Star Wars

Adam Savage’s Tested

The Pursuit of the Perfect X-Wing

At Wonderfest 2026, model maker Jason Eaton walks Norm through his latest studio-scale Red 5 X-Wing build and a series of inventive welding droid sculptures, explaining his iterative approach to achieving screen-accurate detail. The interview covers electronics, decal technique, 3D printing workflow, and a 1/5-scale landspeeder replica built from CAD data of the one-to-one Tunisia prop.

Adam Savage’s Tested

The Most Expensive Part of a TIE Fighter

At WonderFest 2026, Norm from Tested interviews two master model builders — Jonathan Frakes and Kevin — about their studio-scale Star Wars replicas displayed in a recreation of the original Van Nuys ILM model shop. The centerpiece discussion is Jonathan's near-perfect TIE fighter replica, where the single most expensive and irreplaceable component is vintage 1970s Cool Shade brass louver window material, now extremely rare and costly.

Adam Savage’s Tested

Here's What's Officially Inside Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber!

Adam Savage sits down with former ILM colleague and archivist Don Peace to examine the first-ever officially constructed interior of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, built for the 1997 Dorling Kindersley Star Wars Visual Dictionary. The conversation covers the craftsmanship behind that prop, original Graflex flash handle replicas, stolen ILM artifacts, and close calls with lost Star Wars history.

Adam Savage’s Tested

Star Wars Modelmakers Rebuild ILM's Original Workshop!

A group of passionate scale modelers recreated ILM's original 1976 Vandenberg/Van Nuys model shop at Wonderfest 2026 to mark the 50th anniversary of Star Wars model making. Over 40 volunteers, including contributions from original ILM artists, built a fully immersive 20x20 room complete with studio-scale X-Wing replicas, period-accurate tools, smells, sounds, and even recreated intercom announcements by original ILM staff.

Adam Savage’s Tested

Adam Savage Stunned By This Metal AT-AT Walker Stop-Motion Armature!

Adam Savage meets Felix and Bjorn, who have spent roughly 10 years building a studio-scale metal armature replica of the ILM AT-AT walker from The Empire Strikes Back. The video covers their photogrammetry-based research process, manufacturing challenges, and a hands-on examination of the replica with Adam.

Adam Savage’s Tested

Adam Savage in Awe of Star Wars' Resistance Bomber Model!

Adam Savage hosts modeler 'Bobble' who brings two stunning Star Wars ship models — a 1/72 scale Star Fortress (resin 3D printed) and a 1/144 scale Hammerhead Corvette (traditional scratch build) — to discuss techniques, materials, and philosophy behind high-end scale modeling. The conversation dives deep into resin printing challenges, panel line depths, weathering methods, and fiber optic lighting systems.

Adam Savage’s Tested

Adam Savage Meets Imagineering's Star Wars BDX Droids!

Adam Savage visits the set of Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu where Jon Favreau introduces him to Walt Disney Imagineering's new BDX droids — highly expressive, stable robots built for Disney parks that also appear in the film. The video explores the intersection of practical effects, robotics, and Star Wars world-building.