Darth Vader leads a posse of stormtroopers with icy lightsaber in hand. Built by members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces, the 22.5-meter-wide sculpture took about a month to complete.
Backed by TIE fighters and a fantastically detailed Death Star, the sculpture is particularly stunning at night. What color does Vader's lightsaber light up with at night? Red, of course!
More than 3,500 tons of snow were piled to carve out the sculpture. This is what it looked like on January 10. Click on to see how this mound of snow became the "Snow Star Wars" sculpture.
"Snow Star Wars" required the most snow ever used on a sculpture at the Sapporo Snow Festival. Sculptors were making progress with Vader and the stormtroopers' heads peeking out on January 20.
Lord Vader must be stoically proud. Walt Disney's collaboration with the Sapporo Snow Festival commemorates "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens," scheduled for release in December 2015.
Courtesy Masatoshi Hashiya
"That's no moon!" —
The Death Star looks a little pale, but the 15-meter-tall sculpture and its features were distinctly recognizable by January 26.
Following the festival's traditions, more than 2,000 of the 11th Brigade of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force built "Snow Star Wars" with a squad of bulldozers. The troops put in final details two days before the festival opening.
