Tag Archives: Kevin J. Walter

Two friends do justice to one of Star Wars’ most iconic spaceships

Yes, I know Boba Fett’s version of the Slave 1 is a more iconic Star Wars ship but hear me out. We love it when a LEGO collaboration comes together with such amazing success and Kevin J. Walter and Hannes Tscharner team up once again to do justice for Jango Fett’s Slave 1. Technically this isn’t their first ride on the Slave 1 as they have teamed up before to build the more famous version. While the difficult groundwork was already done with their last one, aside from a recolor, this newer version features laser guns along the side panels and a remodeled interior to accommodate Jango Fett and his young son Boba.

Skywalter & Marshal Banana: Jango's Slave 1

The technical specs for this one include 5001 pieces, with a weight of 2447 grams or nearly 5.40 pounds. They tell us this won’t be their last collaboration and when a joint effort goes this well, we’re quite happy with that prospect.

Jangos Slave 1

A twosome of terrific Trek tech

Set your phasers to positively delighted because LEGO builder Kevin J. Walter has a duo of 1:1 scale Trek tech for you to dork out over. First up is a Tricorder used to sense data, record data, and analyze said data. Star Trek medics use special Tricorders to help diagnose diseases and collect bodily information about a patient while the engineering Tricorder is used for…well, engineering purposes. Captain Kirk mostly used his to categorize hot space babes that he made out with. I like the attention to detail here and it looks as if you can fold it up and stow it in your Star Trek uniform that somehow had no pockets.

Tricorder

Next is a Type II Phaser for shooting space baddies who were not cool with Captain Kirk or anyone else (especially Kirk) making out with their babes. Unless you count a smartphone and a taser, we have to wait a couple of centuries until we can have such cool tech. In the meantime, check out why Kevin J. Walter continues to impress us dorks with his masterful LEGO work.

Phaser Type II

This clock goes hoot-hoot instead of cuckoo

LEGO builder Kevin J. Walter has created this cute-looking cuckoo clock. Well, since there’s an owl there, maybe it isn’t technically a cuckoo clock… Do cuckoo clocks specifically need a cuckoo? Perhaps a hooting hourglass… No, it’s not technically an hourglass either. Thankfully Kevin’s creation is much more coherent than my raptor-related ramblings; it makes great use of minifigure legs as detailing. The repetition is great for replicating the intricate wooden carvings one might expect on such a venerable clock. Ditto for the pinecone counterweights at the bottom: the construction is fairly simple – cheese slopes around a studs-not-on-top core – but the effect is terrific, and again mimics skillful woodworking.

Cuckoo Clock

The detail I like the most though is the subtle tilt the clock has. Those counterweights and all that extra mechanism makes cuckoo clocks surprisingly heavy, so whenever I’ve seen one hanging on a wall they’ve been noticeably not flush. It’s a small detail, but it makes it feel so authentic.

Oh! I know, a Tytonidae timepiece! (You may need to look that up. I certainly did…)

This 5,000+ piece, 6+ pound Slave-1 is worth risking a disintegration for.

As Disney+’s The Book of Boba Fett comes to a close, it’s a fitting time to stop and take a look back to our first introduction of the bounty hunter who began our love affair with the Mandalorians – The Empire Strikes Back*. And who better to be our guide than Hannes “Marshal Banana” Tscharner? Hannes has previously brought us amazing renditions of other Star Wars vehicles like the Millennium Falcon and the Jawa Sandcrawler. But this time, Hannes teamed up with builder Kevin J. Walter aka Skywalter with the goal of creating the most accurate Slave-1 model ever built in LEGO. Kevin is no stranger to IP spaceship builds himself, and has previously wowed us with his Stargate and Star Trek work. The Slave 1 took the pair a year and a half to complete. But, like any bounty hunter worth the price, they delivered on their goal with stunning results. So, without further ado, let’s take a tour of this Empire-era Firespray-31.

Skywalter & Marshal Banana: Boba's Slave 1

*Yes, I know that Boba technically first appeared in the Holiday Special. But that’s not canon. Just click here to see the ship. Geez.

Stargate alien overlords travel in style

We all know that aliens built the great pyramids, which we learned by watching Stargate. And while the sight of a golden pyramid slowly drifting down to earth to land amidst thousands of worshipers is something to remember, seeing one in orbit, surrounded by a massive black lattice is even more memorable. Kevin J. Walter is a true believer and has recreated a Goa’uld mothership and its outer frame with surprising details at this small-ish scale. The outer structure is covered in a variety of tiles and curves of all shapes and sizes, and the pyramid itself is very accurate to its source materials.

Goa'uld Ha'tak V2.0 (2019)

Incredibly accurate U.S.S. Enterprise built from LEGO

There are many amazing Star Trek LEGO creations out there, as can be seen in our Star Trek archives. One would expect a proportional amount of average creations in the theme, but they seem to be very scarce, as if Star Trek attracts great builders like a magnet. Today’s magnetically charged builder is Kevin J. Walter, whom you might remember as the builder of a certain huge and nearly perfect Klingon Bird of Prey.

NCC-1701-A - U.S.S. Enterprise [Refit]

The build is stunning, capturing the shape of the iconic starship (especially the saucer!) perfectly, while simultaneously packing a lot of cool details. All the complex angles are done so cleanly, one would imagine the bricks were made for them. There is a moderate amount of photoshop included as well, notably the lit windows and the deflector. And if you want to put it into some context, here is a photo of the Enterprise encountering Kevin’s Bird of Prey.

NCC-1701-A - U.S.S. Enterprise [Refit]