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LucasFilm Auctioning Star Wars Memorabilia

Posted by chrisd on from the these-are-not-the-auctions-you-are-looking-for dept.

Captain Chad writes: "LucasFilm has donated some items to eBay's "Auction for America". They include a lightsaber used by Ray Park (Darth Maul) and a stormtrooper helmet used in The Empire Strikes Back and in Return of the Jedi. Check out the list of auction items! I think some of the bids will get astronomical. Would anyone be willing to give me a few hundred thousand dollars so I can get the lightsaber?"

99 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. hmmm... by Quasar1999 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sounds great and all... but why not donate some of the revenues from the films (which we already pay a hell of a lot of money to go see anyways) to these charities... why auction off only one or two things which can only be attained by the rich?

    --

    ---
    Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
    1. Re:hmmm... by SilentChris · · Score: 2
      I agree. I'd rather not line George's ego coffers any more than they already are. Why should he get more support for the monostrosity of marketing that he is? Further, all of the "Auction of America" items have to be paid for by eBay Billpoint. This has already irked a majority of people who don't want to promote eBay's (more expensive) alternative to other payment methods.

      Give to charity under your own name, with the amount you can afford. Don't be led in by this garbage.

    2. Re:hmmm... by susano_otter · · Score: 2

      Perhaps you weren't aware that LucasFilm is simply complying with the industry standard.

      --

      Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.

    3. Re:hmmm... by Cato+the+Elder · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It makes perfect sense to me. By offering items for auction, Lucasfilm forgoes a source of potential profit to funnel money from people with enough disposable income to buy collectibles to the needy.

      Lucasfilm can't really donate "some of the revenues from the films", I'm sure almost all of that money has already been spent. Sure, they could donate some proceeds from ongoing liscensing--"Buy a Jar-Jar Binks doll to Help America"--Bleck. I think it's much cooler to offer relatively unique items then to be yet another company funneling off pennies here and there.

    4. Re:hmmm... by MikeyNg · · Score: 2

      Sounds great and all... but why not donate some of the revenues from the films (which we already pay a hell of a lot of money to go see anyways) to these charities... why auction off only one or two things which can only be attained by the rich?


      So you would like to donate to charities, and you'd rather have the burden placed on the general populace rather than a rich elite few? I take it that you're not in support of graduated income tax brackets either, are you?


      So a few rich people grab up the uber-cool light saber. Big deal. At least that money is going to be used for some good, rather than sitting in their bank account. Or at the very least, these are the kinds of people who might pay millions for a baseball or something - you might as well use their money, and it's obvious that they're more than happy giving it away this way.

      --
      Where the wind blows, the tumbleweed goes.
    5. Re:hmmm... by Sloppy · · Score: 1

      By that logic, I guess everyone should give everything they make to charities.

      Or is Lucas a special case in some way?

      --
      As copyright owner of this comment, I authorize everyone to defeat any technological measure which limits access to it.
    6. Re:hmmm... by glwtta · · Score: 1

      this way there is no cost to LucasFilm - why did you think?

      --
      sic transit gloria mundi
    7. Re:hmmm... by mmaddox · · Score: 2

      Oooooo! I could spent lots of money on Ertl (read: available through retail stores) models put-together by people I don't know. And George Lucas is going to tell me they're important because those people made models for HIM.

      Not. This is all second-hand crap, not history. The history is in someone else's private collection.

      --

      What'dya mean there's no BLINK tag!?

    8. Re:hmmm... by Quasar1999 · · Score: 1

      So you would like to donate to charities, and you'd rather have the burden placed on the general populace rather than a rich elite few?

      I'm not saying exclude the rich charity donators, I'm simply saying include the not-so-rich (general populace, as you called it) donators as well. I don't know how many movie tickets to starwars episode one were sold, but I'm sure if even just $0.05 of each ticket went to a charity, it would end up being a hell of a lot more money than what 2 people buying 2 studio props for say $100,000 could raise. Do you see my point? I'm not saying get rid of the option to spend an insane amount of money on one or two things (for the rich), but you can raise a lot more money if you take in very little from a whole lot of people.

      I'm not rich, hell I usually live pay-check to pay-check... I can't donate lots of money to charities, but I'm quite happy parting with $0.50... It would however, cost more for a charity to process my $0.50 donation than its worth. But if that small donation comes from hundreds or thousands of people at once, through a corporation taking a small percentage off of a ticket (or product, or whatever), then the charity gets to tap into people like me who can't donate a lot, but still are quite willing to donate a little. And there are a lot of people who will glady donate a little.

