A Creation Ent Y&Y chakram replica on eBay!

Hi Xena collectors!

This week there's no Monday roundup due to the lack of new items on eBay, but one very interested item was listed and I couldn't let it pass :)

   > Manufacturer: Creation Entertainment

   > Number: 072/500

   > COA: Included
   > Seller: xena_herc_memorabilia_by_sal_fan

   > Price: $250 plus shipping (only USA)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181717957737

Yes ladies and gents, a Creation Ent shadowboxed Y&Y chakram replica, directly made by the prop masters of the show. I thought it might interest you because these pieces are not very common and only pop up once in a while - plus this one has a very low number and a very appealing starting bid.

The seller has (0) eBay feedback, which could raise some eyebrows, but remember both eBay and PayPal provide buyer's insurance - so in the eventuality the seller would not deliver you'd be well guarded and get your money back. Nevertheless, there's no reason to jump into conclusions too soon. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?

Stay tuned!

Metal Xena sword replica on eBay!

Hello people!

Quite a few of you have asked me one time or another about metal Xena sword replicas and where to get them. Well, today might be your lucky day, as one has just appeared for sale on eBay!

   > Manufacturer: Todd's Costumes

   > Number: 014/3000

   > COA: Not included
   > Seller: onesock52

   > Price: $375 (or Buy Now for $500) plus shipping (only USA)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/291433092351

As you can see, the seller has listed a a Todd's Costumes Xena sword replica, made in aluminum, with a very low number and in really good condition. Seller says she had it displayed for ten years, and feels now it's the right time to let it go. The sword is legit, you can trust me on that, but seller says COA is not included -though she might send it later if she finds it.

Price is impressively good as well, above all if we consider the sword comes with another Todd's replica: a leather amazon scabbard -one that seems to be quite old too, which is always a good sign of quality in this kind of reproductions. Here's a pic of it:

Overall my opinion is this is a rarely good deal if you want a metal Xena sword. Only "but" is that she has marked it as "Only USA" for the shipping -though if you write her and are conveying enough she might change her mind, who knows. If that's your case, fingers crossed :)

Battle on Xenites!

My Collection (X): Xena's Leather Scabbard (Made by me)

Hey everybody!

I promised on my Facebook page that I'd take good photos of the Xena leather scabbard I made, and here they are! For clarity's sake, this is not either the scabbard reproduction made by Creation Entertainment nor Todd's Costumes, but a replica 100% done by me.

For some reason Xena's scabbard is a favorite piece of mine -and given I couldn't find one as screen accurate as I wanted I decided to make it myself.

Let's take a closer look!

Front and Back of the scabbard.

Perspective shots of the Front and Back.

The scabbard is composed by 3 things (or groups of things): 

- The Core: made by XPS or extruded polystyrene foam, as I believe the original props were made of as well.

- The Covering: that is the leather itself. I used real cow leather, in a very specific chocolate hue (Xena's trademark color) that looks brown or black depending the light. it was quite challenging to find! The thickness had to be precise too, as a thiner leather would have looked wrong, while a thicker one would have been impossible to bend. 

- The Appliances: brooches, rivets and hooks. The golden brooches are made in resin and painted gold -and are made exactly after the ones in the prop. The hooks are brass, and with these I took some small liberties to achieve what I considered the best look possible.

Both sides of the scabbard with my Xena sword replica.

Sheathed sword shot.

As some of you requested, I've also taken some pics of the scabbard alongside my Creation Ent Xena sword replica. I think they match, right? :)

The leather has been carefully treated with several tools and products (sandpaper, alcohol, acetone, baby powder, show polish...to name some) in order to achieve the right battle-worn and aged look any Xena scabbard should have -more visible in the following close-ups.

Close-up to the top of the scabbard.

Close-up to the middle of the scabbard.

Close-up to the tip of the scabbard.

Longitudinal angled shot of the sword and scabbard.

The tricky thing about the scabbard is that although it might not be the most difficult piece to make all the details have to be perfect to get the right effect. Shape, material, color, finish... It took me some tries to get them all right. It was a long process at times, but I think the result is totally worth it. 

