Both make armor that survives a con floor. Pick by shape and budget: big flat plates and pauldrons are EVA country — cheap, fast, cut with a knife. Fiddly curves, filigree trim and pieces with lots of surface detail are Worbla country — it welds to itself with heat alone. Most full builds use both. The app's bench-gear list carries the kit for whichever you pick.
The catch: raw EVA is foam, not armor. Paint bites straight in unless you seal it — Plasti Dip or a glue-based gesso pass comes first. Seams show unless beveled; the bevel-and-burnish is the craft.
The catch: cost per sheet is real, the honeycomb backside prints texture into every surface (unless you buy the smooth variants), and the heat-burn risk on fingers is higher — gloves and ventilation, same as foam.
The pro trick is Worbla + foam: a foam core glued up, wrapped hot in the thermoplastic so the shape locks and the surface becomes paintable-shell smooth. The foam keeps it light and cheap; the skin carries the detail. Use it for shoulder plates, bracers and crowns that need both structure and crinkle.
| Problem | EVA fix | Worbla fix |
|---|---|---|
| Paint soaks in | Plasti Dip, 2–3 coats | Prime straight away; gesso the dips |
| Seams show | Beveled seams + heat-burnish, then caulk the hairline | Re-warm and press the seam shut — it welds |
| Wants a shine | Spray sealer after metallics, again after weathering | Heater-stretch the surface flat, then gloss varnish |