Yet more frivolous purchases, stuff you don't need...

[stemll]

Wasn't part of it that Fox were convinced it was going to flop - "who wants cowboys and Indians in space?" hence the pretty low budget and shooting in Elstree which was also cheaper. Given that, plus most props were hashed together anyway, why keep them if "we're not making any more are we".

Was that not also how Lucas ended up with the merchandising rights rather than a share of the box office.

[SistersofPercy]

Exactly that yes. Lucas was bloody savvy with the toy deal. Nobody had ever done that before and it certainly paid off.

I’m fortunate to know a few of the original cast, nobody huge, cantina actors etc as well as Brian Muir who designed a lot of the original props. Their passion for it and for the fans is endless.

[P5BNij]

SistersofPercy said:

Exactly that yes. Lucas was bloody savvy with the toy deal. Nobody had ever done that before and it certainly paid off.

I’m fortunate to know a few of the original cast, nobody huge, cantina actors etc as well as Brian Muir who designed a lot of the original props. Their passion for it and for the fans is endless.

Somewhere upstairs is the little booklet I bought for 50p when I went to see Star Wars in Leicester Square, a frivolous extravagance back in 1977

I've just ordered a few more books on Maserati, Lamborghini and Lancia knowing I've run out of shelf space, it's like an incurable disease!

[ChemicalChaos]

SistersofPercy said:

P5BNij said:

I read somewhere that in the first film the Stormtrooper's boots were just cheap Chelsea boots painted white, I can well believe it. On one hand the budget was quite small when it came to costumes and props, on the other the money that they sank into Industrial Light & Magic was well placed as they produced stunning visuals for the time in 1976/77. A distant cousin of mine is named in the credits as a 'Foley Operator', presumably he was something to do with post production.

That’s exactly what they are. Im a cleared Stormtrooper with the UKG (501st Legion) and they require screen accuracy. Painting the boots is the way it’s done.
You’d be surprised how much of it was cobbled together. You know those two little breathing tube things on the front of a Stormrooper lid? Aerators from taps lightsabers? Flash guns from cameras and again bits of tap. Snow trooper buttons? Volume sliders from old stereo decks. The one that amuses me most is the breathing apparatus on the scout trooper nose. That’s half a toy motorbike engine.
Once you know this stuff you never unsee it.

I know that a lot of the set and props of the original movies was built from a job lot of aviation junk that was obtained cheaply from a breakers near to the location.
This turned out to include a lot of early jet engine stuff - the perforated collars at the business end of the lightsabers are a very specific part from a very specific early jet, and are a matched pair - one character's saber has the female side, another has the male side.
These collars are almost impossible to remake due to the insane amount of machining involved, and original ones - if you can find them - go for ludicrous amounts.
How do I know all of this? A an aircraft friend of mine had one of said engines in storage and was approached by a replica builder!





However, my favourite bit of "can't unsee this" is not from SW, but a prop from Thunderbirds. If you look closely at the bakground dressing of TB1's launch bay, there's a lemon squeezer on wall

[Celtic Dragon]

That reminds me of the Men in Black 2 film where the silver space ship that lands on earth at the beginning is a lemon squeezer, albeit a famous design.

Edited by Celtic Dragon on Wednesday 12th April 15:34

Edited by Celtic Dragon on Wednesday 12th April 15:34

[SistersofPercy]

Never really watched Thunderbirds, but the lemon squeezer is fabulous.

My favourite star wars thing was the ice cream maker, carried by Willrow Hood as he ran from cloud city in ESB



It's not even disguised. It developed a bit of a cult following to the extent that conventions often have an ice cream run where groups of fans run through the convention dressed as Willrow, carrying the ice cream maker and shouting 'Ice cream!'

To great amusement it reappeared in The Mandalorian as a kind of portable safe to hold credits.



Anyway, back on topic, but still on a Star Wars note. When I was in Galaxys Edge before Christmas I saw a girl carrying a Loungefly Jawa backpack with light up eyes. I needed it. It transpired it was a limited edition for certain stores in the USA and quite rare, been looking for it ever since. Imagine my surprise when I dropped on it on Truffle Shuffle the other night whilst looking for something else. Clearly it's coming to Disney with me next month (I might have also purchased a Chorlton and the Wheelies shirt at the same time. Ooops)

[Sporky]

That bag is awesome.

And if I was fleeing Cloud City I'd bring my ice-cream machine. I

[RammyMP]

SistersofPercy said:

Never really watched Thunderbirds, but the lemon squeezer is fabulous.

My favourite star wars thing was the ice cream maker, carried by Willrow Hood as he ran from cloud city in ESB



It's not even disguised. It developed a bit of a cult following to the extent that conventions often have an ice cream run where groups of fans run through the convention dressed as Willrow, carrying the ice cream maker and shouting 'Ice cream!'

To great amusement it reappeared in The Mandalorian as a kind of portable safe to hold credits.



Anyway, back on topic, but still on a Star Wars note. When I was in Galaxys Edge before Christmas I saw a girl carrying a Loungefly Jawa backpack with light up eyes. I needed it. It transpired it was a limited edition for certain stores in the USA and quite rare, been looking for it ever since. Imagine my surprise when I dropped on it on Truffle Shuffle the other night whilst looking for something else. Clearly it's coming to Disney with me next month (I might have also purchased a Chorlton and the Wheelies shirt at the same time. Ooops)

It’s mad some of the limited edition st, when Frozen came out we went to Disney in Orlando and the youngest went through the Bibbedy Bobberdy Boutique. As part of the process the child would get a Disney frock, she chose a Frozen outfit that wasn’t available in the shops, we had offers literally every 10 minutes from people wanting to buy it off us. In hindsight I should have cashed in, it never got worn again once we got home!

