The Iconic Star Wars X-Wing Fighter Just Emerged Into Reality in Russia

The Star Wars franchise that spans over 40 years has a colossal fanbase due to its unique characters, Shakespearean storyline, and rich lore. And the versatile X-wing of the Rebel Alliance is easily one of the most memorable aircraft from the popular universe with its X-shaped wings that carry four laser cannons. If you're a Star Wars fan, it's likely that, at some point in your life, you've wanted to have your own X-wing like the one Luke Skywalker had.

A group of Star Wars enthusiasts from Russia felt the same way. Hailing from Yakutsk, Siberia, the team decided to build a life-size model of the legendary fighter, and it's a sight for sore eyes. 

Building a $5,000 X-wing 

Led by cosplay blogger Ayaal Fyodorov, the team built their own X-wing in three months with a budget of $5,000. They documented the whole process with time-lapse videos that show the six-member team working on the 42-foot (13-meter) aircraft where each piece was carefully built before their final assembly. To make it as close to the original X-wing as possible, the project team paid attention to smaller details. They even included a droid slot for R2-D2 in the build. Made out of plywood, the X-wing was placed in a park in Yakutsk where it will be on public display.

You can check out the end product in this Instagram video below.

 

 

 

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Speaking to Reuters about the project, model maker Ilya Burnashov said, “I think the main task here was to make our dreams come true because all [members] of our team are great Star Wars fans. It means a lot to see your dream come into real life. Also, to bring joy to people, now everybody can come here to the park, take pictures, touch it, see what it’s made of, and get some positive energy.”

This is not the first time the team built a life-size replica of a Star Wars aircraft, though. Earlier this year in March, the team built a model of Din Djarin's ship the Razor Crest from the popular spin-off series The Mandalorian. And they don't plan on stopping anytime soon. 

When asked if they'll be doing another build, project leader Ayaal Fyodorov told Reuters: “Our next project? Of course, our dream is to build the Millennium Falcon. We haven’t found sponsors yet, but if we do, we’ll make it. A life-size copy.” 

Judging by Millennium Falcon's size, their next project is bound to require more money and time than this X-wing build. And while we're talking ideas, we wonder what their take would be on building a 1:1 scale, walk-in Death Star?