More galactic whittling – CR70 corvette

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had any new Star Warsy whittlings to show off! I had planned to do some whittling along the Appalachian Trail last year (and found the perfect little neck-knife in a hiker box)…but unfortunately hiking 15-20 miles a day doesn’t leave time for much else besides eating and sleeping. I actually carved up this little consular ship last midwinter, and forgot I had been sitting on it for a whole year! Unlike the Republic cruiser I last whittled, this one was made out of poplar, so I was able to include a much higher level of detail:

Contrary to popular belief, while they look very similar, this is NOT the same model ship as the iconic ‘blockade runner’ of Episode IV!

That’s right: the Tantive IV was a CR90, and I’ve carved a CR70 – the earlier model seen in Episode III. This is actually a longstanding confusion, going back all the way (at least) to the West End Games era of the SWRPG. As far as I can tell, it started when a Tantive layout got shrunk down in length and then passed around for decades, all while still being referred to as a CR90:

However, if you look at pictures from the 1976 model shop, you’ll notice that the large-scale blockade runner model used for filming is much skinnier and stretched-out looking than Space Jimmy Smits’ ship that appears in Episode III.

Where things get messy is in the EU lore, which would have us believe that the CR70 could be retrofitted into a CR90. I don’t know about you, but I think that would be one helluva overhaul!

There are still a few ships, droids, and critters I’d like to try my hand at carving, but I’d love to hear your ideas – what would you like to see in future Galactic Whittling entries? I’m open to suggestions (or commissions if you’d like to have one of these pieces for your own pocket!). Leave a comment below and share your ideas! Until next week…

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