      --

      ---
      Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
  2. hmmmm by Omega+Prime · · Score: 1

    I wonder how much a land speeder would cost.

    Certainly would cut down on the time to commute!

    --
    "We deal in lead" - Roland of Gilead
  3. So.... by DAldredge · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So how much of your income from Win32 driver dev. job do you donate???

    1. Re:So.... by Quasar1999 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      So how much of your income from Win32 driver dev. job do you donate???

      To American charities? None. I do however volunteer my time and services to local charities (here in Canada), when I have the time.

      And what difference does it make if I donate a million dollars or none at all? Donations are one thing, but buying something where part of the proceeds goes to a charity is something totally different. You benifit and the charities benifit.

      I rather like the idea when a corporation announces that a certain percentage of the profits on a product or on a certain day are donated to a charity. It lets lots of people participate, while still getting something out of it (since deep down, we're all selfish).

      --

      ---
      Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
    2. Re:So.... by damiam · · Score: 1
      Donations are one thing, but buying something where part of the proceeds goes to a charity is something totally different. You benifit and the charities benifit.

      Which is exactly what's happening here. What's your problem with it?

      --
      It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.
  4. how much this stuff could bring in... by sammy.lost-angel.com · · Score: 1

    could be enough to pay for how much the first one cost to make.

  5. I shall open the bidding... by Karma+50 · · Score: 1

    ... $10

    --
    http://www.thehungersite.com
  6. never thought i would see... by BigBir3d · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...a page on ebay slashdotted :-)

    good work people!

    1. Re:never thought i would see... by UberGeek28 · · Score: 1

      didja glance at the source? it's actually not ebay that's getting slashdotted, it's the poor box with the images... so swamped netcraft can't even ID the web server...

      --
      who, me? where? with who?
  7. Make your own lightsaber? by nateo_java · · Score: 1
    You know, it'd be cool to have a lightsaber from the Star Wars series, but it strikes me that the more mechanically inclined among us could just turn their own on their garage lathes and bolt a bunch of gewgaws to it to finish the look. Anyone done this, and how did it turn out?

    -nateo http://www.jesush.com/nateo/

    1. Re:Make your own lightsaber? by susano_otter · · Score: 5, Informative

      ...the more mechanically inclined among us could just turn their own on their garage lathes and bolt a bunch of gewgaws to it to finish the look.

      Are you talking about these guys?

      Or these guys?

      Or possibly even these guys?

      --

      Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.

    2. Re:Make your own lightsaber? by Ivop · · Score: 1

      Not te be a troll or something, but all these sabers are just some tube with holes drilled into it and some blinking leds and some rubber. Where's the blade? --Ivo

    3. Re:Make your own lightsaber? by epepke · · Score: 2

      At any reasonbly big science fiction convention, you can get either passive sparkly plastic blades or "light kits" that use single-ended neon bulbs inside a plastic sleeve for the blade. These look fantasic. Of course, they're fragile.

  8. Warning!!!! by DAldredge · · Score: 4, Funny

    They have a ZERO (0) feedback rating on ebay. How do we know they won't take the money and run???

    ;->

    1. Re:Warning!!!! by Debillitatus · · Score: 1
      They have a ZERO (0) feedback rating on ebay. How do we know they won't take the money and run???

      Interesting philosophical question: Do you read ACs?

      --

      Come on, give it up, that's

    2. Re:Warning!!!! by Karma+50 · · Score: 1

      Another interesting (nearly) question ... perhaps /. karma could be displayed in the same way? We all know that high karma means the comment poster is more trustworthy, therefore it will be so useful to know it.
      -
      Karma 50 (38)

      --
      http://www.thehungersite.com
    3. Re:Warning!!!! by Debillitatus · · Score: 1

      That's a good point. I guess you sometimes know what someone's karma is close to, if you see what the post started at, but it would be useful to know this. I'm sort of surprised that they don't allow one to view it.

      --

      Come on, give it up, that's

    4. Re:Warning!!!! by IronChef · · Score: 2

      We all know that high karma means the comment poster is more trustworthy, therefore it will be so useful to know it.

      hello, Mr. Karma 49 here with an exciting offer for you... earn up to $5000 a month working at home!

  9. Re:This is horrible by Debillitatus · · Score: 1
    This is horrible. What's next... auction off the Constitution?

    Yeah! I've already bid on the 5th amendment... From now on, all you clowns have to incriminate yourselves, but not me... moooahhaha

    --

    Come on, give it up, that's

  10. Expensive by TMacPhail · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I personaly think that the storm trooper helmet will reach a much higher price than the light saber. Simply because the helmet is from one of the originals that have essentially become classics. The light saber will be expensive but not as high because episode 1 was not as popular as the original 3.

  11. Auctioning kit models - weak. by DouglasA · · Score: 1

    I was disappointed to see that the models up for auction were assembled from kits. Not that I could afford even those, but I was imagining some actual models used in the films. The money generated by those would be astronomical...but wouldn't go into Lucas' pocket.

  12. $8000+ for a helmet? by dmarcov · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ok -- for no logical reason, I sure wouldn't mind having an authentic Stormtrooper helmet, but come on. They've already bid it up for over $8k. Sweet charity, or no -- $8,000 for a movie prop is impossible to comprehend.

    Well that -- and the armor never seemed to protect the actual stormstrooper from anything. Not even a damned Ewok with a rock.

    1. Re:$8000+ for a helmet? by Kappelmeister · · Score: 2, Interesting

      $8,000 for a movie prop is impossible to comprehend.

      Really? For you, maybe, but people have different value systems. This prop was used in 1980 -- surely there are a few middle-aged rich guys and film buffs who would pay much more to touch and own a piece of their childhood happiness.

    2. Re:$8000+ for a helmet? by koganuts · · Score: 1

      If you check the list of bidders, you'll notice that at least two of them (startifacts and propstore) appear to be prop collectors. So they have money to invest in and know a real find when they see one (i.e. they can trust that the seller is really selling an authentic prop as opposed to a fake one).

    3. Re:$8000+ for a helmet? by quartz · · Score: 1

      ...because, as every well-educated consumer knows, happiness is in the things we own.

    4. Re:$8000+ for a helmet? by Niac · · Score: 1

      Well, yes, it can be.

      --
      http://gabrielcain.com/
    5. Re:$8000+ for a helmet? by famazza · · Score: 2

      It's much more amazing if we notice that the Darth Vader Helmet is much more cheaper ($2000-)

      Ok, auctions are unpredictable, but 4 times more is a very significant difference.

      --

      -=-=-=-=
      I know life isn't fair, but why can't it ever be un-fair in MY favor!?
    6. Re:$8000+ for a helmet? by juju2112 · · Score: 2

      Well, the stormtrooper helmet was actually used during filming. The Darth vader helmet was just cast from a mold of an original.

  13. What's surprising... by Night0wl · · Score: 1

    Isn't what items are up for bid, but what's currenlty in the lead..

    The Storm Trooper helm is currenlty recieving an 8,865$ bid. Where as the second Item is the Darth Maul stunt light-saber, weighing in at 5,101$

    I'd rather have a stick I could swing around and hit people with, wrather then a helmet that's going to suffocate me.

    --
    Computational Madness in a round package.
  14. Info about Auction for America by guru_steve · · Score: 2

    For those of you who don't know, or are too lazy to find out, Ebay's auction for america is a method of raising money for various charities, such as the September 11th Fund, The New York State World Trade Center Relief Fund, The Twin Towers Fund and the American Red Cross.

    1. Re:Info about Auction for America by _ph1ux_ · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The New York State World Trade Center Fund, The Twin Towers Fund, The WTC Fund, The Tallest Building In The World Fund, The Tower 1 Fund, The One World Trade Center Plaza Fund, The Families Who Worked in The World Trade Center Fund, The Families Who Worked in The Twin Towers Fund...

      Ok - so its a bit cynical - but why arent people still talking about the fact that the red cross has more money than they know what to do with...

      I'll bet that if we looked at how much money was raised for those families (who many were well to do investment types) they have enough damn money already (especially now after all this)...

      What about the insurance for the WTC - has anyone stated what that covers...

      Why dont we actually do something that will have an impact with all this money that we are raising? Where is it going - some monument? how much could that possibly cost? Who is keeping an eye on the people collecting this money?

      I know that I for one will hear about the millions upon millions raised in the name of terror relief - but I can assure you that i will not see any effect this money may have.

      (I have sympathy for the people who have suffered due to 9/11 - however I have no compassion for people who take advantage of these tragedies for greedy unscrupulous causes)

    2. Re:Info about Auction for America by dsb3 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      What about the insurance for the WTC - has anyone stated what that covers...

