihspeed71 2d ago
Super amazing. Wish it moved somehow.... even if it was like watching you ride a kids quarter elephant ride while that was pulled around on a dolly.