Thursday, July 28, 2016

Do you want to write for Xena Prop Treasures?

Dear friends,

I know entries have been scarce for a long while now. Many other obligations have me tied up on a daily basis, and it's very hard to find time to write. Xena props news are not very usual as of late either. If to that we add that having this website updated is a very demanding yet at times quite unrewarding task, I think you may understand a bit how I feel.

However, instead of saying my goodbyes, I have a proposition for all of you. A friend and reader, Epiphane David, has suggested that I turn Xena Prop Treasures into an open platform. Meaning: any of you with something to say about the Xena prop world (curiosities, information, comparisons, photos of your collections...) can send me an e-mail and I will publish your stuff from here. With proper credit, of course.

I do believe this can be a good idea, because:
- The platform stays alive.
- The information keeps flowing.
- All of us can share our piece of knowledge and satiate the "thirst" of each other (if that makes sense to you lol).

I can compromise to work as "filter" and add any relevant data I may know to your contributions.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this!


Battle on,

Vicente aka Secret Kabeiros

Sunday, April 17, 2016

For Sale: Sabrina's Collection (Part 2)

Hello everyone!

Remember Sabrina, whose collection I told you about some months ago? Well, she wants to sell some new pieces, and I think many of you will be interested. They are quite cool, so let's take a look, shall we?

- LIVIA'S / VARIA'S RESIN SWORD AND SCABBARD


   > Character: Livia (Eve) and Varia, over S5 and S6.
   > Material: Heavy resin. Leather.
   Price: $400 plus shipping

   > Opinion: An amazing piece. This sword was/is a work of art. Its design is very intricate and detailed, and it kind of reminds me of Callisto's sword. Which makes sense. Anyhow, although not the metal hero prop, but this is definitely a piece made to see up-close in the camera. The paint seems very well preserved, so that is good too. A very very nice piece!

- ARES SCROLL


   > Character: Unknown.
   > Material: Parchment / Scroll paper.
   Price: $300 plus shipping

   > Opinion: Scrolls are very rare, and very sought after collector pieces. This one has the Ares emblem, and it's similar to at least another prop scroll I've seen before. It's very well preserved, but it comes without the rods. Also, Sabrina asked me to clarify the frame is not part of the deal. If you want the frame too then talk to her for a price quote.

- DRACO'S / IDES OF MARCH DAGGER


   > Character: Draco. Gabrielle. Others.
   > Material: Resin.
   Price: $150 plus shipping

   > Opinion: This roman-style dagger is one of the most recognizable dagger models in the entire series! It was used dozens of times by many characters, most prominently by Draco in S1 "Sins of the Past" and Gabrielle in S4 "Ides of March". Painted to look like gold, leather and steel. I have seen a few examples of this style dagger and this one is in excellent condition. Sabrina also acquired it from long time Xena collector Xenasbard.

- PROP DAGGER


   > Character: Unknown.
   > Material: Resin. Fabric?
   Price: $150 plus shipping

   > Opinion: I'm sure I've seen this dagger before, although I don't know where. If someone does please let me know. It was sold by It's a Wrap! and comes with all their paperwork.

***

And that's all, friends. Sabrina still has some of the pieces seen last time for sale, with reduced prices. So if you're interested don't doubt to let her know.

This is her mail address:

sthurlow@gmail.com

I heartily hope these pieces will soon find a caring home!

Cheers everyone!

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Lucy Lawless explaining the Xena costume

Greeting Xenites!

I recently found this video, and I've thought some of you might not know it. It's part of the "Behind the Scenes" documentary made in the year 2000 during the filming of S6 "Who's Gurkhan?".

In this part of the documentary, segmented here, Lucy Lawless explains to her fans the different parts of her costume and armor, and the meaning behind some of the pieces.

Enjoy!


PS: Never mind the title of the video, it seems to be a silly joke made by the uploader. "New Wonder Woman costume"... ha-ha so funny.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Totara Peak Gallery - A Xena oasis at Omarama, NZ

Hello everybody!

