It is a period of great excitement. After the announced of the major new Star Wars experience at Madame Tussauds London, a group of talented sculptors and set designers have continued to work on this project of galactic importance. The multi-million pound expansion, which is due to open on Saturday May 16th 2015, is being created in collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm and work is well underway bringing to life 16 of the film’ favourite heroes and villains, including Han Solo, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker.
Madame Tussauds London, to mark the release for the first tickets for the new experience that went on sale today, released images of early work in progress of these three figures which revealed startlingly accurate, perfect clay sculptures of some of the most beloved characters in film history. The clays will be used to make the moulds to create the figure’s final wax heads and when complete likenesses will be featured in a series of atmospheric walk-in sets, inspired by iconic Star Wars moments from Episodes I-VI.
Portrayed by his trademark maverick style, Han Solo will have a relaxed expression and lopsided grin. The finished figure will be featured in a scene from the famous cantina bar as he faces bounty hunter Greedo. With her head sculpted in accurate detail, Princess Leia will be portrayed as Jabba the Hutt’s prisoner, her design complete with massive gold hoop earrings, swept up hair, her facial expression of muted fury. Luke Skywalker’s own facial expression is one of intense concentration as his figure will feature in the pivotal final battle scene with his father.
The team creating the experience understand they have a responsibility to get it right, and Senior Sculptor Dave Burks, who is creating Luke Skywalker’s figure is a massive Star Wars fan. “I know if I get any aspect of this figure wrong, a generation of fans will have a lot to say about it, so it is a huge responsibility,” Dave commented, continuing on with, “I have loved the films since I first saw them as a child and would certainly describe myself as a major fan. I was delighted to be asked to sculpt Luke and to be involved in such a unique project is awesome. Luke has a great face for a sculptor – big eyes and very expressive – but we are aiming to inject a sense of the character too, so I’ve got to ensure there’s a certain intensity to him. His figure is featured in the final duel with Darth Vader when he’s a bit older and battle worn.”
These three heroes will be joined by others such as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywaler and Qui-Gon Jinn from Episodes I-III and villains like Darth Vader, Darth Maul and sinister Stormtroopers. Not only will guests be able to get close to their favourite film heroes as wax figures, they also be able to star alongside them as the experience recreates some of the most iconic scenes from some of the most famous films ever made.
The experience is a significant new expansion at Madame Tussauds London, opening up an entire new area across two floors of the iconic Baker Street site to provide a spectacular finale to the current visit.
The experience is due to open on Saturday May 16, 2015 - tickets are now on sale at www.madametussauds.com/london, where you can also find all the latest news and updates.
A similar experience will also open at Madame Tussauds Berlin in May featuring 11 Star Wars characters, but in different specially recreated scenes.
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