You Can Now Purchase Darth Vader’s Melted Helmet For $3,500 And Other Props From ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
If you are a big Star Wars fan, then this is one thing that you want to get your hands on.
In a Disney press release, the company announced that it has partnered with Lucasfilm and Propshop to offer the Star Wars Collectibles: Ultimate Studio Edition, a collection of replica props for avid fans of Star Wars. James Enright, the CEO and Assets Director of Propshop, released a statement:
“We’re delighted to be able to produce such a groundbreaking line of merchandise. Designed, made and finished by the hands of specialist motion picture prop makers and artists, we’ve worked extremely hard to create something that we know would make fans and filmmakers proud.”
The most expensive collectible of the eight items included in the Star Wars collection is Darth Vader’s melted helmet, which was seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. You can have the replica if you have $3,500 to spare. You’d better hurry, though, as it is one of the two limited edition props and only comes in 500 pieces.
#StarWars‘ new Ultimate Studio Edition Props destroy the competition, your wallet https://t.co/3oTuDedOsa pic.twitter.com/WZrZMkOQBq
— Comic Book Resources (@CBR) June 2, 2016
Propshop is a production company based in Pinewood Studios in London, where Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shot. They specialize in creating props, and they were the ones responsible for the props for The Force Awakens.
In addition to Darth Vader’s melted helmet, as seen on the website, the other seven props that you can purchase are the following:
- FN-2187 Stormtrooper Helmet or Finn’s bloody helmet (limited edition, 500 pieces) – $1,750
- Kylo Ren Helmet – $2,000
- Poe Dameron X-Wing Helmet – $1,500
- Chewbacca Bowcaster – $2,500
- Kylo Ren Lightsaber Hilt – $1,250
- Rey Lightsaber Hilt – $1,250
- Rey Staff – $1,250
According to the press release, each of the items will come packaged in a wooden crate, just like the wooden crates used when the film props were shipped. The props also come with their own customized display pedestal. Each prop will ship with a serial number chip and a certificate of authenticity.
As the creators of the props stress, as reported by AV Club, the Star Wars replica props are not meant to be played with and are not recommended to be used as costumes.
According to Enright, each replica prop was done in the same exact likeness of the real prop used in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
“The link between a prop replica for me and the real item is detail. These prop replicas are the real thing. You could put the real thing next to it, and you could touch it and you could feel it and you would not know [which was the replica]. That’s because we, basically, have done it the same way.”
The process of creating a prop from start to finish is about two weeks. They start by printing the prop in 3D, then hand-painting it and then inserting a chip for high-tech authenticity. The replica prop is then displayed beside a “golden sample,” a perfect version of the replica to see if the two are exact matches. View the video below to see how props for Star Wars: The Force Awakens were made.
Enright adds, “We’ve gone for accuracy of what it’s really like because I think that’s what’s quite cool about it. We haven’t darkened it and painted it. It’s not a screen version of it. It’s a real version of it.”
If you would like to see the process of creating the melted Darth Vader replica helmet, check out the three-minute video below.
You can purchase your very own Star Wars replica props on this website.
[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
