The General Lee...in plush

[ldhenson]

So in my spare time I sometimes make plush models of things out of felt and stuffing. Now I hadn't designed any new ones since 2009, but when I started re-watching Dukes earlier this year, I knew...I KNEW...what the next one had to be.

He's about 10.5" long. It took a lot of reference pics/screenshots and scratch paper to puzzle out the geometry, but I love how he turned out.

Now he sits on my sofa in front of my TV.

[ldhenson]

Bonus pic, because I couldn't fit it in the original post:

STUNT JUMP ACTION SHOT

Here he is jumping over two of my other cars, the black '67 Chevy Impala from Supernatural, and a Bugatti Veyron 16.4.

:whistles the first 12 notes of "Dixie":

[Garrett Duke]

Very awesome craft work there! I bet that took a lot of time and patience to make...something I don't have. Then again, I am not all that crafty or creative either. Thanks for sharing it with everyone to see.

[RogerDuke]

Sweet!

You put a smile on my face bigger than Enos Strate's.

I love it. I love it!

[HossC]

These are very impressive. The two-tone Veyron works well in plush. What do you fill them with, because they seem to hold their shape well?.

[ldhenson]

It's great to have fellow fans to share it with. Thanks for the kind comments you guys!

What do you fill them with, because they seem to hold their shape well?.

I use polyester fiberfill, which is very light and springy. Stuffing them is a trial-and-error process each time because it's easy to get an over-stuffed/lumpy car. Plus, one of the reasons I love using felt is that it can hold a shape better than a thinner material.

The cars can be cuddled gently, but I mostly use them to keep me company on my TV sofa (and for silly pictures).

[lostsheep22]

I love it! Awesome job! You get extra props for have the Metallicar too.

[CDoherty95]

They're amazing.they must have taken forever to make

[DoubleShot]

Great job on the hard work you did on all of those cars. Very hard to do as well. Keep up the great work.

[ldhenson]

Thanks everyone! They do take a lot of work; each car has about 50-55 separate pieces (the General here has 55) and they're all hand-stitched so I make them only rarely. In fact after my first one (the Impala) I vowed I'd never do another plush car again! You can see how long that vow lasted...

[ldhenson]

"Luke I don't think we're in Hazzard anymore..."

"I told ya you should've taken that left turn back there!"

[RogerDuke]

LOL

That looks like the dragon on Lord of the Rings....the one that the ultimate bad guy rides....I can't think of his name, Saron maybe?

Nice work!!!

[HossC]

I thought it might be the flying dragon from 'Goodbye General Lee' - the one that was in Boss's Drag'n'Fly car-jumping contest .

Nice work again LD.

[ldhenson]

Thanks guys! It is indeed one of the Fell Beasts (without his Nazgul rider) from the Lord of the Rings films, but a plush Drag'n'Fly dragon would be cool too. I enjoyed making this fellow; his wings, neck, and tail are wired so that he can be posed.

[RogerDuke]

I thought it might be the flying dragon from 'Goodbye General Lee' - the one that was in Boss's Drag'n'Fly car-jumping contest .

Funny Hoss! You crack me up.

[Brian Coltrane]

The plush cars are cute. What kid wouldn't want one of those? Heck, I want one of those!

Dragon is cool too. Plush, the Magic Dragon, lived by the...General Lee

[Calderone]

Congrats,that's amazing !

[Calderone]

i got hooked, have you considered this as a business ?

[ldhenson]

i got hooked, have you considered this as a business ?

Glad you like them! I don't do them as any kind of steady business but when time allows I do take commissions for them--I've done about a dozen of the Impalas over the years for other people, plus a replica of someone's own Chevy Monte Carlo, various dragons, and assorted other things. I also have patterns for the Impalas and two dragons available. They do take a lot of time though, and most of the plushes I make are for myself.

Also I'm nearly done with my next car design (not a Dukes car) so I'll be posting that soon!

[Brian Coltrane]

Glad you like them! I don't do them as any kind of steady business but when time allows I do take commissions for them--I've done about a dozen of the Impalas over the years for other people, plus a replica of someone's own Chevy Monte Carlo, various dragons, and assorted other things. I also have patterns for the Impalas and two dragons available. They do take a lot of time though, and most of the plushes I make are for myself.

Also I'm nearly done with my next car design (not a Dukes car) so I'll be posting that soon!

Looking forward to seeing your next plush-mobile!

Do you sell the patterns for your plush designs, or give them away, or....?

[ldhenson]

Do you sell the patterns for your plush designs, or give them away, or....?

The Impala and two dragon patterns are at my Etsy shop. I also made a Top Gear cushion (pattern is free if people request it).

My latest plush car, the souped-up DeLorean from Back to the Future (Twin Pines Mall version)!

I kept talking myself out of doing this one for a long time because it's such a complicated design. But finally last month I started getting some ideas about how to handle all the hardware in the back and then I just ran with it.

He's a bit shorter than the General, being about 9 3/4".

I'm very happy with how he turned out!

[HossC]

Another masterpiece LD. I also took a look at your Top Gear projects. The cushion is a very simple idea, but works very effectively. Oliver came out well too. Sad to hear you've lost BBC America - did you have any other favorite shows there?.

[MaryAnne]

WOW!!!! That is awesome! And the little details in the back, terrific!