So you want to make yourself a Nimbus 2001? Fabulous. Here’s what the Cinereplicas version by Noble Collection looks like. Isn’t she a beaut?
Category: Harry Potter
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Making the Nimbus 2000
You know what? The world doesn’t need another “how to make a Nimbus 2000” tutorial. There are just so many great ones out there already! So instead of adding to the pile of already great video tutorials, I wanted to share something none of them had: a template for cutting out your broom handle.
My research found that most people scale up a photo of a licensed broom by Cinereplicas and print it out to get the right shape for the handle. But, perfectionist that I am, the handle shape wasn’t close enough to that of the movie. So I stitched a bunch of screenshots of the broom in Diagon Alley together to get my pattern as close to the real one as possible.
The place where the Cinereplica differs the most from the movie broom is at the head where the gold Nimbus 2000 logo is placed. Not only is the end of the broom a different shape, but the logo is angled differently on the Cinereplica than the original and has an added line between the word ‘Nimbus’ and ‘2000’.
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Quidditch robe numbers
In researching how to make my own Quidditch robes, I found a ton of tutorials on how to sew robes – from a youtube video how to make a quick robe out of whatever you have on hand, to free handcrafted patterns with full instructions. The one thing I couldn’t find was which font the movies used for the robe numbers.
As it turns out, it’s Tahoma bold, which is probably already on your computer. Take a look:
Quidditch is THE sport in Harry Potter. A combination of soccer and football played on broomsticks. Sound dangerous? Of course not! Never mind the broken bones, concussions, black eyes, and hundred-foot falls. It’s a piece of cake!
” Our job is to make sure that you don’t get bloodied up too badly! Can’t make any promises. Rough game, Quidditch.”
George Weasley
What’s that you say? You don’t recall what a Quidditch outfit looks like? No problem, just check out Harry and Draco below. As long as you have your protective gear, a robe, and a broom, you’re off to the races. No pun intended (I think). Or, if you’re looking for a more detailed look into getting kitted out for Quidditch, read up on it in my Quidditch Costume Reference post.
Getting Started
Step 1 for me in making a new costume is copious amounts of research. There are so many questions to answer! Like how many variations of the costumes are there? Does each House have slight variations or do they all follow the same pattern? How do Quidditch players get assigned numbers? Did the costumes evolve through the series? The questions usually get more detailed as the picture becomes clearer. My last questions are usually things like “Which type of metal are the buckles made of?”
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A Quidditch costume reference
The Cosplay community has embraced Harry Potter with exuberance and enthusiasm. When I started looking into Harry Potter costumes I came across almost everything, from Luna Lovegood in her lion’s head (priceless) to a golden snitch and Moaning Myrtle (with toilet seat!).
Of course, there was always a huge variety of Quidditch costumes, from the storebought to the painstakingly handcrafted. There seem to be several Quidditch camps – those who prefer the original first-year robes to Krum’s from the World Cup or practice robes from year 6.
For those of you looking to make a Quidditch costume, I have a tip for you: not every Harry Potter movie features Quidditch. Once I got over my shock at this fact, I tracked down which films could supply some reference.
Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone
Year 1. The first encounter we have of Quidditch isn’t the game – it’s running across the Nimbus 2000 in Diagon Alley (21:30). Isn’t she a beaut? Then we see Oliver introducing Harry to Quidditch after his almost disastrous spotting by Professor McGonnogal (1:04:26). And, who can forget Harry’s first-ever Quidditch match (1:15:28)?
My friend Kim and I are working on some quidditch costumes – never mind that we’re about 15 years too late to be on trend. I’ve been doing a deep internet dive for good photos of the Nimbus 2000 since we’re both huge fans of this specific Harry Potter broom. The handle shape and visible wood grain
Draco Malfoy’s Nimbus 2001, although supposedly superior in the Harry Potter books, is a lot more plain in the movies – straight handle, bulkier bristles – and not nearly as appealing:
It all started with a pair of socks.
It was one of those rare occasions when I managed to bring my husband to the mall. This means a mandatory (though painless) stroll through the collectibles merchandise store.