The Fate of the Red Jammer

Avanaut

Avanaut

Well-Known Member
I do not know if this has been addressed here earlier and how many times, but I'd like to ask anyway.

The Star Wars Identities opens in London on friday, go and see it if you can. The official web page offers a glimpse of the main display of filming miniatures assembled with rebels vs. the empire layout. As you can see, the Red Jammer (circled in red) is still in the preview photograph which is dated 2013.

15094982_1551373628223131_7205338608786733107_n.jpg

The Jammer was not with the exhibition in Paris when I saw it in 2014. It was on the catalogue but the display sported only an empty mounting rod. Apparently, the Jammer has been missing since. For the London show, the Slave 1 has been moved to the main display, it now occupies Jammer's spot (flying in landing position, no less!), so no imminent return for the Jammer is expected.

Now, rumor has it that the Jammer was dropped during the preparations for the Paris exhibition and was damaged enough to be pulled out from the tour. I have a vague recollection of someone confirming this but I cannot find this anywhere from my messages or posts. Does anyone know the Jammer's whereabouts? It's probably back in the Lucasfilm archives but how badly damaged is it? Is it being restored, and if it is, are any of the RPF members involved? I want photographs dammit!

If one of the original filming models is destroyed it is news, just think about how much they're worth. They each are a piece of cinema history, unique artefacts from a bygone era and I, for one, would like to know if one is destroyed.
 
Oh man! I really hope that's not the case. Is it possible it was pulled for digital scanning for Rogue 1?
 
kokkari said:
Oh man! I really hope that's not the case. Is it possible it was pulled for digital scanning for Rogue 1?
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I doubt that very much, the Jammer has not been with the Identities tour since early 2014 at least. It was there originally. Scanning it for Rogue would not take years. Besides, for scanning, I'd imagine they would have access to the MOM Tour Y-wing, which is (probably) in the archives and represents the filming models better.
 
Avanaut said:
I doubt that very much, the Jammer has not been with the Identities tour since early 2014 at least. It was there originally. Scanning it for Rogue would not take years. Besides, for scanning, I'd imagine they would have access to the MOM Tour Y-wing, which is (probably) in the archives and represents the filming models better.
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It's all speculation at this point, but I find it much more likely and believable that the model got pulled for a different purpose rather than dropped. Maybe it's the optimist in me that hopes it didn't get damaged. Not far fetched at all that it didn't make a return to the exhibit and Red Jammer is a better option over the MOM Y based on the condition it's in. JMHO
 
kokkari said:
It's all speculation at this point, but I find it much more likely and believable that the model got pulled for a different purpose rather than dropped. Maybe it's the optimist in me that hopes it didn't get damaged. Not far fetched at all that it didn't make a return to the exhibit and Red Jammer is a better option over the MOM Y based on the condition it's in. JMHO
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Yes, it's all speculation, but speculation based on the disappearance without explanation and rumors of an accident. Removing the Jammer from Identities seems unplanned, it's still present in the promo material and the Paris show had an empty mounting rod on it's supposed spot. That's why the rumor of it being dropped has some weight. I wish we didn't have to speculate though, it's not very graceful, and I certainly wish this is all a matter of poor communication from Lucasfilm and that the Jammer is safe and sound somewhere for reasons we do not know as of now.

You are right about the condition of the MOM, by the way, I only thought of the filming model greeblies and overlooked the state of deterioration.
 
Uh, you've seen the Y-Wings in the trailers/art, yeh? :devil

Even at Target, there are Rogue One Y-Wing Micro Machines now! WOO!
 
Total blackout for me for Star Wars going forward , no tv trailers , all films lately and even more so the last Star Wars , I want some surprises on screen :)
 
moffeaton said:
The Y-Wing that was scanned for Rogue One was not the Red Jammer. That's all I am allowed to say at the moment.
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Thanks for this Jason, it's good to know you're involved, or close enough to sign a NDA. I'm pretty sure if they scanned a Y-wing, it wasn't the Jammer, it doesn't match the screen used models even if it was in one piece. Come to think of it, if it was one of the originals, it was probably the Tiger Sprocket as it's the best of them all. Of course, it could be something else entirely, it could be one of your builds or a Neisen master. They're accurate enough to qualify as template to a digital Ep. IV era Y-wing. Besides, a master without piping would be a great source for a digital model. Or maybe it was someone else's build entirely? We'll know that in due time, I hope, and it will be very interesting.

