Durban North resident impresses with Moana themed outfits
The local resident recently crafted an impressive Maui outfit, complete with a hook for himself and a Tamatoa outfit for his wife which they wore for the Sissy Hankshaw's Pan Galactic Gargleblaster pub crawl.
JUSTIN Walter is quickly making a name for himself as one of Durban North’s most impressive cosplay artists and he seems to have done it again. Last year Justin and his wife, Angela Walter were cosplay celebrities at the countries first-ever Comic Con Africa bringing to life their favourite superhero characters (Batman, Wonder Woman, Groot and Rocket) from pop culture.
Now he has brought to life characters from Disney’s Moana. He recently crafted an impressive Maui outfit, complete with a hook for himself and a Tamatoa outfit for his wife which they wore for the Sissy Hankshaw’s Pan Galactic Gargleblaster pub crawl.
“I actually began working on the outfits before that because our daughter, Chloe, had a birthday coming up. She loves Moana and we’ve watched the movie a few times so I thought why not have a themed party. So that’s when I got the idea to make Chloe, a Moana outfit, my wife was going to be Tamatoa the crab and I made myself Maui.
“I was really pleased with how the outfits turned out in the end. I was particularly proud of the Tamatoa cosplay. In the movie, he is a villainous giant crab that covets all things shiny and valuable so I made a tray of treasures to go with the outfit. I bought a whole bunch of trinkets and used coins and then glued them to this foam tray. I was also pleased with how the claws came out. The other item that garnered praise was Maui’s hook which people really loved,” he said.
Walter makes his costumes using EVA foam. “It really is the best material to work with. You can twist it and shape it. It has varying thicknesses. It’s been a labour of love for me. Of course I wouldn’t be anywhere without YouTube instructional videos on how to make it,” he said.
He said the reactions from the fans and residents in the area were encouraging.
“There’s definitely a growing cosplay scene, in Durban, with events like ICON Durban, which is a comic and games convention, and Comic Con Africa, more and more people are proudly showing off their incredible transformations. It’s created such a vibe to dress up,” he said.
The local resident said he was now working on his outfit for Comic Con Africa coming up later this year.
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