ARMOR UP THERMOPLASTICS

Next-level swords, shields, and more thermoplastic cosplay props! Working with plastics can be extremely intimidating, even to veteran cosplayers. Armor Up! Thermoplastics, the first volume in the Ultimate Cosplay Encyclopedia series, includes everything you need to know about working with plastics and synthetic materials. From basic to expert level tutorials, key professionals guide you to create the base piece and polish the finished product with techniques on modifying, color, heat form, and detail with modern materials. When warmed up, thermoplastics hardens to form a firm shell. Cosplay swords, shields, and more have a high-quality look and feel with the modern materials and pattern-making covered in the book.

• Key experts: Alkali, Frostbite Cosplay, Mulholland Art, Paisley and Glue, Panterona Cosplay, Plexi Cosplay, Polygon Forge, Prop Monkey Studio, Sayakat Cosplay, Sameer Tikka Masala, and Tiffany Gordon Cosplay, offer their personal expertise and tips to help demystify working with thermoplastics, and make them less intimidating! 
• Safety first! Learn the technical information needed to safely and successfully work with modern materials
• Make your cosplay vision a reality with a wide range of materials and skills to produce props, armor, and accessories

- Chad Van Wye is the founder of Hoku Props, a small fabrication house based in Southern California, and is best known for winning Grand Prize at Twitch Con's first ever Cosplay Contest in 2016 with his wife, Sammy, and business partner Jason Wong. Chad began his journey by studying at Gnomon ― School of Visual Effects, Games & Animation and eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business: Arts Management from The University of California, Riverside. In 2020, Chad organized and judged the first Ultimate Online Cosplay Championship, and after the contest's success, he went on to co-found the Ultimate Cosplay, LLC.
 
- Sammy Van Wye's love for cosplay started at a young age, and unbeknownst to her two mothers, gifting their daughter a sewing machine for her thirteenth birthday would send her on an exciting and creative journey that she is still on to this day. This passion for cosplay and sewing eventually led Sammy to study fashion and costume design for her higher education, which helped her secure her first industry job at the Disneyland Resort working in Entertainment Costuming. She worked on various parades, special events, and her favorite show, Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular. 
 
- Tock is a professional tailor and cosplay fabricator from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and started Tock Custom LLC, a men's clothing and custom accessory company, in 2015. After years of commission work and competitive cosplay builds, he started teaching sewing and cosplay techniques. In 2018, he became the marketing coordinator for TNT Cosplay Supply in Dallas, Texas. Christopher was the host and director of the first Ultimate Online Cosplay Championship in 2020, which has since developed into co-founding Ultimate Cosplay LLC.