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| Photo by Martin Wong |
Struck First gives you a first look at a cosplay just as it's been debuted/had its first photoshoot. Cosplayers have been kind enough to let me have a first crack at analyzing the cosplay by providing me with brand new pictures.
When this group was first announced/teased at, of course I got hyped beyond belief! The bizarre brainchild of Jessica Nigri, this combines some of Nintendo's well known leading ladies with the classes seen in the Diablo franchise. The origins of this group stem from Jessica mentioning this group to both Danielle Beaulieu and Friscoblondie back at Katsucon earlier this year. Of course they had to rope in well known illustrator/designer Zach Fischer for bringing the idea to life on paper. From the top image, you have Friscoblondie as Zelda imagined as a Mage, Danielle hunting down Metroids as Samus the Demon Hunter, and Jessica proving she doesn't need Mario to save her as Crusader Peach. I'll just say that foam and Worbla were used in each of the costume's construction off the bat cause man do I have a lot to talk about for today. I figure I'll also go through each outfit individually as best as I can too!
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| Photo by Felix Wong Photography |
Danielle's Samus certainly got the most photos taken from what I've seen in gathering pics for this write up. Covered from head to toe in armor, Danielle looks every bit menacing as she does badass. Save for the stomach area that looks to have been done with fabric, everything else just looks intense as hell. Orange, yellow and red are the primary colors used here. The black weathering effects on the edging and inside corners fit so well in the finalized shots. Not to mention the amount of green that's seeping through armor cracks and circles placed on her helmet and legs. These were most likely done in resin and brilliantly give off that green glow effect.
The small Metroid symbol on the upper chest is a rad touch and the shoulder pieces look insane too. Part of me can't even wrap around how the helmet was done. Oh and how could i forget the massive bow arm cannon that's strapped to Danielle? Simply put, Samus' traditional arm cannon was warped to resemble a bow-gun which is a traditional weapon used by Demon Hunters in Diablo. I had originally planned for more pics to be shown but I had to cut back since Danielle had the most shots taken out of all the others XD. The pic on the left gives you an insane look at how her legs look. A yellow bodysuit looks to have been the base where everything else lays on top of.
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| Photo by Mineralblu Photography |
Friscoblondie's Zelda is more traditional/regal in a way. Sewing looks to have taken up most of the time spent for this cosplay. With armor being done mainly for her arms and the breastplate. The crown on top of her head is done in gold with a blue gem placed in the center. There's also the collar piece done in armor with fabric as a base underneath. The shoulder pieces have wings coming out at the top. I feel this is a callback to the wing design seen on the Hylian Shield. Having played a mage myself in Diablo 3, this is definitely the kind of design that class would have. Being a prominent magic user, it's a perfect fit for Zelda.
Frisco has leg armor that's slightly seen underneath her belt which has a slew of long tabards done in dark blue and pink. The Triforce of course makes an appearance in the center one. Lots of Friscoblondie's posing was done at a side angle so you never really get a good shot at the armor that's covering her legs. I only just discovered it now as I'm looking back at the pics I have XD. Staring from her kneecap downwards, this is beautiufully done in gold paint with blue orbs in certain spots. There's also the added finger armor on her gloves too!
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| Photo by JwaiDesign Photography |
I feel like Jessica's Crusader Peach is a healthy blend of Danielle's extreme armor and Friscoblondie's elegancy with fabric. Equipped with a ball and chain in the style of a Chain Chomp plus a shield with Bowser's menacing face, Jess simply has a towering presence here. Pink, gold and splashes of white swirls cover this Crusader take. The shoulder pieces look superbly massive and are adorned with a blue orb in a center spot. Jess also has a small crown/tiara like Frisco which has gems in each spike piece. More-so this acts/looks like a face plate. Jess also has a bleached blonde wig which flows down and rests easy on her armor. The breastplate has an interesting shape curving down from the cups exposing a white under-suit at the sides.
After that is the belt which looks pretty dang massive. At the center is a buckle which is adorned with a Power Star. On each side of the belt is extreme hip armor which then leaves fabric to extend down off of it. There's also a tabard coming down from the middle of the belt. Leggings look to be on the underside for comfy placement of the leg armor. Complete with straps to attach everything and support it. I kinda feel overwhelmed just trying to get every piece of this cosplay XD. I don't know if it was done in post production with the photos or not but certain spots of Jessica's Peach glow, from the star buckle to Bowser's eyes in the shield. Surprisingly the shield looks light to carry in some of the shots of Jess wielding it. The colors really pop and seriously, the Koopa King looks scary there! As of this write up though the Chain Chomp sadly didn't make it out of Anime Expo alive XD.
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| Photo by Dave Yang |
If I missed something from any of these girls then I apologize. I'd like to now go into sharing all the other photos I gathered for this write up. They all did such a fabulous job in making these and have once again elevated their cosplay skills in new ways. I always say nothing can top this, but I'm usually proven wrong within a few months :D. Enjoy gang!
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| Photo by David Ngo |
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| Photo by Tobious Photography |
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| Photo by JwaiDesign Photography |
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| Photo by David Ngo |
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| Photo by David Ngo |
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| Photo by MH Photography |
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| Photo by Mineralblu Photography |
This group should definitely give you guys an incentive to check them all out on their FB Pages and Patreons. I've got links for them down below. As always, I hope you all enjoyed this edition of STRUCK FIRST, thanks for reading <3
Jessica:
Friscoblondie:
Danielle:
