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Build Your Own Imperial Star Destroyer

tashanna writes "I got an e-mail from my brother with a link to this. Someone has built an Imperial Star Destroyer model from the original Star Wars movie that's appropriately-sized for the 4" action figures. The guy made it with an armory, bridge, cell bay, computer room, engineering (split over 2 levels), Darth Vader's chamber, conference room, troop rest room, medical bay and it measures 2 meters, by 1.5 meters, by 1 meter and is for sale on Ebay. There are interior photos on the eBay site. Ummm... WOW!"

39 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. Not So Fast by JollyGoodChase · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's not Imperial, that's butter!

  2. Come on! by Admiral+Lazzurs · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I know this post is kinda relevant and I am even glad to see it here but has anyone noticed that this is also just using /. to advertise the ebay auction to the target audience?

    Then again, well done for getting free ads on /. :)

    1. Re:Come on! by G-funk · · Score: 4, Funny

      Not to mention that if that model is in scale with 4" toys, that's the biggest 5 year old in the world.

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
  3. No longer for sale. by bobobobo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Well the auction was stopped early. Wonder why?

    1. Re:No longer for sale. by metlin · · Score: 5, Informative

      Look at the bid history. It looks like he ended the listing early. And if that page were to be believed, the retractors have stated that they have been unable to get in touch with the seller.

      And immediately thereafter, an "ad" for this gets posted on Slashdot? Makes you wonder you know...

    2. Re:No longer for sale. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think this guy might be quite clever. He's using eBay to host pics, for free, that can withstand a slashdotting! Of course he doesn't want to sell it, there's no way he can get anywhere near what his time and effort that went into is worth.

  4. Special Modified Star Destroyer by QEDog · · Score: 5, Funny

    Comes with the Chewbacca Defense system!

    --
    "There is no teacher but the enemy."-Mazer Rackham
    1. Re:Special Modified Star Destroyer by Rone · · Score: 4, Funny

      Comes with the Chewbacca Defense system!

      What are you babbling about? A Chewbacca defense system?

      That does NOT MAKE SENSE!

  5. The Imperator by OlaL · · Score: 5, Interesting
  6. Building models for profit by dj245 · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Now, to me, selling on ebay really kills the mood of the whole article. "Wow. Star Wars widget. Neat. Hard work. Tons of detail. Oh yeah selling on ebay."

    If the point was not for the person who made it to enjoy it and keep it around, then what was the point? I know that if I spent that many hours on it *for fun* then I wouldn't be selling it on no ebay.

    I donno, maybe the guy has bills to pay, maybe he didn't want it kicking aroundm, taking up space. But when these things are sold on ebay in the same article, it kind of kills the whole "coolness" mood for me. Its like they are pimping the auction to jack up the price. Anyone else feel the same?

    --
    Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
    1. Re:Building models for profit by minkeyboodle · · Score: 5, Informative

      Read the auction. He says he's moving abroad and can't take it with him.

    2. Re:Building models for profit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      He says he's been working on it for three years. Typically when one is leaving the country its not a spur of the moment thing (ie, why start a huge project if you know you have to get rid of it)

      There's quite a gap between spur of the moment and three years.

  7. Ah! by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 5, Funny
    To put it in classic Slashdot form:

    1)Waste hours of life building scale star-destroyer model.
    2)Post star-destroyer for sale on ebay.
    3)Post story on /. with link to auction
    4)PROFIT!!!!

    Now before you mod me flamebait, realize this is a joke, and dammit I want one of these, but am both too poor and too lazy to ever have one.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    1. Re:Ah! by chrispl · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Extensive study has shown that ebay itself IS the missing second step in the equation!

      Try it! It works in almost any permutation!

      Example:

      1. Steal underwear
      2. ebay
      3. Profit!!

      It fits!

      --
      What post? The one you're carrying inside your rusty innards!
  8. umm.. what's he big deal? by Anubis333 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The thing just looks like a big balsa wood model, and it isn't very detailed. I am a model maker, and I feel the creator could have chunked a lot of plastic ship models for nurnies and greebles.. He also, could have chunked old star wars toys for control panels etc. It really just looks like a large DIY project, and not a playable toy. I was a kid not too long ago, and I wouldn't really wanna play with some big balsa wood, grey-pained thing. It also looks like it would also break too easily.

    I mean I wouldn't crit, but when you put it out here, it's open season; not to mention this shouldn't have been on here anyway; it's like an advertisement.

    1. Re:umm.. what's he big deal? by MoneyT · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Eh, not being a modler, I couldn't comment on the nurnies and greebles, but it's certainly not the most impresive model one could build. Some of the dimensions look really off, and certainyl some detail is missing, but overall it is an impressive piece of work.

