Star Wars: X-Wing Fighter model used in A New Hope sells for $2.3 million at auction

Someone that loves Star Wars, and also has deep pockets, was able to fetch a piece of movie history at the Prop Store Auction. A Star Wars X-Wing Fighter model used in 1977’s A New Hope, sold for a massive $2.3 million at auction on Tuesday night.

The screen-matched Red Leader X-Wing miniature model was created by Industrial Light & Magic, and it was specifically used in Star Wars: A New Hope for Red X-Wing Squadron Leader Garven Dreis, who was played by the late Drewe Henley. It was expected to sell for $500,000 – $1 million so its final selling price of $2,375,000 was a huge surprise.

The model is said to be very rare because most were destroyed by pyrotechnics during the filming of the movie’s battle climax at the Death Star. According to Brandon Alinger, PropStore’s COO, “The model screen-matches to a specific ‘pyro’ shot of an explosion going off on Red Leader’s engine in the film.” You can check out a portion of the lot’s description below:

“The X-wing fighter model is preserved extremely well and remains in excellent condition. The light-weight rigid foam remains solid, and the original unrestored paintwork is in excellent condition, with only subtle flaking in small areas. One of the laser cannons exhibits slight warpage, and one of the scratch-built laser cannon tip assemblies is loose. The pyro X-wing was intended to mount on a C-stand with a hole in the back of the fuselage, or to be hung from wires during filming. There are several small holes in the top of the fuselage related to hanging the model on wires. A custom-made aluminum stand that supports the model through the fuselage is included with the piece, as is a wooden transport crate.”

The X-Wing model sells nearly a month after Colin Cantwell, the concept artist behind the design of the X-Wing and other spacecraft used for the film, died at the age of 90. What a fitting tribute to see one of his designs selling for such a lofty amount.

What are YOUR thoughts on this auction sale?