Dragonfyre Designs Slave Leia kit Review/WIP

[Princess Liz Fett (Liz Welsh)]

Hello All!

I wanted to post a review thread showing all the parts for my new Slave Leia kit from Dragonfyre Designs and some of the other components of my costume. The details on this kit are absolutely beautiful, and I wanted to show some photos that I took of mine to show it's beauty and accuracy. Enjoy!

Here is the list of parts that the Dragonfyre Designs kit includes:
-Bra frame and suede
-Front and back skirt plates
-Hip Loops
-Snake Armband
-Bracelet
-Collar
- 12 Chain Links
-Hair Bun Pieces
-Braid tie ornament
- Boot Toppers

Here is what the kit does NOT include:
-Earrings
-Bra straps
-Bra strap knot covers
-Skirts
-Boots (most kits do not include the boots, but I will explain in this review where I bought my boots and how I modified them.)

Skirt Plates, hip loops, and my Skirts

Here is a photo I took of the plates, hip loops, and my skirts laid out:



Front plate close up:



Back plate close up:



I really like these plates because they are nice and wide. They provide a bit of extra coverage

Hip Loop close up:



The hip loops attach to the plates with the thick black elastic hooks. The hip loops are a bit wider than most other kits, but there are some reference images of Leia with wider hip loops.

For my skirts, I chose a wine/berry colored knit fabric from Joann's. The standards call for a non-shiny fabric that is burgundy, wine-colored, or dark berry purple. My skirts attach to my plates with velcro: sew-on velcro for the skirts and industrial-strength stick-on velcro for the plates.

Bra

The Bra has been a bit of a challenge so far, mainly because I had to find my own suitable elastic straps and make new knot covers. The bra would only stay securely on me with a slightly thicker elastic. This elastic was very rare to find and I actually had to dye it black (it came in white originally.) I want to do another dye job on the straps before I submit my new kit. I still own a pair of knot covers from the 3.0 Jamin kit, but unfortunately, they did not fit onto the straps that I had chosen. So I sculpted my own knot covers. Unfortunately, I do not have the paint that my kit was painted in right now, but I now know that the paint is Testors Model in gold. I am going to buy the paint and then paint my knot covers with that.

Here is a photo of the bra, lined with olive green suede:



I really love the shape of the bra. The curved edge is very gentle on the chest. My only criticism is that the bra cups are a bit spread apart, but the chain usually covers the space anyway.

Armband and bracelet

I can't explain how happy I am with the armband and bracelet. They actually fit on my arms perfectly!!! The details and accuracy of the pieces are also gorgeous like the rest of the kit.

Here is the snake armband close up:



And a few photos of the bracelet:



This photo it looks a bit darker because of my shadow:



Collar and Chain

I was so ecstatic when I found out that this kit came with a chain. Not many Slave Leia kits come with chains unfortunately, and when they do, there are not many chain links. This chain comes with 12 chain links, the exact amount of links that Leia had left on her chain when R2 cut her chain in the movie! The chain also has the copper wiring accents.

I also like that this collar has a hinge on the back, which allows for easy opening for placing it on and off. There is a piece of elastic on the inside of the chain where the hinge is placed.







Hair and hair clips

For my hair, I use my natural hair as my braid and I use an artificial piece for my bun. The bun piece is a dome shaped, braided bun with a clip that lets it stay securely on the crown of my head.

The two ornamental bun pieces stay secured onto my bun piece with two metal hair clips.







And a geeky mirror selfie showing how I complete the look of the hair:



Earrings (not part of this kit, but I still wanted to show a picture of my earrings.)

Although my earrings are not part of the Dragonfyre Designs kit, they are still a part of the costume that I love. These earrings were not made by me, but made by fellow Legion member Mira Darkstar. She did an amazing job on these! They contain the accurate clawed ends and are simple to put into your ears.



I painted the earrings gold to match my kit, although they need a new paint job after the wear and tear damage they've been through lately!

Boots and boot toppers

Probably one of the biggest pains about Slave Leia is putting these boots together.

First, I bought a pair of flat, gray suede boots on amazon. Then I dyed them to match the olive green of my bra suede. I used a spray-on fabric dye (also found on amazon) that worked very well!

Then, I measured the boot toppers and cut my boots on the diagonal angle accordingly. Then I hand-sewed the cut edges of each boot for a nice finished look.

