Back in the early days of Star Wars (late 70’s), Lucasfilm didn’t hold on it’s props, costumes and set pieces as fiercely as they do today. While it is uncommon to see these items on the market today, it isn’t that uncommon to see some of these early pieces in collector’s collections.
Take for instance Malla’s mask from Star Wars: The Holiday Special. Who is Malla you may ask? She is Chewbacca’s wife from the cult classic Star Wars: The Holiday Special. Her mask was basically one of Chewbacca’s masks from Star Wars: A New Hope, and changed up for the Holiday Special.
This particular piece made its way into a collector’s collection and apparently needed a little tender love and care. Seeing that this piece was made almost 40 years ago, it is understandable that the material had seen better days. The mask had some damage to the lips and nose area, that needed to repaired.
That is where Tom Spina Designs comes in. Spina specializes in the restoration of film props and was tasked with taking this mask and bringing glory back to it. His finished handiwork is a thing of beauty that must be seen to believe.
Our client asked for only minimal touchup, and we agreed that was that best approach for a piece as important as this one. After use in both the 1977 Star Wars and rework and reuse in 1978’s television special, the Malla mask had several areas along the lips and nose where the foam latex had become fragile or cracked. Tom stabilized and patched these areas, carefully matching the surrounding material. Once the damaged areas were all repaired they were meticulously spot painted to match the original material.
Check out Tom Spina Designs for more information about this particular project. If you are into custom made Star Wars furniture or in the market to have some of your film used props repaired, contact them and let them restore you item to its glory days! Also check out a little interview our on Pete Wadsworth conducted with Tom a few years ago.
About Tom Spina Designs:
Tom Spina Designs, Inc. specializes in creating custom statues, sculpture, mannequins, unique themed furniture and decor, and the restoration and display of film props and costumes.
Their custom sculpture and display services are available to everyone. They create their artwork for businesses, home theaters, museums, restaurants, themed attractions, haunts and even private collectors.
