Three reasons for the Masakari:
1. I really like the Mechwarrior design for it.
2. It's boxy and could easily hold a person's entire upper torso without discomfort.
3. The lower legs are the exact same as a Daishi, so I could make one of those as well with only half of the work involved.
As for the tape, probably 2-3 rolls of it, so not that bad. It's actually a multi-step process I used for my Soundwave costume a few years back. The basic shape is held together with masking tape before having the cracks sealed with hot glue. After that it's wrapped completely in industrial gum-tape. Once that dries it's hard as rock and difficult to accidentally damage.