Today I wanted to tell you about a very small and special place at Omarama, a small township near the southern end of the Mackenzie Basin, in the South Island of New Zealand. There you can find Totara Peak Gallery, the only antique shop in the area and "an eclectic mix of antiques, rare books and new and old costume jewellery".

The shop is located on the road to Queenstown, Mt Cook, Christchurch and Oamaru - it's, in their own words, "in the middle of nowhere, but in fact it is in the center of everywhere". 

http://www.omaramaantiques.com/museum.html

But what's so special about this place? Well, somewhere in their labyrinth of curiosities and antiques Totara Peak Gallery holds a spectacular shrine of original Xena props and costumes, including a full Xena costume.

Yes, that's right. I've known this for years, but until recently I was unable to get good HQ pictures of the measures hold at Omarama. Luckily, photographer and amazing manaia artist M. Navarre recently arrived there by chance and has been very kind to share his photos with us.

So let's go and take a look! Warning: HEAVY pics ahead!

General overview 1
General overview 2

Now let's focus on the juicy stuff: the Xena costume. "Original Xena costumes purchased in Auckland surround the Xena centerpiece".

Xena costume 1
Xena costume 2
Xena costume 3
Xena costume close-up: knee-guards and boots.
Xena costume: Description.

As you can read, the body piece is leather, the armbands and gauntlets are copper and leather (Creation Ent. replicas), and the breastplate and other armor parts are resin (stunts). Nevertheless, the resin pieces are so finely made and so well taken care of that they look exactly like copper. Amazing! And what do you say about that shot with the knee-guards? I love it.

Alongside Xena's costume is Daphne's costume. Remember her from S5 "Little Problems"? She was a child whose body was briefly inhabited by Xena's spirit. The owners say: "The childs costume worn by New Zealand actress Rose McIver is special to us - Rose was our neighbor in Auckland and we still follow her career".


Other costumes of the collection are: a couple of armored soldiers, a man with a turban, an Amazon or similar, and many loose weapons and props.

Soldier 1
Soldier 2 - "Tazor"
Tazor description.
Amazon or similar.

It's not very clear in this shot, but at the right side of the "amazon" there's a baby carrier with a baby mannequin in full costume. The costume doesn't look like Eve's, but who knows...

In the next shot the baby is more visible in the background.

Copper? vase over statue.
Gabrielle's bombs description.

Ahhhh! The famous Gabrielle bombs seen in S5! Some of them lie around... Where exactly? Go back to the close-up of Xena's knee-guards and you'll see them, hidden behind the Xena mannequin. 

Stag banner.
Stag banner, shield, dragon, spears... 
Bone and stone clubs... from the Horde, perhaps?
Spears and what appears to be a Celtic banner.

And that's all! I hope you enjoyed seen these pictures as much as me.

Once again, thanks a thousand to M. Navarre for his photos, they're amazing!

Cheers people!

Monday, March 21, 2016

AUSXIP Starship Charity Auction 2016

Hello people!

It's that time of the year again, the time for the amazing annual AUSXIP Starship Charity Auction at ausxip.com! This is my third year covering this event since I created this blog. Time does fly!

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

As usual, the Auction starts today (March 21st) and will take place until the 27th. This year's doesn't seem to include any props or costumes, but it does have many cool images and merchandising, as well as TONS of other Xena stuff and memorabilia.

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 at AUSXIP's main page:

http://ausxip.com

Battle on!

Monday eBay Roundup (XXIII)

Hey people!

These past few months I've been running short of time, but I couldn't miss posting some new very interesting and very juice pieces recently listed on eBay. Come on and let's take a look!

