THERMOPLASTICS

One of the biggest challenges for professional cosplayers, those who make their own costumes, is the modeling of materials to shape them as desired, like armor or a helmet. Truly a work of craftsmanship! At Artipistilos, we make it easier for you with our modeling thermoplastics and other products to help you with the task.

In this section, you will find modeling thermoplastic from several of the most demanded brands on the market, such as Wonderflex, Worbla's, or Fosshape. In all cases, you will find black, white, brown, red, or transparent thermoplastics (you can always paint them however you want) and in different sizes. We adapt to your project!

As you may know, it is necessary to apply heat to these products to soften them and give them the desired shape. For this purpose, we have steam irons specifically designed for use with modeling thermoplastics.

Do not hesitate to ask us any questions!

WHAT IS A THERMOPLASTIC?

Thermoplastics are a plastic material capable of softening under the effect of heat, molding, and regaining its solidity at room temperature. It is a durable material and can be glued to other fabrics or surfaces when under the effect of heat.

Thermoplastics usually consist of three parts:

• A smooth polymer surface that can be painted with no problems
• A polyester mesh that gives consistency to the entire material.
• A heat-activated adhesive by which it can adhere objects to itself or adhere to other objects.

These qualities make thermoplastics a perfect modeling material. To soften it, just apply dry or moist heat between 70-80 ºC. This can be done with a hairdryer, a heat gun, an oven, a microwave, or by immersing the material in hot water. Our preferred bet is steam irons for thermoplastics or industrial heat guns.

Once it is hot, the thermoplastics can be cut and stretched without any problems. If you plan to paint it once you have given it the desired shape, we recommend sanding the surface first in case there are small wrinkles on it.

WHAT IS COSPLAY?

Cosplay is a practice intimately connected to contemporary cultural products such as comics, movies, animation, and video games. A cosplayer combines two passions: on one hand, tailoring and costumes; on the other, the stories and characters from those works of fiction.

Cosplay began as a hobby for individuals who wanted to embody their favorite characters for a few hours. However, the interest in this practice turned it into a mass phenomenon. The most popular type of cosplay is related to Japanese animation, anime cosplay.

The most renowned cosplayers are true celebrities with millions of followers and participate in cosplay contests around the world. The places they usually attend are conventions and fairs, spaces dedicated to promoting and selling the aforementioned cultural products and all kinds of marketing.

Whether you are a cosplay enthusiast or a professional, at Artipistilos we are delighted to offer you all kinds of materials and tools to turn your projects into reality.