Captain Malcolm Reynolds – Firefly

My first ‘completed’ cosplay was this one of Captain Malcolm Reynolds from the short-lived TV show, Firefly, which I constructed for Armageddon 2017.

Firefly was a show I enjoyed when I first saw it and when thinking of what costume to make as a first attempt, it came to mind. When I noticed that Nathan Fillion (the actor who played Malcolm Reynolds) was going to be at Armageddon, I decided I had to have a go at this costume alongside the construction of my Breen costume (currently abandoned).

I anticipated the hardest part being the ‘browncoat’ that is such an iconic part of the costume. I have no sewing skills and it was a challenge for sure. I started the coat using a faux suede but the hand sewing got the better of me and I was unable to complete it on time. I have some relief in the knowledge that Malcolm Reynolds didn’t always wear the browncoat, so I was a ‘coatless Captain’ at the event where I got many favourable comments from people.

The following photos show some of the construction of the cosplay…

BOOTS

I was much happier with the style and comfort of the second pair of donor shoes. I was asked a couple of times where I got my boots from, so I think they were successful.

PANTS

I got the pants from the local Hospice Op Shop and although they were the right colour, they were pleated and the Malcolm reynolds pants were tight fitting… hence the nickname ‘Captain Tightpants’ on the show.

The pleat area was un-stitched and re-sown by hand resulting in no side pockets. (Note: Some online forums discussing this costume suggest that the pants had no pockets. However, top opening pockets can be seen in some photos, but I didn’t notice until after I’d sewn.) The belt loops were also removed

Completed with brown stripe and suspender buttons added

SUSPENDERS

I thought it was hard to find appropriate material for these, using whatever I could find that remotely resembled what I needed. However, they must’ve turned out ok because when I met Nathan Fillion, he said “nailed the suspenders”, which was good to hear.

Some suitable material was found for the front and shoulder straps

Some elastic for the back and leather to attach to the buttons

The back and shoulder parts laid out before stitching

BELT

The donor belt was too short for me and had a texture that was wrong but the buckle was ideal. I decided to lengthen it with some soft leather and have the inside facing out. The inside belt leather was too light in colour so I darkened it with acrylic Raw Umber.

GUN and Holster

Templates were downloaded from the internet and used to cut the parts from a foam floor mat for the gun and a thinner foam for the holster.

Gun parts cut using a box cutter and a coping saw blade

Main parts together, getting templates ready for smaller parts

Unmodified parts

The shirt and the gloves were not altered in any way, but the shirt should really have the breast pocket removed.

Unfinished coat

I didn’t have a clue how to do the coat really, so I just made a pattern going by what I could see in reference images and also using my denim jacket as a size guide.