The hardest part came-heating up the boots to bend them. Fortunately, the claw part of the boot toppers are already curved so I didn't have to bend those. But I did have to bend the beginning of the claw so it would correspond with the diagonal angle. Bad news though: one of the boot toppers broke in this process but no worries, I have ordered a replacement.

Because of the broken boot topper, I had to use a pair of old boot toppers from one of my old kits for my trip at Lexington Comic and Toy Con. When I came back from the con, I took the old boot toppers off and applied the one from my new kit on (I'll apply the other one on when it arrives.)

I had to prop it up against a mirror so the boot wouldn't fall over:



I will post a picture of the two boots together when the new boot topper arrives!

Conclusion

This entire kit is absolutely beautiful. The detail and work that went into making this kit was just phenomenal. Unfortunately, Dragonfyre Designs will not be making anymore Slave Leia kits for a while but hopefully in the future they will make them again.

Right now, I am working on a more accurate vibro axe. Then when my vibro axe is ready and my new boot topper arrives, I will submit my new kit!

Here are some photos that were taken of me in my Dragonfyre kit at Lexington Comic Con:








And the slave Leia emoticon just for fun, Lol!

[Nomad Angie (Angie Rivera)]

Good review, Princess Liz! And your pictures are awesome as well.

You're almost as tall as the prop, but that one looks really good. What you used for the blow dryer part?

[Nomad Angie (Angie Rivera)]

An idea to store boots upright: Cut a pool noodle and put it inside the boot. I've done it with some boots and they don't flatten.

[Princess Liz Fett (Liz Welsh)]

Thanks Angie! The vibro axe in the photos is actually not mine, I borrowed it from a friend. I'm still working on my vibro axe, and yes, the hair dryer is what I'm using to connect the blade.

[Nomad Angie (Angie Rivera)]

My Vibroaxe is pretty tall, but it barely fits in my car. Maybe I'll commission a vibroaxe that can be split in half, like a portable pool cue, I dunno. Just an Idea that I got.

[Nomad Angie (Angie Rivera)]

You can also widen the knot covers from the other kit with a bead reamer tool. It costs less than $3 at any craft store I think.

[Puck (Puck)]

I think this is the most beautiful Leia kit there is. I just never dared to buy it because I am afraid it will be too big for me (my boobs are non-existent )

But I have to say, it looks amazing you. Better than Jamin's kit if I may say so.
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[Magnius ()]

My wife's vibro axe is split in the middle , \\

it allows for an easy unscrewing of the staff part so you have 2 equal lengths that makes iteasy for transport

https://flic.kr/p/ikhhu6


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Tell my tale to those who ask, tell it truly, the evil deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly.......... the rest is silence

[Nomad Angie (Angie Rivera)]

Awesome Magnius!!

I'm wondering if my axe can be modified like that, but I think I'm better off commissioning a new one.

[Magnius ()]

yours probally can ....

If you look at the knob right below morgana's hand , that is concealing the system

Pretty muh you could probably saw your pole in half at that point .. and with a male and female thread unit attach it to the pole .... this way you can dismantle it

here is a closer image


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Tell my tale to those who ask, tell it truly, the evil deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly.......... the rest is silence

[Nomad Angie (Angie Rivera)]

This is mine. Maybe I have to remove the stuff in the middle to get it to work. The guy who made it said that the only part I have to take care of due to its difficulty to replace is the blade. Maybe remove the stuff in the center and add a male and female. The pole is made of an aluminum pipe and I think a PVC inside to reinforce it.

[Magnius ()]

that should work nicely ....

now the vibro axe my wife uses , we did not made one of the RL members made it .... but that was the way they made it so it could be a 2 parter


Liz ... great review ...
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Tell my tale to those who ask, tell it truly, the evil deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly.......... the rest is silence

[Nomad Angie (Angie Rivera)]

Well, it might not look screen accurate with the knobs (I wanted mine as accurate as possible), but luckily, the Vibro-Ax is an optional accessory. I think that it'll be fine with the LCJ if it dismantles for storage purposes. But I don't know for sure because I'm not a member.

[Magnius ()]

since it is not a mandetory item the accuracy is not the most important aspect as long as it looks correctly .....

so any mild alterations such as an addition of a middle screw section will be just fine
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Tell my tale to those who ask, tell it truly, the evil deeds along with the good, and let me be judged accordingly.......... the rest is silence

[RebelSenator ()]

Liz,
thank you for sharing this review! Now I'm even more bummed that I missed Lexington Comic Con. I could've seen you and this new kit.
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