What is kitbashing? Make a Star Wars Datapad Phone Case.
Kitbashed Star Wars Datapad Phone Case at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World
People are doing this cool thing where they create, or kitbash, their own Star Wars datapad phone case. It makes your phone look like something authentically out of Star Wars. This is an inexpensive, fun Disney DIY to add a little more magic to your Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge visit.
What is kitbashing?
Kitbashing, or model bashing, is taking pieces out of model kits and putting them together, or adding them to something else, to create something new. This concept is used on a wide scale.
Kitbashing is used in Hollywood for making sets. For example, filmmakers might use boat or car kits to create something new and different like, oh say, the Millenium Falcon?! My husband told me this and I guess I never really thought about what you would use to build a spaceship for a movie. Makes sense.
You can also kitbash small things using toy kits like model trains, tanks or helicopters. These come with little pieces that you put together to make a final project. In our case, we’re creating something new to have a personalized experience when visiting Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
StarWars.com featured this video about how the play app works in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The play app is used at Disney Parks to entertain your party with games and such while you wait in lines. The app also enhances atmospheres by providing unique, personalized experiences. For Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge it turns your phone screen into that of a datapad.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Datapad – Play Disney Parks on Disney Video
Kitbashing Your Own Star Wars Datapad Phone Case
Now let’s turn the outside of our device into a datapad. For my husband’s birthday I started him off with an Otterbox case I bought on Amazon. I found a tiny, half full tube of toy vehicles on the last chance clearance rack at Michael’s that I used for parts. The toys were a cuttable, bendy plastic. This was totally cheaper than the actual model kits they had and more eco-friendly. I also picked up a little can of brown spray paint.
To put it together, I cut up the little toys with cutting pliers, mapped out where I’d put them and glued it all on with a craft glue. I let the glue dry completely, outdoors because fumes, then spray painted it a few days later. This is how I gifted it to him so he could design the rest the way he wanted.
My husband ended up using some fabric paint to create 3D wires on the datapad. The paints were a nice touch for distressing and adding some character.
Nerd partners take note: This was the BEST reaction he has ever had to a gift from me.
And here’s the finished datapad at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Walt Disney World!
Feel free to send me a pic on Twitter or Instagram if you make one of these!
See more Disney DIY projects.