Captain Needa's Shuttle from ESB

GKvfx

Background -
While at Wonderfest, a conversation wandered around to "what's left" in terms of studio scale models from the Star Wars films (and by "Star Wars films", we are referring to the OT). For some reason, Captain Needa's shuttle popped up a couple of times. It's seen in exactly one shot in the film and is overshadowed by Vader's line, "Apology accepted, Captain Needa" in the next shot.

But what was it? It's was a model, not a photograph because it changes perspective. But who built it? Out of what? This is pretty much all we have to go on -


About the only thing that can be discerned from the screengrab are the reversed DV TIE wings from the same MPC kit that the TIE Bomber used.



As for what's in between the wings - impossible to tell from the screengrab. As Jason said at Wonderfest, "It could be a potato in there for all we know." Lorne Peterson and Pat McClung were of no help because neither of them could remember the model, let alone who built it. (Pat did build the Probe Droid Escape Pod in the span of a day off of a quick concept sketch by Joe Johnston, but didn't work on Needa's shuttle.) And to my knowledge, it's not in any of the photos of the mass of models that people are surrounded by in various books.

I did some additional research and came across this, a storyboard -


Cropped -


OK, not the most detailed sketch ever, but it does seem to confirm a couple of things - reversed wings and (likely) the double cylinders of the TIE Bomber. (For all we know, they could have just popped off the wings that were on the TIE Bomber, reversed them, and called it done....)

We found out at Wonderfest that Joe Johnston had a habit of updating the storyboards as the show progressed. Boards were redrawn to reflect the elements and plates that were filmed. That's why the final shots look so close to the storyboards..... hmmm. This board has an "Added 9/26/79" notation, along with another note indicating that the Star Destroyer was shot facing left to right. So, it may be that they built the thing as boarded.

The model -
Since I have a stash of DV TIE kits for another project (the Vulcan Shuttle from ST:TMP uses a lot of parts from the DV TIE), I decided to do a (hopefully) quick kitbash on the subject. I'm trying to remain true to the nature of the original, treating it as a kitbash out of available parts with nothing too fancy thrown into the mix. Due to the prices on some of the usual studio scale donor kits, I'm trying to use up other kit parts instead and save the "good stuff" for other projects that have better reference. (Hence the use of the Monogram Saturn V, not the Airfix, etc.)

The main body tubes are the third stages from a couple of Monogram Saturn V rockets -


The gray ring around the back end is a trimmed 1/48th Gemini capsule part -


Since the wings had to be reversed, I decided to sand off all of the detail off of the middle section of the wing panel, since the outside would now be the inside -

Total PITA, by the way. Should have just covered it with sheet styrene of some sort.

I'm still working on how to mount the wings to the body and all the various proportions, but this gives you an idea -


More to post soon.

Gene

PS - Jason is working on one of these too, so we may see a couple of different takes on the concept..............

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NakedBrain

That is sooo cool, Gene!

Admirable attempt considering what you're starting with. Can't wait to see what you come up with for the wing attachments...

Tim

moffeaton

Glad you posted all that Gene - looking good, too! Yeah, I'm taking the "unnecessarily complicated road" - scoring and rebending the angles on my wings. So much work...

Falk

... Finally

click & click

Thanks Gene & Jason!

ralphee

You GO guys lol. Awesome idea. Wanted to mention, ill have to check the page number again in the AM for you, but in the recent "making of" book, there is a twin boom hull laying on a shelf in the workshop, not sure if it was this prop, or, one of the TESB fleet "potato" builds.

Have to say, call me a rip off lol, but id sure be interested in following your leads, you know i love these fast and dirty ESB props J.

lee

moffeaton

Lee, I've ripped you off so many times... just wait until I get around to a Probe Droid, man! Heh. I for one woudl LOVE to see what you come up with!

Falk - it's all your fault!

Scott Graham

Cool project guys! Seeing how people are ID'ing based on ultra blurry pics elsewhere here, this might actually be somewhat accurate at some point. Does anyone else see what might be spheres on the outside of the wings in that one blurry pic? It looks like it might be casting a shadow.

moffeaton

Scott, you're gonna make the baby jesus cry with that talk!! There's no way I'm not having fun with this one and I hereby refuse to start squinting at blobs in screencaps - going the Gene route, and playing it free and loose and eaaaaaaasy. Heh. (lest I go mad, again, with accuracy)

Heck, I have some .80 styrene I could use and make some "DELICATE" raised panels - really bugger it up and Al Wongify the design!

GKvfx

Well, that's the whole idea behind this - the absence of good reference gives me a certain amount of license to make stuff up. I'm trying to stay kinda close to the late 70's era by not using modern kit parts (like Gundam or resin stuff). I guess you can say I'm thinking "What would Lorne do?" .

And it is a studio scale replica cuz I'm using old LED's, just like the TIE Bomber did -


Gene

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Jeez, look at all the Entex 1/8 Porsche parts on that thing. Sure sucks to be you....

moffeaton

Ooo lemme know - just looked through my copy and didn't spot it - my eyes are going. lol!

moffeaton

You're the devil.

Scott Graham

I expect seven, Almar, and black pig to come busting into this thread any moment with parts overlays and IDs based on the 5x5 pixel image

moffeaton

Haha, too true - those guys are machines. GANBATTE!

Falk

I know... I feel honored nevertheless, Sir Jason.

CessnaDriver

Since it's bomber based, but is a personal shuttle, maybe it would have two cockpit windows to differentiate it from the bomber.

clancampbell

Always wondered what that shuttle was......there must be someone out there with a half decent pic. Looking forward to seeing progress on this!

Rich

ralphee

Always felt that was actually the inner hub of the Bomber, now on the outside due to ILM swapping round the wings to create a quick, easy and different looking ship on film.
Not sure that would wash though, as another part of me, does feel they DID build a fast dirty prop for the shot.

Jason, ill dig the book out in a lil' bit, but dont get any high hopes, its an awful and tiny pic, but i do spend a bit of time looking at these silly pics with shelves in the background lol.

Gene, love the Saturn V body route, i think thats how they may have gone, using anything easy that came to hand, and they had buckets of to spare.

lee

ralphee

Well, the design harks back to ANH, in the ANH sketchbook, it depicts a TIE boarding craft, that eventually became the Bomber for TESB.
Theres a few ideas on the sketch that could be used though for this prop.

lee

ralphee

Page 56 in the Making of Empire. Its a useless pic lol, but there is s shot in the top right, of Berg toying with the ATAT armature.
On the back shelf, there is a build of some sort, with a centre pylon, and two "hulls".
Could be a Dumbell for all i know lol, could be a couple of Y wing engines, but thats how i waste hours now, looking at silly pics like this and thinking....hmmmm .

lee

qcfoundry

thats how i made my base for my chicken. used the studio/era appropriate kits...and tried to convey the look.

next WF, i'll be sporting bracelets with "WWLD". the bracelets will be made of F1 tires (like the chicken neck) along with other donor bits. find the interest thread in the JY (j/k)

Sith_241

It looks like a moonbus model to me

portland182

Well, according to this

TIE/sh shuttle - Wookieepedia, the Star Wars Wiki

it IS a tie bomber...

and here's a picture

http://www.stardestroyer.net/mrwong/...hp/TIE_fighter

Jim

ralphee

Ah, its on Wiki, gotta be true then .

lee

portland182

Well yes, you do have a point.

And the photo?