This is the blueprint I made - a little "present" that I hope you will like!

My blueprints to make the leather scabbard.

Apart from thousands of screen caps, my biggest inspiration (for the blueprints and for the making process itself) has been the Xena scabbard prop found at the Te Papa Museum collection at New Zealand.

Xena prop scabbard at the Te Papa Museum.

If someone is interested in a scabbard like this feel free to write me a line and I'll happy to see how I can help you. I really enjoyed making this replica, and making more can be fun!

I levee you now with some images of Xena wearing her scabbard. Battle on!

AUSXIP Starship Charity Auction 2015

Hello people!

It's that time of the year again, the time for the amazing annual AUSXIP Starship Charity Auction at ausxip.com! Wow, I almost can't believe a whole year has passed already... Time flies!

Direct link: http://charity.ausxip.com

This year's auction is FULL of juicy stuff: the blood-covered Gabrielle S1 costume from "Is There a Doctor in the House?", a retractable Xena battle sword, Xena's costume from S6 "Legacy", a Borias style metal sword... as well as tons of cool images and merchandising.

Some of the items donated by collector Chris Clogston.

The Auction started the 21st and will take place until the 27th - in four days! Of course, there are already several bid wars undergoing :)

Remember that like always all the funds will go to The Starship Foundation, a healthcare service and teaching center for children based in New Zealand. You can find more info here:

http://ausxip.com/auction/auction2015.php

Don't miss it! Battle on!

ATTENTION! The 20th Anniv NZ Auction is happening NOW!

ATTENTION ATTENTION Xenites!

The 20th Anniversary NZ Auction (including props and crew gifts from Hercules, Xena, Jack of All Trades, Legend of the Seeker and LOTR) is happening NOW! RIGHT NOW!

The Auction is ONLINE, taking place in the Official Facebook Page of the Auction. This is the direct link to the Auction's FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/xenaconventionnzauction/info?tab=page_info

Screen-cap of some of the items being auctioned.

About the items being auctioned, Anna Low (person in charge and main responsible of the 20th Anniv Auction) says the following:

www.annalowhorseproductions.com 
We have been using the costumes from the Turners auction in 2000. The stunt doubles, the riding doubles and the horse costumes. We will be auctioning off most of our costumes, and crew gifts from us and other local film and TV crew March 2015. All items will be hand picked and verified by Anna Low as authentic and will come with a COA from the person selling the item. All items will come from cast and crew.

Each Pacific Renaissance item has a COA (Certificate of Authenticity) and copy of original Turners Auction receipt. Also for auction are 'crew gifts' - given to the crew who worked on the productions. Including an AWESOME crew chakram like the one we saw here.

The crew chakram being auctioned.

If you're interested in bidding, know that you must post your bid for each item in the photo's comments. Higher bidder wins when the auction closes on May 1st, at Midnight NZST. Shipping fees will apply.

Comments including further information on the items are also welcomed.

Spread the news and good luck!

"Monday" eBay Roundup (XVII)

Hello all!

I know, I know! It's not Monday :p But yesterday I had NO time to finish this up, so this week we have a "Tuesday eBay Roundup" :)

- AMAZON BEADS

   > Character: Amazon/s

   > Material: Beads. Twine.

   > Papers: COA from Turners

   > Seller: lady.stark

   > Price: $25 (or Buy Now for $23.50) plus shipping

   > Opinion: Collector Lady Stark brings us several items today, many of them from our loved amazons. These beads (like most of her items) come with paperwork form the Turners Auction - which means they are almost always poorly identified. But they look very nice, don't they?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201300010288

- AMAZON NECKLACE AND EARRINGS SET

   > Character: Amazon/s

   > Material: Beads. Cord. Metal.

   > Papers: COA from Turners

   > Seller: lady.stark

   > Price: $50 (or Buy Now for $65) plus shipping

   > Opinion: More anonymous amazon jewelry. Price is higher here but I'd say quite reasonable. I'm sure someone will fancy them for sure :)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201300011521

- SET OF 2 BRACELETS

   > Character: Unknown

   > Material: Metal?

