Replica Props Forum (RPF) user IronJoe recently tackled a Magneto costume for Emerald City Comicon. The character’s had a few different looks between comics, cartoons, and films, but I’d say his most iconic one is the red bodysuit with the purple cape. That’s what Joe went for; specifically, he was inspired by Jim Lee art. For the helmet, he purchased a raw kit that he had to finish and paint. It was actually a helmet that matched the one seen in X-Men: First Class, but Joe added the crest piece seen in the comics. For the suit, he purchased a muscle pattern and had the dark red print applied with sublimation dye. Here’s how he built the chest and shoulder piece:
This thing has been crazy. After building the initial piece in EVA foam, I built some “cape risers” to create the regal flowing look of the cape “coming off the shoulders”. I used chicken wire and funfoam to build this, but then realized as I attached them they were too heavy. I ended up reinforcing the EVA foam piece using an understructure built out of the chicken wire and epoxied in place,and covered in funfoam. Finally it was strong enough to hold the cape!
My attachment method for the cape risers is no-so-cleverly hidden by the “rivets” on the shoulder piece.
The below photo shows the structure covered in Mod Podge and Plasti-Dip.
Read more about the build at The RPF.