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1975 Kitbashed Models - Public for 1st time

Discussion in 'Original Trilogy' started by Colin Cantwell, Jan 22, 2019.

  1. Colin Cantwell

    Colin Cantwell Clone Commander

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    Hello everyone. My name is Colin Cantwell. I conceptualized and modeled the ships for the first Star Wars film. At the behest of fans, I am letting these four decade old photos see the light of day. Most were taken in my backyard in 1975 after kitbashing the pre-production models for the the X-Wing, TIE, Death Star, and others.
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    Kitbashing is a method of model building that myself and a few others pioneered in the early 70's. Essentially, you take pieces from cannibalized model kits (cars, planes, trains, etc...) as well as shapes from around the office and house. Look closely and you will see pill bottle engines and Easter egg fuel tanks.
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    Most of these ships would be used with only minor modification. The exception is the Falcon, which was scrapped at the last moment due to its similarity to the recently released "Eagle" from Space 1999. My Sand Crawler design would also be replaced by Ralph's. All of these designs are original, although I did work closely with Ralph in the early days of the project (what a genius!).

    I hope you enjoy them. If you would like to learn more, follow me on social media or take a look at my Reddit "AMA's". You can also see higher resolution photos and descriptions on my website www.cantwellcollection.com/models.html
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  2. srg

    srg Force Attuned

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    Thanks for sharing, Colin! Congrats on your work. It's pretty surreal to have somebody who worked on A New Hope around here.
     
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  3. Andrew Waples

    Andrew Waples Jedi General

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    [​IMG]
     
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  4. Lazarus Dei

    Lazarus Dei Tree Dodger Extraordinaire
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    I love that despite being axed as the Falcon, you can see inspiration for the Tantive IV and belated Republic Frigate from The Phantom Menace in that design.

    As one of my favourite designs though, it's awesome to see the Y-Wing concept and realise how much of your work in it, the X-Wing, TIE and Death Star carried over into the final versions.

    Thanks so much for sharing!
     
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  5. Jaxxon

    Jaxxon Green Space Rabbit

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    Thanks so much for sharing these pictures! Designs like this are what makes the original Star Wars come alive to me. It's amazing how you can take existing model pieces and other things to construct something so simultaneously otherworldly and grounded.
     
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  6. Choose Light

    Choose Light Mando Maven and Brown Eyes Backer

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    Wow, thank you for sharing these and inviting us to your website. It's fantastic to see these pictures from back in the day when Star Wars was just a twinkle in the eye of design pioneers like yourself!
     
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  7. Colin Cantwell

    Colin Cantwell Clone Commander

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    Thank you for the love and support everyone. Astounding to see such a strong community 40 years later
     
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  8. Jaxxon

    Jaxxon Green Space Rabbit

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    I was thinking, the kitbashing method is a great analogy for the whole film. The way Star Wars takes disparate parts of fairy tales, westerns, Samurai films, World War II dogfights, and forms them all together into something seamless and fresh. The film doesn't feel like a hodge-podge, it feels both new and familiar. And that goes through the film even in ship designs like this.
     
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  9. MandoChip

    MandoChip Hate me later. Work now.
    1030th General **** (Mod)

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    Colin, I am a model maker myself and what you guys did back in the early days of Star Wars has become a huge influence and source of inspiration to me and so many others, wether it be casual hobbiests or professional prop builders, your work under George Lucas is cherished and admired by many and I've no doubt it will continue to have a creative influence in film and other media, I'm a huge fan of your work so thank you very much for sharing these pictures of your amazing creations.
    Take care and I wish you all the best.
     
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  10. NunbNuts

    NunbNuts Rebel Official

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    Awesome! I'm glad they didn't go with a chrome Death Star but I wish they had kept some of the larger surface structures that yours has.
     
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  11. Lazarus Dei

    Lazarus Dei Tree Dodger Extraordinaire
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    Based on this news, I’m rebooting this thread to celebrate the massive contribution @Colin Cantwell made towards the iconic visualisation of the GFFA which has brought us all to The Cantina.

    Thank you for the indelible mark you made!

    upload_2022-5-19_19-22-21.jpeg
     
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  12. Lazarus Dei

    Lazarus Dei Tree Dodger Extraordinaire
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  13. Messi

    Messi G.O.A.T.

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    And I just saw this thread now...

    Well, thanks for your amazing work for Star Wars and Rest in Peace.

    You're now One with the Force.
     
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