This impressive Orc cosplay is the work of Shakhov Sagid, who created it "for a LARP game set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe" that will take place this August. It was a labour of love, and he was so chuffed with his work that he took it for its first outing a little ahead of schedule - the Maypole festival in Vyborg, a Russian town close to the Finnish border.
"Everyone loved it!" Sagid tells us - a surprisingly warm reception for cosplay of one of the most belligerent Warhammer: The Old World factions. "The kids were especially surprising — usually, they get scared and cry at such costumes, but this time, for some reason, they were really happy to see it", he adds.
Sagid spent eight months making the costume "gradually and without rush". He is keen to point out that "the Orc mask was made by the craft master Big_Bubbas_Stuff". But the rest was Sagid's own work, albeit made under Big Bubba's guidance. "The hardest part was the Shaman's robe", he says, "there was a lot of sewing involved".
"Even now, I'm still adding small accessories and details", he adds. The costume was inspired in part by the old Warhammer Fantasy Orc miniatures, but Sagid adds "I also took a lot from the Orruks in Age of Sigmar". Sagid has posted more photos of the cosplay on Reddit.
Russia has a famously excellent Warhammer fantasy LARP scene, so we're not surprised that Sagid's photos from the festival include other LARPers who happened to be in attendance.
The Russian state is currently at war with Ukraine, after its illegal invasion in 2022, and the term 'Orc' is being used as online slang to describe the invaders. For Ukrainians that's an understandable response to a terrifying situation. We're highlighting this very human Russian Orc mostly because it's a great cosplay, but partly as evidence of how much Warhammer nerds from around the world have in common - governments start wars, not people.
You can also check out Wargamer's interviews with Ukrainian wargamers to learn how the war has affected them, and how wargaming has helped some of them to resist stress or keep in touch with family. YouTuber 52 Miniatures video documentary interviewing gamers in Lyiv is also well worth your time.
Whether you're a fan of Orcs, Orruks, or cosplay, and whatever nation you come from, come and join the (civil) conversations in the official Wargamer Discord community.
For an even cuter bit of wargaming cosplay, check out Tiny Titus, a remarkably accurate recreation of the hero of Space Marine 2 scaled down to fit onto an eight year old girl.