Adam Savage is known for building everything from rocket-powered cars on Mythbusters to props for the Star Wars sequels while at ILM. But some of his most enjoyable creations are the costumes he creates (and wears) for conventions. One of his most popular of all time was his No-Face outfit, which Adam decided to revisit and upgrade for New York Comic-Con 2019.
Those who haven’t seen Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away might assume that the mask worn by No-Face reveals the character’s eyes and mouth, but hidden just below it is a giant, somewhat terrifying tooth-filled grin into which No-Face eventually shovels full of food at a giant feast.
It’s a feature that Savage’s original No-Face costume, which has racked up over a million views on YouTube over the past seven years, was missing — but not any longer.
Savage isn’t the first cosplayer to recreate No-Face’s gaping maw, but with decades of prop-building experience under his belt, his new and improved No-Face costume might be one of the most impressive recreations to ever wander through a convention. Built using a combination of aluminium strips from a hardware store, yards of crushed velvet, foam, and hand-carved plastic teeth, Savage actually took some inspiration from another well-known prop builder, Stuart Freeborn, for an extra level of added detail.
When No-Face’s mouth opens, it activates an additional wire cable mechanism that makes the character’s lips retract and teeth more visible, and it’s based on the mechanism that Freeborn created so the mouth movements of the Chewbacca costume used in the original Star Wars movies appeared more realistic.
Adam Savage will be roaming the floor of 2019 New York Comic-Con while incognito in his upgraded No-Face costume, and we’ll have an interview with him later this week.