How NZ dresses: Cosplay and colour at Armageddon Expo

When thousands of gamers, fandom enthusiasts and film buffs descended on Armageddon Expo on Saturday , Auckland Showgrounds transformed into a sea of fantasy, colour and cosplay.

The long weekend might be in honour of King Charles III, but it was superheroes, anime and science fiction that truly ruled at the event celebrating popular culture, gaming, cosplay and comics.

Armageddon kicked off its first Auckland full-scale event since 2019 on Saturday morning, and the event is set to run through until Monday evening.

From home-sewn and “closet cosplay” to custom-made and intricately designed, catch some of the looks from the first day of one of Auckland’s most colourful events.

David White/Stuff

Cosplay at Armageddon.

Batman (otherwise known as Matt)

What inspired the outfit choice?

Batman’s a hero. He’s the unorthodox hero.

How long does it take to get ready?

Normally about 15 minutes or so.

Do you stay in character all day?

Most of the time. I think it blows people’s minds when they talk to you, and you start doing the voice as well.

Chris and Oscar (inspired by Halo)

What inspired the outfits today?

I’d already made one Halo costume, but I wanted to make another one. So I really like the character, I wanted to be myself, so I made it of myself.

How long did it take to make?

About six months.

I saw you plugging something into the helmet...?

It’s a fan, it helps with the heat. It doesn’t fog up on the inside.

Estelle as Katsuki Bakugo

What inspired the outfit today?

I love the character [from My Hero Academia] so much, it’s my favourite character.

How long did it take you to put together?

Around seven months.

What brought you along today?

I went last year and I really loved it, so I thought I’d show off my cosplay, buy some stuff from the stalls and see other cosplayers.

Mia as Juno

Where did the outfit inspiration come from?

I’m a furry, so this is a character I made, and I paid an artist to make it into a costume. I designed it, but I commissioned an artist in America to make it.

How much did that cost?

After shipping, it was like $8500.

Caera Warnock as Tinkerbell

Why did you go with Tinkerbell today?

Because I like fairies.

How long did it take to get ready?

Only, like, five minutes.

And what’s been your favourite part of the day?

I’ve been taking photos of all the other people.

Asher Chandler as Ronald McDonald

What inspired the outfit?

I’ve been working at McDonald’s for a year and I thought this could be something fun. It’s an easy costume to sew. I just put it together.

So you sewed it yourself?

Yeah, I sewed the entire top, and the pants were just some old red pants I had.

Kelsey Becht as a princess

What inspired the princess outfit?

We entertain at kid’s parties, so it’s actually our job. We’ve got a day off today but just using the fun costumes.

And we caught you at a bad time with the hotdog ...

I came from Hamilton. I got really hungry, so I had to eat a hotdog!

Megan Stuckey and Rushton Large as Mario Brothers

Why Mario Brothers?

Megan: We saw the Super Mario movie and got inspired.

Rushton: We wanted to do a couple’s costume that was ...

Megan: ...iconic. And fairly easy. It’s almost closet cosplay. Like you have something in your closet you can pull out.

Are you Armageddon regulars?

Megan: We’ve never been together, so this is our first time doing that.

Sienna Elliot inspired by Made in Abyss

What inspired the outfit?

It’s a character from an anime called Made in Abyss. I build cosplays each year, but usually just do [more simple] costumes, like clothing.

I wanted to build something challenging, and I watched the new season of the show and thought that would be really cool.

How much did it all cost you?

I did it over time but putting it all together it would be close to maybe $600. I don’t want to think about it.