While Hawkman may not be one of the most well-known DC superheroes like Batman and Superman, he still has one of the coolest-looking designs out there. With massive wings, a hawk cowl, and and a mace, this character is perfect to cosplay. For a cosplayer like Andy Holt from Irvine, CA, he wanted to dress up as Hawkman. But he wanted to take it to the next level.
Andy started cosplaying Hawkman five years ago, and has since then continued to improve his cosplay. He has made at least five different wingsuits over the years, with a sixth one currently being worked on since he has more time to work on updates due to the current pandemic. His largest wings, which are motorized and can span up to 19 ft 2 in (5.84 m), landed him a Guinness World Record.
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The wings Andy won the world record for was his fourth set of wings. “By then, I had enough experience to understand the trade-offs between weight, functionality, ergonomics, aesthetics,” Andy had said in his Guinness World Record feature.
Having wings that large does come with a lot of weight, since they spread out so far. Andy has to make sure he puts a lot of tension on his core so that he doesn’t fall over. The wings are controlled through a motor that sits on his back, with the rest of it being made from PVC pipe, foam (for the feathers), and metal hinges. He is able to control the wings using a simple device on his hand, which makes it easy to move them without ever having to touch the wings themselves.
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Andy is also active in non-profit organizations in Southern California and wears the suit at charity events. He is a member of both the Sci-Fi Coalition and Kids Can Cosplay organizations. Both do charity events and help inspire kids to also cosplay.
While conventions are put on hold for the pandemic, we’re curious to see what his Hawkman 6.0 will look like when he finishes and reveals it to the public. In the meantime, he can certainly enjoy his new world record!
Like this article? Be sure to also check out this Batman cosplayer who also broke a world record this year!
