One of the most exciting games I ever played was the remake of Resident Evil for the Nintendo GameCube. I never owned a Playstation, so I had never played the original game. So while I had heard about the series from various friends in college, I personally had never taken a swing at it. When it was released, I had it in my hands on its release date.
I still remember playing in my dorm, with 10+ people sitting watching me play, most of us screaming in unison when the dog jumped through the window for the first time (those who had played previously just laughed) or the first time you learned what a Crimson Head was (noone laughed at that frightening experience).
Well, a few years later, with the release of Resident Evil 4, I had a similar experience. Sure, I was no longer in college, but I still had gangs of people drive over to my house to watch me play. And we still had those moments where everyone was glad there were others in the room.
I decided that it was time to cosplay Leon Kennedy from Resident Evil 4. I don't think that I could ever buy the Wii version since I own the Nintendo GameCube one, but it would be nice to play it again with tighter and more robust controls. Now, I'll put my stories aside, and get to why you are here, how to make this costume yourself. Well, how to make three costumes, Leon Kennedy, Ashley Graham, and the infamous Dr. Salvador.
Leon Kennedy
Most of this costume was purchased from various suppliers and online specialty stores.
Boots: They are work boots purchased at a department store. Not steel toe, just workboots.
Pants: Black cargo pants also purchased at same place as boots.
Shirt: To get the
tight shirt, I used an Underarmor work out shirt. The only thing that I couldn't find was one that featured the same seam lines as the Resident Evil design.
Belt, belt clip pouches, and SWAT gloves: All of these items were purchased from School Uniforms. The belts are black webbing and the belt pouchs are various sizes for magazine clips and a photo of Ashley. The gloves were one of the coolest items to find, fingerless gloves, with padding on the back of the hand and fingers.
Thigh holster: Both were purchased on eBay. The holster is a cloth and nylon black thigh holster, it works quite well with the belts that I purchased above.
Airsoft Gun: The gun is an Airsoft gun, with an extra laser site attachment. They had various styles, but to ensure accuracy, I made sure to get one that attaches on the underside of the barrel. When buying Airsoft guns on eBay, just make sure to buy a good quality one with some weight to it. There are cheap ones, and then ones that have the weight and feel of a real gun.
Shoulder Holster and Knife: I was able to find a great deal on a leather shoulder holster on eBay because some of the stitching had ripped. I just sewed it back together once I received it. The knife was a military issue knife from Vietnam, which I filed down to the equivalent of a butter knife so that it is con friendly. It is attached using electrical tape to the holster.
Hip Flashlight: I tried to find a similar light to what is pictured up above, but to no avail. Eventually I went to Radio Shack, and bought electrical kit components. With that, an old flashlight, and a soldering iron, I made my own version of Leon's flashlight.
Leather Coat: I was able to find this coat at Target about a month after my photo shoot. So none of the photographs show the coat, but I will have photos soon.
Bad Haircut: The costume wouldn't be complete without Leon's wonderful hair style. The was probably the worst part of the costume, having to have this haircut after dressing up.
 
Ashley Graham
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We were able to buy almost everything needed for the costume on eBay and at local thrift stores. The nice thing about buying it in person, is you can verify the sizes, fabric, and patterns. The costume is pretty basic.
- Light orange sweater
- Burgundy sweater with creme pattern on the cuffs
- Green, plaid miniskirt
- Extra wide, leather belt
- Brown riding boots.
If you are buying costume components online, always, ALWAYS double check sizes. It is so much fun when you purchase something on eBay, and realize that the sizes were children's sizes, not adults, hehe. |
Dr. Salvador
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Again, quite a simple costume to throw together. Alone, Dr. Salvador or Ashley is not a complete costume, but as an ensemble, these 2 costumes really make Leon memorable.
Simple checklist:
- Dirty, creme colored shirt
- Dirty Kakhi pants
- Suspenders
- Burlap sack
- Chainsaw
- Fake Blood
To make this costume look accurate, get it dirty, and splatter blood on it. And then run around scaring people. |
Maybe one day I will have to grab the Wii Edition, but until then, I can at least still play the GameCube disc on my Wii.
First Link from the Legend of Zelda, then Leon from Resident Evil, not sure what Nintendo character I will cosplay next, but I can guarantee at some point, I will. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
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