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photo by Talia Hodge
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photo by Talia Hodge
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photo by Talia Hodge
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photo by Talia Hodge
When Ryan Dyke cosplays as Star-Lord from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” he sports a 3D-printed Walkman-like Bluetooth device to re-create the character's vintage dance sequences. When his sister, Sydney, dons her Rey cosplay from "Star Wars," a working BB-8 droid rolls alongside her. These are just a few of the artistic cosplays by the 15 to 20 members of Akron-based Rubber City Cosplay.
“We’ve gone from DIY in our garages, basements, to now owning multiple 3D printers,” says Ryan, a co-founder of the club that began in 2015, “and trying to get as accurate as possible.”
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Ryan has had fun making over 50 cosplays, including Kylo Ren and Harley Quinn, and some take dozens of hours to build. The club attends events like the Akron Comicon and Hall of Fame City Comic Con, where it offers free pictures at backdrops. It has shared over 16,000 photos.
He encourages people to cosplay too or use what Rubber City Cosplay has for photo ops. At an Akron RubberDucks game, a group of young boys who didn’t know each other posed for a photo with Hulk, Captain America and Batman props.
“It shows what we’re about. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from — let’s get together,” says Ryan. “Let’s celebrate the positivity and craftsmanship that this community has to offer.”
