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Limited to just 125 busts, this signature edition Saelt-Marae™ aka Yak Face™ bust maquette is part of our Star Wars™ Archive Collection, a continuation and expansion of our work creating authentic replicas with impeccable lineage.
With hands-on access to the original film artifact and high resolution 3D scanning, our team crafted a faithful recreation of the Judy Elkins-sculpted concept maquette for this fan-favorite alien character from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi™.
Each approximately 6.5″ tall (including the wood display base) bust is cast in solid, heavy resin. 100% made in the U.S.A., every replica in this edition is meticulously hand painted and has hair hand applied by the artists in our New York studio, making each a unique tribute to the artistry involved behind the scenes of our favorite films!
Each statue in this limited edition includes a hand-numbered metal plaque and is hand packed in a gloss black box with die-cut foam insert and COA. The plaques for the signature edition were hand-signed by the original sculptor, FX artist, Judy Elkins.
-Limited Edition of just 125 maquettes -$449 each -Includes display base and hand-numbered metal plaque, signed by sculptor Judy Elkins -1:1 scale to the original maquette -Part of our Archive Collection, mastered from a high-resolution 3D scan of the original artifact -Hand painted, with hand applied hair, making each a unique work of art. -Made in the U.S.A. -Includes Regal Robot COA -Special up-to-6-Month Payment Plan (with adjustable down payment and length options) available! See here for full payment plan details. -Maquette numbers will be allocated based on the order checkout is completed. -Orders placed today are expected to ship in about 6-8 weeks if paid in full at time of order.
The Archive Collection - Recreating an Artifact
“Judy Elkins worked at Lucasfilm and ILM as a rotoscope artist before being pulled into the creature shop. There, she worked not only on the full size creatures for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, but was also was part of the early development creating maquettes to work through what the aliens of Jabba the Hutt’s™ Palace might look like. Some of the characters she worked on become iconic, including Yak Face, who achieved additional fame as being one of the rarest of the original action figures from that time!
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve marveled at the incredible concept sculptures which were part of the process in creating the creatures for that film. Watching early making-of specials, it was always a treat to catch a glimpse at the early designs and see how those translated to full scale. Getting to know folks like Judy and hear their stories about making these iconic characters has been a blast!
It’s been very exciting here to handle the original artifacts and develop this line of maquettes that pays tribute to that artistry involved in creating some of our favorite characters and the artists who inspire us every day!
– Tom Spina (Regal Robot founder).
During the production of films, the creature effects team will often dream up new and fantastic aliens and beasts by creating small scaled sculptures, called “maquettes,” to showcase their ideas. From this menagerie of maquettes, the film’s director and producer choose which characters will be brought to life for the film as costumes or puppets and what roles they will play in the story.
This particular design was chosen to become Saelt Marae (aka Yak Face), a denizen of the Tatooine™ palace of Jabba the Hutt. The character was brought to life on screen as a full scale rubber mask, also sculpted and finished by Judy and worn in the palace and sail barge scenes.
We are excited to share this new Archive Collection and look forward to sharing our latest art and characters with you. Be sure to follow @RegalRobot on social media to keep up with all of the new collectibles we have in the works.
Check out a couple of videos featuring Judy Elkins and her work on ROTJ!
The Woman Who Sculpted Yak Face - Judy discusses her work designing the character and crafting the maquette and full size mask:
Unseen Creatures of Return of the Jedi with Judy Elkins! - Judy talks about Yak Face AND the other characters she designed and built, including several that never show up in the final cut of the movie:
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