Costume Purchased: Amazing Spiderman Zentai Suit with 3D Shades
Site Purchased From: Zentai-Zentai
Sizing: Custom
Special Requests: Lenses included, removable mask, soles added, upgraded suit to Jersey Lycra, hidden zippers, crotch zipper.
Price: $132.00 (including all upgrades)
This was the first (and to date) only costume I've ever ordered of this nature, an all-in-one spandex suit, and as such it was a new experience for me. Knowing that this costume would get a lot of use, as I bought it primarily for our charity events as my other costumes weren't particularly well known by children anymore, I paid for all the available upgrades to ensure it would last. This included an upgrade to Jersey Spandex, the best available material they could afford, and hidden zippers both for practicality and for the best look. I opted for a removable mask, which is something people have mixed opinions about on various Spider-man suits, as they look a lot less smooth attached to the costume, but of course allow you to remove the mask.
Being entirely honest, this is the first time I've ever received a costume and been disappointed with it right out of the packet. Although my opinion later changed, upon first seeing it, I felt the quality of the print was blurry and not particularly sharp. Of course, this was a rather silly opinion on my part, as it is designed to stretch, but it surprised me and put me off.
Once on, however, I was pleased with how the suit fitted and felt. Although wearing full spandex is somewhat strange, it fit very well and was very comfortable, and offered considerably more stretch. I would actually say if custom ordering, to be safe, order below your height and it will stretch to it, as better it stretches than be baggy, as I found mine is a little around the ankles. Spandex is, of course, not flattering, and I found myself quite self-conscious of my weight wearing it. If this is something you're not prepared for, then a spandex costume may not be for you.
I can't look at this picture without seeing the adventures of an over-weight Spider-man.
The print itself actually does a good job, the colours are spot on, and the texture helps create that rubberised look from the film it is based on. I chose the Amazing Spider-man suit from the first Andrew Garfield movie because to me it best represented a homemade outfit for a teenage hero, and in doing so knew any imperfections would sell the look of the imperfect suit in the movie. To this end, certain flaws, such as webbing not lining up perfectly on the feet, or changes in the dark 'grotty' texture on the shoulder panels to the body, can be forgiven as they add to the homemade look.
In long distance shots, I'm actually thrilled with the overall look. I think it looks like the movie outfit, and I love how much of the uniqueness of that it captures while still being perfectly Spider-man. The colours and texture are by far the suit's strongest feature, and I'm very happy with it in that respect.
The soles I paid extra for are just standard plimsoll soles, comfortable enough that spending all day on my feet in them hasn't bothered me, although not screen-accurate. For the Amazing Spider-man costume, in the film, Spidey has sports soles from sports trainers, and because of the way the soles are attached here, you won't be able to upgrade to that later on. If you're intending to go screen accurate and upgrade to the trainer soles later on, I suggest ordering your costume without soles, as you won't be able to do it over the feet as they are here. I'm happy with the plimsoll soles though, I can't justify the cost of screen accurate trainers as they cost about the same as the suit again, and it's not something people seem to notice.
Due to the nature of the spandex, however, don't expect much support from the soles. They're on the bottom of the costume, but there's nothing to support your ankle, so if you're intending to Spidey style flips in this outfit, be careful if you have the soles attached, as they will fly right off your feet on the stretchy material. This is due to the nature of the suit however, and not the creation of it, and I'm perfectly happy with them as they are.
I'm slightly disappointed with the 'hidden zippers', as I feel they are still largely visible, particularly the crotch zipper which amuses children at parties to no end. (I just tell them sometimes Spidey needs to go to the toilet too, but it's still something I'd rather wasn't noticeable!). Similarly, the zipper on the back of the mask seems to be visible most of the time, and in fact, due to the way its built, it causes the mask to stick out at the back. If you have a reasonable to smallish head, I'd actually advise not getting a zipper in the mask, as it should make it sleeker on your back and prevent it sticking out and not sitting snugly in the suit.
However, these are minor points, and easy to avoid. Although to a layman this suit may seem expensive for what it is, Spider-man suits actually run at a lot more outside the Zentai suits (where they're printed with something called a subdye), and I feel this suit holds up well for what is considered the 'cheaper' end of the spectrum. The number of choices you get with your adjustments are extremely helpful, you can fully customise the suit (or the suit of your choosing), shipping was fast and spot on to three weeks, and overall I'm happy with the look.
One element I wish I hadn't ordered, however, were the lenses. Make no mistake, Spider-man lenses tend to cost a fair bit too, decent quality ones can easily run at $65 or more, over half the price of this suit alone, and here they're a $15 add on. For the price, they're good lenses, and you can even order them not attached to the suit (it's common practice for some Spidey costumers to attach them via magnets on a faceshell, allowing them to remove them easily), but as I ordered them attached they are stuck to the mask, and not overly accurate, as best shown here:
Please excuse the terrible comparison pic.
The rims are made from EVA foam, which although affordable and good looking in images, still looks a little 'fake' to me and doesn't quite sell the look. The mesh making up the lenses, although not as dark and reflective as the movie version, isn't bad, and works for me (the gold colour is actually accurate by the behind the scenes shots). The main issue is the size, however. They're far too large for this particular costume. The movie suit has the smallest eyes of any Spidey costume, and being this large, they tend to lose some of the uniqueness of that costume. I'd of rather ordered without lenses and got my own, more accurate ones, in retrospect.
It's worth mentioning though that you can order custom lenses when you order. Although you can't change the size, there's a broad range of styles and colours to pick from if you'd rather go for something more comic-booky or just different.
Overall, I recommend Zentai-Zentai for these costumes, but there are some choices I'd make differently if ordering again. Definitely a good choice for a first time Spidey suit however.
