2-Story Star Wars Replica Is Big Halloween Hit

'I was amazed; it's actually the size of their house'
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 19, 2017 7:46 PM CDT
2-Story Star Wars Replica Is Big Halloween Hit
This Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017 photo shows a replica four-legged All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT walker in Parma, Ohio.   (Patrick Cooley/The Plain Dealer-Cleveland.com via AP)

A two-story, Star Wars-inspired Halloween yard display in Ohio is enticing kids to get toy lightsabers and attracting hundreds of visitors from across the state, the AP reports. Elevator mechanic Nick Meyer, 39, spent about $1,500 and 10 hours a weekend for half a year to build a replica of the four-legged All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT walker. He built it with his carpenter friend Anthony Paroda, and it's been such a success that spectators are donating money for them to build another display next year. At 19 feet, the replica is nearly as tall as Meyer's home in Parma, a Cleveland suburb. The cockpit of the AT-AT walker is outfitted with lights that glow red at night, and a mannequin fashioned to resemble a "Star Wars" Stormtrooper soldier stands guard in front.

Meyer said he built it with plywood, hard foam, and plastic barrels and based the design off a toy he bought online. "We're both pretty crafty, but it's not rocket science," Meyer said. "You just gotta be willing to do it." Local media attention catapulted the display into fame, drawing droves of visitors from dawn to dusk. At least three dozen spectators drove by to gawk and take selfies one Wednesday afternoon. Among them was Nicole Drake, 26, who was on her way home from work when the replica caught her eye. "I just had to stop by," Drake said. "I was amazed. It's actually the size of their house." Meyer and his wife, Becky, say Halloween is their favorite holiday. He said he has built attention-grabbing Halloween displays for six years running.

(More Halloween stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X