Star Wars fans can be really creative

In 1977, George Lucas’ Star Wars (Ep IV: A New Hope) hit theaters and a worldwide pop culture phenomenon was born. The success of the movie spawned two sequels, three prequels, a multitude of novels and comic books, multiple animated series, a real-live honest-to-Isis religion, theme park attractions, dozens of games, and probably enough fan-fic to fill the Grand Canyon. Lucas’ space opera has also been an inspiration for many artists and creators. From Vader, Luke, and Leia to Chewie, Han, and Lando, Star Wars fans have been inspired to create some interesting products over the years. Here is just a sampling:


Using more than 10,000 Lego pieces, Singapore-based Titans Creations recently unveiled a scale model of Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon:

Last week, a group of dedicated brick builders from Singapore that operates under the moniker Titans Creations unleashed a scale model of Han Solo’s freighter that’s made of over 10,000 Lego pieces. Unveiled for Singapore Legoland’s Star Wars Day event (on May 4), the ship measures at 110 cm by 85 cm (or, about 43 inches by 33 inches). That is massive for a Lego model; to put it in context, the Lego company’s official Ultimate Collector’s Series version of the ol’ rust bucket is made up of “only” 5,195 pieces and is 40 percent smaller than Titans Creations’ new toy.

The official, limited edition Lego toy came out in 2007 and sold for $500 at the time, and sets are now being auctioned on eBay for around $5000 (and up).

Detailed interior shot of the Millennium Falcon (Titans Creations/Facebook)

The level of detail is astonishing. Makes me wonder how long it took to put this thing together.

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Ah, the light saber. Weapon of choice for Jedi and Sith alike. Given the success of the Star Wars franchise, I imagine many role-playing fans wish they could wield a real light saber. Nerd/geek Emory Harris created Uber Sabers (www.ultrasabers.com/ [edit]: the site has asked me to remove the direct link, so here is the address) to fulfill those dreams. Prices for the sabers run from $54.99 for standard sabers to $419 for custom sabers (complete with sound). The perfect gift for light saber loving Star Wars fans (wow, it sounds like I’m trying to sell a product here). I can’t post images, bc the site has a copyright on all of them, but if you’re interested, they have a lot of products available.

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Up for a Star Wars/Star Trek mashup? YouTube vlogger SonOfSpork has got you covered:

The Carbonite Maneuver

Prepare yourself and your family, as two of the most beloved and cherished Sci-fi/Fantasy franchises of all time, collide in this Star-tacular, motion picture event!

While on a routine exploration mission, Captain James T. Kirk, and the loyal crew of the U.S.S Enterprise, become entangled in an Evil galactic scheme, that not only threatens the United Federation of Planets, but the very Earth itself!
Set to the backdrop of Perilous planets, Galactic adventure, and Exotic alien romance, The Carbonite Maneuver is sure to become an Interstellar sensation! ***
This fan made trailer is one of personal dedication: To the original artists, whose expertise and craftsmanship through celluloid, inspired me as a kid to look towards the stars and to the possibilities that with great story telling, along with a touch of magic, the most mundane aspects of life could be transformed into the most fantastic.

For much of my 39+ years on this planet, I preferred Star Wars to Star Trek to the extent that I held a bit of disdain for the latter franchise (don’t ask me why bc I have no clue).  My view of Star Trek changed dramatically in the last few years as I learned that Gene Roddenberry created the (for its time) socially progressive show to serve as a backdrop for telling morality tales:

As early as 1964, Gene Roddenberry drafted a proposal for the science fiction series that would become Star Trek. Although he publicly marketed it as a Western in outer space—a so-called “Wagon Train to the Stars” (like the popular Western TV series)[2]—he privately told friends that he was modeling it on Jonathan Swift‘s Gulliver’s Travels, intending each episode to act on two levels: as a suspenseful adventure story and as a morality tale.[3]

Most Star Trek stories depict the adventures of humans[Note 4] and aliens who serve in Starfleet, the space-borne humanitarian and peacekeeping armada of the United Federation of Planets. The protagonists have altruistic values, and must apply these ideals to difficult dilemmas. Many of the conflicts and political dimensions of Star Trek representallegories of contemporary cultural realities. Star Trek: The Original Series addressed issues of the 1960s,[4] just as later spin-offs have reflected issues of their respective decades. Issues depicted in the various series include war and peace, the value of personal loyalty, authoritarianism, imperialism, class warfare, economics, racism, religion, human rights, sexism, feminism, and the role of technology.[5] Roddenberry stated: “[By creating] a new world with new rules, I could make statements about sex, religion, Vietnam, politics, and intercontinental missiles. Indeed, we did make them onStar Trek: we were sending messages and fortunately they all got by the network.”[6]

Roddenberry intended the show to have a progressive political agenda reflective of the emerging counter-culture of the youth movement, though he was not fully forthcoming to the networks about this. He wanted Star Trek to show humanity what it might develop into, if only it would learn from the lessons of the past, most specifically by ending violence. An extreme example is the alien species, the Vulcans, who had a violent past but learned to control their emotions. Roddenberry also gave Star Trek an anti-war message and depicted the United Federation of Planets as an ideal, optimistic version of the United Nations.[7] His efforts were opposed by the network because of concerns over marketability, e.g., they opposed Roddenberry’s insistence that the Enterprise have a racially diverse crew.

