Who or What inspired you to cosplay?
I started doing cosplay in 2009, the inspiration came to me attending over the years the various comic strip fairs in Italy. My first cosplay was taken from Saint Seiya, and from there I realized that making costumes with my own hands was something that would accompany me from there on.
When did you notice that your talent for Prop making would get the attention of so many cosplayers that would want you to create something for them?
I realized that I was brought when, participating in the various cosplay contests, I collected victories on victories. This made my name grew in the Italian cosplay community, until I decided to start earning something by making accessories and cosplay parts for commission. Subsequently, I joined Pannaus props, where I learned a lot about my current job. Later I gave life to my individual reality, Starchild Props.
Who is your favorite Ranger(s) to cosplay and prop design for?
I don’t have a single favorite ranger, because I love most of them! Let’s just say I’m particularly fond of Red Rangers in general. Perhaps what stands out most of all, is the MMPR Red Ranger itself. As for the design instead, it’s easy! Lately I find that the designs of Boom! Studios are the best ever seen in Rangers! The Omega Rangers, the Solar Rangers, the Ranger Slayer and Lord Drakkon and so on, I find them to be the most beautiful designs ever made for power rangers.
What’s your ultimate cosplay goal(s)?
I can say that without a doubt my career as a prop maker and cosplayer has brought me great personal and professional satisfaction. For example, winning the cosplay contest of the previous edition of the Power Morphicon has been a great emotion, more than winning the Yamato Cosplay Cup International 2016.
Without doubt the greatest and most important goal ever achieved, was to contribute to the realization of the new Omega Rangers Props for the Boom!Studios.
Would you want to create your own Original Ranger or Team for any Power Rangers medium? (Comic, Game, Live-Action)
Would be really tempting and interesting, I already have some idea about it! Just the idea would be thrilling for me. I’ve already tried to create my own ranger, in this case based on an existing one. I’m talking about my Red Ranger Slayer, brought to the previous Power Morphicon. This is a drawing of mine based on the character design of the Ranger Slayer by Dan Mora.
How did it feel to have your helmets showed off at SDCC?
For me having my helmets exposed to SDCC was a dream, I still find hard to believe. Represents every effort of these years, every hour of sleep lost and holiday skipped are worth it to get up to this point. it was an honor for me to work in contact with Daniele Di Nicuolo and the designs of his Omega Rangers.
How did you get the job of creating a new Ranger that will be iconic?
The boom!Studios contacted me after seeing some work in progress of the helmets of the Solar Rangers that I was making. Speaking, it came to the idea of making the new Omega Rangers, which Daniele was working on, for the SDCC. The goal was to create helmets for the SDCC presentation and the whole Omega Red costume to take photos and videos for social media. So I started interfacing with Daniele for their creation.
Where you given any materials to work with?
Daniele and Boom! Studios have managed to send me all the material and I needed for the realization. reference, tables and sketches. I had everything I needed to work. the difficulty has been to adapt and rework some shapes to be materialized, because what works on a 2d drawing almost never works in 3d. There it was my task to obtain and rearrange the best forms so that a helmet similar to the one in the boards would come out, but at the same time it would work in 3d.
If you can say, do you have any more plans to work with boom studios?
Currently, I don’t know, there is nothing planned for me! After the Omega Rangers we thought about to create the entire Solar Rangers team. I don’t hide that it would be an honor and a pleasure to work again with Boom!Studios to new rangers and new designs
Do you think the Power Ranger Brand can become a house hold name like many others in the super hero genre like The Avengers, X-men, Batman, Etc?
Definitely yes! power rangers is a brand with a lot of potential. if well exploited, it can certainly become something eternal in future.
Do you think Hasbro is the right fit for such a Brand?
For sure. Hasbro is doing a very excellent work with them, as seen in the last Power Morpicon. They did a great job for fans.
Do you think the Power Ranger fan base would welcome a new take on the PR as a darker more grounded themed franchise?
Definitely. That’s exactly what’s going on with the Boom!Studios' comics. They are certainly a darker version than the series we grew up with. A version that however has been greatly appreciated by the community, on which it has had a strong impact. I’m sure a live action transposition of these stories would be appreciated.
What do you hope as a content creator to bring into the fandom?
I hope to make my way in the fandom with the quality of my props and costumes. being relatively new in the environment, I am betting on quality and punctuality in the delivery of my products. My goal is to offer props to the best value for money ever, with delivery times as much short as possible.
Would you like to see more Master Morphers used in more stories?
I think the concept of master morpher is interesting because there is only one. too many and would lose the exclusivity and originality. deep down, we have Super Megaforce that gives us a little example of that ''power''.
What was it about PR that made you a life long fan?
It’s really hard to explain, but they’ve been my heroes since childhood. Growing up, it came natural for me to turn my love for them into my work. They represent the perfect conception of the superhero boys, who every day face problems of everyday life, but at the same time have to fight with gigantic monsters. In short, being batman or spiderman as a child was too mainstream for me. I wanted to be the red ranger! And with great pride I can say that, years later, thanks to the Omega Red Ranger, I became one of them!
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