Not much was known about the mysterious Enfys Nest before the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, but the fierce fighter quickly made an impression on Star Wars fans. Enfys is cunning, relentless, and a worthy antagonist to everyone’s favorite scoundrel. Artist and cosplayer Michaela of Studio of M.M was struck by the character even before the movie came out, and then seeing the leader of the Cloud-Riders in action on the big screen convinced her to devote ten weeks to building a breathtaking cosplay.
“Enfys was an incredible and interesting character,” Michaela told Nerdist, “and I knew that not many people would attempt the costume given its complexity, so I decided I’d try. I love building armour and props so it was a perfect fit.”
With so many different organic-looking textures, pieces, and props, Michaela was ready for a challenge, but one piece proved to need the most work: the helmet. Five out of the ten weeks of work were spent on the helmet alone.
“I knew it was going to be the biggest challenge from the beginning,” she said. “There was so much problem solving that went into that thing!”
Visibility in the helmet was Michaela’s main concern, she said, with only a thin line for her field of vision in the original design.
“My solution was a silver mirrored ski goggle with a welding visor base; the ski goggle was actually the very first thing I bought for the costume. Thanks to it, I can see out of the entire visor area.”
As the helmet took shape, the next snag came in the form of its cumbersome weight. Michaela adjusted her designs to be as lightweight as possible, using a different technique than she usually did for her costumes.
“The starting base for the helmet was actually paper,” she said. “Gradually I started flushing out the different shapes using foam sheets, then finally Worbla to strengthen the whole thing.”
The crafty cosplayer even accounted for the heat and stress of wearing such a bulky, layered costume by building hidden, small fans powered by a USB power bank into the helmet itself.
Michaela also found Enfys’ vambraces and their moving parts another hurdle, she recalled. “The vambraces were also quite challenging, given that I wanted to make the blades be able open and close, but nothing compares to the helmet.”
As much troubleshooting and ingenuity the helmet required, Michaela said, it’s still her favorite part of the build.
“It’s such a stunning, recognizable design, and so unique,” she said. “It alone easily puts Enfys Nest within my top five character designs. I knew I could have made a helmetless version of the costume and saved myself a lot of trouble, but the helmet was my main draw to the project.”
If you want to see more of the Enfys Nest cosplay build in progress, Michaela documented the process almost every step of the way in detailed videos on YouTube. Take a look at more photos of the incredible costume below and on the Studio of M.M website.
Who is your standout character from Solo: A Star Wars Story? Tell us who and why in the comments.
All Photos: Michaela / Studio of M.M
