Artifact ID: a humble Power Cell

This isn’t a proper ‘artifact ID’ post, in that I’m not identifying a real-world object that was used to create an on-screen artifact; this one is more concerned with identifying a briefly-glimpsed on-screen artifact using secondary resources. (Although I’m totally open to suggestions from someone more knowledgeable. The knob on top looks like it’s from a potentiometer I used to have, except cast in clear plastic.)

About the time I was reading about supposed Rebels wielding gaffi sticks, I came upon a now-obsolete gallery of GFFA gear, supplied by Wizards of the Coast for one of their RPGs. One of the items, here labeled as ‘Energy cell’, caught my eye…there was something familiar about it.
EnergyCell_WotC eqUnlike other tertiary sources in RPG materials, the photo is clearly copyrighted LFL (LucasFilm Limited), as are a number of images that date to this same period (such as that of the credit chip), so I was pretty confident this wasn’t something that was whipped up by DK to pad out a Visual Dictionary…this had to be an actual prop from a film.
That’s when I remembered! Ah-ha! I’d seen just such an item many times before, while playing the Episode I Podracer game for countless hours! Continue reading “Artifact ID: a humble Power Cell”

Artifact ID: a ‘triple threat’

Visual Dictionary Disclaimer: it’s unknown what percentage of props in these books actually appeared on-screen, or were made from scratch to pad out the book. It’s entirely possible that someone with eagle eyes and a Blu-Ray might spot these items slung over the shoulder of some anonymous background extra on Coruscant, and I would normally say to take them with a grain of salt. However, I am inclined to view them as legitimate sources purely for their supreme usefulness in helping flesh out the in-universe material culture of the GFFA.
With that out of the way…

While leafing through my copy of DK’s Episode II Visual Dictionary, I noticed something vaguely similar about a few of the props.
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Can you see it? All three feature an encircling strap, and two of the three have the exact same shape. Hypothesis: these props are built on the same base item! Continue reading “Artifact ID: a ‘triple threat’”

Artifact ID: Sidi Gourd

One of the things that made the Mos Espa scenes in Episodes I and II feel so real (aside from, y’know, shooting on location with real sets and minimal ‘digital backlot’) was its use of background detail—things like market stalls selling produce. These are really only featured in secondary materials, but they’re still fascinating. I always thought it would be very cool—if I lived somewhere with an appropriate environment and had an appropriate venue—to do an interpretive display of Tatooine foodstuffs. Something like this:
ME_stall1 Continue reading “Artifact ID: Sidi Gourd”

Research Pays Off: Jedi Service Corps Embroidery

Back last spring when I was first putting my AgriCorps Jedi persona together, I wanted some way to help indicate (besides the bucket hat, folding trowel, and complete lack of lightsaber) that Silo wasn’t another run-of-the-mill Knight that most people picture when they think ‘Jedi’. What I really wanted was some kind of patch that I could sew onto my outfit or field gear to help designate my membership in the Agricultural Corps.
Since I didn’t know of any existing symbols used by the various branches of the Service Corps (what’s the plural of corps? It can’t be corpses?), I opted to use a mid-90s Girl Scout ‘Plant Culture’ merit badge, since—to my eyes—it looked like a pair of non-human hands growing a plant with the Jedi consitor sato technique.
plant culture GS
However, recent subsequent research has yielded a great development—the various branches of the Service Corps did, in fact, have their own insignia after all!: Continue reading “Research Pays Off: Jedi Service Corps Embroidery”

Research Pays Off: the Sulon-style Henley

As I continue to refine my personas, further recent research has turned up what I believe represents true Sulon local style for my Rebel impression. Per the live-action cutscenes in Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight, we know that a Henley style shirt was worn by both Kyle and Morgan Katarn!:
MorganKKatarn henley buttonsThe hologram in question commemorates Kyle’s departure for the Imperial Academy, c. 4 BBY, and he also wears a roughly similar style nine years later in 5 ABY, possibly as a throwback or in recognition of his Sulon upbringing? Continue reading “Research Pays Off: the Sulon-style Henley”

Experimental Archeology: Rebel style!

After finishing the retool of my DH-17, I realized that I needed a way to carry the blaster on my person during workshops or presentations (because it’s part of a kit instead of a costume prop, I need be able to do more than stand around, look pretty, and get photographed—I need my hands when I’m teaching!) Continue reading “Experimental Archeology: Rebel style!”

Building the ‘Outer Persona’: Backpack

If you want to get some authentic ‘woods time’ in your GFFA pursuits,  you’re eventually going to need something to haul your gear around. I’ve had this trusty 1950 pack (made, as far as I can tell, by Bergan’s of Norway?) for seven years now, and I’ve been tweaking it here and there almost since I bought it.DSC05127I thought it would be a good idea to share all the various mods and justifications I’ve made over the years to make it roughly fit the GFFA commoner’s ‘aesthetic’. Continue reading “Building the ‘Outer Persona’: Backpack”

Building the Rebel Persona: 5.2 – Blaster rifle

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Once I had made enough progress on the research front to begin crafting the ‘outer persona’ for a Rebel impression, and had made plans to debut ‘Citizen Olis’ at a summer camp presentation on wilderness survival, I knew I’d need some kind of blaster. While I talk with my hands and demonstrate a fair amount during workshops, it’s still nice to have a blaster at your hip or on a sling, etc., as it underlines the always-armed attitude of a partisan guerilla: Continue reading “Building the Rebel Persona: 5.2 – Blaster rifle”

Building the Rebel Persona: 5.1 – Helmet

As I said in the previous Hard Kit overview, I opted to give ‘Citizen Olis’ a little armor in the form of a Rebel ‘swoop’ helmet.
“Rebel soldiers wear very little protective armor, typically a helmet at most, though some soldiers wear chest and abdomen plates. Alliance tacticians believe that complete freedom of movement is more useful than the dubious protection provided by armor—which rarely stops a blaster bolt anyway.” West End Games: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook p.99)

As my first serious foray into the world of Pepakura (cardstock + resin), while it’s not perfect, I am extremely pleased with how it turned out! (While researching construction techniques, I came across one fan’s attempt at making the helmet using the same files as I did…I was determined to have the final product come out better than his—a rather low bar—but I am still quite surprised how nice mine looks in the end).
olishelm DSC05064
The road from computer file to three-dimensional helmet, however, was long and winding. Continue reading “Building the Rebel Persona: 5.1 – Helmet”

Building the Rebel Persona – 5: Hard Kit

#1 Helmet:
This is my take on a standard Rebel ‘swoop’ helmet as featured in Episode IV, but which has been commonly depicted in various planetside conflicts in plenty of secondary materials. It is made using the Pepakura technique (cardstock hardened with fiberglass resin and Bondo putty).
(Full, detailed account of construction found here).
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Naturally, we have zero hard references to specific gear that local Rebel cells received from Alliance Ordnance and Supply, so I don’t know how appropriate the swoop helmet is for my context—versus something like the ‘Endor donut’ helmet. My main issue with the swoop helmet is that the light color clearly stands out in outdoor settings (although it’s still frequently shown worn in such settings), but I’m hesitant about painting it a light brown or something, which might deviate a bit too much from the accepted visual norm of what we’re used to seeing. Continue reading “Building the Rebel Persona – 5: Hard Kit”