"Wrong, Jarek. This is not a brutality. This is a fatality!" - Jax Briggs, Mortal Kombat 4
I’ve never been much of a fighting game person but growing up as a 90s baby Mortal Kombat was THE name in the genre. Amongst all the interesting character designs Jackson “Jax” Briggs was the one I couldn’t wait to tackle.
This was another simple design being the main set piece, the arms, was carried out with the help of a template. The pattern was originally made for metal workers but I have no experience with any type of metal work so the obvious choice for my skill level was EVA foam. Fabrication was straight forward. I cut the foam and dremeled edges with my sanding drum. Then everything was primed in Plasti-Dip. The logistical nightmare started when it came to attaching all these armor plates to my arms.
I wanted to get a seamless look for the arms so that they looked a part of me. So I cut up and exercise shirt so that the sleeves were left. I then attached snap buttons all over so that the sleeves can be washed separately after the armor is removed. The back was created by looking at the old MK3 sprite and I interpreted from there.
The accessories is where I shined creatively. The sawed off shotgun was PVC pipe and layered floor mats. It opens and closes with the help of some magnets. The holster was just vinyl backed with EVA foam. It attaches to the pouch belt I created and buckles to the thigh. The tights I found on AliExpress and the boots were found at a military surplus store. The extra mile was found in the custom dogtags that display the character’s full name along with the initial release date of the MK3
The decapitated Kano head was one of my favorite elements. Its a Styrofoam mannequin flocked with watercolors for flesh tone. The goatee was from a set of dollar store mustaches and the spine was electric conduit wrapped in tape finished with acrylic paints. The face plate was just a cut up opera mask. Behind it is a cavity with a red LED and 9V battery with push button to make the eye light red.
FATALITY!
Painting of all arm panels in silver spray paint
Bicep and forearm construction
Glove construction with silver painted foam and contact cement
Forearm Construction
Arm Progress
Back detail affixed to spandex
Custom dogtags
Raw shotgun prop before sanding and sealing
Finished sawed off shotgun prop
Finished belt with pouches
Inside the Kano head prop
Look at the silver painted opera mask with red LED. Powered by 9V battery
Styrofoam Kano head painted with watercolors and acrylics
Completed Kano prop
Tights bought on the internet