How much would you pay for a piece of Star Wars history? Well, it seems that some are willing to pay millions as a model from the original Star Wars movie has sold at auction for more than two million dollars.
Today a model of the Red Leader X-wing used in Star Wars: A New Hope was sold by Propstore.com via live auction, raking in $2,375,000.
The model was crafted by Industrial Light & Magic back in 1977 and was tipped to sell for between $500,000 and $1 million, a number which would be more than doubled by the time the auction reached its close.
Getting your hands on an X-Wing used for the film is a tough task as they are extremely rare.
According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, many of the X-Wings used in the film were burned up while filming the movie’s climax.
Speaking to Forbes, Propstore COO Brandon Alinger revealed further details about the specific model explaining how it can be screen matched to a specific pyro shot in the film.
“The X-wing models were a concept directly from George Lucas, who was thinking about long-bodied dragsters with wings. They were entirely custom fabricated by a team of expert model makers from the film. What makes this one so wonderful is that it is from the original Star Wars and is the only intact, fully-finished X-wing model from the film’s production that is known to exist today amongst private collectors.
It is also extremely well documented. The model screen-matches to a specific ‘pyro’ shot of an explosion going off on Red Leader’s engine in the film. Several behind-the-scenes photos taken at Industrial Light and Magic exist that show the model extremely well. Every scratch and airbrush mark in the paintwork can be matched up exactly to those images from 1976.”
While it may have cost a pretty penny, this piece of Star Wars history is now in the hands of one likely ecstatic collector.