A cosmic price for a space prop. The found Star Wars model cost a fortune

This auction electrified not only Star Wars fans. It is also widely commented on in the American press and social media. It’s about a prop that was lost several decades ago and was used on the set of the film in 1977.

This is a half-meter-long model of the X-Wing space fighter created in George Lucas’s Industrial Light & Magic special effects studio. After filming, in a way that remains unclear to this day, it ended up in the garage of Greg Jein, the visual effects creator. After years of unsuccessful searches, the prop was named the “mythical white whale”.

A model of a Star Wars fighter found after many years is worth a fortune

According to The New York Times, one of the most important American daily newspapers, the trail of the prop was discovered quite by accident. “Friends of Greg Jein, who died last year, who were cleaning out his garage. They discovered an X-Wing hidden in a box filled with foam,” it says. The discovery of the fighter model sparked enormous interest among collectors.

The prop was offered at a weekend auction organized by Heritage Auctions. It didn’t take long for collectors to respond. The new buyer paid as much as $3.13 million for the X-Wing. Fans of the space saga emphasize that this is the most expensive “Star Wars” prop ever sold. In June 2022, another model of the fighter was auctioned and sold for PLN 755,000. dollars.

The found model of the fighter is a technological gem from decades ago

– A total of four special props were used on the set of Star Wars: A New Hope and were used to record close-ups of the final battle – Business Insider reports. “This particular model played the role of at least three starfighters in the film, including one piloted by main character Luke Skywalker. “It was used extensively in the famous Death Star raid sequence.” – notes the American portal.

In turn, experts from Heritage Auctions argue that the fighter model found after many years has motorized wings that can unfold into an attack position, electric lights powered by internal wiring, metal heat sinks, a miniature remote control and a robot dome resembling the famous R2-D2.

The X-Wing fighter model was not the only prop up for auction. There was also other Star Wars memorabilia collected by Jein. The stormtrooper armor was also very popular among fans of the space saga. Production scripts and a number of action figures were also auctioned.