“Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
- jeanjohnson7
- Aug 8, 2023
- 3 min read
CLIO, Michigan — George Lucas spent $33 million to make “The Empire Strikes Back”
But it only took $400, a Vernors 20 oz., some hardware supplies and some Christmas lights for Craig and Scott Boyse to create an “Empire” diorama that apparently made quite an impression on the Star Wars master.
A Hasbro toys officials said Lucas was “really impressed” by the 25-year-old Clio man’s recreation of the scene where Han Solo is about to take a dip in a carbon freezing chamber.
The realistic miniature movie set earned the Clio brothers the top spot among 250 entrants in Hasbro’s recent Star Wars diorama contest, winning both the overall and fan favorite categories and the opportunity to have it displayed this spring at the Celebration 5 convention of Star Wars fans.
About the size of two set footlockers side by side, the diorama consists of 22 action figures, black spray-painted foam board walls, wooden dowel support beams, hundreds of Christmas lights, a pop bottle, plumbing equipment, light sockets, shoe laces, and a slew of other items.
“It’s fantastic,” said Hasbro’s Star Wars U.S. Marketing Manager Chad Donvito, who organized the contest. “Others in the building, and (George) Lucas were really impressed by it. ... While the other entries were good, Craig’s was light years ahead of the competition. It really stood out to us.”
When Craig Boyse, found out Lucas not only saw and approved of his “Empire” recreation, he was floored.
“To think George Lucas would actually see something I made — when I spend all my time seeing things he’s made — it’s unbelievable,” Craig Boyse said. “When you like something this much there’s a bit of idol worship that goes with the man who created it.”
The diorama depicts the scene opener as Han gets ready to be frozen and shipped to Jabba the Hut.
“It’s a dynamic scene with bottom lighting and smoke. So getting outer details was very complicated,” Scott Boyse said.
Work on the 3.34 inch scale diorama began in August and took a month to complete.
“The ceiling required lots of futuristic mechanical looking shapes so for that I went to Menards and bought lots of plumbing supplies,” Craig Boyse said. “I also used a Vernors soda bottle in there. My brother did a lot of the delicate details using wooden shapes including toothpicks.”
Craig Boyse said he spent more than 120 hours on the project with help from his brother, Scott, 24, who spent 70 hours on it.
One of the hardest parts was finding pictures from the movie that showed all the details they needed.
“There was a lot of planning and figuring out where everything was supposed to go,” said Craig Boyse. “There was also a lot of measuring against the action figures to make sure everything was to size.”
They two found out they won mid-November after they submitted four photos to the Hasbro contest in September.
The brothers have quite an extensive Star Wars collection.
The two have about 700 figures between them, while Craig has a replica of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber, original artwork from the art designers for Revenge of the Sith and autographs from all the major actors involved in the movies.
“It gets me major nerd respect,” he said.
The diorama earned the pair another $1000 worth of Star Wars merchandise to add to their collection but Craig Boyse is more excited about having his diorama displayed at Celebration 5’s yet-to-be announced location.
Craig Boyse and his brother have attended three Star Wars conventions, two in Indianapolis and one in Los Angeles.
“The conventions are just the coolest things in the world for a Star Wars fan, and I will never miss another one. Hasbro has had a gigantic presence at these previous conventions. ... I can’t believe that our diorama is going to be displayed with them at this convention. It’s just surreal that we will be a part of Hasbro at the next convention.”
Craig Boyse, who currently works with his brother at the Pottery Barn in Frankenmuth, said his dream is to work for Hasbro or Lucasfilm, and thinks this might get his foot in the door.
He said he’s glad he can be open about his passion for Star Wars, especially when some of his friends are still in the closet.
“I surround myself with others I can be normal around, so I don’t get much slack for liking it,” he said about his passion for the films.
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