Even when the series aired on German TV in the 90s, I was deeply fascinated by the characters: In 1998, as a child, I got the first cardboard armor heads of Rath and Ja-Kal—back then, I didn't even know about cosplay. In 2009, the first Ja-Kal in armor made of modeling clay followed, and in 2025, I got a more professional version made of EVA foam. :-]

the making-of

From January 18th to March 28th, 2025, the entire costume was created in countless hours alongside work. As planned so often, I wanted to start crafting it earlier... you know the drill. The evening before the book fair, I made the final adjustments and – tadaa! Everything is in place and stays where it belongs. Even after a full convention day.

I still need a bit of practice attaching the mask; I wasn't quite able to get it right around the mouth area. So, for the LBM, I quickly added an extra bandage to my face. Nevertheless, I'm very satisfied with the first completely homemade shoes and latex mask premiere and look forward to many more conventions and photoshoots with Ja-Kal and other characters from this great series.

cosplay pictures

The Neue Messe in Leipzig is only partially suitable as a shooting background for Mummies ALIVE!, so I precisely isolated the character and incorporated backgrounds generated with Photoshop AI. If you're thinking this could be done with a few clicks... it easily takes 2-3 hours per image, but I really like the process.