The Pulse Blade Pilot costume is one of the most complex full costumes we have developed. It combines armor, textile components, a functional load-bearing system, attachments, lighting, footwear, and a complete helmet.
In this article, we break down the full costume component by component and show how its materials, padding, attachment systems, and smaller details were developed to reproduce the Titanfall 2 design while making the costume practical to wear.
CONTENTS
What’s Included
1. Helmet
2. Arm Protection
2.1. Shoulder Armor Assemblies — 2 pcs.
Each consists of a fabric upper-arm guard and two plastic armor plates.
2.2. Forearm Armor Assemblies — 2 pcs.
Each consists of a fabric forearm guard and one plastic armor plate.
2.3. Wrist Guards with Fabric Wristbands — 2 pcs.
2.4. Armored Gloves — 2 pcs.
3. Leg Protection
3.1. Thigh Guards — 2 pcs.
3.2. Knee Pads — 2 pcs.
3.3. Lower-Leg Guards — 2 pcs.
3.4. Boot Covers — 2 pcs.
4. Load-Bearing System with Attachments
4.1. MOLLE Battle Belt
4.2. Battle Belt Suspenders — 1 pc.
4.3. Front Plate Bag
4.4. Axillary Plate Bags — 2 pcs.
4.5. Load-Bearing System Webbing Straps
4.5.1. Webbing Straps with Carabiners — 2 pcs.
4.5.2. Front Webbing Straps — 2 pcs.
4.5.3. Side Webbing Strap
4.6. Abdomen Panel
4.7. Drop Seat Panel
4.8. Sheath
4.9. Chem Lights — 2 pcs.
4.10. Jump Kit Mount Bases — 2 pcs.
4.11. Back-Mounted System with Two LED-Lit Electromagnetic Weapon Mounts
4.12. Rifle Magazines — 4 pcs.
4.13. Communications Set
4.13.1. Communications Unit in a Pouch
4.13.2. Communication Cables
4.14. Pouches
4.14.1. Pouches with Simulated Rounds — 2 pcs.
4.14.2. Small Pouches — 3 pcs.
4.14.3. Medical Pouch
5. Inner Harness
Consists of a waist belt with leg loops.
6. Drop-Leg Holster Assembly — Right Leg
6.1. Pistol Magazines with Simulated Rounds — 2 pcs.
6.2. Rigid Pistol Holster
6.3. Drop-Leg Holster Platform
7. Jacket
8. Pants
9. Boots
10. Shemagh
Height Limits
165–200 cm / 5'6"–6'7"
Component-by-Component Advantages
1. Materials
The armor combines textile components, primarily durable Cordura, strong ABS plastic, and two-part casting plastic used for the most detailed components.
2. Plastic Components
Creating the costume requires 111 individually cast and formed plastic parts, plus 22 separate parts for the helmet.
3. Paintwork
All components are finished with professional paint materials in colors matching the in-game references.
4. Graphics on Plastic Components
The plastic armor features 52 individual painted graphics, with another 27 graphics on the helmet.
5. Sewn Components
5.1. Cordura
The sewn components are made from durable, abrasion-resistant Cordura and reproduce the in-game references as closely as possible.
5.2. Decorative Edge Detailing
The components feature decorative edge detailing matching the game references. In total, the costume includes 29 separate decorative edge contours.
5.3. DTF Graphics
The textile components feature heat-transfer DTF printing, with more than 30 individual graphics applied throughout the costume.
5.4. Functional Pouches
All pouches are functional and can be used to store personal items. To maintain the intended shape, empty pouches contain removable fillers.
The upper sections of the two pouches with simulated rounds can be opened and also contain fillers to help them hold their shape. This does not serve an additional practical purpose but reproduces the construction shown in the reference.
A 25 × 25 mm square made from stitched webbing is also reproduced as part of the detailing.
The patches attach with Velcro and can be replaced with your own.
5.5. Drop Seat Panel
The Drop Seat Panel features stitched patterns matching the reference.
