X-Wing at Air and Space Museum

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mtnmanak

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Apologies if this was posted before, but I was at the Air and Space Museum this week and saw that they are restoring/prepping a full sized X-Wing for display at the museum in "early 2022". It is currently in the restoration hanger in Virginia. It is one of the models from the "Rise of Skywalker" set. Very cool!

PXL_20210615_194236570.jpg
 
I wonder how fragile it is? I imagine most of it is Styrofoam and cardboard.



It wouldn't be the same if it didn't look like my 1978 X-wing. I wonder how hard it was to get the replacement stickers...



Unfortunately, they didn't have much info at the viewing window, just a sign that said which movie it was from and when they plan to put it on display.

However, now that I am home, I did a quick search on their site and they do have a little more info:

https://airandspace.si.edu/newsroom...-museum-welcomes-star-wars-x-wing-starfighter
The site mentions that the X-Wing will end up "outside the Albert Einstein Planetarium". The Planetarium is a separate building from the main museum, so it could be interpreted as the X-Wing will literally be outside. If that is the case, maybe it is made of more than foam and cardboard? Also, if this is the prop that actors were sitting in and crawling in and out of, it may be more robust. (This is all total speculation on my part!)

Incidentally, if you are in the DC area, the main Air and Space Museum is still closed and will be until next month for the renovations. This X-Wing is being renovated out at the Smithsonian's Virginia Air and Space Museum location (the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia). I am a life-long lover of the Air & Space Museum in DC and somehow I had never visited the one out in Virginia. In my humble opinion, the one in Virginia blows the one in DC away! The actual Space Shuttle Discovery is on display, an SR-71, the Enola Gay, a Concord, the actual Apollo 11 landing module, and hundreds of other space & aircraft. All of it in a truly gigantic indoor facility. You really need to go there if you have not been.

https://airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center
 
Incidentally, if I could work in that restoration bay, that would be my dream job :)
My cousin works at the Restoration Department at the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio.. pretty sweet gig.. he painted the "belle" on the Memphis Belle.. and helped restored the rest of the B-17

Casey Simmons and The Memphis Belle Gal He Painted.png
 
Unfortunately, they didn't have much info at the viewing window, just a sign that said which movie it was from and when they plan to put it on display.

However, now that I am home, I did a quick search on their site and they do have a little more info:

https://airandspace.si.edu/newsroom...-museum-welcomes-star-wars-x-wing-starfighter
The site mentions that the X-Wing will end up "outside the Albert Einstein Planetarium". The Planetarium is a separate building from the main museum, so it could be interpreted as the X-Wing will literally be outside. If that is the case, maybe it is made of more than foam and cardboard? Also, if this is the prop that actors were sitting in and crawling in and out of, it may be more robust. (This is all total speculation on my part!)

Incidentally, if you are in the DC area, the main Air and Space Museum is still closed and will be until next month for the renovations. This X-Wing is being renovated out at the Smithsonian's Virginia Air and Space Museum location (the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia). I am a life-long lover of the Air & Space Museum in DC and somehow I had never visited the one out in Virginia. In my humble opinion, the one in Virginia blows the one in DC away! The actual Space Shuttle Discovery is on display, an SR-71, the Enola Gay, a Concord, the actual Apollo 11 landing module, and hundreds of other space & aircraft. All of it in a truly gigantic indoor facility. You really need to go there if you have not been.

https://airandspace.si.edu/udvar-hazy-center

Or they could shellac the bejeezus out of it and add UV protection. I often hear from actors about how flimsy the props are. I was a little confused initially about your photo and wondered why the US Army was painted on the nose. ;)

DC is a little far from Hawaii but I did visit the museum when I was 15.
 
The Smithsonian's Virginia Air and Space Museum location—the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. I am a life-long lover of the Air & Space Museum in DC and somehow I had never visited the one out in Virginia. In my humble opinion, the one in Virginia blows the one in DC away! The actual Space Shuttle Discovery is on display, an SR-71, the Enola Gay, a Concord, the actual Apollo 11 landing module, and hundreds of other space & aircraft. All of it in a truly gigantic indoor facility. You really need to go there if you have not been.

I visit every time I go to help with the TARC finals. I hope to again next spring. Someday I'll get to the main museum in DC.....
 
I went to both museums using Google Maps just now. If you area in Satellite view and zoom in you can drop the Little Guy and go to Street view inside both museums and do a tour. Cool. :clapping:

Wow! That is very cool! Didn't know that g-maps had that capability.

