What happened to...(Star Wars Props)

[thd9791]

Does anyone know what happened to many of the original trilogy star wars props that are not on display or seen in the archives?

Not only lightsabers, but that's what's on my mind...the V2, Yuma stunts, tube graflex fakes, (vader's stuff was stolen i think) but blasters and some helmets, odd miscellaneous props and that nature - were they re-purposed somewhere or trashed, sold...?

Be gentle, I'm still relatively new and haven't found anything like this yet.

 

[Sym-Cha]

The original Hero Obi-Wan ANH lightsaber was cobled together from different metal vintage bits and parts by Bapty Props and then rented by the Lucasfilm crew. After filming that lightsaber was returned and probably taken apart by Bapty as far as my gathering of this knowledge goes.

The only question that troubled me over the years is : Why didn't Lucasfilm purchase the lightsaber parts back from Bapty . . . after the huge financial success of Star Wars, if only for the even by then significant history of the screen-used filmprop?!? Or did they do just that and took the now famous Chronicles/Mechanismo pictures and keep it hidden somewhere at Skywalker Ranch or the Archives?

-Chaim

 

[Apollo]

The original Movie a lot of those props were destroyed or walked off the set back in those days.

You have to remember everybody working on that film thought it was going to bomb

 

[thd9791]

The original Movie a lot of those props were destroyed or walked off the set back in those days.

You have to remember everybody working on that film thought it was going to bomb

It's hard to keep that in mind, but yea I suppose. Wonder where they ended up..

 

[DOGFOX2109]

It mostly went into a skip! I remember a story that the death star was thrown in a skip and some guy pulled it out and has it sat in his front room for years!! Lucky chap!

 

[thd9791]

what's a skip?

 

[Twinsen]

Some kind of big container if i'm correct

 

[thd9791]

Wow, I wonder what happened to the other lightsabers, those weren't made of certain parts like Alec Guinness' prop.

 

[Treadwell]

A skip is a dumpster or drop-off container.

The Death Star model was in a rental storage place in the LA area and that fact was somehow forgotten by LFL, probably fell though the cracks during the move up north. It became abandoned property and when the storage company moved to Missouri, it was packed with the rest of their stuff. Eventually a fan recognized it and bought it from them, it passed through a couple more hands, is now owned by Gus Lopez and is on loan to the Sci-Fi Museum in Seattle.

 

[SciFiMuseum]

Gus and Pam are both great people...the EMP/SFM have been "borrowing it" for 10 years now!

 

[thd9791]

what a story! I'm glad it's still intact and being taken care of.

 

[Alan Castillo]

what's a skip?

Some kind of big container if i'm correct

Yep. Those big plastic containers that are left in the road for people to put rubbish in.

It can also mean those huge metal ones that are used for the same reason. Those you have to hire though.

 

[voice in the crowd]

what a story! I'm glad it's still intact and being taken care of.

It's not.

I think the laser dish was missing from it when Gus Lopez bought it.

The laser dish was still on it the first time he saw it and was lost between his first viewing and his purchase.

I think some items were skipped but honestly I think more went home with people who worked on the Trilogy after the films were complete.

There is a lot more out there for sure

 

[Katsu Ma'roy]

Not necessarily a prop, but there is always the missing Celica:
The Official Star Wars Blog | 1977 Star Wars Celica: Have You Seen This Car?

 

[thd9791]

Hahaha, was that car made for promo? it's actually not bad