As a card-carrying Social Justice Warrior, learning all of the above led me to developing a deep appreciation for the fictional universe Roddenberry created.

That doesn’t change my opinion that the Star Wars characters would lay the smack down on the Star Trek ones in a fight.

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Move over Mystery Machine! A new pop culture inspired vehicle is taking the world by storm. Ok, so that’s a bit hyperbolic. Still this R2D2 VW bus by Instructables user mimaki cg60 is pretty cool. Check out the link for more images as well as a description of the creative process.

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Last but certainly not least, comes the ‘Cut Scene’. Still in the process of being created, ‘Cut Scene’ is an art exhibition by London-based Kirigami paper artist Marc Hagan-Guirey who set up a Kickstarter page to fund this project:

Paper Dandy AKA Marc Hagan-Guirey, is a contemporary artist practising the highly specialised art of Kirigami. He burst onto the art scene in 2012 with his critically acclaimed exhibition ‘Horrorgami’.

Armed only with a scalpel, he painstakingly transforms an ordinary sheet of single A4 paper into a breathtaking piece of three-dimensional architecture. He also hates talking in the 3rd person but it makes for a better read.

It is with great excitement Marc is announcing his new project –
‘CUT SCENE: 12 Kirigami Models Inspired by Scenes from Star Wars cut from a Single Sheet of Paper’.

The ‘Cut Scene’ Exhibition

As a life long fan of the Star Wars saga, it’s Marc’s ambition to continue working in the realm of film culture. He aims to create a body of work inspired by scenes from their legendary narratives via his craft of kirigami. Like his previous exhibition ‘Horrorgami’ the work will be presented within light boxes.

Why Kickstarter?

The traditional gallery/artist set up is that the gallery takes a cut of the sales profits using a portion of this to produce the exhibition.

Marc is not affiliated with Lucas Film or Disney or doesn’t hold a license to sell official merchandise, therefore he will not be selling editions of the art.

This means the funds must come from elsewhere. His goal isn’t to make a profit – it’s simply to produce the exhibition so that Star Wars fans can enjoy seeing the unique kirigami models in their physical form. Every penny will go towards making a better gallery experience.

To date, Marc has financed his project alone, having already designed and made half of the models and had 2 of the display cases manufactured, but now must ask for help in raising £16,500. With your support he can produce a truly magical exhibition and share his meticulously crafted Cut Scene collection with the Star Wars community.

Here’s a look at some of his art. Warning: It. Is. Amazing. Remember, all of these images were created with a single sheet of paper.

Kinda cool, huh?

(h/t Laughing Squid)

Star Wars fans can be really creative
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Who will emerge victorious?

In this corner:

Standing at 6’2″ and weighing 210 lbs., this fighter is engaged in a war on crime. With his genius-level intellect, incredible wealth, and world-renowned fighting skills, this man needs little introduction. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Batman!

His opponent is another man of tremendous power and resources.  His name is synonymous with terror and death. Despite bearing the mantle of “Chosen One”, this man brought a once-proud intergalactic organization of so-called peacekeepers to the brink of destruction. Armed with a lightsaber and the ability to manipulate the Force, I give you Darth Vader!

When these two titans tussle, who will be the winner? Watch this video to find out:

Not happy with that ending? Here’s an alternate version:

Done watching? Cool. Maybe someone can answer some questions for me. I’ll preface the following by saying I enjoyed the battle between the two (though I’m a bit weary of Bat-god).

1- how did the Batplane reach the Death Star? Even assuming the presence of the Death Star in our solar system, I wasn’t aware the Batplane could reach escape velocity. I suppose it could have launched from the Watchtower (whether its based in orbit around Earth or on the Moon), but even then a trip to the Death Star would surely take some bit of time.

  1. The technology in the Star Wars universe appears (to me) quite a bit more advanced than the technology Batman has access to. How the heck is the Batplane’s cloaking field sufficiently advanced to be able to render it undetectable to the sensors aboard the Death Star?
  2. How did Batman gain entry to the Death Star?

  3. Batman is remarkably proficient in the use of a lightsaber. I know, I know. That’s not a question. Sue me.

(h/t The Laughing Squid)

Who will emerge victorious?