The team who made Roxy the Rancor, a life-size version of the puppet creature from Return of the Jedi, have unveiled a new creation: the Luggabeast.
Roxy the Rancor is a 700-pound, 17 foot long replica of the creature Luke Skywalker fights in Jabba’s Palace in Return of the Jedi. She was made in 2012 in partnership with the 501st Legion, a nationwide Star Wars fan costuming organization. And now, she has a baby brother: the Luggabeast, who’s every bit as big and fantastic as she is.
via Roxy the Rancor Facebook page
You may remember the Luggabeast from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He’s the creature Teedo rides on, and Teedo is the alien Rey saves BB-8 from being sold for parts by. Keep in mind, though, this Luggabeast wasn’t made in the Lucasfilm creature shop. He was made by fans, for fans to enjoy.
From Roxy the Rancor’s Facebook page:
"Weighing in at about 450 pounds, this labor of love is 13 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 8 feet tall, lovingly crafted by the talented team at Pizzazz Scenic Contractors, Inc., Rick Bohler and Erik Hollander."
The Luggabeast (who doesn’t have a name yet) will appear at MegaCon this week.
via Roxy the Rancor Facebook page
The creature isn’t mobile, but you can totally “ride” it, as you can see from the picture of Rick Bohler and Eric Hollander of Pizzazz Scenic Contractors, Inc. next to their labor of love above. It took 320 hours to sculpt this beast, which was made with “EPS sculpting foam, select woods, fiberglass, PVC, miscellaneous fabrics, steel, tons of found items—and lots of love, time and patience” (via io9). With an extra 160 hours of painting, the amount of time it took to birth the Luggabeast ended up being about 20 days. And it was worth every painstaking minute, as you can see.
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You can help pick a name for Roxy’s little brother by voting here. Also check out Roxy the Rancor’s Facebook page for more pictures and videos of both the Luggabeast and Roxy.