DIY Samurai Armour, 19 Years On: From Rubbish Bins to EVA Foam
Our 2007 post about samurai armour made from rubbish bins drew 21 pages of people asking for the pattern. Here's where to start now.
In November 2007 we posted a Halloween costume by Flickr user Kudzutech: a full suit of samurai armour made from Rubbermaid 32-gallon bins and rubber stoppers, found via Boing Boing. It became one of our most-read posts, with 134,168 views, and the comments ran to 21 pages.
Most of them asked the same thing: can you send me the templates? People wanted them for costumes and, in one case, for a samurai show group that couldn't afford real armour. There was no pattern to send. Kudzutech had cut it by hand, and the rest of us were left squinting at the photos.
Nineteen years on, armour-making is a hobby with its own materials and teachers. Most cosplay armour is now made from EVA foam, the same stuff as interlocking floor mats, which you cut, heat-shape, seal and paint. Kamui Cosplay, one of the best-known armour makers, gives away a 12-page beginner's guide that takes you from pattern to paint on a simple bracer. Start there before attempting a full suit.
Samurai are back on screen in a big way, too. FX's Shōgun won 18 Emmys for its first season in 2024, a record for a single season, and season 2, set ten years later, began filming in Vancouver in January 2026. Expect a lot more people wanting the armour.
If you build some, send us a photo at [email protected]. We'd especially like to see a suit made from bins.
The original post, with its 21 pages of template requests, is on the Internet Archive.
