blaster

July 23, 2019 By Jason DeBord

San Diego Comic-Con 2019: Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!

This is part of my ongoing coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2019. 2019 is the first year that Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! exhibited pieces from the collection in the main exhibit hall. On display was the lightsaber prop purchased from Profiles in History and attributed to use by Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back, the Han Solo blaster from Return of the Jedi purchased from Julien’s Auctions, and a Hoverboard from Back To The Future Part II and a bullwhip from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. In that I cataloged the Han Solo blaster for Julien’s, I noticed that it appears to have since been damaged (and as you’ll note in the photos, the handle of the blaster is held in place by some gum-like material in this display. [Read more…]

July 18, 2019 By Jason DeBord

San Diego Comic-Con 2019: Star Wars Imperial Stormtrooper Costume Exhibit

This is part of my ongoing coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2019. There was a large area of the main Exhibit Hall carved out for all things Star Wars, and as has been tradition, they had costumes from all of the films on display, featuring different types of imperial stormtrooper armor. [Read more…]

June 25, 2018 By Jason DeBord

Han Solo Blaster from “Return of the Jedi” Sold By Julien’s Auctions for $550,000 to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not

As mentioned back in April, I had assisted Julien’s Auctions in cataloging “The James L. Schoppe Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Production Archive” that was featured in their “Hollywood Legends” auction this past weekend at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The highlight of the collection was an original Han Solo blaster movie prop from Return of the Jedi; James Schoppe served as the Art Director on the film, and was gifted several original props at the conclusion of the film production. The collection was sold in live auction on Saturday, June 23rd, and the Han Solo blaster sold for $550,000 including Buyer’s Premium, and the winning bidder was Ripley’s Believe it or Not. I was actually present for the auction, as well as shot video of some of the lots, so I thought I would share a few thoughts as well as the video of the Han Solo blaster selling [Read more…]

April 26, 2018 By Jason DeBord

Exclusive Details & Photos: Original Han Solo Blaster Movie Prop from Return of the Jedi to be Sold by Julien’s Auctions in June

Today, Julien’s Auctions has announced that an original Han Solo blaster movie prop used in Return of the Jedi will be in their upcoming Hollywood Legends auction at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on June 23rd. The prop is one of the most exciting pieces to come to market from the original Star Wars trilogy in years, and it is a highlight of “The James L. Schoppe Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Production Archive”, with the entire collection coming directly from the Academy Award nominated Art Director who worked on the film. The Original Prop Blog is pleased to present exclusive photos of the prop as well as some additional background about the collection from my having worked with Julien’s Auctions and Mr. Schoppe in preparing the collection for public exhibition and auction. [Read more…]

February 4, 2016 By Jason DeBord

Deckard’s Original Hero PKD Blaster from “Blade Runner” Featured on Adam Savage’s “TESTED”

Adam Savage has published a video via TESTED with his hands on look at Deckard’s PKD Blaster from Blade Runner. The iconic pistol used by Harrison Ford in the Ridley Scott film is now part of the collection of a good friend of mine, Dan Lanigan. As part of this feature, you also get a glimpse of his incredible collection. I kept waiting for Steve Carell to jump into the scene and exclaim, “that’s what she said”, but (spoiler) it never happens. Profiles in History sold this at auction in 2009, and I did a feature with photos of how it was delivered to production at the time leading up to the auction event… [Read more…]

February 3, 2016 By Jason DeBord

Luke Skywalker Movie Prop Blaster from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” Fails to Sell at Nate D. Sanders Auction

A stunt blaster prop attributed to use by Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back failed to attract any bids at it’s hopeful $200,000 starting price in the most recent Nate D. Sanders auction last week. Though featuring an interesting history and a prior sale at Sotheby’s, as well as a lot of mainstream media attention leading up to the auction (see CNBC, CBS, Reuters, MSN, EW, Daily Mail, NBC, etc.), the “jackpot” reserve strategy employed by Hollywood memorabilia auction houses that I’ve frequently written about seemed to be the barrier to sale. [Read more…]

April 18, 2015 By Jason DeBord

Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2015: Photos of Movie Props, Costumes, and Models from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

In terms of excitement generated from Star Wars Celebration 2015 in Anaheim, I would say the second development right behind the JJ Abrams/Kathleen Kennedy panel the opening morning and release of the new trailer for The Force Awakens is the exhibition of props, costumes, and models from the all-new film installment to the franchise. On the upper floor of the Anaheim Convention Center is space dedication to the display of artifacts from the upcoming Episode VII, due in December 2015. This feature includes about 130 quality photos from this exhibit. [Read more…]

January 30, 2014 By Jason DeBord

EXCLUSIVE: 237 Lost/Unpublished Historic Star Wars and Indiana Jones Movie Prop Photos from the Lucasfim Archives from 1996/1997

I recently obtained scans of historic photos taken at the Lucasfilm Archives at Skywalker Ranch circa 1996/1997, depicting original props, costumes, models, and other assets from the original Star Wars trilogy (A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi) as well as the Indiana Jones franchise (Raiders of the Lost Ark , Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade). [Read more…]