6. Padding and Backing
We use five padded or backing components in the costume. For each one, we selected the internal material separately according to how the component needed to sit on the body, its required thickness and rigidity, and how well it needed to retain its shape.
6.1. Boot Covers
After testing different materials, we completely removed internal padding from the Boot Covers. This allows them to fit more closely around the leg and form folds that better match the reference.
6.2. Thigh and Lower-Leg Guards
For the thigh and lower-leg guards, we chose a backing made from EVA foam so that the components retain the shape of the leg.
While working toward the closest possible match to the reference, we redesigned these backings four times. We also tested plastic inserts as shaping elements, but EVA produced the best result.
6.3. Load-Bearing System
The main challenge with the load-bearing system was making it look dimensional without becoming excessively large or bulky, while also allowing it to retain its shape and avoid sagging under the weight of the attachments.
We tested foam padding, which created the necessary volume but did not retain the shape well enough. The final solution combines EVA and foam: EVA provides structure, while the foam creates volume.
7. Attachment System
All armor attachment points are designed to be strong and adjustable. The costume primarily uses three types of attachments: plastic quick-release buckles, industrial Velcro, and standard MOLLE attachments.
7.1. The waist belt with leg loops closes with a quick-release buckle.
7.2. The MOLLE Battle Belt closes onto itself at the front using concealed Velcro. The Battle Belt Suspenders attach to the belt with Velcro.
This construction provides a wide adjustment range and allows the load-bearing system to be fitted to the wearer.
7.3. The webbing straps, plate bags, Jump Kit Mount Bases, Abdomen Panel and Drop Seat Panel attach with Velcro to the inner side of the load-bearing system.
7.4. The back-mounted system with the electromagnetic weapon mounts attaches to the Battle Belt Suspenders with Velcro.
7.5. All pouches and the communications unit attach through the MOLLE system using webbing, providing quick and secure attachment.
7.6. The communication cables insert into the openings in the communications unit and attach to the Battle Belt Suspenders with Velcro.
7.7. The rifle magazines attach to the MOLLE system with clips, making them easy to install and remove.
7.8. The Sheath attaches to the right Battle Belt Suspender with Velcro.
7.9. Each Shoulder Armor Assembly attaches to the costume through a Velcro backing. It wraps around the bicep and closes onto itself with Velcro, with additional Velcro straps securing it from above.
7.10. Each Forearm Armor Assembly wraps around the forearm and closes onto itself with Velcro. Additional reverse-loop Velcro straps provide fixation and adjustment.
7.11. Each Wrist Guard attaches to the fabric wristband with Velcro.
7.12. The armor plate on the glove attaches to the glove with Velcro.
7.13. The textile Drop-Leg Holster Platform attaches around the leg and to the belt using adjustable straps with quick-release buckles. Both straps can be adjusted in length.
7.14. The pistol magazines and Rigid Pistol Holster attach to the MOLLE system on the Drop-Leg Holster Platform.
7.15. The Thigh Guards and Lower-Leg Guards attach with Velcro to the knee backing and are additionally secured around the leg with a strap and quick-release buckle.
7.16. A Velcro knee backing is sewn directly onto the pants. The Knee Pad attaches to this backing with Velcro.
7.17. The Boot Covers secure around the leg with straps and quick-release buckles.
8. Cable Bundle Attachment
We tested several ways to attach the cable bundle.
Simply tucking it in at both ends was extremely inconvenient, while attaching it externally with Velcro did not look clean enough.
The final version is supplied as one connected assembly with the Forearm Armor Assembly and the glove armor plate. First, the forearm guard is put on, followed by the Wrist Guard and glove. The glove armor plate then attaches to the glove with Velcro.
This allows the entire assembly to be put on without assistance and prevents the components from coming loose during movement and wear.
9. Thigh and Lower-Leg Guard Fixation
Velcro is used to position the Thigh Guards and Lower-Leg Guards, allowing their height to be adjusted to the wearer.
During active movement, standard Velcro did not withstand the load reliably enough and could detach, so we switched to industrial Velcro.
