FBFX

The UK's leading maker of Special FX costume and creative digital for film, TV and fashion.

We specialize costumes in Space & Sci-Fi/ Armour/ Superhero /Stunt & Functional. FBFX have created props and costumes for some of the biggest films ever made. Our credits include Wonder Woman, Star Wars, Gladiator, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Thor II, and Guardians of the Galaxy, and so much more: check out https://www.fbfx.co.uk/our-portfolio for all the films we worked on.

11/09/2025

Ten years of The Martian!

It’s 10 years since Ridley Scott’s sci-fi epic The Martian premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

FBFX was tasked with making the hardware and electronics for the spacesuits worn by Matt Damon’s Dr. Mark Watney and the heroic crew of the Ares III mission, and it’s still one of our all-time favourite jobs.

Janty Yates’s beautiful costume design for the suits was based on conversations with NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The aim was to create realistic suits for a near-future mission to Mars, and innovative tech would be required to bring those visions to the screen.

FBFX worked on the helmet, backpacks, front plates and boots for the white EVA suits and orange surface suits. The fabric elements for the EVA were by the brilliant Rob Allsopp & Associates, while the surface suits were made by the in-house team including the very talented associate designer Michael Mooney with his incredible eye for detail, neoprene specialist Shirley Wilson, and dimensional printing pioneer Steve Gell.

The Martian was an important job for FBFX, accelerating a spacesuit journey that began with 1997’s Event Horizon.

We’d started building our own electronics systems and using vacuum casting to create epic domes while making the hardware for the spacesuits of 2012's Prometheus - another Ridley Scott film with Janty Yates designed costumes. Combining digital design, 3D printing, 3D scanning and vacuum casting with more traditional methods like clay sculpting and polyurethane spraying allowed us to realise increasingly ambitious designs.

Every aspect of the production was impressive and stepping onto the film’s Mars set in Budapest, made with tons and tons of desert sand, was incredible. While it’s often assumed the intense dust storm that kicks off the film’s action is VFX, it was created using huge, high-powered wind machines that could take you off your feet. Ten years on, we’ve still got toolkits full of red dust!

22/08/2025

Lighting up the Event Horizon space helmet...

It’s 28 years since Event Horizon was released in the UK, so here’s a look at one of the helmets FBFX made for the cult classic.

The Event Horizon spacesuit helmets and backpacks were one of FBFX’s first costumes incorporating electronics. Nearly 30 years on, we still think the 'buddy system' on the back looked very cool. We’re also chuffed that it still works!

Many things have changed in the way we do things since 1997. Electronics are way smaller and LED lights are far easier to work with than their hot, power-draining predecessors. These lamps took eight amps and required a large battery in the backpack - a modern costume takes up to around two amps!

We can now use vacuum casting, rather than vac forming, to create larger domes.

The electronics, however, are still custom made by electronics design engineer Simon Lawrence.

Event Horizon wasn’t a huge hit at the box office. But with star turns from Sam Neill, Laurence Fishburne, Joely Richardson and Jason Isaacs, costumes designed by the legendary John Mollo (Star Wars, Alien) and fabricated by the brilliant Kenny Crouch and his team, incredible production design and breathtaking sets, it’s been great to see the film finding an ever-expanding fanbase over the decades.

Music by our friend Spiralizer with Emma Jane - aka FBFX's very own Emma Leslie ✨!

25/07/2025

It's a year today since the UK release of Deadpool & Wolverine! An amazing project that called on the many skills of the FBFX team, with soft costume, moulding, paint, dimensional printing, digital and the workshop crew working together to help deliver some truly memorable moments.

From head-scratching moulds to innovative breakdowns, multiple mask configurations to skeleton fight maths, it was a privilege to be involved in bringing Wolverine - and his adamantium bones - to the screen.

Costume design by Mayes C Rubeo and Graham Churchyard, vis dev by Andy Park and Ryan Meinerding.

Welshpool suit manufactured by Ivo Coveney.

Watch Adam Savage's deep dive into the building of the yellow Wolverine suit via the link in our bio!

15/07/2025

Happy birthday to Adam Savage !

Tested

13/07/2025

Getting ready to start the week!

27/06/2025

A look back at Batman Begins, 20 years after Christopher Nolan's first take on the Caped Crusader was released in cinemas.

FBFX’s main work on Batman Begins was creating armour for the ninja-like ‘League of Shadows’ who Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne trains with in the mountains of Tibet.

This included a diverse collection of vambraces - stunt versions with lethal steel spikes for sword-snapping and ice-based escapades, hero costume for Christian Bale, Liam Neeson and Ken Watanabe, multiples for the League of Shadows soldiers and the soft black iterations incorporated into the Batsuit.