      Insurance? Some of the papers I read at the time seemed to indicate that only one of the two towers was insured at all. Never heard anything else about that, though - perhaps the gov't supressed the media again.

      --

      Slashdot? Oh, I just read it for the articles.
    3. Re:Info about Auction for America by Ivop · · Score: 1

      It may be me, but I never understand why such rich countries as the US need to get money from the public. They have _billions_ to spend. Same goes for other disasters like train accidents in the UK, exploding factory in France, fireworks in Holland. Those governments have enough money and should pay all expenses!! I mean, earthquakes in Turkey or flooding in Bangladesh is something completely different. They don't have the money. But here in the west... Let them filthy rich governments pay themselves. --Ivo

  15. Huh? by cperciva · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Ok, I've never watched Star Wars, but I'm still rather confused by this.

    Why is the Stormtrooper helmet currently $3000 more than the lightsaber?

    --
    Tarsnap: Online backups for the truly paranoid
    1. Re:Huh? by Party+Remover · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Doesn't surprise me much. A lightsaber prop sitting on a shelf or in a display cabinet doesn't necessarily look like anything special (especially if it's not part of a larger collection on display). You might even think it's a flashlight or something. But it's pretty tough to mistake a Stormtrooper helmet for anything else. :-)

    2. Re:Huh? by ectizen · · Score: 1

      Well, the lightsaber needs a whole load of special effects to look authentic - the helmet doesn't :)

    3. Re:Huh? by TheOnlyCoolTim · · Score: 2

      The stormtrooper helmet is from a good movie.

      The lightsaber is from a crap-fest.

      Tim

      --
      Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
  16. Auction the right to choose Jar Jar's future by Helevius · · Score: 5, Funny
    If Lucas were a genius, he would auction the right to decide Jar Jar Bink's future in the next or third Star Wars movie. He could bring in a lot of money by guaranteeing the high bidder's way to eliminate Jar Jar would appear on screen. Perhaps an AT-AT would step on him, or he could be rolled over by a sandcrawler? (Yeah, those are tame.)

    Helevius

    1. Re:Auction the right to choose Jar Jar's future by rebug · · Score: 1

      smothered by jabba, preferably in some sort of restroom mishap.

      --

      there's more than one way to do me.
  17. Forget about the Sith Lords by Wintermancer · · Score: 5, Funny

    #include "heavy-breathing.h"

    #incluide "voice-distortion.h"

    "Princess Lea, now you will see the true nature and power of the Dark Side of the force."

    "No, Lord Vader! We are just a peaceful planet of granola eaters and tree huggers!"

    "Yes, watch as the Empire unleashes the ultimate weapon....the Slashdot effect!"

    Really, this is amazing, we've Slashdotted eBay.

    1. Re:Forget about the Sith Lords by astrotek · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The images are hosted off site. The slashdot affect is on lucasfilm I think. Ebay is serving pages just fine.

    2. Re:Forget about the Sith Lords by Chibi · · Score: 2

      Really, this is amazing, we've Slashdotted eBay.

      Actually, not eBay. The only problem on the site was with the images of the auction items, which are *not* hosted by eBay. They are hosted at http://208.55.221.157 , which seems to be owned by Transrow, an auction company services company. They are responsible for verification of bidders.

      Taken from the Darth Maul lightsaber description:

      To help ensure a smooth auction process for all participants, Lucasfilm LTD. requires verification of bids. TransRow, Inc, an auction services company, will contact bidders at the telephone number listed on the bidders eBay registration form. If you bid and are unavailable at that number, or you are uncertain of the number you registered on eBay, then it is your responsibility to immediately contact TransRow via e-mail at verify@transrow.com or toll-free at 1-800-652-4440 (for international callers, 001-818-886-5345). If you are registered in Germany, please email to TransRow your contact information at Verify@TransRow.com.

      Once contacted, a TransRow representative will request a valid credit card number. The representative will also make inquires that are designed to confirm your identity and your intent to complete this transaction. This information is requested for your protection and to maintain the integrity of the auction for all participants. If a bidder cannot be verified within 30 minutes of the bid, the bid may be removed. Bidders who wish to place first bids during the last 24 hours must contact TransRow directly so that they may be pre-verified to bid. Please be aware that at any point in the auction, it may be necessary to limit the bidding only to those bidders who have been verified. Therefore, verifying prior to bidding is the only way to be assured that a bid will be received.

