LEGOLAND California snaps the last few pieces of its new Star Wars Miniland into place

Jim Hill

14 years ago

This is a very interesting time to be a Star Wars fan. What
with Darth Vader and the 501^st Legion making an appearance at the
Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month when Twentieth
Century Fox Home Entertainment revealed that the complete saga will be available
on Blu-ray starting in September.

Not to mention what's been going on at Cartoon Network these
past few Fridays. As "Star Wars: The
Clones Wars" – in a thrilling three parter – introduced Count Dooku's monstrous
new apprentice, Savage Opress. (FYI: The final installment of this story arc – "Witches
of the Mist" – airs this Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT).

And let's not overlook yesterday's big news. Which was that
the Disney's Hollywood Studios version of "Star Tours" – with its brand-new 3D ride
film – will be opening on May 20, 2011.

And speaking of 3D … Let's not forget that Lucasfilm Ltd. is
– even as we speak — converting the entire live-action Star Wars Saga into 3D.
Which is we should look for a newly dimensionally version of the first film in
this series — Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace
– to be released
theatrically in 2012.

But if you can't just wait for those 3D versions of "Star
Tours" & "Phantom Menace," may I suggest that you plan on making a trip to
Carlsbad, CA in March. Which is when LEGOLAND California will be opening its
brand-new Stars Wars Miniland.

For the past 13 months, eight model designers & two
animation electricians in LEGOLAND Deutschland have been assembling the roughly
2,000 LEGO Star Wars models that will be been in this all-new part of the park …

… which will be made up of seven 1:20 scale recreations of famous
scenes from the six live-action Star Wars films as well as a scene from the "Star
Wars: The Clone Wars" animated series.

Over 1.5 million LEGO bricks were used to build all of the
characters, vehicles and settings that will be on display on this Star Wars Miniland.
With LEGOLAND's Master Model Builders doing everything to create
authentic-looking recreations of those Scout Walkers that attacked the Ewoks on Endor in "Return of the Jedi" …

… not to mention the Imperial AT-ATs who marched towards the rebel base on the icy planet of Hoth in "The Empire Strikes Back."

Mind you, the highlight of LEGOLAND California's "A New Hope"
display will be a recreation of the spaceport at Mos Eisley on Tatooine. Which
will feature an impressive model of the Millennium Falcon.

Speaking of which, the crew in Carlsbad recently took
delivery of the Falcon. And if you thought that Han Solo did some impressive maneuvering
as he flew his spacecraft through that asteroid field in "Empire" … Well, wait 'til
you see what the Master Model Builders at LEGOLAND California had to do in
order to get this model version of the Millennium Falcon into place …

… carefully threading a forklift through that theme park's
narrow walkways …

… doing everything they could do to avoid having the Falcon
smash into some of LEGOLAND California's other elaborate displays.

I'm pleased to report that – though this trip was NOT made
at light speed — the model version of the Falcon did survive its harrowing
journey. Which initially started in Günzburg, Germany at LEGOLAND Deutschland and will end NOT " … a
long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." But – rather – in March of this year.
When LEGOLAND California finally opens its new Star Wars Miniland.

Your thoughts?