Someone Built A 10-Foot Scale Model Of A Star Destroyer And The Attention To Detail Is Unbelievable
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE
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Star Wars superfan Stefan Oster took a walk on the dark side.

Using a combination of plastic, foam, paper, polystyrene and aluminum and 2,800 hours of hard work, the German craftsman constructed a 9.8-foot Star Destroyer, the famous spaceship that appears in the opening scene of "Star Wars: Episode IV โ€” A New Hope." Oster constructed the Empire warship specifically for the Masters Expo, which is being hosted in Amsterdam in November 2021. But he'll first have to remove his windows to take it out of his workshop.

Oster's tribute to the Empire warship captured the imagination of Reddit, which shot to the top of the Star Wars subreddit.

The craftsman spoke to Digg about how he got started on such an ambitious Star Wars build.

"In general, I started model-making over 40 years ago. I'm 50 by the way. When 'Star Wars' came to the cinemas, 'Star Wars' models were occasionally included. I started building tribute scratch models about 12 years ago," he explained in an email.

Astonishingly, Oster didn't have a blueprint before constructing his latest creation.

"I don't use plans or blueprints. Most of the time I use a small mini model, some photos and that's it. The rest is created in my head. I mentally go through all the steps and think about how the finished model should look like. The whole thing has developed over years by learning by doing and try and error."

Courtesy of CF_Charlie

"I see tribute models as art," Oster added. "That's why I'm very cautious with technical gimmicks. Too many functions quickly go in the direction of toys. Important, and at the same time a big challenge, is that I have to include the special effects."

Courtesy of Stefan Oste
Courtesy of CF_Charlie
Courtesy of CF_Charlie

"I also have to create a kind of atmosphere, that's not always easy. For example, a red LED on an antenna mast could create more of an atmosphere than a spinning radar tower. But that always depends on each individual model."

Courtesy of CF_Charlie
Courtesy of CF_Charlie
Courtesy of CF_Charlie

Oster offered advice for other model makers: "The most important thing in model building are the thoughts and dreams that take you further away than any spaceship. If you take this to heart, every model is fantastic and unique. That's how I still build today, every moment. The rest is just practice."

[See more of Stefan Oster's work at GreatSpaceModels.com]

James Crugnale is an associate editor at Digg.com.

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