   > Papers: Not included (from Cousin Liz collection)

   > Seller: lady.stark

   > Price: $50 (or Buy Now for $65) plus shipping

   > Opinion: This pair of bracelets come also from Turners, but with no paperwork. They were acquired through the famous collector Cousin Liz, probably after she passed away and all her collection was sold. Most of Cousin Liz's items came from Turners.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191527663294

- SCREEN-USED COSTUME OF JOXER AS HAGAAR

   > Character: Joxer as Hagaar in S5 "Married with Fishsticks"

   > Material: Resin (with metal rod inside)

   > Papers: COA from It's a Wrap!

   > Seller: lady.stark

   > Price: $600 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: This one is a one-of-a-kind. The pajamas worn by Ted Raimi as Hagaar in the infamous episode "Married with Fishsticks". It looks to be in very good condition. Quite a price, but you can make an offer if interested.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/201302141976

- FX PROP SKULL

   > Character: Unknown

   > Material: Resin 

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

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 188.33 € / $204.26 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: LOL these props are priceless! Fox&Unicorn (remember them from this entry?) always sell original stuff, but often quite bizarre.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331421179168

- WOODEN NECKLACE

   > Character: Amazon/s?

   > Material: Wood. Wooden beads. Cord.

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

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 39.55 € / $42.90 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: More random jewelry from Turners. It could be amazon, or so I think. Most probably used by a secondary/background character.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231487554148

- RED WINEGLASS

   > Character: Unknown

   > Material: Glass?

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

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 78.22 € / $84.84 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: This one is cool - a prop wineglass. It doesn't clarify if the material is glass or some kind of plastic, but probably the latest. Do ask before you bid, in case the shipping is long. I'm sure you don't want to receive it all shattered, just in case.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231487559533

- SILK AND LEATHER ASIAN ARMGUARDS

   > Character: Unknown

   > Material: Silk. Leather.

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

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 228.56 € / $247.90 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: These are my favorites today. The listing says "Asian" but they kinda look like they could've been used in the S4 India episodes. Very pretty and elegant, yes sir - but not cheap at all!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231487569137

- WOODEN NECKLACE

   > Character: Amazon/s?

   > Material: Wood. Wooden beads. Cord.

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

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 69.86 € / $75.77 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: Another necklace (wow! so many today). What else can I say?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331465260813

- DANCER SKIRT

   > Character: Unknown

   > Material: Fabric

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

   > Seller: fox-and-unicorn

   > Price: 119.80 € / $216.70 plus shipping (or Make Offer)

   > Opinion: This prop skirt is also unidentified. So no clue where it might have been used (Hercules? Young Hercules? Xena?). It probably was used several times in different episodes.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231444120164

***

That's all for today. Hurry up if you want to bid, some of the items end today.

Stay tuned for more!

Cheers

Monday eBay Roundup (XVI)

Hey everyone!

It's been a while since I last did one of these. It's about time that I started doing them again, don't you think? So let's start and take a look at the Xena props and replicas we can find right now on eBay!

- AMAZON "HELICON" SWORD PROP

   > Character: Amazon Warrior or Queen in S6 "To Helicon and Back"

   > Material: Resin (with metal rod inside)

   > Papers: COA from Turners

   > Seller: sonofkrypton22

   > Price: $499.99 plus shipping

   > Opinion: This kind of sword was used as the trademark Amazon weapon in the episode "To Helicon and Back" - and the color differentiated the rank of the warrior. From memory I reckon seeing only the different queens using these swords, but I'm not 100% sure. I do remember that Gab's was honey yellow, and this one is black, so it's not hers. Anyhow, whomever it might have belonged to, this prop shows visible wear from its set use. It comes from collector Otsillac - which always means it's always legit and usually also a bit pricey.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/141589880712

