House of the Dragon was full of incredible gowns, armor and other costumes. One in particular that stood out the most to me was Daemon Targaryen’s tournament armor. I put this cosplay together to debut at C2E2 2025 and then competed him at Fan Expo Chicago 2025. I got to explore a bunch of different mediums and even finished my first ever 3D print to bring this cosplay to life. So, I am excited to show off how to cosplay Daemon Targaryen armor, specifically the version from the tournament in episode 1, season 1.
How to Make the Armor Set: Legs, Armors & Chest
The armor consisted of the following pieces:
- Chest armor
- Elbow guards
- Bracers
- Pauldrons
- Shin guards
- Knee guards
- Thigh guards
All of my armor was constructed out of EVA foam. I pattern drafted all of the armor except one of the plates for the knee guards which was from Kamui Cosplay. I used puffy paint to do all of the elevated dragon details on the armor, small googly eyes for the rivets and then painted over everything with a black base and aluminum airframe accenting. For the chest armor scales, I individually mapped every single scale to ensure symmetry and that everything fit. From there, I created an individual pattern for every single scale, hand cut out each one, used a foam roller to texture each scale, hand painted and then glued all of them onto the armor.
To finish everything, I added red vinyl piping along the outer edges, velcro and strapping.
How to Make Daemon Targaryen’s Helmet
The helmet was also made of EVA foam, but the pattern was from Haas of Props. I did have to scale it down to better fit my head. To better sculpt and carve the dragon head and wings, I used a lot of foam clay. I also added a lining fabric to the interior since I used metal wire to help secure the wings to the helmet.
How to Make the Tunic & Pants
The pants were a simple sewing project. I used a black, cotton flannel fabric which was very comfy. To finish all my fabric edges, I used French seams. Then to fade the knees of the pants, I sprayed them with diluted bleach.
The tunic was a bit more work. I had a pattern to use but I had to cut each fabric panel into strips and then sew the panels back together. This added the stripe effect. From there I assembled and lined the tunic. To finish the edges, I created my own bias tape.
How to Make Daemon Targaryen’s Props: Sword, Dagger & Shield
Daemon had very cool props. He carries his sword Dark Sister, a dagger and a Targaryen shield. The dagger and sword I 3D printed from files I found online, along with the dagger’s scabbard. The sword was actually my first ever 3D printed project I finished since I only recently got a Bambu Labs printer. I also printed 4 swords until I eventually got the size right. From there I finished those prints and painted them. The sword I needed to create a holster for and chose Worbla to make it.
The shield was all EVA foam and again, a pattern from Haas of Props. From there, I hand painted the entire Targaryen design.
How to Make the Gloves & Hand Armor
I made gusseted gloves from a pleather fabric. Then I used EVA foam and Worbla to make the hand armor, which was glued directly onto the gloves. This made it easier to wear and keep track of all the little armor pieces it had. I did pattern draft every piece of the hand armor.
How to Make the Scale Skirt & Belts
For the belts, I had to emboss them with a leather stamping tool. It was a long and tedious job since I did every single individual stamp by hand. I also 3D printed buckles and rivets for the belts.
The 5 panels of the scaled skirt was made from black leather. I cut out each individual scale and then added small googly eyes to be rivets on them. I assembled each panel of scales and glued it to the chest armor so it would be one large piece instead of multiple little pieces.
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