Sometimes, I’m jealous of people who are good at making things with their hands. I’m clumsy, uncoordinated, and could generously be characterized as indoorsy. I’ll likely never be able to take a passion and turn it into a physical object, something to touch and pose with for pictures. But people like Kyle Gilbert can, and we’re luckier for it.
Kyle, as reported on by StarWars.com, is the creator of an impressive fan creation— a 17-foot-tall replica of an AT-AT Walker (or, at least, half of one), mounted to a wall as a piece of menacing installation art in his church. Made over the course of four weeks out of household materials, the replica is impressively authentic, with a sort of pure simplicity to the colors and design. It reminds me a bit of how AT-ATs look on Star Wars Rebels, actually.
“As people walked into the building, I wanted to do something that felt totally unpredictable and surprising,” he told StarWars.com. “AT-ATs have this huge and menacing feel to them—totally iconic.”
“I really had no idea how long it would take or even if we could actually pull it off like I had in my mind,” Gilbert said. “I had this thought that we could make it with a foam exterior and wooden frame, but I wasn’t sure it would actually work. When I mocked it up in Photoshop, I knew I had to try, despite the real potential of failing.”
Fortunately, it worked out, and now we can all marvel at his work, which he did with the help of a small community of other workers.
Maybe one of these days I’ll make a table or something.