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Lorne Peterson
Daily Fett Features
CollectiblesBuilt Slave I with Ease Owyeung
Based on early drawings by Nilo Rodis-Jamero, chief model maker Lorne Peterson built the Slave I model with Ease Owyeung. Peterson also built the Death Star and the Millennium Falcon.
In his 2006 book, "Sculpting A Galaxy - Inside the Star Wars Model Shop," Peterson says the Slave I is based on the design of a street lamp. (However, according to Nilo Rodis-Jamero says the inspiration was a radar dish after talking with Joe Johnston: "I remember seeing a radar dish and stopping to sketch it very quickly to see if I could get something out of it.")
Peterson was also interviewed about his role in Star Wars Insider #145, where he said his favorite model was Slave I.
Last updated
September 18, 2025Stats
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Porsche Origins for Slave I
"If I had to pick a model I enjoyed doing the most it would have to be Boba Fett's ship. Slave I was designed for Empire by Nilo Rodis-Jamero. What inspired his design of the ship were the light pods that hang in the street * ... When I was building it we found a Porsche model kit, a monstrous 16-inch model, which just happened to be a model of a car I have, and had a lot of parts we could use on the prototype. The rear end of Slave I has the big fender parts and the Porsche's hatches and doors all incorporated into it. It tickled me to do that ship." – Lorne Peterson
* Slave I designer Nilo Rodis-Jamero says otherwise.
Ugnaught Support
"[Model Maker] Ease Owyeung built the ship, including the inner cockpit detailing. His early iterations had a second bank of seats for Fett's underlings -- early sketches by McQuarrie had the pig-like Ugnaught guards actually working for Fett instead of being Cloud City laborers as in the finished film. As the story developed, Fett was defined as a loner and these support-crew seats disappeared." – Lorne Peterson
Slave I's Stop-Motion Wings
"Slave I also changed orientation during flight. The base of the ship on landing became its trailing edge when in flight. Accompanying this ninety-degree shift was a rotation of the ship's support wings, which weren't motorized but could be stop-motion animated into position." – Lorne Peterson
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