- PROP SQUID HELMET

   > Character: Several characters in several episodes

   > Material: Foam rubber

   > Papers: Not included

   > Seller: geremea

   > Price: $139.99 plus shipping (or Buy Now for $199.99)

   > Opinion: The listing doesn't include the COA nor info about the episodes in which the prop have been used, but I'm pretty sure I've seen this kind of helmet in some episode - I think perhaps on Hercules? Please let me know if you recognize this from somewhere!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231494246892

- GOLDEN BRACELET PROP

   > Character: Uknown

   > Material: Foam rubber

   > Papers: Included

   > Seller: jamekean.xtsrow4i

   > Price: $0.99 (already $10.50) plus shipping

   > Opinion: Nice jewelry prop, although not much information about its origins. The seller says it comes with COA but doesn't specify - however I believe it's a Turners COA. Very affordable!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111607886377

- CREATION ENT YIN YANG CHAKRAM #406

   > Manufacturer: Creation Entertainment 

   > Number: 406/500

   > COA: Included

   > Seller: scoobygirl099

   > Price: $400 plus shipping

   > Opinion: What is there left to say about a piece like this? :) Late edition, so it has the NZ stamp (visible in the photo). On the other hand, later numbers had a quite good color scheme and weathering, far better done that some of the midline numbers. Price is reasonable, but for some reason the price of Creation Y&Y chakrams has been dropping as of late. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271787944243

- CREATION ENT GABRIELLE STAFF #338

   > Manufacturer: Creation Entertainment 

   > Number: 338/500

   > COA: Included

   > Seller: scoobygirl099

   > Price: $400 plus shipping

   > Opinion: Demand for Creation staffs tends to put prices around $200-300, so this one might be tagged as "overpriced". All things considered, this particular staff doesn't seem to be as accurate as earlier numbers, so you might want to consider waiting for a better opportunity. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271787943897

- TODD'S YIN YANG CHAKRAM #495

   > Manufacturer: Todd's Costumes
   > Number: 495/1000

   > COA: Included

   > Seller: tarrante123

   > Price: $215 plus shipping (only USA), or Make Offer

   > Opinion: I know some of you were trying to find one of these, so this is a good opportunity! Price's not bad at all, and it includes the COA (although the number is not visible in the pics - is that a 4 hundred something?). The chakram looks to be midline judging from the colors.
>> EDIT: Seller told me the number is 495.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111611172521

- TODD'S Y&Y CHAKRAM #? + ORIGINAL CHAKRAM #?

   > Manufacturer: Todd's Costumes
   > Numbers: ??/1000

   > COA: Included

   > Seller: tarrante123

   > Price: $400 plus shipping (only USA), or Make Offer

   > Opinion: Same seller, two other chakrams. This is a good deal, because you can get both chakrams at once. My only "but" is the shipping (only USA) which leaves all of us foreigners out unless you have some friend or family member in the US. Numbers are not clear here either - 4 hundred something and 6 hundred something? What do you guys think?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111611141516

- TODD'S XENA KNEE GUARDS REPLICA(S)

   > Manufacturer: Todd's Costumes

   > COA: Not mentioned

   > Seller: toddscostumes_com

   > Price: $99.95 plus shipping

   > Opinion: Todd's Costumes has listed several pairs of Xena knee guards. This one is the cheapest (probably because the leather color doesn't much 100%). If you don't like that detail and don't mind to spend more, you can check their other listings to take a look at the other different pairs. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251860208463

- LEATHER AMAZON SHEATH REPLICA

   > Manufacturer: Todd's Costumes

   > COA: Not mentioned

   > Seller: toddscostumes_com

   > Price: $89.95 plus shipping

   > Opinion: This is an interesting piece. Similarly to the knee guards, there are several different amazon sheath replicas for sale, also for different prices - I guess that depending on the finish? I'm not sure because the photo is always the same. If interested you should ask for photos of the specific piece, as in my experience the promotional photo and the real thing can be quite different.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251860208463

***

Wow, that felt good :)

Feel free to comment and stay tuned for more. Cheers!