My question was about the current state of the Red Jammer miniature. Do you not know about that or are you not allowed to say?
 
I wouldn't worry until it's time to worry, lol.

Wanna know a bummer? One of the HERO X-Wings was given away as a GIFT to someone by Lucas in the early 2000s. I am pretty sure it was Red 2.

I'm not 100% of course, but that would explain why it's not in the Archives, on tour, or honestly anywhere since it was last seen publicly in 2001.

If that's the case, that means the VERY first X-Wing, Blue 1/Red 2, is in private hands and may never be seen again.
 
moffeaton said:
I wouldn't worry until it's time to worry, lol.

Wanna know a bummer? One of the HERO X-Wings was given away as a GIFT to someone by Lucas in the early 2000s. I am pretty sure it was Red 2.

I'm not 100% of course, but that would explain why it's not in the Archives, on tour, or honestly anywhere since it was last seen publicly in 2001.

If that's the case, that means the VERY first X-Wing, Blue 1/Red 2, is in private hands and may never be seen again.
Click to expand...

Holy mother of...! Giving away the very first X-wing seems like something... the significance of which they did not understand. The Blue 1/Red 2 X-wing is no less iconic than the Red Jammer Y-wing. I truly hope this did not happen, but if it did, there is indeed the possibility of losing it forever. Dayum!

You may remember my book project, the one about all the spaceship miniatures of the OT? THIS is exactly why such a book should be done, and it should be done now! These items are too important to be lost in history, they need to be tracked down and documented, each and every one of them. [Edit:] Hopefully the new Chronicles book does a decent job on this, so we'll have at least that.

I wish there was a source at the archives who could shed some light on these things. There are too many questions unanswered.
 
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moffeaton said:
I wouldn't worry until it's time to worry, lol.

Wanna know a bummer? One of the HERO X-Wings was given away as a GIFT to someone by Lucas in the early 2000s. I am pretty sure it was Red 2.

I'm not 100% of course, but that would explain why it's not in the Archives, on tour, or honestly anywhere since it was last seen publicly in 2001.

If that's the case, that means the VERY first X-Wing, Blue 1/Red 2, is in private hands and may never be seen again.
Click to expand...

First of all, please forgive me if this sounds offensive to you, but I really would like to know where the information comes from. Could you tell me how you got the information if you don't mind? That' fine if you could not answer. That being said, I think this is a sensitive issue. I really hope it's just a speculation. A lot of studio models are broken during the tours, so I think that's fine if some of studio models are in the archives to keep them safe, but if they are not, a lot of studio model fans just feel sad.
 
Every time I share this kind of info, it bites me in the butt. So sadly I am not sharing sources.

- - - Updated - - -

That being said, it was Lucas' property so he could do what he wanted. It is what it is.
 
Such a shame. I guess that the sad reality is that no one treasures these artifacts as much as our relatively small community does.
 
moffeaton said:
Every time I share this kind of info, it bites me in the butt. So sadly I am not sharing sources.

- - - Updated - - -

That being said, it was Lucas' property so he could do what he wanted. It is what it is.
Click to expand...

"Bites me int he butt" Really? It was seemingly just a simple question; hardly a reason to get offended.
 
Guys, for all we know, the blue 1/red 2 X-wing could be better taken care of than most of the OT miniatures. The owner must certainly be aware of the value of said artefact. I mean, would you keep a fragile 40 year old miniature worth probably close to half a million dollars gathering dust on a windowsill somewhere? I only hope there was a possibility to document it thoroughly with photographs and measurements properly executed.

It is probably safe to say that we, the die hard fans and connoisseurs, value these wonderful miniatures more than most. Perhaps we see their uniqueness more clearly, or maybe it's just a fantasy we can't let go once we find a way to connect with it. Either way, we are talking about cinema history, popular culture heritage that exceeds far beyond Skywalker ranch and even the US borders. I grew up with these things, just like you, and I'm on the other side of the Atlantic!

It is true that as the owner of these models Lucasfilm does what it sees best and we have to respect and trust that. I just wish they would signal something more akin to what I, or dare I say we feel about them. I would love more transparency when it comes to the condition and even location of each individual model. Seeing a chart, a timeline of what happened to them after filming would make me very happy.

Hearing rumors about the vanished Red Jammer sustaining undisclosed damages, but never hearing a word from the Identities organization or Lucasfilm makes me wonder if everything is as well as it could be. That's why I am asking the question: where is the Red Jammer and what happened to it?

Anyone?
 
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