      This verification process is designed to give additional comfort and security to those serious bidders who are intent on purchasing this item. We sincerely hope that you appreciate the efforts we are taking to provide the highest level of integrity and security in this auction. Good Luck and Good Bidding"



      So, eBay was able to withstand the /. effect! :-)

      --
      If all you have are silver bullets, everything looks like a werewolf.
    3. Re:Forget about the Sith Lords by rbeattie · · Score: 1


      Yeah, the popularity of Star Wars items is limited to /. Of course. I can see that... NO ONE else is looking at eBay right now...

      -Russ

      --
      Me
  18. Lucas, You Genius by Murdock037 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...Do you know how much money I'd pay to get my own fully-functional Death Star? He's about to make a mint.

    (Of course, I'd want the first one, as we all know the second one is not yet fully operational.)

    1. Re:Lucas, You Genius by pete-classic · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      You obviously fell asleep before the climax of RotJ. Surely it was due to all that Ewok nonsense.

      Anyway, to catch you up, the Emperor surprised Luke with the fact that his friends were walking into a trap, since the battle station was "fully armed an operational". I'm not sure what that badly animated leech or whatever it was on the side of the Emperor's face had to do with it.

      Anyway, Han was a little behind getting the shield down, and Lando realized that it was a trap, since the Rebel's sensors were being jammed. He was too late though, and a lot of brave rebels died at the hands of the Empire with their big green blaster. (BTW, the colors of the blasters always seemed wrong to me. The sabers made sense. Bad guys red, good guys blue, youths green. What gives with that?)

      Fortunately, Han got the sheild generator down and Lando was able to blow up the second Death Star just as Luke escaped with Vader's (now Anikin again) body.

      You should watch it again. It is on VHS now, so you can fast-forward through all the cutesy Ewok crap.

      -Peter

    2. Re:Lucas, You Genius by Jburkholder · · Score: 2

      >Of course, I'd want the first one, as we all know the second one is not yet fully operational.

      (tongue inserted firmly in cheek) No way. That first one had that clearly-labelled 'self destruct' button on it. Version 2.0 eliminated this design flaw, the subsequent failure of ground-based security through gross management incompetance was the only reason for its destruction.

      This new weapon system represents the most awesome destructive power in the universe. Fortunately, they put a button right here that will blow the whole thing up!

      How will we find this button, sir?

      That's the best part! They built a trench that leads right to it. Just drop in, fly to the button and fire. You can't miss!

      But why would they build something like that?

      Beats me! Isn't is great, though?

    3. Re:Lucas, You Genius by pete-classic · · Score: 2

      I see.

      Usually I avoid this sort of mistake by recognizing a joke by the fact that it's funny.

      I guess I'll have to come up with a new strategy.

      -Peter

  19. no we didn't by thopo · · Score: 2, Informative

    just the server that hosts the pics (208.55.221.157). try harder guys! :)

    --
    keep it simple.
    1. Re:no we didn't by discovercomics · · Score: 2
      The Problem with the images is that they are just too many of them for a normal responsive download. The slashdot effect really isn't to blame. I saw this story on wired several days ago and went to check it out and even then on my dial up service got tired of waiting for the images to load.
      There are a toal of 15 graphics associated with most of the auction items.
      The only image necessary for this auction is the one that has the actual picture of the item which is the one below that is not named with a number. For this particular auction it is 41KB in size while the total of the rest of the unnecessary images are 98KB of useless junk and this doesn't even count the rest of the page
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/11.gif
        8KB 66x180
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/12.gif
        27KB 242x180
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/13.gif
        3KB 16x180
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/14.gif
        27KB 276x80
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/21.gif
        2KB 66x52
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/22.gif
        4KB 242x52
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/23.gif
        1KB 16x52
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/24.gif
        4KB 276x52
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/31.gif
        8KB 66x518
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/ fedtank.gif
        41KB 242x518
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/33.gif
        2KB 16x518
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/41.gif
        2KB 66x51
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/42.gif
        4KB 242x51
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/43.gif
        1KB 16x51
      • http://208.55.221.157/auctions/starwars/44.gif
        5KB 276x51
  20. Act now! Vader helmet cheaper than Stormtrooper's! by zsazsa · · Score: 3, Informative

    This probably won't last much longer, but there's a Vader helmet (used in Empire) going for a fraction of what the Stormtrooper helmet is up to now. ($1,700 vs $8,865)

    That's the power of a direct link from Slashdot's front page!

