Cosplay Tip: Sintra Armor, or When EVA Foam Just Isn't Enough

Heat waves shimmer on the horizon, and a silhouette appears in the picturesque sunset. Is it a man? Or perhaps a woman? It's impossible to tell. The head of this masked stranger is covered by an iconic T-visored helmet, and two blasters sway at their hips. The unknown being suddenly stops and looks in your direction. There is no doubt who you are dealing with. A Mandalorian. A hunter, a warrior. An excellent marksman. If they are coming for you, you have only one option. You can run… but you'll only die tired.

Dramatic, right? Anyone who has encountered the warrior race of Mandalorians – whether on the big screen, on TV, or live at a festival – knows very well that this heavily armed, armor-clad group of masked warriors just looks badass.

Do you want to be one of us? If you have ever, dear reader, longed to make such a costume, know that your goal is within reach!

A bit of theory…

We recently stocked a material at imago known among cosplayers as sintra. Sintra is a type of PVC that, much like EVA foam, can be bent after heating with a heat gun. Once cooled, it holds its shape and is rigid. Unlike EVA foam, however, sintra is not flexible. You can paint it with various types of acrylic paints and sprays. I always recommend using a primer as a base, though.

Sintra is easily sanded with sandpaper. You can cut it into pieces using a scalpel or a utility knife. It is a bit more demanding, so I definitely recommend performing such cuts calmly and deliberately.

And now, practice…

Sintra is PVC, which requires careful handling. It is one of those materials you will fall in love with because it lasts. But at the same time, you will hate it because learning to work with it requires skill and, above all, patience.

Sure, you might ask, why bother with plastic when EVA foam is such a pleasant material and looks good?

Well, the first thing is that if you ever want to join a costume organization like the Mandalorian Protectors or the older Mercs (or both), then EVA foam is not the right path and is generally only acceptable for certain details.

Another, perhaps more practical reason, is that EVA foam can lose quality after regular wear, while PVC is a survivor that lasts.

This is the third Mandalorian costume I am working on. You can see all three previous ones together in the picture of the three Mandos against a snowy background from Koprcon 2023. The armors are made of a material similar to sintra. I have spent hundreds of hours in my Alliance Commander costume (in the middle). I have been wearing it in the form you see now (the entire torso) since 2018.

Bo-Katan style female armor

To test real sintra, I decided to switch to armor from The Mandalorian series. This female design is very elegant and presents a real challenge. I bought the pattern on Etsy. It was a pattern for EVA foam, but the processing principle is similar. The resulting armor differs slightly from the original, but that was intentional. Especially the Mandalorian Protectors, of which I am a member, allow a great degree of freedom for modifications (within the rules).

What you need to process sintra

• Scalpel or utility knife (I recommend both - scalpel for detailed work)
• Hot glue gun
• PVC glue (I specifically use Ceys Especial Tuberías PVC adhesive)
• Cutting mat
• Sandable filler (I use Uniflex latex filler)
• Sandpaper of various grits (80, 180, and 522)
• Metal ruler (ideally… or a normal one, but you must work very carefully)
• Masking tape or gaffer tape
• Sandable automotive filler (or spray putty)

Cutting

Sintra is a rigid plastic. You can cut into it with a knife or scalpel, but it is unlikely you will make the cut on the first try. Usually, you need to go over the area at least 3 times to get through. Logically, sintra will break if you use too much force, so it is better to cut 6 times than to snap it. Don't rush!

Bending

This is the trickiest part of working with sintra. Imagine you are bending paper. You simply cannot make a hemisphere in the middle of a sheet of paper, so any more complicated curves must be solved by carefully cutting in the right places, bending, gluing, and filling. By the way, I've even seen people who were able to make a Mando helmet out of sintra! Crazy.

You can bend it in your hands, over your knee, over the armrest of a couch, or on a mannequin. Sintra doesn't stain.

Attention! Sintra must be heated with a heat gun to be bent. Heat guns heat to temperatures of approx. 350-600°C! Increased caution is in order!

Unlike the PVC I was used to until now, I think sintra has a slightly lower heating point. It starts to bend quickly. If you heat one area for a long time and intensely, it will soften completely and resemble plasticine. But that comes at the cost of quality, and you can also ruin it badly.

I recommend cutting off a piece of sintra and testing how it behaves. You can then adapt your work accordingly. The advantage of sintra is that if you bend something wrong, it can always be returned to its original state after heating, and you can bend it again. And again… and again 😄

Gluing

PVC can be glued with various adhesives. However, it is best to use those designed for PVC. These glues are often an interesting chemical cocktail, so don't forget to put on protective equipment, including gloves and a mask, and glue by an open window or outside.

In this picture, you can also see how I slightly cut away pieces of sintra on the edge using a scalpel. This is so that when filling, the surface is more rounded and the filler I applied to this fold would round off more naturally.

To let the glue dry on its own (so I didn't have to hold it), I taped the joints with gaffer tape and masking tape. Once everything was glued, I let the glue cure overnight.

I reinforced the joints from the back with a hot glue gun so they would move as little as possible.

Filling

Latex filler has the consistency of a very thick paste. It's good to wet your fingers a little; it makes it easier to smooth out. It hardens overnight. It is sandable, so it's great to work with. It sticks to sintra without any problems.

Once you manage to smooth the edges to at least 80%, it's time for automotive filler or spray putty. By repeatedly applying and sanding (it's done the same way with 3D printing), you will eventually achieve the desired look with beautiful smooth edges. Then all that's left is to apply primer and paint. :)

I'm not that far yet, so just two photos at the end. If you have more questions about sintra or making a Mando costume, definitely write on the imago Discord or send an email. It will be my honor to expand our Mando base in the Czech Republic with more passionate fans!

This is the way!

author Eva Lassler