A filming miniature of a Y-Wing Starfighter helmed by Gold Leader, who aided Luke Skywalker in destroying the Death Star in 1977’s “Star Wars: A New Hope,” sold for a whopping $1.55 million Friday at Heritage’s July Entertainment Auction.
Another highlight of the collection was a Princess Leia gold bikini costume from Jabba the Hutt’s scenes in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi,” which sold for $175,000. The ensemble includes seven pieces from Industrial Light & Magic chief sculptor Richard Miller’s collection–a bikini brassiere, bikini plates, hip rings, an armlet and bracelet.
The Y-Wing that sold on Friday is one of just two “hero” (meaning that it was used in close ups) Y-Wing filming miniatures built by the ILM visual effects team. According to the Heritage Auction description, the basic design came from Colin Cantwell. It was based on a rough description from George Lucas. “Lucas felt the need to create distinct shapes so that the audience could immediately tell whether a ship was a ‘good guy’ or ‘a bad guy,’” it reads.
Other items featured at the Heritage auction included final movie poster artwork for “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” by Bob Peak, which sold for $106,250. Paramount’s 1986 sci-fi film was directed by Leonard Nimoy, who also played Spock. Additionally, a piece of John Alvin’s concept art for his 1982 “Blade Runner” movie poster fetched $100,000.
The auction also included such items as a Thor hammer used in filming Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World,” which sold for $81,250; and a “Mandalorian” helmet, which fetched $40,000.