That bag is cool though! Good effort!

[P5BNij]

SistersofPercy said:

Never really watched Thunderbirds, but the lemon squeezer is fabulous.

My favourite star wars thing was the ice cream maker, carried by Willrow Hood as he ran from cloud city in ESB



It's not even disguised. It developed a bit of a cult following to the extent that conventions often have an ice cream run where groups of fans run through the convention dressed as Willrow, carrying the ice cream maker and shouting 'Ice cream!'

To great amusement it reappeared in The Mandalorian as a kind of portable safe to hold credits.



Anyway, back on topic, but still on a Star Wars note. When I was in Galaxys Edge before Christmas I saw a girl carrying a Loungefly Jawa backpack with light up eyes. I needed it. It transpired it was a limited edition for certain stores in the USA and quite rare, been looking for it ever since. Imagine my surprise when I dropped on it on Truffle Shuffle the other night whilst looking for something else. Clearly it's coming to Disney with me next month (I might have also purchased a Chorlton and the Wheelies shirt at the same time. Ooops)

You've got it bad, haven't you?

I don't 'need' any more books about Italian cars but I can't stop buying them, even those actually written in Italian

[SistersofPercy]

RammyMP said:

It’s mad some of the limited edition st, when Frozen came out we went to Disney in Orlando and the youngest went through the Bibbedy Bobberdy Boutique. As part of the process the child would get a Disney frock, she chose a Frozen outfit that wasn’t available in the shops, we had offers literally every 10 minutes from people wanting to buy it off us. In hindsight I should have cashed in, it never got worn again once we got home!

That bag is cool though! Good effort!

Ahh the good old Bibbidy con, the amount of begging small children in that place is amazing.
Happily by the time my daughter got there she was an adult. However, she has paid eye watering sums for accurate princess costumes and would wear them to conventions. She was briefly on the One Show once with her partner as Kristoff and Anna at one Con.

The bag was a comic book store exclusive I believe. I don't normally collect Loungefly bags, I have a Grogu one I use on Park because it's easier to carry around, but when I saw this one it really grabbed me. Thrilled to have found it.

My other bit of frivolity this week is causing me a headache. The animatronic Babu Frik has arrived but isn't moving as it should. Waiting for the company I bought it from to replace it now.

[Scrump]

One I spotted quite a few years ago is the Peacekeeper Grenades from Farscape are aftershave bottles from Donna Karan (I still have some!)

[shirt]

SistersofPercy said:

Truffle Shuffle

FFS. I mean really, FFS.

I opened, I scrolled, I wasn’t interested. Then I saw the dark side of button moon t shirt.

I reckon I’m also going in for:

Pigeon street
Ulysses 31
Harold & Madge
Dot cotton
A pair of Bowie socks and
Cookie Monster pajama bottoms

How is the quality before I make a stupid decision?

[Dan_1981]

shirt said:

SistersofPercy said:

Truffle Shuffle

FFS. I mean really, FFS.

I opened, I scrolled, I wasn’t interested. Then I saw the dark side of button moon t shirt.

I reckon I’m also going in for:

Pigeon street
Ulysses 31
Harold & Madge
Dot cotton
A pair of Bowie socks and
Cookie Monster pajama bottoms

How is the quality before I make a stupid decision?

Bucky O'Hare and The Racoons would be my choice. (for the avoidance of doubt that's two cartoons not some weird 80's mash up)

[shirt]

I was thinking of the raccoons but it just opens the wound of my unrequited childhood crush on Melissa

‘Love laugh love’ is an in joke in our house for all things naff, so the Ricky and Bianca tee is also getting bought

[SistersofPercy]

shirt said:

FFS. I mean really, FFS.

I opened, I scrolled, I wasn’t interested. Then I saw the dark side of button moon t shirt.

I reckon I’m also going in for:

Pigeon street
Ulysses 31
Harold & Madge
Dot cotton
A pair of Bowie socks and
Cookie Monster pajama bottoms

How is the quality before I make a stupid decision?

Quality is decent. I've used them for a few years for various band shirts and the like. Probably the oldest is a Breakfast Club Baseball shirt thats been washed and tumble dried to death but still looks perfect.

[Jazzy Jag]

Picked this up at an auction.

I probably overpaid but it was calling me

[ChemicalChaos]

Not a purchase per se, as I actually traded some other items for it this weekend at an aerojumble rather than giving cash...... but welcome to the basis of an amazing coffee table

[Pulse00]

Damn you guys, now I need to buy that Jawa bag and the Dark side of button moon t-shirt!

[twing]

ChemicalChaos said:

I

Thanks for that CC! i'm now 85 quid light

[RizzoTheRat]

ChemicalChaos said:

However, my favourite bit of "can't unsee this" is not from SW, but a prop from Thunderbirds. If you look closely at the bakground dressing of TB1's launch bay, there's a lemon squeezer on wall

Is that a couple of 16A sockets underneath the juicer?