Welcome to the Outlander Club!

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones a few days ago, we finished up a recover-and-restore project on this Outlander Club bar set piece and moved it from the workshop into our display room. It is from the scene in Episode 2 where Obi-Wan Kenobi turns down the offer of death sticks from Elan Sleazebaggano, and defeats Zam Wesell’s ambush attempt.

This was a large set component that was rescued from the junk pile when the Outlander Club set was broken down after filming in Sydney for Episode 2. We cleaned it up, re-attached some components that had become detached, and build a new support base to keep it off the ground and to bring it up to the correct display height (everything above the metal foot bar is original, except for the internal lighting, which has also been replaced… and will probably get upgraded to something better in the near future).

We have got plans to fill the wall space behind the bar, including some other, related, screen-used Star Wars set pieces, but that’ll take a bit more work. Stay tuned for updates down the line!

The Outlander Club set is reported to have taken a couple of months to build – it was then used for filming for less than a full day, then demolished (mostly) in order for another set to be built in the studio the next day.

This is a rare example of a fully built set on the production, which often relied on partial sets or just expanses of bluescreen for its locations. Every direction one looked within the nightclub set on Stage 3 at Fox Studios Sydney would provide otherworldly scenery. When filled with extras, smoke, and noise, it completed the illusion. But the nightclub only stood half a day, on July 17, 2000. After the club sequence was shot, the crew immediately started tearing it down to build another set needed in production.

Star Wars: Fascinating Facts – Pablo Hidalgo

It was quite the adventure to secure this unique piece for our collection – one that included a two-day road trip across the country. The set piece was located in another city, with a deadline to secure it (the owner was moving house). We hurriedly made a plan that included two important components – a hire van for the journey, and finding a place to stay overnight on the two-day drive there and back.

We picked up our hire van first thing on that Saturday morning, and hit the road out of town. A van isn’t the most comfortable vehicle for such a long road trip, but we knew it was going to be worth it. We took our cameras along for the journey, so we could look back at our adventure with fond memories.

Living in New Zealand, driving literally past Mount Doom (Mount Ngauruhoe), it felt like we were embarking on a epic quest – instead this time we were setting off to rescue an item, not destroy it! We made it as far as the Tongariro National Park for our first leg of the journey, and stayed at Discovery Lodge – a place we have visited before several times on holiday.

Getting up before sunrise the next day, we set off south for our destination. We arrived a few hours later, and finally got our first in-person look at the bar set piece. It was just so exciting! It was big, real, and finally in our hands. Now we just had to get it home.

We had packed blankets, bed covers, sleeping bags, towels, cardboard, rope, and anything else we thought might be useful to help secure the set pieces for the journey home. We used every single thing we had brought to pack it all in securely. Then, we were off!

It was a very long drive home, making only quick stops for food and fuel, so it was late in the evening by the time we pulled into our driveway back home. But that long (uncomfortable) drive was worth it – the bar set was now in its new home, all safe and secure.

We then set about taking our time to carefully clean the components, do some minor repairs and stabilisation, and build a wheeled base for display. And now, finally, it is complete and on display! We celebrated with a toast of blue drinks, just like Obi-Wan Kenobi!

A top-down view of the Outlander Club set during filming of Attack Of The Clones –

The bar as seen behind Obi-Wan Kenobi in Attack Of The Clones –

A great reference shot under natural lighting, from the Star Wars Mythmaking: Behind the Scenes of Attack of the Clones book.

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As big fans of The Chronicles of Riddick, Matt and I had dreamed of owning costumes of the main characters since we first saw the film. We were able to purchase screen used Necromonger Captain and Necromonger Convert costumes in 2005, but we missed out on any Riddick or Dame Vaako costumes.

In early 2011, The Prop Store of London listed the black/gold Dame Vaako dress, worn by Thandie Newton. It was expensive, but it had been years since I had seen one of her outfits come up for sale. I knew I was a similar height to Thandie Newton, so we decided to take the leap and buy it. Took a few months to pay the installments, and a frustrating delay at customs, but it arrived in time for DragonCon 2011.

The sleeveless dress is made from black mesh fabric, covered in gold latex scales, with an invisible zip up the back. As fate would have it, I actually had a swatch of the fabric used for other Dame Vaako gold dress (thanks to a wonderful friend), so I was able to compare the fabrics and colours between this black/gold dress and Dame Vaako’s classic gold dress. It’s interesting to see the difference in colour and texture.

As with buying any screen-used main character costume, it can be a big risk buying an expensive costume that you hope to wear without knowing if it will fit. The mesh fabric has a little bit of stretch, but it fits me like a glove! I was so excited when it finally arrived, I tried it on straight away for a few quick photos.