At one early fitting, Christian Bale comedically mistook us for ninja trainers, which was very generous of him.

Creation of the League of Shadows armour involved much PU spraying, then a relatively new technique, offering improved flexibility, comfort, detail capture and repeatability compared with fibreglass.

We also made jewellery pieces, and stunt versions of Batman’s utility belt based on originals by Aztec Modelmakers.

It was FBFX’s fifth time working with wonderful costume designer Lindy Hemming, who gave us our first solo gig on Prince Valiant in the mid nineties.

The Batsuit was made at the in-house ‘Bat Shop’ by a talented team including costume designer Graham Churchyard, who we’d go on to work with many times over the years.

10/06/2025

When costume is life... an impressive turnout, as ever, from some of the FBFX team at Comic-Con in London the other weekend!

30/05/2025

10 years of dad jokes and innuendo... happy work anniversary to FBFX's Senior Model Maker Laurence (aka Frodo) and Senior Technical Moulder Jon!

04/05/2025

This , a look back at a few of the Star Wars costumes we've been lucky enough to help bring to the screen!

From Naboo soldiers, brilliant background characters and a rather memorable racing helmet for The Phantom Menace to troopers, Darth Vader and Vader's battle-damaged helmet for Obi-Wan Kenobi, it's always a thrill to work on the Star Wars franchise.

Costume design for The Phantom Menace by Trisha Biggar. Costume design for Obi-Wan Kenobi by Suttirat Larlarb.

02/05/2025

This week is the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Ridley Scott’s epic, Gladiator.

Gladiator was a massive project for FBFX, with work including three striking armour pieces for Joaquin Phoenix’s Emperor Commodus, two wagons, armour for hundreds of Praetorian guards, and some memorable costumes for gladiators.

It was our first time working with costume designer Janty Yates, who we’ve been lucky enough to work with many times since!

These photos are from Bourne Wood near Farnham, where Gladiator’s opening scenes were shot in 1999.

It was FBFX’s first really big location shoot and brought together two elements we’d been working on for the film: Praetorian guards and the wagons.

Designed by brilliant late draftsman Cliff Robinison, the wagons served as Commodus’s battle caravan and a supporting staff wagon. Components were specially made by a blacksmithing company and we built a metal frame for the wheels before cladding them with wood.

The larger wagon was pasted with scrim, covered in upholstery studs with brass strips and a thick, tarred protective armour while the smaller one had a fabric cover. They went on to be broken down at Shepperton Studios.

If you haven’t spotted the smaller of the two caravans in the film, it’s because it didn’t make the final cut!

Last we heard, the larger wagon was garrisoned outside a country club in Wensleydale.

Photos:
1, 2 & 3. Commodus’ battle caravan, flanked by Praetorians on horseback
5. Janty Yates on location
6. Commodus’ battle caravan in the snow
7. Staff caravan in the snow
8. The battle and staff caravan awaiting their big moment
8 & 10. In the workshop

Check back soon for more Gladiator BTS!

28/04/2025

One minute build: HYDRA Exo-Suits from Avengers: Age of Ultron.

A decade on from the release of Age of Ultron, a look back at the suits FBFX built for HYDRA soldiers as they fought the Avengers in snowy Sokovia.

The six hero and stunt suits were only briefly on screen, but great fun to make. HYDRA’s suits incorporated Chitauri technology salvaged from the Battle of New York, so the Alexandra Byrne-designed costumes called for pioneering electronics design and mechanical joints.

While the clay maquette in the video would now be created digitally, the Ultimaker 3D printers are enjoying a well-deserved retirement and many materials have changed, the workflow used to bring the suits to life in 2014 was starting to look very similar to the way we do things now.

Costume creation in 2025 remains a combination of traditional methods and new technologies: CAD, clay sculpting, moulding, 3D printing, photogrammetry, machining, metalworking, lots (and lots) of sanding and painting. And, of course, senior costume prop modeller Tom is still roped in to try on prototype and finished suits.

🎧 With many thanks to our friend Rob Leslie/Spiralizer for the music - you can check out more of his work at soundcloud.com/spiralizer

04/04/2025

Fish eye killer, qu'est-ce que c'est?

Orange peel, solvent popping and fish eye are all results you really don’t want to see in the paint room. Fortunately something that doesn’t happen too often!

Address

Unit 4 Vector Park
Feltham
TW137EJ

Telephone

+442087515321

Website

http://www.fbfx.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when FBFX posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to FBFX:

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company in Feltham?