Star Wars Fanatics Build Real-Life, Full-Sized Millennium Falcon [Video]

Nashville, TN – Star Wars fans from all over the planet are collaborating on the internet to construct a real-life, full-sized version of the original trilogy’s Millennium Falcon ship. One day, the crew behind the project will tell their grandchildren of the day they built a real Millennium Falcon “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away …”

A fan in Nashville, Tennessee came up with the project, dubbed The Full Scale Millennium Falcon Project. The idea is to crowd-source the building of the famous ship, making the ambitious project one that all fans can get in on. The project aims to build a full-scale Millennium Falcon replica, inside and out, minus functioning laser cannons and engine, of course.

The project started with an intricate 3D model created by college student Stinson Lenz. Based on that model, a project contributor in Alabama has already made the console of the craft, as well as one of its two laser cannons.

The ship’s resting place will be an 88-acrre plot of land purchased in Tennessee by the project’s founder, Chris Lee.

Rather than simply selling tickets to Star Wars geeks, Lee wants to use the project as a place to educate. He envisions holding workshops for students who want to learn how to weld, paint, or build projects of their own.

The BBC went to Nashville to catch up with the Millennium Falcon Project’s creators. You can watch the video report here.