It was such an amazing experience, trying it on for the first time and finding that it fit me perfectly. Even with heels on, the hem of the dress is a little long on me – but it appears to be quite long on Thandie Newton in the film too, as you can’t see her shoes/feet when she walks in it. All of Dame Vaako’s dresses seem to be designed to ‘pool’ on the floor a little – very glamorous and dramatic.

Unlike the other Dame Vaako costumes, this outfit doesn’t have any accessories – no jewelry, spine/back decorations, belt, or even shoes. It appears Dame Vaako does not wear shoes with this dress – her bare feet are seen very briefly when she falls on the floor in one scene. So, this dress is a complete screen-used outfit by itself. To complete the look to wear at DragonCon, I wore nude colour underwear with this dress (as it is visible through the mesh fabric), and a pair of black heels.

As I don’t wish to wear this costume barefoot at conventions, I decided to find out more information about the footwear used for the classic Dame Vaako long-sleeved gold dress which was also sold through The Prop Store. The website listing for that costume pictured a pair of high heel shoes, with the brand name ‘Peter Fox’ visible on the inner sole, and described as US size 7. Doing some research on the brand, the shoes are the style ‘Dorothea’, which were then covered with the same gold scale mesh fabric as the dress.

After a lot of hunting, I finally found a pair in my size, which also happens to be the same size Thandie Newton wore. My original plan was to have the shoes dyed black to match the dress (as they are dye-able white Italian silk bridal shoes), but it appears Peter Fox no long produce shoes, so I am keeping them in their original state for now.

For this outfit, Dame Vaako wears her hair in a long fishtail-style braid down her back. For DragonCon, I made a long braid from a synthetic wig, but it proved too heavy to wear for long periods of time and it never clipped in as well as I had hoped. When photographed from the front, the braid is not seen so I took it out for comfort and wore my hair tied back in a short ponytail. I plan to source a better braid for the next time I wear the costume.

This outfit was a very exciting addition to our collection of The Chronicles Of Riddick costumes. The dress feels amazing to wear, and I love the train. I am so happy I took the chance and bought it! Now that Thandie Newton has appeared in Solo: A Star Wars Story, I own a costume worn by a Star Wars actress!

Worn at – DragonCon 2011.

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This female Necromonger Convert costume from The Chronicles Of Riddick was my first foray into the world of screen-used items. It was purchased from The Prop Store UK in 2005, complete with certificate of authenticity.

We were of course aware of the market for screen-used props and costumes, but never thought we would be able to own anything used in films. It wasn’t until we saw photos online of fans wearing super-accurate Necromonger costumes at a costume convention in the US that we started really looking into it. The Chronicles Of Riddick was the first film Matt and I saw at the cinemas together, so it has always had special meaning for us – we never thought we could actually own a costume from the film! To our delight, The Prop Store UK still had screen used costumes available – and soon enough, we were the proud owners of our first screen used costumes. My costume is a Necromonger Convert, worn by a background extra (but identical to the outfit worn by ‘Kyra’ at the end of the film).

The female Necromonger Convert costume consists of a black stretch bodysuit with a shiny black reptilian-style raised pattern, a pair of black fabric knee-high boots, and a distressed sleeveless hooded robe. This costume also came with a separate cowl/hood, but as Kyra does not wear a cowl in the film, I don’t wear it with my costume. The boots are made from a black neoprene-type fabric, with foam soles – to avoid wearing out the soles, I wear my own black stretch fabric boots with the costume at events. The bodysuit has a long black plastic zip at the back, finger loops at the ends of the sleeves, and stirrup loops at the ankles/feet to hold it in place while wearing boots.

The outer robe is made from several different dark/metallic fabrics, which are layered and heavily distressed. There are a lot of holes, created by burning/ripping the fabrics. The hem of the robe has several high splits, so it flares around the legs when walking. Despite the distressed appearance, the robe has a tailored fit, with structured seams built into the base – the robe does up at the front with a single hook and eye closure at the waist. I wear my own heeled boots with the costume, which helps as the robe was made/designed for someone taller than me, so it drags behind me a little if I am wearing the flat costume boots.

Considering the costume was made for someone else, and there were no measurements available before buying, the costume fits me very well! At the same time, Matt also purchased a screen-used Necromonger Captain costume – we debuted our costumes together at the Auckland Armageddon Expo convention in October 2005. In May 2006, we attended the London Expo convention, where we trooped with other members of the Necromonger Legion who also own screen-used costumes. I took my costume, and Matt borrowed some Necromonger infantryman armour (as his own Captain costume doesn’t fit in a suitcase). I also took my Necromonger Convert costume to our first DragonCon convention in the US in 2009 – it is one of the few costumes I have worn in multiple countries.

Worn at – Armageddon Auckland 2005, London Expo 2006, Armageddon Auckland 2008, DragonCon 2009.

Necromonger Convert Costume Gallery

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