Wasteland Weekend
Obsessive cosplay is nothing new these days. People routinely spend countless hours and thousands of dollars in order to become their favorite movie, game, or comic character. But even among the glut of impressive cosplay feats we’ve seen, this one deserves a look:
A man from New Jersey who goes by Tank (yes, that’s what most of his friends really call him) has had a lifelong obsession with the Mad Max films. And with one character in particular: The endlessly quotable (“nobody gets out of here alive!”), warrior of the wasteland, the ayatollah of rock n’ rollah… the Lord Humungus (yes, that’s how it’s spelled).
Now, unlike some bodybuilder-turned-cosplayers who decided to put their pumped-up physique to good use by dressing as a hero, Tank was just a regular guy. Well, he was a big guy, and in decent shape, but he was not a bodybuilder. Until Wasteland Weekend came along. With the arrival of a Mad Max-themed desert party, Tank finally had an event big enough to show off his dream costume, if he could just get in shape to pull it off. “What a puny plan” you say? “Just walk away” you say? Never. Long story short, he did it. He tried every diet and exercise trick in the book over a twelve month period and shed forty pounds in order to become Humungus.
The outfit and accessories are pretty impressive too, with an incredible degree of screen accuracy, but the body is really the costume here. And Tank insists he’s going to come back even bigger for Wasteland 2012.
And if you want more inspiration, bear this in mind – Tank is 40 years old. Maybe it’s not too late to transform yourself into YOUR childhood hero.
