Modelmaker harnesses the force to create Star Wars characters

PASTOR Brian Smith says that he likes to make stuff.

The Star Wars fan, with a computer programming and electrical background, has made life-size, screen-accurate models of an R2D2, BB8, a Pit droid and an MSC-6 Mouse droid in his garage.

The modelmakers’ community

Smith is part of an online model-makers community.

“A lot of these robots are CGI in the movies, so they’re not even real. The Pit droid folds up, it compacts down and sits on the floor when you hit it on the nose. The question becomes how you can make this thing real that’s not even real in the movie? The online community approaches this with ingenuity. A Star Wars movie will come out with a new character, and within a few days, a group will start on FB. Then they start sharing ideas – what size do you think it is, how does it move, how does it roll, how do you get the head to turn?” says Smith.

The model-maker belongs to four different builders’ clubs – the Mouse Droid Builders, Pit Droid Builders, BB8 Builders and the R2D2 Builders clubs.

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Smith took five years to build his R2D2. He made everything by hand, except for the dome and he used wood, polystyrene, and aluminium in the construction.

“You can get the exact measurements through the online community. In the States, you can buy parts with which you can assemble your model. Now, with the advent of 3D printing, you can buy a set of plans and just print it off,” says Smith.

“Everything is to scale on the outside. On the inside is a sound board, amplifier, computer, and microcomputer. It drives and makes a sound. You can download the original sound from the internet. They all do stuff,” he says.
Smith is a fan of science fiction, pop culture and the Comic Con phenomenon.

He says, “I focus on Star Wars as I have a passion for it from when I saw the original movie on the big screen in 1977. The creativity and innovation George Lucas brought to science fiction is incredible. I have always had a fascination with robots and have built many over the years, my first in Grade Eleven.”

Models help people connect

Smith is a pastor at a Hillcrest church and says that his R2D2 model is helpful in connecting with people.

“I don’t use him much in my role as a pastor. He has been to one of our Children’s Holiday Clubs in the past. The amazing thing with my R2D2 model is that if I am at an event, people of all ages connect with him. Older people know him from their childhood, and younger people have also been exposed to him.”

According to Smith’s knowledge, his mobile R2D2 model is unique in the country.

“I know of one static R2D2 in a comic bookshop in Johannesburg – I don’t know how many others there are here. You can buy them at Disney World in the States for approximately $25 000. Mine is screen-accurate; there’s a lot of weathering on the robots in the movie. People analyse it and copy it exactly. If there’s a panel missing or it’s a little skew because the wheel fell off, that will be copied. When the model is made, it looks pristine, and then they make it old and bedraggled to match up with the screen version,” Smith says.

Making models in this way is time- and labour-intensive, taking even longer for Smith as he works on his hobby in his leisure time. It took Smith two months to complete the mouse droid, six months to make the pit droid, and he has stalled with the BB8.

“I’m not finished the BB8 as I’m stuck on how it will move. So, then I made two other droids, and I’ve started to build a car, while I think it through,” he says.

What are the benefits of a creative pursuit?

Smith says that building and fixing things has become an important creative outlet for him.

“I work with people all the time, so this hobby is my retreat. Now and then, in the evening, I potter around in the garage. This is where I have found my creative outlet,” he says.

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