Grant McCune Remembered

Grant McCune, one of the original ILM team members who worked on Star Wars, passed away on December 27th at his home in California. McCune served as the first model shop supervisor at ILM, leading the team that would construct such classic vehicles such as the X-wing fighter, Star Destroyer, and Millennium Falcon. Like almost all the effects artists assembled for the first Star Wars, McCune's responsibilities extended beyond his credited title of "chief model maker." Sharp-eyed Star Wars fans know that he is one of the Death Star gunners flinching when the battle station fires its main cannon. He also worked on the creation of camera systems needed to photograph the models as convincing vehicles.