One of my more epic finds during my weekend at Wonder Con happened during set-up day, before the con even opened.
There I was, setting up the Mixo booth, when I noticed the guy in the booth across the aisle and over one stall was setting up his booth that appeared to be focused entirely on vintage Star Wars toys and other collectibles. I made a note to scope out his wares when I got a chance. On my way back from getting some coffee, I walked past his booth, looked down at the piles of stuff he had strewn about the floor ready to be displayed, scanned the items quickly, and spotted amidst the scads of Episode I crap and Power of the Force castoffs this cold black beauty right here...
Some of my fondest memories from my childhood involve the myriad adventures I would embark upon with this trusty sidearm hanging from my belt. You just never knew when you'd run across a squadron of Stormtroopers while on your way to the drug store to pick up your latest batch of comic books and trading cards.
I got my Han Solo blaster for Christmas back in 1978. By this time, I had just turned 6 and was officially deep in the throes of my Star Wars fandom. And at that age, this weapon seemed to me like the ultimate exact replica of the one wielded by Harrison Ford in the movie.
I had often thought about finding another to add to my collection, but usually only found the hideous orange remake from '95 or one with either an Empire or Jedi sticker on it (which would not do) or it was shockingly too expensive.
So this baby was just right.
I quickly asked the guy how much he wanted, and then gladly forked over the $20.
This piece does have its flaws, such as this odd melted area that looks like someone set it down on a hot grill, perhaps during a break from cold-bloodedly shooting Greedo through a cantina table, to sit down and eat a hotdog at a family cookout. I'm choosing to look at it as evidence of a harrowing near-miss from Stormtrooper blaster fire.
Also, one of the knobs that holds the battery cover in place is missing, but the cover stays on, so I can live with this.
I did drop a couple of C batteries into this bad boy to see if it still fires up, but to no avail. Those wires are 35 years old, so I'm not surprised.
Still, it's an awesome piece of classic sci-fi weaponry and will surely take its rightful place on the Epic Shelf of Nostalgia.
I just may take to keeping this with me at all times, just in case I'm ever invited to dinner by some so-called friend, only to find Darth Vader waiting on the other side of the door, and you can be jolly-well sure I'll get a few solid shots off. Because I, like Han Solo himself, always... shoot... first.