  21. FYI... other notable Auctions for America... by koganuts · · Score: 2, Informative

    They include:
    - ILM
    - Universal Home Video (they sold props from The Mummy Returns, including the Book of the Living, the Book of the Dead, and the Scorpion Bracelet... unfortunately most of the auctions have since expired but there were at least 20 pages of props up for bidding)
    - 20th Century Fox

    My feeling on these auctions is hey, it's all for charity, so if you have money to burn, why not do it for a worthy cause instead of for yourself?

    1. Re:FYI... other notable Auctions for America... by malducin · · Score: 1

      The one by ILM (user lucasdigital) was actually organized first by the employees and consisted of crew items. A CG supervisor at ILM was the front man and he really busted his chops doing that, especially since he is also in the middle of prodction. They did auction more than the stuff that is listed on that link (which only shows last 30 days). I was trying to decide how to donate some more money and found the ILM auctions suited me best. Some really amazing items. Got 4 for myself. Hopefully they will be able to put out more stuff out.

      As far as the kits go, Lucas has always been one that has kept all sorts of props and stuff from ILM with him for preservation. He doesn't want them to be either lost or hidden by some collector.

  22. Mostly Just Kit Models... by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 4, Informative
    ...Which is kind of too bad, but I suppose they couldn't just auction off all their original props. The Stormtrooper's helmet was used in the filming of Eps 5 and 6, and Darth Maul's lightsabre was the prop Ray Park actually used in the fight scenes. The Darth Vader helmet was cast "from an original used in the filming of The Empire Strikes Back," which seems to be saying that the original molds were lost and a new one was made from an old hemlet. Not quite the same as an original by a long shot, but Lucas has autographed the thing, so I suppose it has more cachet than some of the other items.

    Everything else seems to be a professionally-built kit model. They all come with certificates of authenticity, but what they authentically are doesn't seem to be to be all that unique.

    It should be remembered that for the newer movies, authentic models will be rare indeed since they're using a great deal fewer of them in favor of CG.

    --
    And the brethren went away edified.
    1. Re:Mostly Just Kit Models... by jcr · · Score: 3, Informative

      It should be remembered that for the newer movies, authentic models will be rare indeed since they're using a great deal fewer of them in favor of CG.

      I wonder what the original backup tapes will go for ;-)

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    2. Re:Mostly Just Kit Models... by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 3, Funny

      What tapes? They're recording on digital media now. One good lightning strike at the wrong time, and you've got to reshoot the whole movie....

      --
      And the brethren went away edified.
    3. Re:Mostly Just Kit Models... by jcr · · Score: 2

      What tapes? They're recording on digital media now.

      Umm, tape is a digital medium.

      -jcr

      --
      The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
    4. Re:Mostly Just Kit Models... by CaptainCarrot · · Score: 1
      Not always, but it is in this case. It's a joke, get it? Har-har.

      Oh, well.

      --
      And the brethren went away edified.
  23. Re:Act now! Vader helmet cheaper than Stormtrooper by pete-classic · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's 'cause Lucas messed up the value on the Vader helmet by scribbling on it.

    OTOH, maybe a lot of guys are like me, and couldn't sleep with that thing in the house.

    -Peter

  24. Yummy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I'd bid for a jar of ewok pâté.

  25. Re:This is horrible by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

    Why would the Navy do that? Are they so strapped for cash that they're willing to sell the oldest commissioned warship afloat?

  26. Re:i think it is only in america by Guppy06 · · Score: 1

    Because you'll buy it.

  27. Heh. by DelyApple · · Score: 3, Funny

    Vader: What is thy bidding, my master?

    Emperor: My bidding is on your helmet, and I won. Hand it over.

    Vader: But I need this to liiiive...

  28. You want to see MY identification? by whovian · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dear Mr. Lucas,

    We will give you 5,000 now -- plus 15 when we reach Alderan.

    --
    To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
  29. All I want for christmas by Taos · · Score: 1

    .. isn't on that list.

    The one thing I've always wanted to know what happened to is Jabba's favorite decoration: The carbon frozen Han Solo. Where is this thing? I've always wanted to hang that on my wall and _really_ freak out the neighbors.

    Rich

    1. Re:All I want for christmas by jmb-d · · Score: 1

      Wall hanging?

      No, that just *screams* coffee table.

      --
      In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.
      -- Yun-Men
  30. Re:Act now! Vader helmet cheaper than Stormtrooper by swv3752 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Probably because the Vader helmet is a duplicate, not the real deal. The Stromtrooper helmet was worn by one (possibly more) extras in two movies. The one is a neat looking mold that I don't think can even be worn. And the the other is a piece of movie history that you coul wear on Halloween. See the difference?

