General News
9 February, 2026
X-wing starfighter lands in Stawell
LOCAL Star Wars fans are in for a surprise, with a life-sized X-wing starfighter landing in a Stawell front yard. Built by aircraft engineer Peter Dignum, the impressive replica sits proudly at his home and has already begun turning heads among those who know it exists.
“I’m an aircraft engineer by trade,” Mr Dignum said, admitting he had also built an R2D2 for an earlier “passion” project.
After more than 40 years in aviation engineering, Peter decided it was time to take on a bigger personal passion project.
“I thought, I’m just going to tinker with models and stuff, and I thought, bugger it, build a real one, so I built a real one,” he said.
Mr Dignum said his love of aviation inspired the build.
“I’ve always wanted to have some sort of aircraft, being an aircraft engineer. I’ve got plenty of models of Boeing 727s,” he said.
“I’ve just wanted a real one, and I wanted a real one that people can sit in and play with the switches and the controls.”
The decision led to the construction of the full-sized X-wing, which was modelled on Luke Skywalker’s iconic spacecraft from the 1970s Star Wars films.
Built from everything from corrugated piping and tin cans to switches and floodlights, the project took around six months to complete.
“I finished it two weeks before Christmas,” Mr Dignum said.
The scale of the build has transformed his property.
“It’s in my front yard, it takes up half the yard,” he said.
The attention to detail is striking, with the X-wing even featuring the R2-D2 unit to complete the look.
Mr Dignum said parts of the build took place inside his home.
“I built the wings in my kitchen,” he said.
The spacecraft is also fully interactive for those who have dreamed of flying the iconic spacecraft.
“It’s powered, it’s switches galore if someone gets in there and has a play with the control column,” he said.
He said members of the public are welcome to experience the X-wing up close.
“Anyone that walks past and knocks on my door and says, ‘Hey, can we have a play, can we sit in it?’, I say Sure, no worries. I’ll get the ladder out, they climb up and get in, I’ll give them a hand, and they can play with the switches, and they can fly it.”
The X-wing starfighter can be seen at 18 Dalton Street, Stawell, giving those Star Wars fans a chance to live out their dreams.
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