When Star Wars was being developed, no one quite knew the cultural impact it would have over the next five decades, which meant that some of the props involved with bringing the project to life went missing back in the late ’70s. Despite having seemingly vanished, a hero model of an original X-wing has been recovered, which is one of the four hero models created for the film to bring the iconic Death Star attack scene to life. The model, which is the highly detailed Red Leader X-wing, is set to go up for auction next month with a starting bid of $400,000.
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As explained by The Hollywood Reporter, the “hero” versions of the X-wings for the battle were more detailed than other models, and also featured servos that allowed the wings to move and included working lights.
“This model has not been displayed or modified since it left ILM,” VFX historian Gene Kozicki shared with the outlet. “For those of us that grew up in the ’70s or ’80s, and those of us that work in visual effects, this model is as significant a find as the ruby red slippers or the Maltese Falcon.”
The X-wing was found as part of the late Greg Jein’s collection, and as a testament to how unlikely it was for the model to be recovered, the model was found in a cereal box full of packing peanuts.
“I knew something was probably in the box, so I started to carefully scoop out the packaging peanuts when the nose of the X-wing showed itself,” Kozicki admitted. “The four of us knew immediately that it was the actual filming model and then the magnitude of the discovery started to set in.”
With Jein having worked on Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Kozicki theorized that items from both films could have gotten lost in the shuffle.
“We don’t exactly know the circumstances by which he came into possession of this model. And as an active collector/trader, he also obtained items simply because he figured that he could trade them for something more in line with what he wanted for himself,” the historian confessed. “Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Star Wars were being made at roughly the same time, and with an overlapping group of people. And at that time no one, not even Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, could anticipate the impact these films would have on the industry or cultural zeitgeist.”
You can head to the item’s auction listing for full details.
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