As a kid, I enjoyed reading about Captain America, though he didn’t appeal to me as much as Spider-Man or the X-Men. Sure he was a super powered hero like the rest, but his shield wasn’t as cool as web shooters, optic blasts or the power to control the weather. It wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I realized how important the Red, White and Blue Avenger was to the Marvel Universe. The Super Soldier Serum gave him impeccable agility, strength and stamina; he became the peak of human physical prowess. As great as that is, his physical abilities pale in comparison to his willingness to sacrifice everything for his team and his country. Even his uniform is the embodiment of American ideals: The wings on his helmet symbolize freedom from oppression; his shield symbolizes the strong protecting the weak; the 'A' in place of military rank symbolizes leadership in combat; the uniform pattern (white star on blue field / red and white stripes)is a show of unity, the personification of the America flag.
We all know the tale of how Steve Rogers became Captain America, but how did he come to realize and exemplify what was needed of him? Here is a little synopsis of how I feel his emotional growth into the character came to be:
Steve Rogers settles for a job as an Army illustrator because he's not physically fit to serve in combat. He is approached to volunteer for the Super Soldier Program, and agrees hoping it would allow him the opportunity serve in a theater of war.
After the experiment is a success, the government believes he would better suit their wartime propaganda agenda and parade him around wearing what is known as his Classic WWII suit (bell bottoms and all).
Steve is overwhelmingly upset since he has realized he became a party line tool while troops are dying every day on the frontlines. He refuses to play their role anymore and forces the military to send him to war. He takes up the persona of a regular Army officer, wearing standard issue fatigues and gear.
Now on to my project:
I didn’t want to create a ‘costume’ per se, but a uniform. Though I will never use it in a combat situation (as friggin’ cool as that might be), I wanted it to be fully functional. I only wanted to use items that Steve would have been able to scrounge for while making his in the field (give or take a few liberties). Here are the details:
- I used a navy blue M65 field jacket and winter weight pants as a base. After a few wash cycles, the color was faded enough for my taste. In my mind, Steve would have used an America flag as a wrap around piece for the jacket; since I didn’t want to cut up a flag I used pieces of denim.
- I found an authentic US Army WWII helmet. I used only the helmet liner to minimize the weight I had to carry.
-For the mask I used a heavy vinyl material. Leather would have been my first option except that a) it shrinks every time you sweat into it unless properly treated, and b) leather runs around $60 per yard (a bit outside my budget). I cut and sewed it to my measurements and added a buckle from the WWII helmet for the chin strap. The polycarbonate lenses are from a pair of Wiley X tactical goggles. They are flame, fog and pressure resistant.
- I created the shield from sheet aluminum (sorry, no Kevlar). I used automotive paint since it’s heat resistant. I ordered the handle from a company that sells medieval shields; after three tries, I successfully spot-welded in onto the back. The hand/back strap is a modified two-point tactical rifle sling. i decided to go with only three stars because. . well. . it was a hell of alot easier to do.
-For footwear I used US Army desert boots that I painted with fabric paint. The khaki boot covers are authentic WWII US Army issue.
-I purchased the gloves from a military surplus store, though they aren’t for military use. They just so happened to match the vinyl I was using.
-Instead of a red turtleneck, I just used a red, ribbed skully hat. I cut the top open and wore it as a scarf under the jacket.
- The equipment belt and harness are both WWII issued gear (stamped 1943). The two front pouches are Vietnam era medical kits. The two smaller pouches are Vietnam era as well and are for single pistol magazines. The canteen and cover are WWII issue. All of this equipment was used by the US Army.
**The grenade is an authentic WWII Mk2 fragmentation grenade; it’s real, but inert**
That’s pretty much it. Thank you all for your encouraging comments and outstanding support. It took three weeks of 4 hour days to get this far and I would guess another 20 or so hours before it’s 100% complete. Questions or suggestions are always welcome, so feel free to let me know what you think.
- Poni
All images are property of Pietro Filipponi and DPS, LLC. Unauthorized reproduction, modification or use is prohibited.