      --
      T Money
      World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
  9. I don't have a problem with the ad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't have a problem with it being an "ad" if you can really call it one. But it has nothing to do with building your own. There's no instructions. It's just that some dude built one. That's what the topic should have been: "Some dudbe built a Star Destroyer".

    Who cares if it's an ad? It's still really cool to look at the pictures, regardless if it's for sale or not. Window shopping is cool.

  10. Is this legal? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pissing off Kuat Drive Yards by copying their patended ship design seems like a real bad idea.

    He should have waited until we have atleast one orbital defense platform up.

  11. What a brilliant idea! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny
    Advertising your ebay auctions through an article on /. Brilliant!

    All I gotta do is come up with some sort of geeky spin on a complete set of Mama's Family videotapes and I'll finally get these goddamned things off my hands.

  12. Err by neuro.slug · · Score: 5, Funny

    But it doesn't have a Mr. Coffee or Mr. Radar! Damn you, Lone Star!!

  13. This is not the forum for this. by dj245 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Ok, we have a link to an ebay auction (which is closed by the way), a link to IMDB, and a link to a page generalizing the star destroyer.

    Mod me down, troll, offtopic, but is this really the right forum to be discussing this? There are no plans on how you can be "building your own star destroyer". They is no page on how he made it. When /. covers these sort of things there is usually lots of coverage. Plans, how-tos, "where to buy parts". This? Nope, just the ebay auction page.

    Maybe it isn't disturbing enough, but I think this really belongs here. A forum to comment and post funny and disturbing ebay auctions.

    --
    Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  14. Oh boy! by Bon+bons · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes! Now us (boys) men can take our (dolls) collectable figurines and (play) display them in a scale size (doll-house) terrarium!

  15. thanks! by jellocat · · Score: 5, Funny

    I read the summery and was like, "What is a Star Wars"?!?! Then I was relieved to see you had a link so I could easily find out more about those Star Wars.

    Love,
    Duh McObvious

  16. Re:This model is way out of scale by Infonaut · · Score: 4, Funny
    This isn't a model. This is a kid's dollhouse.

    What gave you that idea? The picture of the kid next to it, the 4" Star Wars dolls shown inside the Star Destroyer, or the text indicating that it was made for play?

    --
    Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ
  17. check out the counter on the page by minus_273 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    rarely does slashdot link to a page with alot of BW/ power AND a counter. heh you can refresh to see the slashdot effect in realtime.

    --
    The war with islam is a war on the beast
    The war on terror is a war for peace
  18. Re:umm..what's he big deal?-Snap, crackle, and...o by Anubis333 · · Score: 5, Informative

    I am a 3D modeler/TD by trade, heh I guess that lingo isn't common geek speak, here is an article on 'greebling', or 'adding nurnies and greebles' to an object. It's basically the art of making up hi-tech looking crap. The original star destroyers were greebled with plastic navy ship parts and other crap. Interestingly enough, i think they were somewhere around the size of this guys toy; i may be wrong...

  19. But... It's not a scale model! by Cordath · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm sorry, but the anal retentive streak in me just wouldn't let this go. In order for a Star Destroyer to be built to the same scale as 4" action figures it would need to be over 75 meters long! Now *that* would be a freakin' lego project!

  20. Agreed!! Mod Parent UP by snooo53 · · Score: 5, Informative
    This article has the worst title ever! What's the deal here? Is slashdot trying to get a ratings boost or something? This is the kind of misleading crap article title you'd expect to see on Fox News or CNN. Where are the plans???

    Okay, fine, I'll be editor for the day. (5 seconds of googling later...) Make your own Star Destroyer.

    --
    The sending of this message pretty much inconveniences everyone involved.
  21. Re:But... It's not a scale model! by thehomeland · · Score: 5, Informative

    ... it would need to be over 75 meters long!

    That's exactly what I was thinking. To scale with the standard action figures would mean it'd be larger than you could possibly ship (pun intended) and the five-year-old would probably be able to fit *inside* one of the circular engines on the back. Now, the rooms inside based on the photos look almost to scale, but there should be like umpteen thousand rooms inside one SSD. Compare to the regular sized tie fighters that the figures fit in. You might be able to house ten fighters in that whole model..

  22. Re:umm..what's he big deal?-Snap, crackle, and...o by Saeger · · Score: 5, Interesting
    'Greebling' on supposedly futuristic spacecraft has always pissed me off because it's almost always overblown and only put there to make the object "busy looking" and for audiences used to WW2-battleships-in-space. It's almost as if the ships were built with irregular pieces of purposely discolored sheetmetal in a shipyard, and then pipes and other techy doodads tacked on later for style'n.