    --
    Just a Tuna in the Sea of Life
  31. princess leia's golden bikini! by ChimChim · · Score: 1

    If only princess leia's golden bikini were on the list, i'd have to mortgage my first born and sell cowboyneal's soul to microsoft just get get my hands on it. Anyone know what happened to that peice of..uhh...metal ;)

    christian.

    1. Re:princess leia's golden bikini! by jpostel · · Score: 1

      ohhh yeeeeaaaahh

      :b~~~

      --
      Ummm, Jon, aren't you supposed to be dead...? - Otter(3800)
  32. Erm... by EuroChild · · Score: 1

    ...you do know that the lightsabre's aren't real, don't you?

    --
    Does this make my brain look big?
  33. Hey, give them a break by Galvatron · · Score: 1
    It wasn't a self destruct button, it was a small thermal exhaust port, just below the main port (how else were they going to cool the reactor?). The port was even ray shielded, meaning that it could only be targeted with photon torpedos Besides which, the shaft leading to the reactor was only two meters wide, so narrow as to be considered impossibe to hit, even with a computer.


    Anyway, the Death Star didn't really need to be tough, it was supposed to engage capital ships at long range. The Empire didn't consider small, one man fighters to be any threat, or they'd have had a tighter defense mechanism.

    --
    "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
    1. Re:Hey, give them a break by Jburkholder · · Score: 1

      You obviously didn't see "Thumb Wars"?

  34. They used to sell the Darth Vader helmet by Galvatron · · Score: 2

    I remember when you could mail order these Darth Vader helmet replicas. They sold for $2,000 each, as I recall. Not signed by George Lucas though, unless I'm mistaken.

    --
    "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than that of whether a submarine can swim" -EWD
  35. Where the hell is the open-source community?!? by gregwbrooks · · Score: 2, Funny

    Checking Sourceforge...

    GNU lightsaber: Nope.

    KDE front-end for hyperspace navigation: In alpha release.

    O'Reilly's "The Force In A Nutshell": Delayed.

    PHP/MySQL admin interface for Death Star: Again, no dice.

    And you people still wonder why the Empire runs on Microsoft?!?

    --


    "It was a summer's tale: Just a boy, his Linux, and a head full of dreams..."
  36. Fiction vs. Reality by srichman · · Score: 1
    ..you do know that the lightsabre's aren't real, don't you?
    I do. But some people seem to be confused about these sorts of things.
  37. Death star on auction by arpit · · Score: 1

    Speaking of death star..... its already available

  38. Dammit! by djrogers · · Score: 2

    What's with all this 'model' crap? I want my own Millenium Falcon!!! How else am I supposed to make that Kessel Spice run at the end of the month?

    --
    Think outside the... Hey, where'd the friggin' box go?
  39. The Power of the Schwartz by Animats · · Score: 2
    This is so George Lucas.

    George Lucas is known for being the first filmmaker to make big money with merchandising rights. Before the original Star Wars, merchandising was just to promote the film, not a moneymaker in its own right. Lucas owned the merchandising rights to the original Star Wars, but not the movie itself. Merchandising made him enough money that he was able to own and produce all his later films. Today, some films seem to be more oriented towards shipping merchandise than selling tickets.

  40. Only one light saber? by tunah · · Score: 1
    Just a single light saber?

    How the fsck am I meant to make a beowulf cluster of these?

    --
    Free Java games for your phone: Tontie, Sokoban
  41. Re:Act now! Vader helmet cheaper than Stormtrooper by denzo · · Score: 2
    Dude, you can buy the Don Post Vader helmet for around $1,000.

    Just search Goggle for "Don Post" "Star Wars" helmet, you'll see a variety of Star Wars helmet replicas that you can use for your next Halloween costume (I have Boba Fett's helmet in my collection).

  42. Signed collectibles by freeweed · · Score: 3, Funny
    You know, Lucas signed the Darth Vader helmet (which took approximately 3 seconds of his time), and suddenly it's worth hundreds of dollars more.


    Reminds me of the 'old' adage about Bill Gates: that if while on the way to work in the morning, he stopped to pick up a $100 bill lying on the sidewalk. He'd actually LOSE money, because he makes more in those few seconds than the bill is worth. As to why he's walking to work in the first place...