We also tested exactly how the hook and loop sections needed to be positioned and what size they should be. For easier dressing and more comfortable wear, the hook side is positioned along the edge of the thigh and lower-leg components and attaches to the knee backing.
Standard Velcro:
Industrial Velcro:
10. Knee Pad Attachment
We tested three different ways to construct this attachment point.
It is particularly important because the knee area supports a larger group of components whose vertical position needs to remain stable on the leg.
The final solution uses a Velcro knee backing sewn directly to the pants. The Knee Pad attaches to this backing with Velcro. The size of the backing also provides enough adjustment area to change the vertical position of the connected leg components.
11. Functional Load-Bearing System
The load-bearing system is functional and uses a standard MOLLE attachment system. Compatible additional equipment can also be attached to it.
11.1.
One of the major challenges was attaching the suspenders securely to the main Battle Belt.
Initially, the inner layer of the belt was made only from Velcro fabric, with Velcro on the suspenders. The system performed well during early tests and made it easy to adjust the height of the load-bearing system.
However, once the full set of attachments was installed, even high-quality branded Velcro fabric could not reliably handle the combined weight and movement.
We therefore reinforced the inside of the load-bearing system with industrial Velcro with greater holding strength. This allowed us to retain flexible adjustment while preventing the attachments from separating during use.
11.2.
Because the inside of the load-bearing system uses Velcro fabric, more than just the suspender height can be adjusted.
The Plate Bags, Abdomen Panel, Drop Seat Panel and webbing straps can also be easily removed and repositioned.
11.3.
The Velcro-compatible inner surface also allows additional items to be attached inside the load-bearing system, such as compatible cooling inserts.
11.4.
The load-bearing system includes an opening with a closure that allows the internal padding to be removed. This makes it possible to remove the padding when needed or replace it with another type of insert, such as cooling elements.
12. Communications Set
12.1.
The patch attaches with Velcro and can be replaced with your own.
The communications unit attaches securely through the MOLLE system.
12.2.
Finding suitable tubing for the communication cables required extensive testing.
We reviewed the available tubing options to find the right diameter and rigidity: the tubing needed to resist kinking when bent, while still remaining flexible enough to follow the shape of the costume.
We could not find matching red and black tubing with exactly the same properties, so we developed another solution. We use soft black silicone tubing, while the red cable is created from the same black tubing using red heat-shrink tubing designed for electrical wires.
13. Rifle Magazines
The rifle magazines needed to remain strong while avoiding unnecessary weight.
To achieve this, we developed a two-part mold that creates a hollow interior. This reduces the weight while leaving enough internal space for the MOLLE attachment system.
We tested five different attachment configurations: mounting to one webbing row or two, using one clip or two, and using both metal and plastic clips.
The final design includes dedicated mounting areas on the back of the magazines and uses a plastic clip on each side. This makes installation easier than a two-clip configuration while still providing secure attachment.
Fabric tape is used as part of the detailing to match the reference.
14. Wrist Guards
The first version of the Wrist Guard was made as a single solid plastic piece, but it broke during testing.
We redesigned it as a reinforced three-part construction. The three plastic sections remain connected as one assembly, but during movement the plastic itself no longer has to bend. Instead, the individual sections can shift slightly relative to one another while the textile base absorbs the deformation.
This mobility helps distribute the load and allows the Wrist Guard to fit different wrist sizes without damaging the plastic components.
15. Sheath Detailing
The Sheath features decorative squares made from stitched webbing, each measuring only 25 × 25 mm.
16. Back-Mounted System
The back-mounted system also features stitched 25 × 25 mm webbing squares, as well as non-functional hardware added to reproduce the in-game appearance.
The two back-mounted electromagnetic weapon mounts feature LED lighting powered by a 9V battery. The battery is not included.
The lighting is activated using a button located in the upper suspender beneath the webbing square.
17. Boots
Comfortable footwear is included as part of the complete costume to preserve the in-game appearance of the character.
The complete Pulse Blade Pilot costume brings all of these components together in one finished set, including the helmet, armor, textile gear, load-bearing system, attachments, boots, and lighting.
Explore the complete costume and related Titanfall gear in our store.