In November 2007, a “fertility idol” attributed to Raiders of the Lost Ark, with a Certificate of Authenticity issued by Nick Harrison of “Elstree Film Studios” as part of the “Danziger Collection”, was listed for sale on eBay as “an original” that was “used in the production”. A second, different fertility idol was listed on eBay yesterday with the same paperwork and provenance. [Read more…]
Cross-Hobby Buzz & Questions About Unfinished/Incomplete Stormtrooper Helmet
In October, there was a significant amount of buzz, discussion, and questions about a Stormtrooper helmet presented to hobbyists publicly and described as original and attributed to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. These debates resulted from the owner of the helmet, “JoeR”, initiating discussions about the newly acquired piece on several original and replica prop hobby discussion forums. [Read more…]
Tony Hawk Video Interview with Jon Favreau, Tour of Stan Winston Studios
There is a short video at ShredOrDie.com in which Tony Hawk interviews Jon Favreau about Iron Man, and it includes a brief tour of Stan Winston Studios. Thanks to BigBadBat on the Replica Prop Forum for the link.
E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial & “BMX Plus!” Magazine (October 1982)
As a follow-up to an article published last year (see The Original BMX Bike from E.T. The Extra Terrestrial), I thought it would be productive to share some additional information about the custom Kuwahara BMX bikes used in the Steven Spielberg classic, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982), including an article from “BMX Plus!” magazine circa October 1982. [Read more…]
Star Wars “Prototype” Stormtrooper Helmets Update: High Court Ruling Excerpts on LFL v. SDS Case
Given the British High Court ruling on the case of Lucasfilm vs. Andrew Ainsworth (see Lucasfilm vs. Ainsworth High Court Ruling: Full Document from Royal Courts of Justice), and the additional information available from the court documents, I thought it would be a good opportunity to build on the prior OPB article exploring the “prototype” Stormtrooper helmets (see Star Wars “Prototype” Stormtrooper Helmets) trading in the marketplace as original and authentic precursors to the helmets used on set and filmed in Star Wars: A New Hope. [Read more…]
Lucasfilm vs. Ainsworth High Court Ruling: Full Document from Royal Courts of Justice
“Exoray” from the RPF is hosting a full HTML version of the High Court ruling on the case between Lucasfilm and Andrew Ainsworth in the legal dispute over the trademark and copyright of the Stormtrooper helmet and other helmets and armor produced for Star Wars: A New Hope. I have not had time to review the full ruling in detail, but thought readers would be interested in reviewing it first hand: [Read more…]