Han Solo ANH Blaster From RIA, Prev on Pawn Stars
- Thread starter JoeG
- Start date
deadbolt
Sr Member
Also note the noticeable clear, lacquer-like coat added over-top the scope & mount (at least) after the weathering job there...I think most of us hobbyists can call that out and attest to that from our own experiences over the years..then us having to do the weathering all over again because it looked way too fake for a vintage finish look, as we didn't intend with our various weathered replicas =b
-Carson
-Carson
God bless you
My posts got some action on Reddit - is this auction still going on? I haven’t paid attention to the dates, I’m getting the feeling this exposure will have an effect. Also linked RPF threads this morning, for some deniers.
I apologize in advance if this causes problems, I just don’t want to see someone get taken …winning this thinking it’s something it’s not.
I apologize in advance if this causes problems, I just don’t want to see someone get taken …winning this thinking it’s something it’s not.
Please excuse my lack of familiarity; so are you saying that despite the Reddit photo’s probable enhancement, it’s still apparent that RIA has performed weathering and applied a coating subsequent to the auction’s listing photos? By weathering, do you mean some form of abrasive polishing? And would the coating be a permanent alteration?
The frustrating thing is that they seem to be a fairly legit auction house in general. A lot of those other pieces are likely well-researched and genuinely significant, and unfortunately I can’t exactly blame people for balancing our complaints over a single gun against a long-standing solid reputation by most accounts. “ But it’s RIA, and they always vet their stuff ” is a tough argument to break through.I was more excited looking at the other weapons for sale (Henrys, Winchesters and other single action revolvers)
than the HS one.
Granted, on the flipside, what makes this “blaster” presentation particularly egregious is that they’re misleading the public on two levels. Obviously the 80%-original claim is unverifiable, but even if it was backed up, I haven’t heard Mr. Used Car Salesman call attention to the other 20% in any of his myriad interviews, and their press releases all appear to skip over this detail. Since no journalist to my recollection has yet provided any hint in their reporting that they’ve actually read the full listing text, RIA is essentially getting away with a 100%-original perception.
Tomorrow’s sale remains a go as far as I’m aware. I’d love if you’re right, but seeing as not a single outlet has made mention of our concerns (I’ve emailed at least 15), it's hard to be optimistic. What you wrote on Reddit looks good though; about all we can do…
Makes me wonder how underdog stories ever get picked up by the news.
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Thanks!
Someone DID re finish the flash hider. It was bright gray with a bead-blasted look on pawn stars. Now it’s smooth, black and weathered.
Yeah I remember the discussion around the flash hider; I was just wondering about these new observations relative to the scope... I'm not familiar with the weathering and lacquer coating techniques deadbolt is referring to.
BTW while I'm at it, these are all the outlets I've emailed in case it serves any purpose for the record:
Feedback on articles/reports:
Last Movie Outpost, Bell of Lost Souls, Fantha Tracks, Fortune, Jedi News, Artnet, NY Post, Barron's, Ballistic, Robb Report, Rolling Stone, WHBF, KWQC
Preemptive notice of the story:
NY Times, Washington Post, BBC News, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, LA Times
Intriguing mystery…
Well, as the proctologist once said “….a man wearing latex gloves will always get to the bottom of things…”
I would rely on this man’s hands-on assessment.
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kpax
Sr Member
Doesn't look too different to me except for the lighting and hi res image. They may have put a coat of wax or oil on it to protect the finish.
Tomorrow will tell.
Maybe after we will get to hear more from the buyer and or Tony and Carl.
Still think someone should visit Carl and buy him a few drinks and ask the right Qs...
Tomorrow will tell.
Maybe after we will get to hear more from the buyer and or Tony and Carl.
Still think someone should visit Carl and buy him a few drinks and ask the right Qs...
deadbolt
Sr Member
No worries at all, we're all here to collaborate and..well, hopefully have fun in the process!..despite this roadbump-auction throwing us all off track =b
What I mean is there appears to be some new bluing, possibly cold or hot to the darker and polished looking areas, difficult to tell without time added added (cold tends to show after time on steel, which we haven't had nearly enough time to tell as of yet, plus the multiple re-touches that we've all variously noticed for sure, like the Flash Hider especially), whereas the rusted areas look a little too forced, but just in my opinion, not factual. Though as mentioned, could be just the photo filters used brightening up and illuminating what was already there.
