Going Solo at #NorCon #scifi #convention #StarWars #HarryPotter #RedDwarf

Hello! Long time, no see - sorry. It's been a mad, mad world in reality and I've had neither time nor, if I'm honest, inclination to blog as I didn't feel I had anything exciting or new to talk about. But this weekend I had a thorough geek out at NorCon and wanted to share the photos and videos I took over this two day TV and Film convention in the heart of beautiful Norfolk. Despite everything (including a truly series of unfortunate events on Thursday that left my eldest's Scarlet Witch cosplay sadly unfinished), this year I managed to wear my first new outfit since we started taking this whole cosplaying at cons as a regular pastime. Since I don't really look like anyone in fiction, at least no one I'm interested in or find possible to cosplay, I tend to go for outfits I personally like the look of in my top fandoms. After two years in my black Anakin, this year I went for my own twist on Han Solo's Bespin costume from The Empire Strikes Back. I did play with the idea of doing a Han/Leia crossover but wussed out on attempting the hair. I'd treated myself to Star Wars Costumes - The Original Trilogy so I could get some really detailed information and images of the costume before doing my own take on it. Did you know that Han's jacket is actually grey and only appears navy blue in the film?

Ironically, the jacket I have here was a cheap charity shop buy that was originally grey and that I dyed to navy blue. The top is a long sleeved white t-shirt - I did intend to make my shirt, then bought a cheap white collared shirt, but settled for the tee in the end because it was more comfortable. Cosplaying can be a truly uncomfortable experience so easy options are good! The leggings are also cheap bought ones - I did try making some leggings for my youngest's cosplay, but honestly the fabric costs more than just buying basic ones. At first I went for painting on the yellow bars down the side, but this ended up going disastrously wrong. Iron on vinyl turned out to be a time consuming but infinitely more satisfactory option (they took five hours including cutting out the bars and ironing the little buggers on. Thank goodness I only had to do as far as the knees!).

The belt is from Jedi Robe - I absolutely cannot fault this company for their Star Wars accessories and attention to detail, especially since I have yet to learn any leatherwork skills myself. My Anakin belt came from them as well, and they are beautiful, quality items that won't let you down. The boots were a birthday present from hubs. Sadly my wide calves make buying riding or full length boots a challenge and these weren't cheap, but will hopefully last me for years. My gun is the Han Solo The Force Awakens NERF blaster painted up - this just about fits in the belt holster but you can't do the safety strap up over it (you have to go through the trigger bit) which means a bit of a wobble when walking around, but since I found it more comfy to rest my hand on the gun anyway, it wasn't a big issue for me. Finally I had a Millenium Falcon keyring as a necklace, and a pair of golden dice hanging from the belt, as well as a couple of Sabacc cards that the Odeon cinema were giving away when the film released. Overall I'm pleased with the general look.

courtesy of Invasion Colchester

Having tested the cosplays out at Invasion Colchester, our local geek event on the streets of our home town, adjustments were made ready for NorCon just four weeks later!

Left to right: Hana Solo, Plague Knight (ShovelKnight), Quicksilver (X-Men), and the Tenth Doctor.

Last year I focused on Star Wars cosplays, but this year I tried to pick out the more unusual ones. There were an awful lot of computer game orientated cosplays, which I don't know and can't claim to be interested in, but I did find a few interesting and original oddities.

Gambit, X-Men - one of my favourite characters

Karl Ruprecht Kroenen, Hellboy

The Rocketeer

And we couldn't resist a few selfies with some of the guests and other cosplayers.

Ryan Gage - Alfred from The Hobbit, a rehabilitated Hitler in Red Dwarf, and star of The Three Musketeers. Also thoroughly adorable.

The very lovely Hugo Myatt who played Treguard, the dungeon master in 80's adventure series Knightmare (a big fave of mine as a kid)

The completely charming Guy Henry, who provided the voice behind the computer generated face of Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One, as well as Voldemort's Minister of Magic in Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows, and star of Holby City.

No Solo is complete without his co-pilot!

And two Hans are always better than one...

This was NorCon's second year as a two day event, and our first as weekenders. This allowed our two boys to cosplay on the first day and opt for normal attire on the second. Despite missing out on her Scarlet Witch cosplay, eldest was able to double tag with her Tennant Who on Saturday, and a re-run of her Rey on the Sunday (though sadly she no longer has the long hair for it). Sunday also featured a bonus event at the con in the form of the Norwich POP Orchestra performing two sets of film themes including ET, Thunderbirds, Superman, Dark Knight, Back to the Future, and concluding on a medley of Star Wars themes...including a heart rending performance of Leia's Theme, a piece that has always made me cry but now even more so with the passing of Carrie Fisher. Add to that a montage of on and off screen video clips featuring the princess, and I think a lot of tears were shed. I'm going to finish with some videos taken at the convention, including a short clip of Jurassic Park with a baby Blue visiting the audience, and Captain Picard taking a bow for Star Trek.