It began as a curious auction lot, a towering LEGO “Part Tree” sold through Robson Kay Auctioneers as part of the BrickLive liquidation on Bidspotter UK. Originally built as a stylised LEGO tree for a display environment, it featured a hollow trunk with a single extended limb, resting atop a massive and meticulously tiled base.
To most, it was a leftover prop. To us, it was an opportunity.
At Redmond’s Forge, we didn’t just see a tree. We saw two Star Wars stories waiting to be told.
🌌Diorama One: The Exogorth’s Maw
In The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo narrowly escapes death by flying the Millennium Falcon out of what turns out to be the mouth of a giant space slug (Exogorth), living inside an asteroid. It’s one of the most iconic Star Wars bait-and-switches – a moment of false safety turning into sheer panic.
That’s where our idea started.
With the original branch of the tree removed, the side of the hollow trunk became a perfect socket to sculpt into the open maw of the Exogorth, complete with teeth and a segmented interior. The external bark texture of the tree now feels like the rocky flesh of the asteroid cave, weathered and cratered.
We’ll mount the Millennium Falcon flying outward from the mouth, engines firing, just ahead of disaster. To complete the scene, we’ll add floating LEGO Mynocks clinging to the hull, and used dark blue and black backdrops to simulate the vacuum of space, and a TIE-Fighter to complete the scene.
It’ll no longer just a LEGO sculpture. It will be a full-blown Star Wars escape scene, sculptural storytelling in bricks.
🛸 Diorama Two: Yavin IV Rebel Base
The second transformation took place inside the tree itself.
When the trunk was opened during inspection, we discovered a huge internal cavity, a cross-section of stacked bricks in tan, black, and brown, echoing ancient ruins. It instantly evoked the Massassi Temples of Yavin IV, the jungle moon from A New Hope, where the Rebel Alliance makes its base.
The hollow section will become the hangar bay. You can now picture X-Wings tucked along the inner walls, maintenance techs moving about, and pilots heading to a mission briefing. The darkest chamber at the base became our command centre, complete with radar screens, map projections, and minifigs recreating the Rebel Council scene.
The outer trunk will be re-skinned to reflect moss-covered stonework, with LEGO foliage and vines trailing down the exterior. We’ll finish it off with a rooftop communications dish, guards at the temple entrance, and a hidden tunnel escape route just like Rogue One hinted at.
🔁 Reinvention in LEGO
What began life as a tree has now found two new purposes in a galaxy far, far away. This dual transformation is what we love most at Redmond’s Forge, finding new stories in old bricks.
From forgotten prop to showstopping diorama, this auction win has been one of our favourites yet.
And we’re only just getting started.
