These 'Star Wars' Sand Sculptures in Japan Are Huge and Super-Detailed
Sand ‘Star Wars’ carvings at the Tottori Sand Dune Museum (Getty Images)
The coolest Star Wars creation to rise out of the sand since the Sarlacc isn’t on Tattooine or even the new desert planet of Jakku, but in the small Japanese city of Tottori.
Late last week, sand artist Katsuhiko Chaen crafted this ginormous The Force Awakens sculpture in the parking lot of Tottori’s famous sand dunes, located on the western coast of the island nation. Chaen, who is the producer of the city’s sand museum (a real thing!), really outdid himself: The sculpture, made out of 160 tons of sand, is absolutely massive, standing 11.15 feet tall, 22.4 meters long, and 13.78 meters wide. The display opened on October 8th, with a ceremony that included First Order Stormtroopers.
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Even more impressive is the nuance chiseled into each of the figures that Chaen blasted and carved. Most prominent are everyone’s favorite droids, C-3PO and R2-D2, which each feature minor details down to the fine wires and vents. He also got BB-8 in there, because that little ball of fun seems poised to be the big breakout character of The Force Awakens.
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As you can see in the wider photos, the background boasts several iconic Star Wars vehicles, including X-Wings, TIE fighters, and the Millennium Falcon. And though this massive sculpture looks fragile — after all, it’s made of sand — the plan is for it to stand through the end of December, so that it can ring in the release of The Force Awakens, which hits theaters on Dec. 18.
