AN 'EMPIRE' AT 45: INSIDE THE ECHO BASE HANGAR...

Having successfully evaded the dreaded Imperial Starfleet so as to set up a seemingly secure operation on the challenging ice realm that is the Hoth system's fourth planet, the key Rebel Alliance cell commanded by General Rieekan and Princess Leia Organa soon faces great hurdles in getting its weaponry and vehicles adjusted to the planet's inhospitable climate. Thankfully, they have a huge set of hangar bays and a talented team of technicians to make the impossible ultimately possible. 

But it won't be long before Echo Base soon has an unwanted enemy visitor discovering their presence...   

Located on the massive Elstreet Studios' Star Wars Stage, specially built for the ambitious new worlds to be realised for The Empire Strikes Back, enjoy this behind the scenes image selection.

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Building the hangar at Elstree during Summer, 1979.

Positioning the full-size Millennium Falcon build.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 45: THE POWER OF POSTER ART!

Amidst the terrifying visage of the returned Darth Vader, technological action is another standout part of this classic early movie poster conceptual piece by the famous illustrator Tom Jung, of which the might of the Imperial AT-AT's against our Rebel heroes proves formidable, and truly showcasing how an Empire will strikes back! 

CLASSIC IMAGE: IN THE MIDST OF BATTLE!

With resilient shell armour proving too strong against their laser firepower, formidable Commander Luke Skywalker and his Rogue Group of environment- adapted Rebel Alliance snowspeeders must resort to other primitive (but no less effective) means to take down the continuing onslaught of Imperial AT-AT Walkers, in this great scene from The Empire Strikes Back.

Top Star Wars fan and filmmaker Luke Asa Guidici kindly sent Star Wars Aficionado this terrific video celebrating the epic Battle of Hoth sequence, ingeniously compiling 'side-by-sides' storyboard animatics alongside the as-seen filmed sequences. It's a great piece of work - cheers, Luke!

CLASSIC ART: WALKER WARS!

It's the David vs Goliath confrontation of the Star Wars saga, and one of the series greatest battle sequences -a blaze of action and superb stop-motion animation/model filming: The Empire Strikes Back's Battle of Hoth between the fast-moving Rebel Snowspeeder vehicles and the slow-marching, death-bringing Imperial AT-AT Walkers. A conflict nicely captured in this fine art created for the leaflet accompanying the 1980 release of the Kenner-produced Walker large toy action-figures model.

If anyone knows the artist of this original piece, please get in touch...

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: A CRUSHING ESCAPE!

Freeing himself from the cockpit of his crashed Snowspeeder, Luke Skywalker retrieves some necessary equipment and leaps to the snowy floor just in time, as the massive Imperial Walker brings its crushing foot down, in an exciting scene filmed against blue screen at Elstree Studios, London during near Fall 1979, so as to better match with the eventual integrated ILM effects footage.

Mark Hamill in a break between action.

Several shots showing the UK built damaged Snowspeeder vehicle sent to Norway for filming.

Rear shot of a Snowspeeder used in Elstree filming. 

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: TO CRUSH A SPEEDER!

The weighty issue of an AT-AT foot destroying Rogue Leader's crashed Snowspeeder is filmed at ILM, with Art Director Joe Johnston being one of the key supervisors of the scene, and whose model filming had to match the previously shot live-action footage at Norway, earlier that year...

Readying the Snowspeeder model for the weighty AT-AT foot drop on the ILM filming stage.

Crunch-time!

More ILM behind the scenes of this sequence.

Joe Johnston adds detail to the giant Walker leg.

Model maker Ease Oweyung checks the Walker legs. 

The ILM model makers clown around!

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: CRASH-LANDED, AND INTO GREATER DANGER!

 

He's survived the crash-landing and now Luke Skywalker must escape his near-totalled Snowspeeder (and recover important battle equipment from its interior) before it's ultimately trampled upon by an approaching Walker, as seen in this location footage filmed in Norway, on a very cold day, with Mark Hamill. It's believed that a Norwegian extra filled in for the body of Dack. 

Scene plate filmed on location, with approaching Walker added by ILM in later Post production.

The UK built wrecked Snowspeeder.

Detailed look at the cockpit interior,

A very cold Hamill on location.

Hamill and Gary Kurtz in a filming break.

Escaping the Snowspeeder.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: ROGUE LEADER GOES DOWN!

Rogue Two has been taken out by the Walkers firepower, now its Luke's turn as his Snowspeeder is critically damaged, soon careening onto the snowy surface, in this great storyboard by Joe Johnston,

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: IMPERIAL GROUND FORCES AT WORK!

Now released onto the Hoth surface, the Imperial Snowtroopers recce the enemy power generators in this great production painting idea for The Empire Strikes Back that sadly never made the film, as the Walkers vs ground troops instead became the singular focus of the ground conflict. Though approved by George Lucas in the film's pre production stage, the final design of the Snowtroopers was ultimately on screen- realized differently, surely due to the later influence of director Irvin Kershner, working with UK costume designer John Mollo.

McQuarrie's approved design for the Imperial Stormtrooper from George Lucas.

As seen on the battlefield in this other McQuarrie art.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: TO FELL A WALKER!

Rogue Three, deftly piloted by Wedge Antilles and his gunner Wes Janson, speedily wrap the legs of an Imperial Walker with their harpoon tow cable, in order to bring the mechanical beast down, in this exciting moment from storyboard to screen for the Battle of Hoth.

Film frame from the Special Edition.

Three early storyboards from Phil Tippett's former collection.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: SNOW CONFLICT!

'The Battle in the Snow' gains in ferocity with this terrific production painting art by Ralph McQuarrie, as the Walkers get ever nearer the Rebel positions, and the whittling-in-numbers Rogue Flight gets more daring in its battle tactics, of which Luke Skywalker ingeniously decides on the use of tow cables against the enemies vulnerable metal legs in order to bring them down.

AN 'EMPIRE' AT 40: THE REST OF THE 'ROGUE'S!

Wedge Antilles (Denis Lawson) returns to flying as designated Snowspeeder pilot Rogue Three.

Into action against the approaching Imperial Walkers at Echo Station 328 is Commander Luke Skywalker and his small but loyal squadron of Snowspeeders, each double-piloted vehicle of Rogue Flight used to fighting against heavy enemy odds, though this will prove their toughest and most deadly battle yet...

Rogue Leader Luke Skywalker's ill-fated gunner, Dack (John Morton). 

Rogue Two - Zev Senesca (Christopher Malcolm). The character may have had a Walker battle scene/harpoon moment cut from the finished film.

Rogue Three gunner Wes Janson (Ian Liston). 

Rogue Four - pilot Hobbie (Richard Oldfield), whose snowspeeder cockpit scenes were cut from the film, including his kamikaze demise against an AT-AT, though Luke mentions him by name at the beginning of the battle sequence.

Behind the scenes of the Snowspeeder cockpit filming:

https://starwarsaficionado.blogspot.com/2015/12/behind-scenes-grounded-rogues.html