CLASSIC IMAGE: WEDGE TO THE RESCUE!

He'd been elated at taking out Biggs' TIE fighter attacker, but now Luke finds himself in the crosshairs of an experienced Imperial pilot. Thankfully, Wedge delivers a surprise attack, in a classic space action moment from the original Star Wars, coming back to cinemas worldwide for the Fiftieth Anniversary.

ILM & THE OLD SCHOOL VFX OF THE ORIGINAL STAR WARS - Video & Filmmaker magazineVideo & Filmmaker magazine

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.

ROGUE ONE: AN X-WING IN READINESS!

Within the converted hangar bay of one of the Massassi Temples on Yavin IV, an X-wing fighter and its unique astro droid navigator/technician stand ready to receive their next call to outer space action.

A nice selection of behind the scene images from the location filming of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story that nostalgically took place at Cardington air hangar turned studios Shed 1, during 2015, at the same facility that had played host to Yavin IV exterior filming for the original Star Wars back in 1976.

Photo blow-up of an X-wing side for background use.

Exterior filming at Cardington Shed 1.

EPISODE VIII: A SPACE AGE DAVID vs GOLIATH!

He's either brave or insane. Whatever his First Order enemies think at that present time, the Resistance's boldest and most passionate fighter pilot Poe Dameon plans to make an impact (literally) against the huge and powerful forces that have arrived in the D'Qar system and now plan to level his fellow freedom fighters into extinction.

A memorable moment launching The Last Jedi.

'STAR WARS' AT 45: INTO THE TRENCH!

"The exhaust port is marked and locked in."

With Gold Squadron's obliteration by enemy forces, it's turn for the first of Red flight's attack runs on the Death Star trench, undertaken by the courageous Red Leader and his wingmen. Despite their skills, and an incredible near miss at their thermal exhaust port target, the trio of Rebel heroes are soon dispatched by the return of Darth Vader and his equally lethal wingmen.

The X-wings begin their trench run.

Red Leader commands the first X-wing trench run, but he and his wingmen are also ultimately destroyed by Darth Vader and his pilots. Storyboards by Joe Johnston.

An X-wing is destroyed.

Death Star surface and trench conceptual art by Joe Johnston.

Planning the trench sequence with small X-wings on poles.

Two trench images taken by Dennis Muren,

Preparing to film another sequence.

Another view of the trench, this one leading to... Lorne Peterson!

Grant McCune with one of the model Imperial cannons. Image via the Alex Fish Collection.

One of the Death Star trench laser cannon emplacements.

Preparing to film the first part of the trench run entry sequence.

Capturing natural light pyrotechnics outside the ILM base at Van Nuys with a camera mounted van to capture the speed of the fighter attack.

EPISODE VII: STARKILLER ASSAULT!

The odds are against them, but the incredibly bold Resistance fighter pilots led by Poe Dameron must triumph in their aerial confrontation with the might and power of Starkiller Base, in this great fan art celebrating the conclusion of The Force Awakens, by ameeeeba.

'STAR WARS' AT 45: ENTER THE X-WING FIGHTER!

Red Five (and Artoo) continue their attack on the Death Star surface in this special image composition used for publicity and merchandising.

The fifteen minute countdown to the planet Yavin's destruction has begun, and the Rebels have sent out their flight of thirty X and Y-wing fighters to attack the fearsome Death Star battle station and destroy it via its thermal exhaust port weakness...

Originally created as a prototype model for Star Wars by Colin Cantwell, based on three craft ideas concocted in the most basic sense by George Lucas, the legendary X-wing fighter, an older vehicle in the saga's historical timeline pushed into upgrade service by the Rebellion, would be enhanced further in the design stakes by conceptualist Ralph McQuarrie, then refined further to its ultimate onscreen visage by the talented Joe Johnston at ILM, from 1975 into 1976.

How to Build an X-wing, 50 Years Later | ILM.com

The original Colin Cantwell prototype reference model.

Joe Johnston concept art for the revised X-wing fighter.

Design schematic - year and project unknown.

Dave Beasley, Steve Gawley and Joe Johnston with an in-development model at ILM's Model Shop.

The nose cone take shape.

Creating the articulated wings.

Adding refinement details.

The model kit needed to make one fighter.

Lorne Peterson with an unpainted model.

Either a lightweight model or one needing painting.

Two X's awaiting painting.

Rear detailing.

Droid technical position area view.

One of the original Blue Squadron models before the paint scheme and squadron colour became Red.

Close-up look at the fighter.

Red Leader and Red Five models.

A great shot of the models awaiting filming.

David Jones works on one of the iconic original models.

Ready for filming.

Filming Red Leader's X-wing.

Test with an X-wing model on strings.

The Dykstraflex at work.

Bruce Logan adjusts the model for filming.

Dennis Muren with two X-wings.

John Dykstra and colleagues during filming.

Pyrotechnic legend Joe Viskocil puts a charge in a model, watched by Joe Johnston.

The X-wing's rear charge explodes against blue screen filming.