Papercraft artist Bernard Szukiel has spent the last four years building an amazingly detailed papercraft version of the Millennium Falcon.
Update: Responding to my inquiries Mr. Szukiel stated his work on this model was inspired by his lifelong love of Star Wars. “The first time I watched Star Wars was in the early 80s. I fell in love with movie vehicles and spaceships,” he said. “I’m full of admiration for the graphic artists and modelers from those movie.”
Szukiel would go on to offer some deeper details about the construction of his Falcon. He confirmed that the massive bulk of the model is paper which, in total, weighs about 400 grams. The paper, he stated is sheathed over a frame built from 2 millimeter cardboard all of which he cut with scissors and a scalpel. The remainder of the model was built with glue, some wires and clamps, fiber optics and LEDs.
The Millennium Falcon, surprisingly, is actually his first completed papercraft model. While built over the past four years, the bulk of the major work was apparently done in the last six months. Now that it’s done he’s already moving on to a new project: a trio of 30″ papercraft AT-ATs which he hopes to finish in the space of a month. He also hopes to eventually build 1:1 scale recreations of R2-D2 and C-3PO.
Original Story:In the realm of science fiction there are few spaceships more beloved than the Millennium Falcon. Immediately recognizable, it’s perhaps the most iconic craft from the classic Star Wars trilogy and has remained a fan favorite for nearly four decades. Over the years those same fans have paid tribute to the ship in a number of ways, with some going as far as building full-scale recreations of the ship. Other fans meanwhile, have devoted their time to smaller projects that are no less impressive. Take Bernard Szukiel. A Polish model maker, he just recently finished work on an insanely detailed papercraft rendition of the Millennium Falcon.
Built over the course of four years and based on reference photos found on the internet, Szukiel’s model is 38-inches long and “99 [percent] made of paper.” The other one percent is likely composed of the fiber optics and LED lighting that he used to give his build a sense of further authenticity. Perhaps most impressive of all, Szukiel didn’t stop at just rebuilding the Falcon as it appears on the outside. In addition to crafting a paper exterior he also gave his ship a detailed cockpit and gunnery pods complete with fiber optic lighting.
Just speaking personally, my first reaction when I saw this and realized it was made out of paper was something along the lines of “no (insert expletive) way.” And honestly, the more I look at it the stronger that feeling gets. I might have been impressed by the cardboard Millennium Falcon that surfaced last year, but I’m floored by Szukiel’s papercraft model. Sincerely, how does one develop the patience to make something like this? Hoping to find out, I’ve reached out to Szukiel for more details. While we wait for his response, take a look at his work and let us know what you think.
Source: Starship Modeler
