Visiting a galaxy far, far away is somewhat cost-prohibitive and often difficult. You have to hire a pilot (a hefty sum, especially if said pilot owes Jabba money); directions come in the form of visions of the ice planet Hoth, usually after surviving a wampa attack; and asteroid fields are really bad for traffic. But don't worry -- thanks to Madame Tussauds, you can avoid all of that. The characters and locales of Star Wars are coming to you.

Madame Tussauds London announced today that a major new Star Wars experience -- Star Wars at Madame Tussauds -- will open this May at its world-famous Baker Street location. Created in collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm, the experience will feature characters and scenes from Episodes I - VI, with 11 sets and 16 wax figures hand-made by Madame Tussauds' team of 180 gifted artists. Fans will be able to walk into the Dagobah swamp (complete with fog effects), see Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon battle Darth Maul in a whole new way (in a set that spans two floors), and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Luke Skywalker as he faces Darth Vader for the last time. Everything was made using reference material straight from the Lucasfilm Archives, allowing for true accuracy. The exhibit showcases characters of different sizes, shapes, and species, including small aliens (Yoda and Salacious Crumb), hairy aliens (Chewbacca, who required 10 expert hair inserters and nearly 1,000 hours to complete), to huge, slug-like aliens (Jabba the Hutt, the largest figure on display).

"Star Wars at Madame Tussauds takes the Madame Tussauds experience up a notch, as guests will not just be able to get close to their film heroes, they will be able to star alongside them and grab a selfie in specially recreated scenes of some of their favorite movie moments," said Madame Tussauds London's general manager, Ben Sweet. "We're working very closely with Disney and Lucasfilm to ensure 100 percent authenticity and our team has had exclusive access to props, costumes, designs and even had a "sitting" with one of the original Yoda models at Skywalker Ranch in California. Yoda's wax figure is now complete and the results are astonishing.

“But this experience is about much more than the figures. Guests will be able to step right into an atmospheric recreation of Yoda's swamp like Luke Skywalker did in The Empire Strikes Back and see the fiery lava of Mustafar as Anakin turns to the dark side in Revenge of the Sith. Guests will become truly immersed in the films in a new and exciting way. We hope to delight fans and give them a unique way to celebrate the Star Wars story."

And to quote Count Dooku, this is just the beginning -- the space at Madame Tussauds London has been designed to allow for further expansion, additional content, and new figures in the future.

Sign up at www.madametussauds.com/london to be the first to know when tickets go on sale, and check out a special preview gallery below!

Tagged: Star Wars at Madame Tussauds

Star Wars at Madame Tussauds - Special Preview!