A group of Star Wars nerds, lead by Mike Koehler, has launched a project called AT-AT for America with one goal in mind: To build a “fully functional, full-scale model of an AT-AT Imperial Walker from The Empire Strikes Back.”
Yes, eat your heart out Detroit and your simple Robocop statue!
Speaking with news.com.au, Koehler explains that the AT-AT was chosen to represent what “geek culture and its know-how has done for people in the country” as well as “The can-do and cooperative spirit that nerdy pop culture has inspired can’t be overlooked in the past 30, 40, 50 years.”
“I wanted to make something that was: A) Doable. Fast-than-light and force field technology made many options unrealistic. B) Big enough to be awe-inspiring. Many people have made R2 units and Back to the Future Deloreans. The AT-AT is 50-feet tall,” says Koehler.
Although Koehler is leading the charge, active development for the project has not begun nor does Koehler know where to secure the funds or the engineering know how to develop a life-size AT-AT. But what he is doing is trying to drum up support and awareness for the project. Hey, Star Wars nerds can at least dream, right?
You can learn more about AT-AT For America here.