The incredible settings of Warhammer are defined by outrageous, larger-than-life characters clad in ornate armour, baroque robes, and lots and lots of tiny skulls.
This year’s Warhammer Fest has been blessed with a legion of fantastic cosplayers wandering around, graciously posing for photos with fans, marching on parade, and entering the competition event. Over 20 cosplayers took to the auditorium stage to be judged by three experts – cosplayers Clockwork Dandy Noodles, Iron Warrior Cosplay, and Drack… a pretty intimidating trio.
Em Johnson of Limestone Forge won a well-deserved first place with her unbelievable Imperial Fist Praetor.
Meanwhile, Knox’s Workshop snagged second place with their Deathwatch trio and Inquisitor master, while third place was taken by Sun Koi for her recreation of Cassia Orsellio from the forthcoming Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader video game from Owlcat Games.
We caught up with Em while she recovered after her victory with a well-deserved bottle of water.
Warhammer Community: Em, how does it feel to have won?
Em Johnson: A little amazing, to be honest – it’s the first competition I've entered with the Imperial Fist cosplay that’s won anything! Quite a surprise!
WarCom: What inspired you?
Em: I’ve always admired the Imperial Fists, the so-called Sentinels of Terra – but when the Age of Darkness box was revealed for Warhammer: The Horus Heresy and I saw the Praetor, I thought ‘oh man, I have to build one of those!’
WarCom: How long did the costume take you to build?
Em: The basic build was nine months. I was lucky enough to be working from home during the 2020 lockdown so I took advantage of a really nice summer to get it all built and painted. Since then, it’s been an ongoing project – I’m still tweaking it and adding new details to this day.
WarCom: Who was your own favourite cosplay at the event today?
Em: It has to be the guys on the Well Played Games* stall, with their Silent King cosplay. The way it lights up, the way it moves – it’s incredible. Even attempting something as alien as a Necron is just mind-blowing to me. With Space Marine armour you can hide inside the bulk, but with something like a Necron you’ve got to be really clever to make it work.
WarCom: What was the biggest challenge you faced?
Em: The hardest part was getting the weight distribution worked out with the power pack. As soon as you clamp it onto the armour, it throws everything off balance and starts pulling you back. I had to work out a system to redistribute some of that weight forward. Easily the hardest part, and it took four different iterations.
WarCom: What have you enjoyed the most about Warhammer Fest so far?
Em: It’s just great seeing the community coming together again after so long. The last Warhammer Fest was in 2019, and since then there have been Open Days at Warhammer World, where you get a taste of it, but this on another level. Something on this scale was just unheard of until today. It’s so great to see.
The third-place winner was Sun Koi Cosplay, who dressed as Cassia Orsellio from Owlcat Games’ upcoming CRPG, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader.
WarCom: Congratulations – how do you feel?
Sun Koi: Pretty surprised and very excited!
WarCom: And can you tell us a little bit about your cosplay?
Sun Koi: Well, I’m playing the Navigator Cassia Orsellio from the upcoming game Rogue Trader by Owlcat games. They’ve unveiled the special edition statue – which is Cassia herself – and it’s here to get photos with today!
WarCom: Who was your favourite other cosplay at the event?
Sun Koi: I have a lot of love for the first place winner, Em. The detail work is absolutely incredible. The clean work on the Deathwatch who won second place was also fantastic. They told me when we were hanging out that they’d paid special attention to painting the armour in a similar way to how they’d paint their miniatures, which I thought was a very fun detail.
WarCom: What are you planning on getting up to at Warhammer Fest?
Sun Koi: Well, now the pre-competition stress is out of the way, we’re probably going to do our best to soak it all up, take in the event, and hopefully speak to the people from Owlcat games!
No Warhammer event is ever complete without a greenskin or two, and a mischievous little Moonclan Grot somehow snuck into the cosplay event, to win the prestigious BEST GOBBO award.** We spoke to Alfie, and his dad Andy, about their win.
WarCom: How do you feel after winning the coveted “Best Gobbo” award at Warhammer Fest 2023?
Alfie: Really good, I was so happy!
WarCom: How long have you been working on your cosplay, and what was the hardest part?
Alfie: It probably took me about two months to make my cosplay. I started the paper mache mask first, but in the last few months I've had to start squeezing it over my head! It’s a very tight fit!***
WarCom: Who’s your favourite grot from Warhammer?
Alfie: I love Da Black Gobbo the most! He’s awesome.
* The studio behind Warhammer Combat Cards – the whole team brought their own armies to Fest!
** Da Bad Moon’s influence is irrepressible!
*** Someone’s clearly been eating their vegetables, and by vegetables we mean foetid cave mushrooms.