    --
    Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
    1. Re:Signed collectibles by Legion303 · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Kind of a stupid adage, then, since the money Bill "makes" in those few seconds is really just an average of what he makes in the course of a year, divided into second-long segments. In other words, since he's not actually earning anything for walking to work, he'd be wise to pick up the bill, if only to blow his nose with or whatever it is he does with $100 bills.

      -Legion

    2. Re:Signed collectibles by (void*) · · Score: 2

      Why is this wise, when is only 0.000000001 of his net worth? Considering the amount of germs, on that it's cheaper for him to blow his nose on a real piece of tissue.

  43. Good for charity and all, but... by stickb0y · · Score: 1

    Auctioning all that memorabilia off?!

    It belongs in a museum!

    Wait... wrong Lucas franchise...

    1. Re:Good for charity and all, but... by colmore · · Score: 1

      i know you're joking but i do want to ask why we insist on clinging to "memorabilia"

      the original trilogy belongs in a museum, if we were ever to lose that, then a fairly significant bit of 20th century pop culture would be lost, but as to the pieces of plastic used to make the movie? who cares? i understand the coolness for fans, but i can't see justifying putting darth vader's helmet in a museum.

      --
      In Capitalist America, bank robs you!
  44. $1500 for a Store-Bought model? by Julius+X · · Score: 2

    Ok....I can understand things going for a lot of money if they're authentic. But people bidding a couple thousand dollars to get a really nicely painted AMT/Ertl model that you can buy in any Kay-Bee Toy Store is quite funny.

    I mean there is a certain thing to be said for them to be painted & detailed by actual ILM modelmakers, but the least they could have done was actually have them be authentic ILM models and not the historically-badly-made-and-badly-manufactered AMT kits. I have a few of the Star Trek kits that AMT makes and they are so badly done that there are actually entire websites devoted to giving instructions and selling parts so that the pieces will actually fit together properly!

    Sheesh.

    --

    -Julius X
    remove "-whatkindofspamdoyoutakemefor-" from email to send
    1. Re:$1500 for a Store-Bought model? by DuranDuran · · Score: 1

      >But people bidding a couple thousand dollars to
      >get a really nicely painted AMT/Ertl model that
      >you can buy in any Kay-Bee Toy Store is quite
      >funny

      Ummmmm....it's an "Auction for America" - a *charity* auction. They're *donating* these items for a good cause, and people are buying in the spirit of *giving* to a good cause.

      "You're nuts Mr Leno, that's just a cruddy motorbike - paying several thousand dollars to do the same thing any public transport system could do for fifty cents is really funny".

      Sheesh.

      DD.

      --
      "You can justify anything by putting it in quotes, adding a famous name and making it a sig" - Albert Einstein
  45. Nat by arnoroefs2000 · · Score: 1

    Where is Natalie :(

  46. effective lightsaber? by usernumber31337 · · Score: 1

    I don't think many people would pay in the thousands for a defective lightsaber. What is the use if it doesn't cut? http://www.ucomics.com/boondocks/viewbo.cfm?uc_ful l_date=19990602&uc_comic=bo&uc_daction=X

  47. Other ideas by marvin+tph · · Score: 1

    Like the /. poll I realise that we aren't supposed to complain about the lack of choice here but I was hoping for an authentic imperial guard uniform (the guys in red that follow the emperor around). For that matter why are they auctioning off helmets without the rest of the uniform - there seems to be little point in holding onto stormtrooper uniform without the helmet. Not only do they not protect against anything, you can't even communicate with the other troopers.

  48. Replicas are available by shaldannon · · Score: 1

    through the official lucasfilm ltd store. the price is something like $5k (US). i'm crazy over star wars (can pretty much whip through the sw trivial pursuit game in one shot), but i'm not about to shell out that much cash for a life-size han solo in carbonite replica....

    --


    What is your Slash Rating?
  49. Re:No, no, the 1st Death Star was hacked by Jburkholder · · Score: 1

    excellent point. :-)

    But then, why did the designers also put this port at the end of a long trench, lined with defensive turbolasters? Seems like they did anticipate that smaller craft might come close to the surface enough to put guns all along?

    Another thing, why such a tiny (2 meters) port? Something as large as the Death Star must have a colossal reactor core and generate a huge amount of heat. We're supposed to beleive that all the excess heat is exhausted to the surface by a thermal port only 2 meters wide?

    Also, why did the torpedoes make a 90 degree turn on ther way into the exhaust port?

    Also, why am I trying to poke plot holes into a movie 25 years old that was basically just a lot of fun to watch?