Making the Iron Venom Suit
by Robert Abercrombie
First of all, I want to thank everyone at the Stan Winston School of Character Arts for doing what they do best. This journey of making real-life characters has been amazing and beyond entertaining. It hasn’t been easy though. Most skills I’ve learned have been self-taught. There’s been a lot of trial and error. But let me reflect on how I got into it.
Jump To Section
- From Indie Wrestler to Suit Maker
- Robert Abercrombie’s Suit Inspiration
- A Long Way to Success
- New Character Suit Projects
- It’s Never Too Late to Start Something New
(I went through hell, but I finally got a pic with Stan Lee!)
From Indie Wrestler to Suit Maker
Before I realized I even had the skill or interest in doing this stuff, I had a different passion. I used to be an Indy Wrestler trying to make it big. I worked for almost five years trying to become a professional. Because of my wrestling background, I was invited to a wrestling show in Miami at a comic convention that one of my friends was gonna be working in. What was interesting was that the wrestling show was comic book character related. There were characters from DC, Marvel, and so on. My buddy was gonna be working as the character Bullseye from Marvel. Long story short, I attended and loved the idea, and it also was my first time at a comic convention. I saw many cosplays that were like something straight out of a movie.
Robert Abercrombie’s Suit Inspiration
I went home and started thinking about how I could make something great, like what I had seen. After thinking about doing Iron Man or Venom, I couldn’t make up my mind on what character I wanted to make, so I thought why not just make them both into one!
(The original spark for the idea. Iron Man vs. Venom by maXKennedy.)
I started the Pepakura process for an Iron Man suit, which took forever. It seemed like there were thousands of pieces. I actually made the top half too small the first time, and then realized after so many hours put in that I had to trash it.
(Taking some classes on the Stan Winston School website (How To Make A Latex Rubber Mask with Tim Martin) to expand and sharpen my artistic skills.)
A Long Way to Success
After a year and a half, I finally finished my Iron Venom suit. It's made completely out of fiberglass and Bondo, so it’s really heavy and difficult to walk in.
(Lots and lots of sanding. Getting close to being done with the chest and back pieces.)
I’ve worn the suit at two conventions, and people seem to love it. It’s funny, I would try to take a walk around, but I couldn’t get far because so many people wanted a picture with me. If I could do it all over again, I would. But I'd make the suit lighter the second time around.
(The upper body pieces, including shoulders and arms.)
(The unfinished full-sized suit coming together.)
(The head is painted and almost done.)
(Gauntlets with nails added. Still in need of trimming and painting.)
(Test fitting before finishing the paint.)
See more of the building process HERE: Venomous creations
(The finished suit with a bit of Photoshop added for fun.)
New Character Suit Projects
Since completing my Iron Venom build, I've taken on two other character suits. Builds that nobody else had attempted before. First, I built Moby Lick, from the 90s animated series Street Sharks, using lightweight upholstery foam and latex.
(Moby Lick at MegaCon 2017.)
And just recently, I built a Space Knight Venom from The Guardians of the Galaxy comics out of the same lightweight materials. It’s been more than incredible building these costumes.
Posted by Venomous creations on Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Video above: First Space Knight Venom suit test.
(Finished Space Knight Venom suit.)
It’s Never Too Late to Start Something New
As a kid, I tried to go for it and stand out when it came to costumes. I’ve always been into art. Drawing definitely helped get me here, except now I get to bring drawings to life! I’ve got many other projects on the horizon that I can’t wait to build. Only dreaming here, but maybe someday one of my builds will appear in a movie, or something smaller, like a comic book.
If you had told me a long time ago that I would be here doing what I’m doing, I wouldn’t believe it. I used to tell myself that I couldn’t do these kinds of things. So let that be your first lesson. Some things are definitely possible.
For now, I’m just having fun learning and helping whoever wants the help because that’s what it’s all about. There have been people who definitely took the time and explained things to me because I had no idea. If not for others doing that, I can’t say I’d still be where I am today. You know who you are. Thank you!
If you want to follow my upcoming builds or look back at how I built the ones you've seen here, you can follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.
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Check out the original Heroes & Villains Contest Winner Announcement: Iron Venom suit
View all the entries at Heroes & Villains Contest
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