    I'm a fan of the sleek ship designs that keep their junk on the inside where it belongs. Of course, it's harder to judge scale when you can't see the irregular pieces of purposely discolored sheetmetal put into place by human hands (ugh)... but it makes more sense that way.

    --

    --
    Power to the Peaceful
  23. Re:News for Nerds. Stuff that matters by OrangeTide · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yea. It's wrong to make money on anything.

    --
    “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
  24. Re:But... It's not a scale model! by samadhi · · Score: 4, Informative

    Maybe you should get a bit more anal about reading the article.

    > Although not entirely screen accurate (it would have been the length of my street for that) the distinctive shape is unmistakable.

  25. How to build your own Star Destroyer by tekrat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Step 1) Get Yourself and 25,000 metric tons of steel into space.

    Step 2) Start Welding.

    Step 3) ??????

    Step 4) PROFIT!

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
  26. Re:Umm.. What's the big deal? by zokrath · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You and your replies seem to be missing the point that it is not a model; it is a playset designed for small children like the one in the photograph. He also says that it is quite sturdy, and designed to not have small piece come off during use.

    It is a labor of love that a caring father created for his children, not to impress the denizens of slashdot. I strongly doubt he had anything to do with this getting posted on the front page, and seeing as how he isn't willing to ship it he doesn't benefit much from it.

    I think for an object made largely from wood and decals it looks quite good, and most eight year olds would be thrilled with it, not to mention the envy of their friends. Just because it isn't covered in molded plastic doesn't make it less impressive.

    For someone who still plays with toys, you are rather crtical of how someone else spends their time. Don't take that the wrong way; I paint and convert tabletop figures all the time; I just don't project arbitrary standards inappropriately over the internet.

  27. Build Your Own Imperial Star Destroyer by slittle · · Score: 5, Funny

    # BUGBUG: put ingress filtering on this vent.
    # someone might want to... I dunno... shoot a
    # torpedo down there or something.

    --
    Opportunity knocks. Karma hunts you down.
  28. Re:Come on! - Watch my movie! by Cirrocco · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Okay, if this guy can have his Ebay auction listed on /. then I can pimp my fan film.

    The Ten Dollar Star Wars Fan Film

    Yeah, it's huge and it's great quality. Suitable for VCD as the filename implies. Besides, I don't want to go through my entire life without having been /.'d at least once!

    What's the movie about? We made a bet...a bad bet. We bet that we could make a Star Wars fan film for under $10. Watch the hilarious hi-jinks unfold as we do anything to get the shot! You won't believe the ending! With music from Alice in Chains, Iggy Pop, Jane's Addiction and more!

    Includes trailer for possible upcoming project.

    Download and enjoy! Burn it to VCD and give it to friends! Give it to enemies! Put it on Bit Torrent sites! And meet the stars at Wondercon at Moscone Center in San Francisco at the East Bay Star Wars Fan Club booth April 30-May 2.

  29. That's no five year-old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's a space station!

  30. Re:umm..what's he big deal?-Snap, crackle, and...o by NormalVisual · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The first Star Destroyer model (Devastator) was about three feet in length. The second one (Avenger) built for "Empire" was about eight feet and *much* more detailed, and the Super Star Destroyer (Executor) for the same movie was about ten feet. Some really good photos of the Avenger studio model are available here, and show the sheer amount of effort that ILM put into building these behemoths. Of course, there are lots of other photos of all the studio models available elsewhere online.

    Gads, I gotta get a life....

    --
    Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
  31. Star Destroyer I Devastator by Darthscooby1001 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your kind words regarding my Star Destroyer. A subscriber was kind enough to send me the link to this site, which I had no idea existed never mind was discussing my ship. It did indeed take 3 years to build but only with a week here and a few days there. When I started I had no idea what I was going and no prior woodwork skills. I simply wanted to make the ship I yearned for when I was a child and looked at it how I believe a child would. As some of you have noticed I have ended the listing and have sold the ship privately. It has gone to a good home and I can rest assured it will be played with as a toy is meant to be. I would certainly not say a profit was made, apart from the many hours of labour, wood is not cheap to buy. I also gave the buyer many figures and ships to man the vessel with. During the last week or two I have been inundated with emails from Star Wars fans telling me of their admiration for the creation, I am just astounded. I did not expect in a millennia anything like the response I have received. I am not a carpenter or artist by trade, but a simple soldier in the British Army. I am posted very shortly to Germany and really do need to cut down some of my Star Wars possessions. My response to the critics is I have made something that has put a smile on a child's face - what have you done? For the rest of you, hang around another year or three because your inspiration has me planning my next project - A 4 inch scale Deathstar! That is scale so the figures fit in it, not 80 miles in diameter. DarthScooby1001