UK's best cosplayer crowned in Cosplay Central Crown Championships at MCM Birmingham

At a show packed with cosplay it’s no surprise to see some truly impressive costumes on stage, and the UK cosplay community did not disappoint on Saturday at MCM Birmingham Comic Con in one of the biggest ever qualifier rounds for the Cosplay Central Crown Championships.

20 impressive cosplayers took to the stage to battle for a cash prize, as well as a trip to Chicago's C2E2 for the finals in 2024 where they’ll compete against the other international finalists for the chance to be named Crown Champion of Cosplay!

Here's a photo gallery of the winners!

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Attribution

Cosplay Central Crown Championships UK Third Place winner

Third place went to The Crystal Wolf, in a stunning rendition of Vikings' Lagertha.

The Crystal Wolf's armour was patterned using the duct tape method before being transferred to a final digital pattern. The leather was weathered with salt and a rolling pin, cut into pieces and punched. The snake detail was added with a smooth beveller and then dyed using an airbrush. The edges are laced with a double loop lacing technique. The armour is finished with brass rivets and eyelets.

The Chainmail rings were made from scratch using wire, dowel, a drill and bolt cutters. They are linked with a European 4-in-1 pattern. The belts and strapping were crafted from leather and finished with saddler rivets.

The shirt is made from genuine linen with leather trim and the trousers from oiled canvas and eyelets. The scabbard has a worbla base with leather covering and laced at the back.

The shield is crafted with EVA foam with worbla strips sandwiched in the middle. A PVC pipe handle was added by shaping and then riveting it through the worbla. The panels were weathered with a Dremel before being hand-painted with acrylics.

The sword was modelled and 3D-printed by the Crystal Wolf.

Cosplay Central Crown Championships UK Second Place winner

In second place at the Cosplay Central Crown Championships' UK Qualifier at MCM Birmingham 2023 is Kerberos Cosplay dressed as Percvial de Rolo from Critical Role.

Kerberos Cosplay wanted to combine his love of this character and late 18th century menswear, so he drafted patterns from tailoring guides from the time and used as many period methods to sew as possible, including sewing the shirt entirely by hand. The waistcoat is what he likes to call "battle-ready pinstripe" by using silk and faux leather.

Kerberos wanted to show exactly who Percy is: a refined Lord of Whitestone and a fierce gunslinger. He wanted to include as many nods to his character as he could so there are Whitestone crests on the boots, Pepperbox, cravat, satchel, and a goldwork Sun Tree on the back of the coat.

This costume tested Kerberos in many ways, such as the precise tailoring of the garments, LEDs in the mask and articulation in the pepperbox but it's also been his ost enjoyable build to date. It's extra, it's functional and it's very Percy.

Cosplay Central Crown Championships UK First Place winner

And in a stunning turn of events Matthew - dressed as the Leathor Armor Hunter from Monster Hunter World - won first place at MCM Birmingham's Cosplay Central Crown Championships UK Qualifier - his second time in the winners circle.

Matthew's costume focuses on using authentic materials including genuine leather and real metals. Veg-tan leather was used for the jacket, gorget, gauntlets, goggles, and sabatons. Chrome-Tanned leather is used for the shoes, gloves, and belts. The costume is fully lined with pigskin suede, lamb leather or sheep-skin wool.

The shoes were handcrafted using traditional methods and have built in arch supports for comfort.

The lantern is wired with Ardunio-LEDS and self-programmed to change colour on a button press.

The real metal pieces were self-cast in sand using tin and pewter for areas like the goggles and belt accessories and he developed his own technique for the use of electrochemistry in order to plate metal on to thermoplastics! The swords are coated in real metal and across the costume there is a combination of Silver, Black Nickel , Copper and 24 Karat gold plating!"

Stay tuned to Popverse, as we'll be airing the full Cosplay Central Crown Championships' UK Qualifier from MCM Birmingham later this month.