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Original Blockade Runner from 1977 Star Wars Sells for $450,000

To understand the magnitude of this auction here’s what you can do: imagine a brand new Lamborghini Aventador Roadster packing all the goodies engineers in Sant’ Agata Bolognese can offer. Can you see yourself at the wheel of the exotic Raging Bull? Good. Now, exchange that with a scaled spaceship George Lucas used to create the first installment of the epic space opera saga.
Original Blockade Runner from 1977 Star Wars 3 photos
Photo: Hollywood Auction 74
Original Blockade Runner from 1977 Star WarsOriginal Blockade Runner from 1977 Star Wars
If classic car auctions where Ferraris regularly fetch the highest bids exist, then Hollywood memorabilia sales would be the matching event for showbiz. Some would find it naturally for a vintage car that was produced in a limited number and preserved correctly to sell big time. Others are convinced a car should never cost more than a couple of hundreds of thousand dollars at most. It’s a matter a taste, so we’re not discussing that.

However, we have just heard something we simply can’t ignore. According to Mashable, an unnamed bidder has just spent $450,000 on a miniature model of the blockade runner vehicle flown by Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode IV: a New Hope. For the only two people that haven’t heard of the movie, we’ll mention that it’s George Lucas’ first release in the Star Wars saga.

As a short reminder, it’s the ship carrying Princess Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2, in the opening sequence of the movie. The Rebel Blockade Runner is seen entering into frame and being pursued by the massive Imperial Star Destroyer. Again, we’re talking about a scaled replica, not the actual thing.

You see, this one-of-a-kind 16-inch miniature was built to provide the illusion of the spacecraft receding into the distance due to the limited length of the Dykstraflex track (which is the first digital motion control camera system ever put into use). As you can see in the picture above, the ship comes with a series of eleven engine nacelles mounted at the rear, each fitted with an aviation incandescent lamp to provide the desired “ignition” effect.

The miniature comes straight from the collection of Grant McCune, Chief Model Maker on the Miniature and Optical Effects Unit on Star Wars. It is professionally mounted on a powered custom display case which, when activated, illuminates the engine lights. The Blockade Runner was part of the highly anticipated Hollywood Auction 74, sold through Profiles in History the other day.
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