A few weeks back, our art director Juli told me about this guy who specializes in creature design. The guy, Mike Loh, makes monster costumes and masks at Uratz Studios, his workspace out in the boonies of… well, some place far enough that one-way cab fare hits the 80 kuai mark. We went down to Uratz, hoping to turn the visit into a CreativeHunt story. Mike showed us around his studio and... HOLY SHIT. Forget the pleasantries! Check it out, a full-sized Predator costume! Glorious. It shines and has skeletal protrusions in all the right places, doesn’t it? We poked around Mike’s entirely self-made Predator costume and asked him how much it would cost to get one custom made. “A full suit with body armor? About 6000 US." Ouch. I guess if you're going to try to look like one of the most terrifying killer aliens out there, then you might as well go all out — not like this jerkoff half-assing it in standard issue prison boots: Are we to believe that this so-called "Deluxe Predator" could do anything to get in between these conjoined croissants of sinewed man steel? No. Ain't nuthin' getting in the way of a Dutch-Dillon handshake. Mike’s a professional costume designer, so his stuff’s going to be priced as such. He designs, produces and paints each piece from scratch. The Predator suit pictured here took him hundreds of hours throughout a year, as a pet project in between commissioned work. He also tells us that since his costumes are mainly constructed with resin fiberglass, his suit and armor pieces come out strong and resilient, yet lightweight, which makes it possible for wearers to move around in reasonable comfort. And, with costumes like this that include a full head piece, Mike installs a ventilation fan inside to help with all the heat that gathers in the helmet. If you’ve got the cash but are above mainstreaming, then Mike can also design a monster just for you. He recently finished making this custom body suit that he’s just sent off to some rich geek in England, and now he’s working on a complete Iron Man suit using 3D printing techniques (also commissioned by some rich geek). Alternatively, there are his painted vinylatex face masks for about 300USD, or 1850rmb, a piece. What is vinylatex? It’s a combination of vinyl and latex that Mike concocted himself. Here’s Juli rocking one: I opted for this putre-riffic green villain here: And here’s Mike and his excellently crafted little alien rings giving an ebullient “Fuck You” to existing IP laws. Currently, Mike operates Uratz Studios on his own and prefers not to release the address, but anyone interested in buying or commissioning his work can contact him at uratz@hotmail.com. He’s also keen to meet other costume and creature-design enthusiasts, so those looking to collaborate or contribute (he’s got that Iron Man suit in the works right now), drop him a message. *** Read our CreativeHunt interview with Mike here; see more of Mike’s work at his official page here. All images without SmartShanghai watermark are courtesy of Uratz Studios, with exception of the Dutch-Dillon handshake and shitty Predator costume pictured.