‘Star Wars’ replica is a Halloween hit
Associated Press
PARMA, Ohio
A two-story, “Star Wars”-inspired Halloween yard display is enticing kids to get toy lightsabers and attracting hundreds of visitors from across the state.
Elevator mechanic Nick Meyer, 39, spent about $1,500 and 10 hours a weekend for half a year to build a replica of the four-legged All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT walker. He built it with his carpenter friend Anthony Paroda, and it’s been such a success that spectators are donating money for them to build another display next year.
At 19 feet, the replica is nearly as tall as Meyer’s home in Parma, a Cleveland suburb. The cockpit of the AT-AT walker is outfitted with lights that glow red at night, and a mannequin fashioned to resemble a “Star Wars” Stormtrooper soldier stands guard in front.
Meyer said he built it with plywood, hard foam and plastic barrels and based the design off a toy he bought online. Local media attention catapulted the display into fame, drawing droves of visitors from dawn to dusk.
Meyer said he has built attention-grabbing Halloween displays for six years running, from an Addams Family mausoleum to the stern of a pirate ship jutting out from his front porch.