wtac
Well-Known Member
We all dream of finding a real prop in some junk shop or a flea market but the odds are remote. You can imagine how I felt when I was at a recent militaria event in the UK when I spotted sticking out of a load of radio equipment a slightly strange looking Sterling SMG. I started to chat to the stall holder about his display of radio equipment and asked why he had a Sterling, he told me that it is usually in the cab of his landrover with the radio equipment as military radio operators had them as a personel weopen. I asked if I could have a look at it which surprised him as he said, "I got it cheap a while back but it is really a pile of junk, I am not interested in guns". I finally got a good look at it and alarm bells went off in my head as I recognised it as one of the blasters that had been used in ANH when filming in North Africa. I kept reminding myself that it could not be true, but the more I looked the more I was sure I was right. I asked the guy if he would consider selling it, he said "not realy as they are so expensive now and I am tring to get some real parts to replace the rubbish cast bits" my heart sank. I left my details with him in the hope he would change his mind.
As soon as I got home I logged on to the parts of Star Wars sight and compared the pictures, it matched. I was not going to the event the next day but a friend was so I asked him to that to the guy on my behalf offering to swap a really good deactivted sterling from my stock as a swap. Tim phoned later in the day and said that the guy was interested so I jumped into the car to get to the show before it closed. When I arrived the display was gone but I found the Sterling owner packing up his Land Rover. I showed him trhe Sterling I had bought with me and his jaw dropped "you want to swap that great gun for this pile of c**p, I have to ask why". I then told him what I believed he had got and how important it could be to film buffs like me. I had to admit I thought thats blown it but at least it may have stopped him cutting it up. He thought about it for a couple of seconds playing with the sterling I had bought along then he said2well if you are happy so am I" the deal was done.
I drove home and then had a good look at my new toy all the time expecting to find somthing to indicate that I was wrong, I looked at web photos which only seemed to confirm I was right, but how to prove it. I then remembered speaking to Stephen Lane of the Prop Store of London and was impressed with how he dealt with Fans at the European Star Wars convention, so I phoned him and sent some Photos. He got back to me and confirmed that he believed I had the real deal but asked to see it to finally confirm it. I saw him today and was given the good news that I had struck lucky and found a lost prop. It had been thought that the 18 that were found in Bapties store rooms were all of them but I had got number 19.
The moral of the story is keep your eyes open at all times you may get lucky.
http://propaholics.wolfchasers.com/uploader/users/wtac/P1010690.jpg
http://propaholics.wolfchasers.com/uploader/users/wtac/P1010688.jpg
As soon as I got home I logged on to the parts of Star Wars sight and compared the pictures, it matched. I was not going to the event the next day but a friend was so I asked him to that to the guy on my behalf offering to swap a really good deactivted sterling from my stock as a swap. Tim phoned later in the day and said that the guy was interested so I jumped into the car to get to the show before it closed. When I arrived the display was gone but I found the Sterling owner packing up his Land Rover. I showed him trhe Sterling I had bought with me and his jaw dropped "you want to swap that great gun for this pile of c**p, I have to ask why". I then told him what I believed he had got and how important it could be to film buffs like me. I had to admit I thought thats blown it but at least it may have stopped him cutting it up. He thought about it for a couple of seconds playing with the sterling I had bought along then he said2well if you are happy so am I" the deal was done.
I drove home and then had a good look at my new toy all the time expecting to find somthing to indicate that I was wrong, I looked at web photos which only seemed to confirm I was right, but how to prove it. I then remembered speaking to Stephen Lane of the Prop Store of London and was impressed with how he dealt with Fans at the European Star Wars convention, so I phoned him and sent some Photos. He got back to me and confirmed that he believed I had the real deal but asked to see it to finally confirm it. I saw him today and was given the good news that I had struck lucky and found a lost prop. It had been thought that the 18 that were found in Bapties store rooms were all of them but I had got number 19.
The moral of the story is keep your eyes open at all times you may get lucky.
http://propaholics.wolfchasers.com/uploader/users/wtac/P1010690.jpg
http://propaholics.wolfchasers.com/uploader/users/wtac/P1010688.jpg
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