We are excited to be highlighting Xephyr Cosplay, a longtime Metroid fan and award-winning cosplayer! With his background as an engineer, he was able to create a realistic Samus cosplay with lights and sounds, which won the Best in Show award at Comicpalooza 2018 in Houston, Texas. David may only be a few years into his journey as a cosplayer, but he already has many aspirations for the future!
Xephyr Cosplay
My name is David, better known by my cosplay handle Xephyr Cosplay. I’m an engineer by training and artist by passion, which makes for some pretty wicked cosplays. I love integrating technology into my artwork whenever possible, and believe that the two combine with a unique synergy. Cosplay is a natural fit for this combination. Professionally, I work as a process control engineer and before discovering my love of cosplay I used to do drawings and paintings and play the piano. I’m about three years into my journey as a cosplayer.
Gaming and nerd culture has always been a big part of my life – Nintendo in particular. Metroid Fusion was my first introduction to the series and Metroid Prime will forever occupy the honor of my #1 favorite game. When I got into cosplay I knew I wanted to do a Samus. But this Samus had to be as functional as possible – all the lights, all the sounds – I wanted to be able to actually “shoot” the arm cannon. It took a good two years to figure it out, but I finally got it finished and debuted at Houston’s Comicpalooza 2018. It took Best in Show! This was actually my second Best in Show – my Skull Kid also won at Houston’s Space City Comic Con.Following Samus, I’m investing in more rapid fabrication tools (3D printer, etc) so I can make awesome stuff much faster. My next projects will be Edward Elric and Moira O’Deorain. My dream is to get good enough at this that I can do it professionally, to the degree of Volpin Props, Punished Props, Henchmen Studios, and the like.
Our Thoughts
Amanda Vanhiel
I am in absolute awe of Xephyr’s cosplaying skills. As a cosplayer myself, Zero Suit Samus has been on my list of future cosplays for a while, so I practically squealed at Xephyr’s Varia Suit. Immediately, I noticed his incredible attention to detail. Anyone can put on an armor cosplay and look pretty cool, but Xephyr goes beyond putting on a a couple of football shoulder pads. His engineering and artistic skills certainly show — from the curvature of the suit to the depth of colors on the paint job, everything is spot on. He looks like he walked straight out of the game! Over the years, I’ve seen some impressive cosplays, having attended tons of conventions, and even emceeing a cosplay contest, but this is by far one of the best I have ever seen. I could only dream of reaching his level!
Image Gallery
For more of Xephyr Cosplay’s works, please visit one of the links below: