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Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop
The Star Wars films have provided some of the most iconic images in modern filmmaking - from the incredible shot of the Imperial Star Destroyer that opened the first film in 1977 to the Podrace in The Phantom Menace and the epic battle on the volcanic world of Mustafar in Revenge of the Sith. In each of these cases, and literally hundreds more, the model-making wizards of Industrial Light & Magic were instrumental in creating a universe full of glorious, heart-pounding illusions.
In Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop, Lorne Peterson, one of the founding members of ILM, takes the reader on a journey through thirty years of incredible adventures, telling never-before-published stories, explaining how classic scenes were created, and how beloved models were - often from the most unexpected of parts and ingredients. Paint buckets, model car parts, and walnut shells play important roles, alongside high-tech lasers and computer graphics, in creating the familiar yet fantastic components of a galaxy far, far away.
Lavishly illustrated with more than 300 full-color photographs from the Lucasfilm Archives, this book provides an unparalleled look behind the scenes of a place that really has created magic. Lorne Peterson's warm, evocative voice and dedication to his craft inform every page, making this not just a stunning visual piece, but an epic history in its own right.
In Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop, Lorne Peterson, one of the founding members of ILM, takes the reader on a journey through thirty years of incredible adventures, telling never-before-published stories, explaining how classic scenes were created, and how beloved models were - often from the most unexpected of parts and ingredients. Paint buckets, model car parts, and walnut shells play important roles, alongside high-tech lasers and computer graphics, in creating the familiar yet fantastic components of a galaxy far, far away.
Lavishly illustrated with more than 300 full-color photographs from the Lucasfilm Archives, this book provides an unparalleled look behind the scenes of a place that really has created magic. Lorne Peterson's warm, evocative voice and dedication to his craft inform every page, making this not just a stunning visual piece, but an epic history in its own right.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published November 14, 2006
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134 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 7, 2017
Nicely written, superbly illustrated, exceptionally printed. A collector's item. Recommended.
September 4, 2019
Originally published online at BORG.com.
We’ve reviewed dozens of books here at borg.com about the filmmaking process. Great books like Special Effects: The History and Technique, and movie-specific, behind the scenes masterpieces like Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars Limited Edition and Star Wars Frames. More books have been written about Star Wars than most films, and accounts like Roger Christian’s Cinema Alchemist: Designing Star Wars and Alien really take fans back to 1976 and 1977 to learn how such an important series of films began. With this week’s announcement from Disney that we can look forward to Star Wars spinoffs into the 2030s, the franchise has never had greater worldwide appeal. One superb account of the Star Wars filmmaking process we have not yet discussed is Lorne Peterson’s Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop Limited Edition, originally published in 2005, still available from Insight Editions in both its standard and deluxe format.
Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop is the ultimate look at the making of Star Wars models by Lorne Peterson (shown above), about the fantasy worldbuilding work of Peterson and his peers at Industrial Light & Magic from Star Wars: A New Hope through the prequel trilogy. More than half of this deluxe hardcover book features ships and other vehicles–large, full color photographs (more than 300), and many gatefolds, with sections on each major ship and nearly every minor ship and vehicle created in both 1:1 and small scale for the original trilogy and early prequels, plus those creations digitally rendered by ILM for the later prequel films. ILM co-founder Peterson provides the creative vision behind each ship–like the fact the Rebel Blockade Runner was originally designed as the Millennium Falcon and why it was changed into its now famous form. Many of the final models were the product of kitbashing–using parts from model kits of the day like car engines and World War II German tank components to create a look of tangible reality to the construction of the Star Wars galaxy, similar to the method of using “found” items for production used by Roger Christian to create sets and props for the original film.
Peterson also looks at set models created for many environments needed for the six films, plus those creatures and robots ILM worked on for the series. Diehard fans will appreciate references to paint colors used, and sources for components for various ILM creations, including blood for the Tatooine Cantina scene and full views of the escape pod that R2-D2 and C-3PO used to get there. Anecdotes like the fact that ILM used modifed Six Million Dollar Man action figures in the seats of many vehicles make this book a fun read. (Guess who really drove the Landspeeder in its original trip to Mos Eisley!). Those who may not be fans of the prequels will no doubt appreciate the artistry behind creating the vehicles and sets for the film, shown scattered throughout the pages of the original trilogy in a way that creates its own comprehensive history. Boba Fett’s Slave 1, the Imperial Probe Droid, AT-ATs, extensive coverage of the Millennium Falcon, the Death Stars, the Star Destroyers (including the unused prototype), the Naboo Rebel Starship, X-Wings, A-Wings, B-Wings, TIE Fighters, and the Landspeeder–all the models fans want to see can be found here.
The standard edition of Sculpting a Galaxy includes a preface by George Lucas, a foreword by Rick McCallum, and an afterword by Phil Tippett. It is available at Amazon, and usually sells for around $50, but for the ultimate version you may want to check out the Sculpting a Galaxy Limited Edition, signed by Peterson and limited to 3,000 copies. The Limited Edition is a grand, hefty, unique collectible, including a replica of the top of the rear section of the Millennium Falcon integrated into a sturdy and elegant clamshell display box. Still listed as a current product at Insight Editions, throughout the past 12 years it can be found at Amazon as well from time to time.
In addition to the standard book edition, the Limited Edition includes plenty of extras to justify the high-end collectible pricetag (usually $395 and up): Seven hand-painted reproductions of the Death Star surface panels molded by Lorne Peterson; a re-created edition of the lost version of the Landspeeder with Luke, Ben, and the droids, and a reflective stand to simulate a floating effect; a DVD of documentaries and behind the scenes images; accordion foldouts of ship cutouts; five gatefolds not found in the standard edition; four perforated postcard sheets; From Putty to Pixels book; a booklet describing the white model process; a foldout of ILM creatures; and a booklet about the ILM model shop–all storable in the 16″ X 11.75″ X “5 display box.
A companion collectible to Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars Limited Edition and Star Wars Frames, featuring valuable information for fans of the original Star Wars trilogy and the prequel trilogy and anyone interested in the movie model design and modelmaking process, Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop should be considered a must-read.
We’ve reviewed dozens of books here at borg.com about the filmmaking process. Great books like Special Effects: The History and Technique, and movie-specific, behind the scenes masterpieces like Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars Limited Edition and Star Wars Frames. More books have been written about Star Wars than most films, and accounts like Roger Christian’s Cinema Alchemist: Designing Star Wars and Alien really take fans back to 1976 and 1977 to learn how such an important series of films began. With this week’s announcement from Disney that we can look forward to Star Wars spinoffs into the 2030s, the franchise has never had greater worldwide appeal. One superb account of the Star Wars filmmaking process we have not yet discussed is Lorne Peterson’s Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop Limited Edition, originally published in 2005, still available from Insight Editions in both its standard and deluxe format.
Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop is the ultimate look at the making of Star Wars models by Lorne Peterson (shown above), about the fantasy worldbuilding work of Peterson and his peers at Industrial Light & Magic from Star Wars: A New Hope through the prequel trilogy. More than half of this deluxe hardcover book features ships and other vehicles–large, full color photographs (more than 300), and many gatefolds, with sections on each major ship and nearly every minor ship and vehicle created in both 1:1 and small scale for the original trilogy and early prequels, plus those creations digitally rendered by ILM for the later prequel films. ILM co-founder Peterson provides the creative vision behind each ship–like the fact the Rebel Blockade Runner was originally designed as the Millennium Falcon and why it was changed into its now famous form. Many of the final models were the product of kitbashing–using parts from model kits of the day like car engines and World War II German tank components to create a look of tangible reality to the construction of the Star Wars galaxy, similar to the method of using “found” items for production used by Roger Christian to create sets and props for the original film.
Peterson also looks at set models created for many environments needed for the six films, plus those creatures and robots ILM worked on for the series. Diehard fans will appreciate references to paint colors used, and sources for components for various ILM creations, including blood for the Tatooine Cantina scene and full views of the escape pod that R2-D2 and C-3PO used to get there. Anecdotes like the fact that ILM used modifed Six Million Dollar Man action figures in the seats of many vehicles make this book a fun read. (Guess who really drove the Landspeeder in its original trip to Mos Eisley!). Those who may not be fans of the prequels will no doubt appreciate the artistry behind creating the vehicles and sets for the film, shown scattered throughout the pages of the original trilogy in a way that creates its own comprehensive history. Boba Fett’s Slave 1, the Imperial Probe Droid, AT-ATs, extensive coverage of the Millennium Falcon, the Death Stars, the Star Destroyers (including the unused prototype), the Naboo Rebel Starship, X-Wings, A-Wings, B-Wings, TIE Fighters, and the Landspeeder–all the models fans want to see can be found here.
The standard edition of Sculpting a Galaxy includes a preface by George Lucas, a foreword by Rick McCallum, and an afterword by Phil Tippett. It is available at Amazon, and usually sells for around $50, but for the ultimate version you may want to check out the Sculpting a Galaxy Limited Edition, signed by Peterson and limited to 3,000 copies. The Limited Edition is a grand, hefty, unique collectible, including a replica of the top of the rear section of the Millennium Falcon integrated into a sturdy and elegant clamshell display box. Still listed as a current product at Insight Editions, throughout the past 12 years it can be found at Amazon as well from time to time.
In addition to the standard book edition, the Limited Edition includes plenty of extras to justify the high-end collectible pricetag (usually $395 and up): Seven hand-painted reproductions of the Death Star surface panels molded by Lorne Peterson; a re-created edition of the lost version of the Landspeeder with Luke, Ben, and the droids, and a reflective stand to simulate a floating effect; a DVD of documentaries and behind the scenes images; accordion foldouts of ship cutouts; five gatefolds not found in the standard edition; four perforated postcard sheets; From Putty to Pixels book; a booklet describing the white model process; a foldout of ILM creatures; and a booklet about the ILM model shop–all storable in the 16″ X 11.75″ X “5 display box.
A companion collectible to Dressing a Galaxy: The Costumes of Star Wars Limited Edition and Star Wars Frames, featuring valuable information for fans of the original Star Wars trilogy and the prequel trilogy and anyone interested in the movie model design and modelmaking process, Sculpting a Galaxy: Inside the Star Wars Model Shop should be considered a must-read.
December 5, 2012
(Picture source: parkablogs.com)
Fans of Star Wars, particularly model collectors will love this book. This book is however not a book featuring collectibles. This is a compilation of hundreds of photos models of ships and sets that were used throughout the Star Wars movies.
There are four main chapters: 1. Starships, 2. Vehicles, 3. Creatures, droids and sculpts, 4. Environment.
The photos included are extremely high quality and many are close ups for details. The level of detail and workmanship is amazing when you're looking at it close up. I can also touch them.
Fans will find almost everything, from the Imperial Star Destroyer, Padme Amidala's Apartment, Holographic Chess Game, just to name a few.
If you've been to Star Wars exhibitions, you'll know that photography isn't allowed. Well, this book is the next best thing to the exhibition. Wait a minute — so that's why photography isn't allowed.
This is a well constructed hard covered book with great binding and high quality semi gloss paper.
This review was first published on parkablogs.com. There are more pictures and videos on my blog.
February 11, 2016
The Star Wars films are a part of world culture, beloved by billions. We know the movies so well and we recognize so many touchstones from the movies that we often forget what went into making these classics. Well, this book is meant to let the fans into the step-by-step processes of Industrial Light & Magic's model shop. We are given all the secrets, details, and insider information that the men and women of ILM used to make everything from vehicles, droids, aliens, and their home planets.
It's a doozy of geek-tastic information with lots of detailed, beautiful pictures encompassing all 6 films. Yes, I know there is now a 7th movie, but this book came out before The Force Awakens. I think you really have to be a fanatic for these films to enjoy this book because there is a lot of minutiae about model kits, kit bashing, painting, sculpting, building to scale, etc. I do wish we had gotten to meet some of these men and women more intimately to understand their thought processes and creative juices, but I guess that will be for a later book.
This is a nice coffee table book to add to one's Star Wars collection. I'm certainly glad it's on my bookshelf.
It's a doozy of geek-tastic information with lots of detailed, beautiful pictures encompassing all 6 films. Yes, I know there is now a 7th movie, but this book came out before The Force Awakens. I think you really have to be a fanatic for these films to enjoy this book because there is a lot of minutiae about model kits, kit bashing, painting, sculpting, building to scale, etc. I do wish we had gotten to meet some of these men and women more intimately to understand their thought processes and creative juices, but I guess that will be for a later book.
This is a nice coffee table book to add to one's Star Wars collection. I'm certainly glad it's on my bookshelf.
January 31, 2013
Extreme closeups and HQ photos of classic Star Wars models. They're all here - the original TIE figters, X-Wings, Star Destroyers, Millennium Falcon, Death Star, Imperial Shuttle and much more . Yes, the exact same ones that were used in the movies! The stories of their creation, rise to prominence and the people involved. Had this been all the book was about, I'd give it a full fives stars.
However the second part of the book deals with locations, creatures and most disappointingly of all - the prequel models. As we all well know, the prequels were not up to snuff by a long stretch and neither is anything connected to them of much interest to a classic Star Wars fan. The models are of a much lower artistic quality plus most of them were not even used in the movies (they were only scanned to be reproduced digitally - what a bore). Thus the second part of the book is just dead weight attached to the superb first part and thus drags the original five star rating down to four. Still recommended but only if you can live with prequel stuff taking up precious space on your bookshelf.
However the second part of the book deals with locations, creatures and most disappointingly of all - the prequel models. As we all well know, the prequels were not up to snuff by a long stretch and neither is anything connected to them of much interest to a classic Star Wars fan. The models are of a much lower artistic quality plus most of them were not even used in the movies (they were only scanned to be reproduced digitally - what a bore). Thus the second part of the book is just dead weight attached to the superb first part and thus drags the original five star rating down to four. Still recommended but only if you can live with prequel stuff taking up precious space on your bookshelf.
August 29, 2012
What a wonderful book. It is full of large, detailed photos that give you a close up look of the models used to make the movies. It is great for anyone like me that really loves Star Wars. You also get to learn about the process of making the models, and how they did some of the special effects and filmed the scenes. It's really interesting and a great package overall.
February 20, 2017
Informative text (though a good proof-read wouldn't have gone amiss), but the photographs sell this book - incredible images from the entire history of the Star Wars film series. A beautiful book.
May 16, 2010
YO DO YOU LIKE STAR WARS? DO YOU LIKE PICTURES? YOU'LL LIKE THIS BOOK.
March 31, 2017
Excellent book! Beautiful pictures of several of the models and miniatures from the classic trilogy and the prequels. Interesting behind the scenes stories and info! Awesome resource for anyone building Star Wars models!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews