Star Wars and Return of the Jedi (TCF, 1977, 1983), "Y-wing Number One" - Master Pattern / Hero Buck Used to Build Eve...

Description

"Y-wing Number One" - The first 3-dimensional Y-wing ever built, being the pattern which created all other Industrial Light & Magic Y-wings for the original Star Wars and Return of the Jedi.

Star Wars and Return of the Jedi (TCF, 1977, 1983), "Y-wing Number One" - Master Pattern / Hero Buck Used to Build Every ILM Y-wing Filming Miniature from the Original Trilogy. Since the beginning of motion picture filmmaking, film productions have relied on miniature effects using scale models combined with special photographic effects to create convincing images on screen that would otherwise be too expensive, impractical or dangerous. In the case of battle sequences, such as the iconic "Assault on the Death Star" sequence in Star Wars, multiples of each variety of craft are made to accommodate a variety of needs, for track camera Motion Control set ups, pyrotechnics, background ships, etc. As production began for Star Wars, George Lucas formed his own visual effects company, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), in a warehouse in Van Nuys, assembling a team including John Dykstra, Grant McCune, Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Lorne Peterson and Paul Huston, among others. As production progressed, work on the Y-wing began around spring of 1976 and the duties to build it landed on model maker Paul Huston's desk (two digital images of Huston working on this model in 1976 are included with the lot). This Master Pattern, or "Hero Buck" (as it's called in the industry), is a 1:1-scale exact sculpture with all the details of the finished Y-wing. It is what all of the various types of Y-wings were made from. There is only one Master Pattern/Hero Buck, and this is it. When the pattern was finished, a plaster backed silicone mold was created and multiple castings and parts were cast and created to fabricate all the Y-wings used on screen. Following production of the first Star Wars, the mold and Master Pattern were crated and put into storage for possible future use and later shipped to Marin County when George Lucas moved his studio to Northern California. There was no need for new Y-wings on The Empire Strikes Back, so they remained in storage for years until late in the production of Return of the Jedi in 1982.

Chief Moldmaker Wesley Seeds was running the mold shop on The Empire Strikes Back and later on Jedi. He was tasked with getting the Y-wing mold and pattern from storage when additional Y-wings were needed to meet the tight production deadline on Jedi. The mold from A New Hope was not useable so it was decided to create a new mold from the original "Hero Buck". The consignor of "Y-wing Number One" worked in the ILM Model Shop for many years and was a senior staff member at ILM for 12+ years. During production of Return of the Jedi, he was working in close proximity to Wesley when he was taking apart the new plaster backed silicone mold. Wesley was having difficulty removing the silicone from the Y-wing pattern (it was thought that some of the undercuts on the pattern were not fully clayed up making it difficult to separate the pattern from the silicone and that perhaps too much catalyst was put in the silicone which created heat, thereby causing slight warpage in the port side wing connecting the fuselage to the nacelle). After removing the Hero Buck from the mold, it was determined that the mold was useable, but the damage to the Hero Buck made it unusable for future use and it was discarded. Knowing the historic significance of the piece to the Star Wars Universe, the consignor retrieved it from the trash and stored it in his attic for 40 years until the coronavirus pandemic created the time and inspiration to perform a sympathetic restoration on it. This entailed meticulously disassembling the piece and repairing and restoring damaged areas. His mission was to preserve the historical piece as opposed to patching it up and covering any damaged areas. For areas that were destroyed and no longer existed, 3D printing of areas like the cockpit canopy and ends of the engine nacelles were grown, fabricated, assembled and painted a shade darker gray than the rest of the piece so one could discern the original from any new parts. As he recently stated, "My goal was to restore 'Y-wing Number One' with all the fidelity as it was originally designed and to match all of the others that followed." Several Y-wings were created for different uses in the making of both the original Star Wars and Return of the Jedi. All originated from this original sculpture. "Y-wing Number One" rests on a custom-built acrylic museum stand and comprises four main components of the ship: cockpit, fuselage, and two separate engine nacelles. The clever design of the display supports each component making the spacecraft appear like an assembled unit, yet does not compromise the integrity of the original creation (each ship component created its respective mold and were separate parts). The ship measures 28" x 15" and stands 6" tall on the black acrylic base measuring 33.25" x 17.75". The styrene plastic, resin and wood sculpture exhibits expected production wear, including the aforementioned port side wing warpage, scuffing and blemishes to paint, missing portions on the cockpit measuring 4.5" x .75"; 4.5" x .25"; .75" x .75". Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.

Heritage Auctions provides as much information as possible but strongly encourages in-person inspection. Condition statements are offered as general guidance only, not as complete representations of fact, and do not constitute a warranty or assumption of liability by Heritage. Some condition issues may not be noted but may be visible in the photos, which are considered part of the condition report. Lots estimated at $1,000 or less are not de-framed for inspection, and we may be unable to provide additional details for lots valued under $500. Heritage does not guarantee the condition of frames and is not liable for damage to frames, glass/acrylic coverings, original boxes, display accessories, or artwork that has shifted in the frame. All lots are sold "AS IS" under our Terms & Conditions of Auction.