I went to Venice in 2011 during the Carnival. I thought I'd leave a nice chunk of time so that I could make myself a costume to go with, something impressive but not something I'd lose sleep over. So I left my self four weeks and looked up Keith Thompson - my favourite 'creature' artist - for ideas.

As it turns out I only had TWO weeks to build this entire rig from scratch. I had half the materials to hand at that point. This rig is big, it's heavy, it's not as accurate to the original art ('Winged Vengeance') but I love it. I hardly slept, most of my clothes were covered in leather dye or glue, and I arrived at the airport not knowing if the wings would make it through security intact.

She - this is the last female character I played - has a SIX METRE wingspan when extended, built into an armoured torso harness. She's missing some of the leg armour, her foot talons, lower arms and headdress from the original image as I didn't have time to make those bits. I'm still incredibly proud of this piece.

Winged Vengeance is currently retired pending repairs as parts of her torso have sunfaded, and her wings need a bit of an overhaul. This photo was taken the day before I travelled when I decided to do a full rig test, and the result of two weeks of no sleep was bloody worth it.