Weathering is just a term we use towards making parts look aged, despite the technique used like real rust vs. painted rust etc.. It just has to look properly aged and look the part, so-to-speak.
But, even since the Pawn Stars version, the scope seemed to have an obvious coating of some sort, lacquer, poly, cerakote (could be a lot of things), in attempt to seal it...that doesn't work over rust so easily. Rust has to be neutralized first (if you want it to stay visible without rusting more, rather than removing it altogether). And even then, a coating doesn't always take, it tends to still continue rusting underneath clear coats of any sort. I'm sure most that have worked on a replica ANH Obi saber or any other replica with real rust weathering noticed that coating it is very, very difficult to maintain the same look over periods of time.
The goal to coat is to preserve in these cases, but it's not quite that simple to just slap it with a clear coating of some sort. Even Rustoleum claims as such, but after years of use..it's simply a joke. If anything, Loctite has the arena there I think..or just simply boiling water
Other than cerakote, most coatings can be removed if wanted without damage to an extent, but it depends on if the weathering is natural or painted on and on what material as well. In this case being steel and brass I'd assume it to be non-permanent coating-wise.
The problem with this one is the Scope seems to have been possibly retouched as well as coated, just like the Cradle of the mount...not so original, as far as my opinion goes. I see it as a somewhat unprofessional approach towards preserving the true, original parts of this half-prop.
Edit: I meant this towards the Original vs. PS/RIA variances..not towards the differences from PS to how it looks today..
-Carson
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kpax
Sr Member
Yes. I was commenting on the PS vs current RIA.
The scope defiantly lost some color from the screen used. Got some "rusty" patina on there now. Glad Carl didn't try and blue it up again. Leave it alone.
Does look like a coating finish of some kind. Could just be oil or wax. Anything to keep the moisture away. Wax (paste wax) is not bad because you can always re-wax with no ill effect. Easy to remove etc. Also some hard oil finishes work great.
The scope defiantly lost some color from the screen used. Got some "rusty" patina on there now. Glad Carl didn't try and blue it up again. Leave it alone.
Does look like a coating finish of some kind. Could just be oil or wax. Anything to keep the moisture away. Wax (paste wax) is not bad because you can always re-wax with no ill effect. Easy to remove etc. Also some hard oil finishes work great.
deadbolt
Sr Member
Of course I could be very wrong, I haven't used everything that's out there..
I'm just speculating and a bit concerned as far as the well-being of the remaining real parts go..
I just find it upsetting to say the least to see them in that condition and even altered to an extent. You'd think someone there at Bapty would have tried earlier to save them after the 1st film was an obvious cultural hit world-wide..
Saddening to see for sure, and I wasn't even alive when the prop was built..
-Carson
I'm just speculating and a bit concerned as far as the well-being of the remaining real parts go..
I just find it upsetting to say the least to see them in that condition and even altered to an extent. You'd think someone there at Bapty would have tried earlier to save them after the 1st film was an obvious cultural hit world-wide..
Saddening to see for sure, and I wasn't even alive when the prop was built..
-Carson
deadbolt
Sr Member
They'll find out one day that it was a costly mistake on their part. It's their problem now I suppose..
-Carson
I’m certain that Bapty stripped the prop back down to its “non-Star Wars state” within weeks of principle photography having wrapped, which was well before the actual movie was released.
To them, it was likely just yet another production that had rented their props.
deadbolt
Sr Member
I agree, I don't doubt that. It's clear that they did due to the ESB/ROTJ stunts and possible bunker-blaster, but you'd think in the months after the film released they'd search and maintain such parts like they did with Full Metal Jacket etc.. But they didn't, they just simply kept them in their stock instead of being preserved as soon as possible and maybe pushed into a museum or something as they deserved, before Government buybacks and such years later and the toll of time the remaining parts had to take.
-Carson
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kpax
Sr Member
Sounds like that was the process as Carl described to Tony.
Shame the mount was destroyed.
Mauser likely destroyed as well. It was already damaged. Maybe it was not safe to fire blanks anymore? Couldn’t use it for any future SW anyway so maybe destroyed it? Or selling off that one to the government buy back makes sense for Bapty.
They had “ better ones” as Carl said.
Also that design was big and heavy. The mount probably ate Fords hand. Switching to the ESB design was probably a good move.
$900k plus fees. Over a million… for a beat up vintage HW3x scope.
I don’t want to hear any whining and crying from members here about how much they spent on a real HW3x anymore!
; )
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