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Russian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First Ship

I saw my first Star Wars movie around 1995. I was six at the time, and Episode IV was being broadcast on TV. I was instantly hooked and I dreamt about one day going into space myself. I loved the TIE-Fighters, but I wanted the X-Wings to prevail. And while many people complained about Episode I years later, I enjoyed that even more.
Russian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First Ship 28 photos
Photo: just.ayaal
Russian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First ShipRussian Star Wars Fans Built an X-Wing, This Isn't Their First Ship
I've had a strong Star Wars phase for the next 20 or so years. I kind of went out of it for a while after re-reading "Dune." As Frank Herbert's book felt monumental to me, I was angry that Star Wars had borrowed so many ideas from it. But after recently seeing the 2021 movie version of the aforementioned book, by Dennis Villeneuve, I felt that it didn't get to me as Star Wars managed to do so before.

Your Focus Determines Your Reality

I'm not a big fan of the newer Disney releases, although I didn't skip a single episode of the "Mandalorian." And, if you'll remember, earlier this year Mando's ship popped up in Russia. It wasn't the actual ship from the series, but a replica that was built by a 28-year-old guy named Ayaal from Yakutsk. Located in Eastern Russia, this city is closer to Fairbanks, Alaska, than it is to Moscow, Russia's capital.

Now, Ayaal has been a big cosplay fan ever since he was 11. He was so determined to build the "Razor Crest," that he even sold his car to accomplish that dream. And ever since I talked to him back in March, I knew that at one point he's going to finish another ambitious project. It just so happens that he recently contacted me, showing me pictures of his newly built X-Wing!

Russian Star Wars Fans Built an X\-Wing, This Isn't Their First Ship
Photo: just.ayaal
I was curious as to why Ayaal and his team decided on building this ship next, and the answer is quite simple. They were planning on shooting a fan video of Luke Skywalker meeting up with the Mandalorian. Judging by the harsh Siberian winters in the region, the background may have reminded fans of the icy planet of Hoth. They started work on the replica in July and had an old-fashioned approach to the whole thing.

Patience You Must Have!

They found photos for every angle of the ship, and started converting from millimeters to centimeters and so on until they calculated its real-life size. All in all, it took them 3 months to build it from the ground up. That's slightly faster compared to the "Razor Crest," which took them about 5 months in total. "This time we took into account all the mistakes encountered when building the first ship, and everyone knew what to do," said Ayaal.

I guess that with the right team and proper funding, their next project is going to be finished even faster. Building the "skeleton" of the ship was the first part. They used a bunch of different materials including mostly wood, glass, metal, plastic, and water pipes. But their initial project went further than just building the ship, as they made several costumes: Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and R2-D2 are all there.

Russian Star Wars Fans Built an X\-Wing, This Isn't Their First Ship
Photo: just.ayaal
Six people were working on the build: Kolya, Ivan, Dima, Arsen, and Ayaal were responsible for the actual build and the props, while Vanya was the man behind the lens, documenting the journey. I was also curious how much they had spent on the project: just under $6,000. Of course, this only includes the rent for the workshop and the cost of the materials.

I was curious to know what the most difficult part of the assembly was. It seems like the small workspace was an issue, and they had to build the ship piece by piece. There were 17 pieces: 1 hull, four wings, four large engines, and four blasters. Taking the ship out of the workshop was not an easy task, but the team brought in more people to assist with the process.

So far, Pedro Pascal's understudy is the only official Star Wars cast member to comment on the team's work. During the construction of the "Razor Crest," he sent Ayaal a message stating "This is the way". The team told me that they would love to build the "Millenium Falcon" next if they can get the budget for it. With all their ideas, in a few years from now, they could put on a real Cosplay festival for Star Wars fans.



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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
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The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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