Star Wars fans are among the most dedicated fans in the world. It shows in the cosplay they wear, the art they draw, the merchandise they buy, and even the real life Star Wars props and products that they make. But when James Benini was asked by his friend to to make a life-size replica of Poe Dameron’s T-70 X-wing also known as Black One, featured in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, little did Benini’s friend just how serious James would take it.
Benini only had 5 months to complete the project and to say he did a good job would be a complete understatement. About the only thing missing is a actual real working engine and ability to fly through the galaxy at hyper speeds. James, you truly outdid yourself.
According to Makezine, this is how the project took place:
To start he looked at a 1977 Kenner X-wing toy for measurements as well as a Revell model of the black X-wing. He determined that to fit a human occupant the final design had to be 23 times larger than the toy models he’d used for reference. The interior was created much like an airplane, with hollow ribs, stringers and plywood forming the body. While X-wings look beautiful, the actual build of that design put a lot of strain on the wings. Benini solved the problem by attaching the wings at attach points, much like “plugging and appliance into a wall outlet.”
The rest of the ship was built out using sonotubes, cardboard, fiberglass and Styrofoam, with the specialized weapons systems created from the same supplies plus PVC pipe, plastic drain pipe. The impressive fighter took over 250 hours to create and it’s next stop is in 2017 at Star Wars Celebration Orlando. It will definitely be a photo opp not to be missed for Rebels attending the con.
Additional photos below
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