I would like your expert help on creating the attached graphic in xara designer pro

[yellowbird]

Hi. I want to recreate the attached graphic in designer pro. (Not the gray background or crosshatch lines, those are there because it is a pay for graphic.) I tried some simple things with text adjusting kerning, baseline, adding shadowing - which of course didn't work. With the letters below I created a black copy and converted it to editable shape so I could angle the back of the legs and change the angle of the front round part to the top of the color letter. I tried to use beveling on the color part of the R, but wasn't able to achieve a look like the original. I'm sure a combination of tools/effects might work, but my usage of these is pretty basic. So far it's been trial and error for me. Would greatly appreciate any help and ideas!!
(once I get the graphic designed, I plan to try and animate it)

Nancy