Do you want to have a real Rebel Alliance X-Wing Starfighter at home? Then now is your chance. An X-Wing Starfighter is actually being auctioned off at Heritage Auctions. This is a 1:24 model from the first Star Wars film ever, which is now called “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”. George Lucas brought this first Star Wars film to cinemas in 1977, laying the foundation for one of the most successful science fiction stories of all time. The model now being auctioned was used, among other things, in the famous rebel attack on the Death Star.
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The auction item’s full title is Screen Matched Hero “Red Leader” (Red One) X-wing Starfighter Filming Miniature with Articulating Servo-Controlled Wings and Lights from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (TCF, 1977). The starting price is given as 400,000 US dollars, the equivalent of around 373,000 euros. The auction runs for 34 days.
Short description of the auction item
The auctioned item is one of a total of four 1:24 models of the rebel fighters. The wings can be brought into the attack position using servo motors. The model is constructed of vacuum-formed styrene, acrylic and metal components mounted over an internal aluminum anchor. The designers depicted the model like a battle-scarred spaceship, with signs of wear, explosion marks and heat burns. The top two wings have red stripes and thus identify the model as “Red Leader” (Red One). A miniature pilot sits in the cockpit and the dome of an R2 unit is installed behind the canopy.
The shape of the X-wing starfighters differs significantly from the design of the Empire’s TIE fighters. The idea behind it: The film audience should be able to distinguish the fighting parties in the space battles at first glance. George Lucas had two types of X-Wing miniatures built: HERO models, like the one now being auctioned. These could be seen in close-ups. There were only four copies of this. And far simpler PYRO models that could be blown up. The designers manufactured these in large quantities.
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