When my friends Catherine (aka CrankyBricks) & Jonny (aka SetToBuild) announced their wedding date as the 4th of May (Star Wars Day) I knew I had to create a very special gift.
Build your own wedding gift
‘Cloud Nine Car’ is my Fabuland inspired interpretation of the iconic cloud car from Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.
It came with all the vintage Lego parts (including two Fabuland telephones so they can always whisper sweet nothings), step-by-step building instructions and a custom cardboard box.
*Happy couple Minifigures included
It is co-piloted by the debonair Lionel Lion and fearless Catherine Cat.
Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness on your building journey together.
Love, Stewart (aka Stubot)
❤️💛💙
Photo gallery
N.B. Download full-resolution versions from my dedicated Flickr album ‘Cloud Nine Car‘.
Cloud car factoids
Cloud cars were flying atmospheric vehicles that were used to patrol the skies of Cloud City, a mining colony on the planet Bespin. The Storm IV Twin-Pod cloud car model, featured twin “pods” connected by a repulsorlift engine, and were fitted with light blaster cannons. Each car was crewed by a pilot and a gunner.
Work-in-progress
The cloud car started with yellow Fabuland boat hulls (item number ‘4793‘) as I wanted to include all three key colours red, yellow and blue. But later on I swapped them for red boats to better match their on-screen appearance, the yellow hulls just red as boats and not a credible spaceship.
Live build stream
The happy couple are both online Lego creators and it was a real joy to watch them build it together on their live Twitch stream.
Skaerbaek Fan Weekend
Whilst attending Skaerbaek Fan Weekend (28-29 September 2024) in Denmark for the very first time, I decided to display my handmade wedding gift.
I created three different scaled vignettes for the cloud car, as well as a custom hat and stickers for swapping with friends (old and new).
There was also an interactive 16×16 plate with LEGO Braille Bricks spelling out the phrase “Stewart Loves Fabuland”.
TikTok promo video
@stub0t ♬ Little Fluffy Clouds – The Orb
Bricktastic
If you would like to see this model in real life, I’ll be displaying an expanded version at Manchester’s Bricktastic show next year (22nd – 23rd February 2025).
Charity Lego show
All of the proceeds from Bricktastic go to the UK charity Fairy Bricks and will be used to fund more Lego deliveries to children in hospital.
Image and video credits
‘Cloud Nine Car’ Copyright © Stewart Lamb Cromar 2024. All rights reserved.
- ‘Time Lapse Clouds Sail Across A Baby Blue Sky‘ by Freepik via Videvo.net.
- ‘Clouds at Sunset‘ by Videvo via Videvo.net (CC-BY 3.0).
- Cloud car colour illustration and schematic via Wookieepedia (CC-BY-SA).
- ‘Twin Pod Cloud Car – Complete in ESB Box’ Copyright © 4th Moon Toys.