LEGO has done much for the Star Wars franchise, introducing plenty of awesome sets for fans, and it’s amazing to see what some fans can do with them. While many classic Star Wars fans either dislike or outright hate the prequels, the LEGO sets for Episodes I-III (not to mention the video games) are pretty fantastic. The company hasn’t just focused on the newer films, though, since they’ve provided tons of sets based on the classic trilogy, including larger sets such as Star Destroyers and a Death Star to minifigs (aka LEGO men) representing much of the films’ cast. Photographer Avanaut puts many of these minifigs to use, along with a few other non-LEGO Star Wars toys, to create some absolutely stunning shots set on the ice planet Hoth.
His Flickr page has more examples of his work, including a 3D stereograph of one Hoth pic. There are far too many beautiful pictures to share in this post, however, so I’ve picked out some gems mostly from his Hoth gallery.
The first pic is from the equally-awesome Tattooine set, an extreme close-up of a Boba Fett minifig, making the diminutive toy really seem larger than life. The sand his legs are buried in, and which whips about in a storm, also serves to make the feared bounty hunter appear even more unstoppable.
The second depicts something we should have seen, but didn’t, in The Empire Strikes Back: a Snowtrooper pulling off some sweet moves on his skis. Really, what better place to host the Galactic Winter Olympics than Hoth?
Image three is a photograph taken from below, an Empire ground vehicle pilot standing in the snow while an AT-ST looms behind him, snow pouring onto the hapless pilot from the top of the imposing vehicle. Again, it’s amazing just how well the photography manages to make small LEGO people and structures seem the “correct” size, much like using miniature models in a film.
For the last picture, I had to choose this one of Darth Vader, his black uniform partially obscured by the white snowstorm. In my opinion, he was at his most menacing in The Empire Strikes Back, and the scene where he’s moving through the Rebel base on Hoth is quite tense, as the Big Bad has shown up in person to deal with the troublemakers. This picture in particular can go either way, making him appear just as imposing as he moves through the snow, not about to let a blizzard stop him from his goal. On the other hand, there’s so much snow fluttering about and caking his uniform that he could look stopped in his tracks, falling just a step short from stopping the Rebels before they escape the planet.
All in all, these photos are amazing, so be sure to check out the rest of his gallery for some Tattooine pics, Indiana Jones images, and other fantastic photography featuring toys and figures. For some beautiful images by other photographers, check out our earlier articles on Exploding Ice Cream Bars and Off-Duty Superheroes.
