Original screen used Rebel "Blockade Runner" filming miniature from Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.  ...

Description

Original screen used Rebel "Blockade Runner" filming miniature from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.  (TCF, 1977) In the opening sequence of the first Star Wars, the Rebel Blockade Runner, the ship carrying Princess Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2, enters into frame and is pursued by the massive Imperial Star Destroyer. This one-of-a-kind 16-inch miniature was built to provide the illusion of the spacecraft receding into the distance due to the limited length of the Dykstraflex track (the first digital motion control camera system ever put into use). The prominent feature of the ship is the series of eleven engine nacelles mounted at the rear, each fitted with an aviation incandescent lamp to provide the desired "ignition" effect. Built to withstand the resulting heat generated from the lamps, the Blockade Runner is crafted of aluminum and painted gray with red accents. This miniature comes directly from the collection of Grant McCune, Chief Model Maker on the Miniature and Optical Effects Unit on Star Wars, who won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects on the film. The miniature is professionally mounted on a powered custom display case which, when activated, illuminates the engine lights (all but one of the original bulbs from the production still work). One minor detail is missing from the end of a single engine; otherwise, in very fine production used condition. Comes with a letter of authenticity from McCune's wife, Katherine McCune. Unlike other Star Wars models of which many examples were created, this is the only Blockade Runner of this scale that was made. An extremely rare opportunity to own a milestone piece that set the tone for the entire Star Wars franchise. Indeed, First Cameraman for the Miniature and Optical Effects Unit and fellow Academy Award winner, Richard Edlund, has stated that the opening shot in the film was the most important shot because it had to grab the audience's attention.

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