The layout has changed somewhat since they mapped it in google maps (for example, the Apollo 11 re-entry capsule now sits where the Loon Missile is shown in the google maps walk-through), but it is certainly close to the current config!
 
Wow! That is very cool! Didn't know that g-maps had that capability.

The layout has changed somewhat since they mapped it in google maps (for example, the Apollo 11 re-entry capsule now sits where the Loon Missile is shown in the google maps walk-through), but it is certainly close to the current config!
@mtnmanak You can also do a virtual tour of the Museum of Flight in Seattle. :)
 
@mtnmanak You can also do a virtual tour of the Museum of Flight in Seattle. :)

Seriously, this is like my new obsession (thanks Greg!! ;) ) - I have been sitting here dropping the little google dude on things to see what I can explore. I am sure there is a list somewhere, but I am having fun exploring. Man, that interwebs thing is pretty cool sometimes...
 
For the 1995 TV series "Space: Above and Beyond" the props department built full-sized mockups of the "Sa-43 Hammerhead" endo/exo-atmospheric fighter bomber complete with cockpit details and missile armament. Sadly none survived the cancelling of the series after only a single season.
1624121128839.png
 
Last time I saw an X-Wing fly it didn't end well. I think Andy got banned from Tripoli and ended up selling Whats up Hobbies and Polecat. I consider his exit from rocketry as a onsite vendor and flyier the beginning of the end out here on the west coast.



 
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That's too bad as I remember that video from a long time ago. Not much different from some of the "Ex" errrr "Research" launches I've attended in the past.
Many motor over pressurizations I've witnessed and had a few of my own. Some with commercial loads too. Looks like everyone was a good distance away and I don't know why he'd be kicked out of TRA if it was at a waivered site. Neat concept except it was obviously unstable. When flown in space, don't have to deal with "air" so a craft can be any shape anyone wants it to be! ;) Kurt
 
For the 1995 TV series "Space: Above and Beyond" the props department built full-sized mockups of the "Sa-43 Hammerhead" endo/exo-atmospheric fighter bomber complete with cockpit details and missile armament. Sadly none survived the cancelling of the series after only a single season.
View attachment 469496

Cool bird, would make a neat rocket except for those front canards.

I asked Endo about a Vertical Stabilizer.

His reply was "Vertical Stabilizer? We don't need no stinking Vertical Stabilizer!"

1624144065870.png
 
Both Battlestar Galactica's had full sized Vipers.

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BtTLih.jpg


cIxlhh.jpg
 
30 years ago when I was in middle and high school, the Smithsonian was my summer camp. My parents were both working, so they'd give my brother and me Metro cards and lunch money and we'd spend the entire day at the museums. It took us all summer to go through Air & Space, American History, and Natural History, plus any of the art museums that had interesting exhibits. I felt so sorry for people trying to see four museums in a day.
 
30 years ago when I was in middle and high school, the Smithsonian was my summer camp. My parents were both working, so they'd give my brother and me Metro cards and lunch money and we'd spend the entire day at the museums. It took us all summer to go through Air & Space, American History, and Natural History, plus any of the art museums that had interesting exhibits. I felt so sorry for people trying to see four museums in a day.
I went to London for a week about 6 years ago. My hotel was an easy walking distance from the Natural History Museum. It took me 2 days & I'm not sure I saw everything. It was great. And the Science Museum which is nearby the Natural History Museum was great too.
 
I went to London for a week about 6 years ago. My hotel was an easy walking distance from the Natural History Museum. It took me 2 days & I'm not sure I saw everything. It was great. And the Science Museum which is nearby the Natural History Museum was great too.

Museums in London (England generally) are fantastic. London has The British Museum, The Imperial War Museum (with a V-2), The Natural History Museum, The Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Plus the Tate Gallery and a few other goodies.

Spent a fortnight in London once and only really went to museums...
 
London was great for museums, as is Paris. I first saw a V2 at the Imperial War Musuem when I deliberately went there just to see that exhibit. We were building the 1:1 scale version at that point. The size really hit you when you were next to it.

Le Bourget Airport museum in Paris is worth a visit. Arian 5 you can stand under, two Concordes (including prototype #1 :cool:), many many great displays. Worth the bus trip :).
https://www.museeairespace.fr/en/
Both Smithsonian sites are great also, but I would hate to have to squeeze them into a tight timeframe.
 
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