Do you fancy a Lobster violin?

Hello all!

I know the entries are taking a bit longer than expected, my apologies. But trust me when I say the wait will be worth it, because I have incredible news I'm dying to share with you all!

In the meantime, a little appetizer. I just found this article for sale: a Lobster violin prop from S5 "Married with Fishsticks", at the page The Prop Master.

Here's the direct link to the prop:
http://www.thepropmaster.com/?product=xena-warrior-princess

Seller says: "Lobster violin from “Married with Fishsticks,” Season 5, Episode 15 of the 1995-2001 TV series starring Lucy Lawless. Although this underwater extravaganza is considered by some to be the worst Xena episode of all time, the props created by the Pacific Renaissance props team for the misbegotten fantasy were incredible. This violin is no exception. The violin is @25 inches long and 14 inches wide at the widest point. Certificates of Authenticity included."

Price is $425. A bit too much if you ask me, but this a OOAK item after all.

Fancy this rarity? Now you can have it!

Cool stuff coming soon

Hey friends!

I've been very busy these past weeks doing SO MANY things, and that's been felt a little bit on the blog. But worry not, I've been writing many things, and a lot of cool stuff is coming soon.

A couple of faithful followers have asked me when the last part of the Chakram Comparisons is coming. Soon. Luckily, as soon as next Monday or Tuesday.

And after that, more awesome prop related things that will interest many of you. Want to know what? Then stay tuned, you'll discover soon enough! :)

Have a good Wednesday, you all!

Heads-up! Production pieces on eBay!

Guys, a quick update!

Shed11costumehouse has just listed on eBay some very interesting items that I think will interest most of you.

They are production pieces that in words of the seller "(…) were brought to us by someone who had them in their archive since the shows finished. They have been authenticated by Jane Holland (Xena's head costume designer during Seasons 5 and 6) - these are her designs".

But let's come to the point. These are the articles in question:

- GABRIELLE'S S5 COSTUME PATTERNS

   > Price: 100 € plus shipping

   > More info: (from the listing) Gabrielle pattern - includes an Original Manilla Envelope (A4) with design drawing attached containing a large number of marked and labelled pattern pieces. The Pattern is for a GABRIELLE SIGNATURE CHARACTER COSTUME and holds patterns for RENEE O'CONNOR and DOUBLES. This is a 1-off item that has been archived since the show finished. This item is in production used condition and has not been used in any way since filming. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181367583453

- GABRIELLE'S S6 COSTUME PATTERNS

   > Price: 100 € plus shipping

   > More info: (from the listing) Same information, but about Gabrielle's red velvet S6 costume instead of S5. It also comes inside an envelope, and hasn't been used since the series finished.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181367586067

- GABRIELLE'S S6 COSTUME DESIGN NOTEBOOK

   > Price: 100 € plus shipping

   > More info: (from the listing) Gabrielle Red velvet Costume Notebook - Original 8B1 notebook with 15 filled pages of notes and some blanks. The Notebook is for the SEASON 6 GABRIELLE SIGNATURE CHARACTER COSTUME and details from costume construction for RENEE O'CONNOR and DOUBLES. This is a 1-off item that has been archived since the show finished. There are 15 pages of construction and detailing notes and include samples of velvet, leather and leather ribbons used for weaving as well as samples of beads used for the skirt. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171285978171

- XENA'S COSTUME LEATHER, RINGS AND RIVETS

   > Price: 100 € plus shipping

   > More info: (from the listing) The leather is for the bases of the Xena Armour costume. There are 3 large skins of leather 1 heavy, one medium and 1 light weight. There are also brass rings and assorted rivets (studs from the costume). Thise items are in production used condition and have not been used in any way since filming. The labelled box they have been stored in is pictured but not included in the auction. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181367603501

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Overall, they are hugely rare and most interesting items. This kind of production material is very hard to find, but it's incredibly descriptive about the process behind the whole costuming process in Xena Warrior Princess. Four small treasures, that's for sure, and very cheap (for now).

Stay tuned for more Xena news!

Cheers guys!

Monday eBay Roundup (VI): Fox and Unicorn Special

Greetings everyone!

I promised I'd talk more about Fox and Unicorn, and I try to fulfill my promises :) So here it is, and given it's Monday and they are on eBay, what better way to review their stuff than through my weekly Monday roundup?

But first thing first. Who are Fox and Unicorn? Well, I don't speak german (yet!), but I think they are some kind of German prop house. This is their website (not in english):

http://www.fox-and-unicorn.com/xena_the_warrior_princess_props.html

I do know though that they have a good array of Xena original props, acquired during the Turner Auction. And also that they are very nice with inquiries, so I invite you to contact them if you fancy any of their items!

