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Home / Lifestyle

Star Wars rocker - the horse is strong in this one

Kurt Bayer
By Kurt Bayer
South Island Head of News·NZME.·
15 Jan, 2015 04:00 PM2 mins to read

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The X-wing rocker being sold as a charity fundraiser was inspired by the fighter ship from the Star Wars films.
The X-wing rocker being sold as a charity fundraiser was inspired by the fighter ship from the Star Wars films.

The X-wing rocker being sold as a charity fundraiser was inspired by the fighter ship from the Star Wars films.

An Auckland toymaker has produced the ultimate plaything for young Jedi knights.

Steve Coupe of Steve's Wooden Toys has hand-crafted a wooden X-wing starfighter rocker.

Made out of pine, native macrocarpa and rimu, it comes with a removable R2-D2 co-pilot.

The novel take on the timeless rocking horse is being sold on Trade Me with a starting price of $950.

Mr Coupe said he needs $400 to cover his costs and fund another project, with the remainder being donated to Starship children's hospital.

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"Like most people from my generation, I was fascinated by Star Wars as a child and used to create cardboard models when I was about 11," he said.

He has been creating wooden toys for 25 years but recently branched into "bigger pieces of art in order to create something different with charity work in mind".

"The thought of the X-wing had been in the back of my mind for a while now - and the time came to put those ideas into reality in the hope to raise funds for Starship," Mr Coupe said.

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The X-wing was constructed over two months.

"All up, it took about 40 hours to fill my nostrils with galactic sawdust, locking myself away in the workshop to unwind after a busy day in the office.

"As I don't work off plans and just work off ideas in my head, I was surprised how well it turned out ... the hardest part was knowing when to stop adding more detail."

Mr Coupe said the wings would unbolt to "allow for ease of intergalactic travel in the back of a medium-sized car".

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