Set Your Sights on this ‘Metal Gear’ Sniper Skull Cosplayer
Her works hold the Guinness Record for Largest Cosplay Construction, and she’s telling all about her Sniper Skull cosplay and beyond.
Hideo Kojima is considered the connoisseur of video games. His impeccable taste and creative eye helped define the spy game genre. Kojima’s Metal Gear franchise is one of the best-selling of all time. These games bring tech and intrigue to the next level; it’s no surprise a prestigious cosplayer would choose them as her inspiration.
The header image of this article comes from Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain. This scene below showcases the ominous, disturbing presence of The Skulls. Cosplayer Ruby Taki has long focused on Kojima’s gripping series as the source of her cosplay-build inspiration. She has even won Guinness World Records for her Metal Gear cosplay.
Sniper Skull Cosplayer Interview with Ruby Taki
Ruby Taki’s work was sent to us by a member of the BoLS cosplay community. The reader knew of my love for Metal Gear, and we were chatting about some of the larger constructions we had seen. Ruby Taki’s work came up, and I knew I had to interview her. What follows is a peek into the mind of an incredible artist and visionary, talking about her Sniper Skull cosplay and much more.
How did you get your start in cosplay?
I’ve been interested in cosplay since I was a teen, but I actually started cosplaying about six years ago. In Japan, where I was born and raised, cosplay culture has been around for a long time. As a person who grew up watching anime and playing video games, it was inevitable for me to get into cosplay. My passion for transforming myself into a character is my biggest motivation.
What do you do with your time outside of cosplay? Any special skills or experiences?
I love house music, and I’ve been a DJ spinning vinyl records for over 10 years; I used to throw parties at clubs in NYC. I’m also into martial arts; I started learning Muay Thai because I wanted my body ready to cosplay authentic-looking female soldiers.
What is your strongest construction aspect?
I often make characters that no one has done before, so I have to figure out on my own how to make them. I research and examine the nature of various materials to find the right material for my projects.
What is your favorite type of cosplay work to do?
The field that I feel confident and unique in is making constructive robot costumes.
What are your favorite completed projects?
My most famous cosplay creation is Metal Gear REX. It was completed in 2014 and was certified by Guinness as the world’s largest game-based cosplay in 2017.
What material is your favorite to work with?
My most used material is styrene. Light, hard, and easy-to-process styrene is ideal for making robots and weapons with clean flat surfaces.
What are your favorite fandoms? Favorite characters?
There are a lot of my favorite animations and games, but it is the Metal Gear series that I’m passionate about as a cosplay subject. And my favorite character is Metal Gear REX.
What kind of games do you play? Videogames? Tabletop? Wargames?
I usually play console games. I’m interested in military uniforms and airsoft guns. I’d like to try the airsoft worker game, but I don’t have any friends who are knowledgeable about airsoft war games or friends who will go with me, so I’ve never done it before. I heard that the cosplay war game is also popular in Japan; I’d like to try that someday as well.
What conventions do you attend? Have you guested/spoken on panels/competed in contests?
Most of my costume is difficult to transport, so I attend the conventions around the New York area, like Maryland, DC, and Massachusetts.
I’ve entered NY Comic Con’s cosplay contest twice, and both got second place in the game category. I’ve never participated in a panel discussion at a convention because I’m not good at English speech, but I’ve done interviews with newspapers and magazines about my cosplay.
What projects are you working on in the future?
Currently, I’m working on a large bi-pedal robot costume called Sahelanthropus from Metal Gear Solid V. In estimation, the total height will be about 15 ft. Perhaps it will break my REX’s World Record.
Who are your cosplay inspirations? Whose work do you admire?
Every time I go to conventions, I get inspired by all the beautiful cosplay and props. I don’t have any particular cosplayer I admire, but I respect cosplayers. Some create things that make me say, “How in the world did you make that?!”
What are your favorite movies/shows for while you craft?
I watch Netflix when I’m working on a project. I choose a drama series that has many seasons so I don’t have to worry about selecting what to watch constantly. One of my favorite shows that I watched over and over again is an anime series called “Ajin.”
I won’t spoil the story, but this villain, Grandpa, is super smart and spontaneous; very amusing to watch his tactical strategy. I usually play rock or house music or something upbeat to keep me awake and focused while I’m working on a cosplay project.
What message do you have for people wanting to break into cosplay?
Cosplay is really fun! Try, enjoy, be creative and make friends! I was alone when I first attended a convention in costume; I was shy and nervous, but then people recognized my character. They called me by my character’s name and looked at me like they were excited to see me. I felt really good, and I got hooked on that feeling of joy.
I’m someone who loves a challenge; I choose difficult characters to make. I do a lot of research and experiment with materials until I find the right ones to use. It’s a painful task, but I learn a lot from failure.
Failure becomes knowledge. I always tell myself as long as I have passion, I can make anything.
Anything important we’ve left out that you want to share?
I began to hear “Cosplay is not consent” often at conventions lately. On the other hand, female Cosplayers tend to choose highly exposed characters for popularity. It’s a fact that sexy cosplayers are more popular than cosplayers with well-crafted costumes, but I don’t use my gender as an advantage.
I evaluate skills and craftsmanship regardless of gender. As I hate women becoming subjects of sex crime, I don’t want to act that would be mistaken for that subject. Even if I cosplay a character with relatively exposed costumes, I try not to make a wrong approach by my behavior. That’s my motto, and I’m proud to tell the world about it.
What are your social media/website links? Where can we find you?
I have Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, posting my costume projects and progress pictures. You can find me everywhere by searching Ruby Taki.
~Join us next week for more cosplay coverage~
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