Talking about items, this is what they have on their eBay store:

- NORSE LEATHER & FLEECE GAUNTLETS

   > Material: Leather. Fleece. Metal.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 279 € / $383.71 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: Nice looking norse style gauntlets. They could come from either Xena or Hercules (this was typical in the Turners Auction - they sold a lot of uncategorized props). Pricey, like all items from the Fox and Unicorn, but they accept offers, which means they are flexible to a certain point.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331042197350

- STUNT ARROW HARNESS

   > Material: Wood. Leather. Metal. Feathers.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 299.80 € / $412.31 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: This is a very nice prop, that let us see how all the stabbing and arrowing worked on the series. Very interesting to analyze, to say the least!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331043516841

- AMAZON NECKLACE

   > Material: Cord. Leather. Metal. Seashells.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 69.95 € / $96.20 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: Not my kind of item, but I know a few people who love jewelry and Amazon items, so here it is, just for you guys! More affordable than the previous two, that's for sure.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331043512711

- ANOTHER AMAZON NECKLACE

   > Material: Leather. Beads. Stones.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 59.95 € / $82.45 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: Another necklace, with a different style. I will omit the "opinion" field in further items like this, there's really no much to say about them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231096358435

- ODIN'S DRAGON HORN PROP

   > Character: Odin

   > Material: Horn/Bone. Resin.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 490 € / $673.90 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: Now this is VERY cool! Thanks to my good ally Google Translate we can know what the description says: "Unique - unique piece! Odin's Horn approx 34cm long drinking horn with golden dragon. Made of real horn, the dragon is made from resin artfully. Suitable only for decoration, not for use as a drinking horn" We also know this comes specifically from Odin, which reduces the search to a handful of episodes. I'm thinking it's more likely it comes from Xena, as there are some scenes of Odin feasting at Valhalla. But if you find for sure, please let me know.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231071912213

- PROP EARRINGS

   > Material: Metal. Beads. Stones.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 49.95 € / $68.70 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331105765970

- ANOTHER SET OF PROP EARRINGS

   > Material: Metal.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 59.95 € / $82.45 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331105790108

- COMPLETE AMAZON COSTUME

   > Character: Amazon.
   > Material: Leather. Fur. Beads. Metal?

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 1,700 € / $2,338 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: This is interesting as well - a full Amazon costume! It seems to include some jewelry and a mask (which makes me think of the Greek Amazons, as they were the only ones seen with masks). It probably belonged to a background Amazon, most likely unnamed. Cool set, even if we don't know for sure the character.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231071348047

- AMAZON ARMBAND SET

   > Material: Cord. Leather. Metal. Stones.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 69.95 € / $96.20 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231134980979

- MAGE OR HIGH PRIEST HEADPIECE

   > Material: Leather. Metal. Fabric.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 249 € / $342.45 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: Nice looking piece. I think I've seen it somewhere, though I can't place it yet. Anyhow, this looks very Xena-esque or Hercules-esque, they used this kind of pieces A LOT.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331043239074

- FEMALE? LEATHER ARMOR

   > Material: Leather. Metal. Cord.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 449 € / $617.51 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: Unknown character. They don't say it's an Amazon item here, so I guess it's not. Maybe from the Hordes? Or some other female warrior? Are we sure this is female at all? Anyway, the piece looks nice. Leather crafters at Renaissance Pictures were more artists than artisans!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231072567800

- FABRIC VEST FROM HERCULES

   > Material: Leather. Metal. Fabric.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 249 € / $342.45 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: This vest seems to come from Hercules (though it looks to me more from Young Hercules than H:TLJ). Description says: "Very high quality fabric, the edges are sewn with genuine leather. The vest can also be with a leather strap lace up front (Not included) Size M - L"

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231072566517

- IPHICLES LEATHER GLOVES

   > Character: Iphicles (Kevin Smith)
   > Material: Leather. Metal. Fabric.

   > Papers: Includes Turners COA + A copy of the auction flyer

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 790 € / $1,086.49 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: The last item are a pair of leather gloves that belonged to Iphicles/King Iphicles aka Hercules Brother, played by Kevin Smith. Quite expensive, surely because they were Kevin's. There are no many Kevin Smith worn props around. Certainly, a little jewel.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331042201859

***

These are all the items Fox and Unicorn have on eBay. They have even more on their website (link at the beginning of the post), so just go and take a look!

Talk to you soon, people!

Xena at the Smithsonian (part II)

Hello again!

Do you remember the Xena costume at the Smithsonian Museum? Well, I just found a HUGE image of it, so I thought about sharing it with you.

>> EDIT: As updated in the original entry too, this full Xena costume is actually on display at the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, on loan from the Smithsonian. Thanks Ariel!

Here it is! Enjoy!

And just in case you can't see it at full resolution, I leave you the link too:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7321/8939755782_d1fe87da3a_o.jpg

Look at this!

Hey all!

This is so great I had to share! Jo Marriott has created an incredibly cool Xena Mini Breastplate Necklace charm! Look at it:

It's made of leather, and looks just like the real thing. If you like it, you can purchase it at Jo's Etsy shop. Here's the link:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/184399612/xena-warrior-princess-mini-breastpate

Stay tuned guys!

Cheers

Westside Studios Props sale (I)

Hey guys!

More news coming from New Zealand! Check this out:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/9851601/For-sale-five-coffins-one-spacesuit

It seems that Robert Baldock (65, director of Westside Studios and a veteran of the props business for 20 years) is closing his business, and will be selling about 600 props. His collection includes items from productions such as Xena, Hercules, Dark Knight, The Tribe and many other NZ based series.

An initial sale will be held by tender in Wellington's Shelly Bay (where he's been supplying props and equipment to the film and television industry), with a giant garage sale to follow. Auctions will include items as quaint as five coffins, a life-size gorilla, a hip's wheel, imitation guns, a spacesuit, a devil's head, an Aztec or a 300-year-old Bible.

The inventory is here, but doesn't list provenance:

http://static.stuff.co.nz/files/westsidestudiossale.pdf

Very interesting, I'll be keeping an eye on this.

Note: Many thanks to RPF member Dynofiend for the heads-up! 

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READ MORE ON THIS: Part II here.