General Leia (The Force Awakens)

June 19, 2017

General Leia (The Force Awakens) - Work in Progress

I don't know why I resisted this CosPlay.

Leia is my Princess.
She was my hero growing up - a tiny little girl ordering around the Scruffy Nerfherder and Walking Carpet, directing the commanders of the Rebel Fleet, awarding heroes, and representing all that was good about the Rebel Alliance. She was sassy, she was clever, she was beautiful. She was Leia.
I dressed up as Leia for Halloween ... twice. First, the classic white robe and cinnamon buns. Then, I dressed up as Endor Leia.

TFA startled me with how much Leia looks like my mother... and then I remembered I look like my mother... And things just fell into place.

This is the first CosPlay that got me choked up.

I joined Rebel Legion as Ka'Ri Mithuna. This link contains their analysis and requirements for General Leia: http://newsite.rebellegion.com/general-leia-organa/

I started with the blaster because I had to order the fabric, pattern, buckle and ring, and was irrationally excited to create General Leia (TFA).

I found some 3D prints... in Spain and Austria that would be delivered somewhere in the 6-8 week range. DragonCon is 8 weeks away. So, I improvised.

Her blaster is the Glie-44, the same model as Poe Dameron's. Poe's gun is generally more silvery or gunmetal, where Leia's is depicted with a bronze finish.

Poe's Blaster

Leia's blaster

I learned how to use my new Dremel Tool to modify the Nerf gun to have some semblance of something as awesome as General Leia's sidearm.

This is the original Nerf gun that I picked up from a thrift store for about $2.

First, I cut off the orange pull tab (loading mechanism for the Nerf ammo), the orange muzzle and the yellow flanges underneath the barrel to give it a similar silhouette to the Glie-44. Then, I ground out the Nerf logo.

Here's a peek at the underside after removing the flange things and a glimpse down the scope/sight and the barrel.

This is a 1/2" sprinkler head that had the right shape for the diffuser and gas ports.

Using my new BFF, Dremel, I ground in some gas ports.

I also trimmed down the spring shaft for the pop-up sprinkler.
I used a filler to seal up the holes and smooth out where I ground out the Nerf logo.

More work on the blaster:

Blaster nozzle added. I decided I wanted the trapezoid shape in front of the trigger. At this point, I decided that modding is fun, but not on a time crunch. I was no longer enjoying making the blaster.

More red goo/glazing compound to fill in the gaps and create the trapezoid on the main portion of the blaster. At this point, I handed the blaster off to Robert as an exercise in self-care and mental health. He enjoys this process. It's just adding to my stress. Kind of a bummer that I won't be able to say "I did this" ... but I'm down to the wire on DragonCon costumes.

Kind of went crazy with the glazing compound.

He likes his glazing compound. LOL

General Leia's Clothing
The Vest

The jumpsuit

Sage green fabric from Fashion Fabrics on eBay.

Looks like this pattern should work.

Movie promo picture.

Sketch of The General.

Pattern pieces all cut out and ready to go.

Top and bottom assembled.

Waistband pinned down .

Really lousy selfie in the bathroom mirror, but it appears the jumpsuit will work... once I finish sewing everything and add buttons. 😃

The boots.

Lucky find at the local thrift store. $8 and just my size. They are fake-fur lined, which means I have to take the fur out without destroying the integrity of the boot, but disassembly is fun, right?

The belt

Leia buckle 3D print from PropMasters1 on Etsy. It is a very clean, detailed, quality print. It is, however, literally and visually flat, unlike the movie buckle which appears to have some beveling. Maybe it'll look better after it's been "Greebled."

Yay! Greebled.

Leia's hair:

I haven't been able to find an image saved on the 'net showing the back of Leia's head. After re-watching "The Force Awakens," there is a scene that shows the hairstyle. It's a crown braid, looser and messier, but very similar to the style she wore on Hoth.

http://boards.theforce.net/threads/carrie-fisher-leia-organa-in-episode-viii.50035747/page-170

These are pictures of me a few years ago, with my hair "taped" for Italian Renaissance styles. It started with a Crown Braid. I'm hoping this is the movie style.