- GABRIELLE'S S6 VELVET SKIRT


   > Character: Gabrielle during most of S6
   > Material: Velvet and metal
   Papers: COA from Turners Auction
   Seller: deguston
   Price: $2,250 plus shipping (only USA)

   > Opinion: Well, this piece only deserved an entry by itself. This skirt was part of Gabrielle's main S6 red velvet costume, and it's an amazing piece of craftsmanship. Quite expensive, but it was worn by Renée O'Connor herself - listing says it has her wardrobe tag sewn into the waist band seam. All things considered, the price of the skirt seems more or less in line with other similar top notch XWP costume pieces.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/351682209276

- GABRIELLE RESIN SINGLE SAI PROP


   > Character: Gabrielle during S5-6
   > Material: Resin
   Papers: London Propstore paperwork
   Seller: xena.gabrielle
   Price: GBP 999.0 / $1,449.70 plus shipping

   > Opinion: This is a stunt version of one of Gabrielle's sais. It's a single piece (not a pair) and it's made of resin. The finish and the shape are not as refined as if it were a "hero" version (for close-ups), as this version was probably made to be briefly seen onscreen during fights. It should be noted the tip is broken and glued (as seen in the photos). In my opinion, more expensive than it should be.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121922523719

- CREATION ENT REPLICA SAIS #158


   > Manufacturer: Creation Entertainment
   > Number: 158/1000
   > COA: Included
   > Seller: oddandends62
   > Price: $350 plus shipping

   > Opinion: I've reviewed this replica many times, so I'll keep it short. This is one of the highest numbers I've seen (highest Ed number I've seen is 168 in sais) - I doubt they completed the 1000 units their license covered. Price is very reasonable, and they ship worldwide, but be warned the shipping will be high, and so will probably be Customs. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281971586014

- H:TLJ KING DIADORUS SKIRT


   > Character: King Diadorus in Hercules S2 "The Apple"
   > Material: Brown silk
   Papers: COA from Turners Auction
   Seller: lady.stark
   Price: $200 plus shipping

   > Opinion: I have no knowledge about this piece, but I think it might interest someone. Lady Stark is an usual Xenaverse trader-seller, and I'm sure she'll answer any of your questions.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191772730447

- PROP ARMBANDS


   > Character: Unknown
   > Material: Metal. Leather.
   Papers: COA from Turners Auction
   Seller: fox-and-unicorn
   Price: 184,23 EUR / $208.02 plus shipping

   > Opinion: There's no much to say about this due to the lack of information. Fox and Unicorn are reliable sellers. Most of the listing is in german, but f you don't speak it Google Translate may help :p

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331677556677

- EGYPTIAN LEATHER COLLAR PROP


   > Character: Unknown
   > Material: Leather. Beads. Cord.
   Papers: COA from Turners Auction
   Seller: fox-and-unicorn
   Price: 285,46 EUR / $322.33 plus shipping

   > Opinion: Same seller/s, so same feedback here. Still, I'm sure this will interest someone. I's a nice looking piece, only a bit pricey.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331684304652

***

This is it! Fingers crossed I'll be able to maintain the pace and public some entry soon. I definitely hope so!

Cheers!

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Artemis Women in Action Film Festival Crowdfunding - XWP costumes and props!

Splendid news everyone!

Thanks to the Xena Forum user Carbonek I've found out this juicy information, and I've felt I had to share.

I quote what she says over there: "There is a Los Angeles-based film festival that honors women in action films that is currently crowdfunding their second year event. A local Xena fan has donated a number of prop and costume items to the campaign to help raise money for the film festival". 

The items are a set-used foam Xena battle-sword, a stunt of Gabrielle's iconic S3 costume (minus the belt), Alti's hero headpiece from S5 "Them Bones, Them Bones", Paleamon's hero vest from S2 "Blind Faith", a set-used foam snake sword used in S1's finale "Is There a Doctor in the House?", and a resin bone dagger sword used by many characters - among which we should highlight Marcus, Xena's male lover from S1.

These are the images present at the site, with additional info:







This is the website: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-women-kick-ass-project-2#/story

Items are not for auction, but instead are rewards for different funding goals. As Carbonic says: "Also, this is not an auction, which I think most fans are used to seeing, the items are offered at funding levels, so you will also get other perks from the festival along with the item".

So, you know: if you're interested in any of these items, know that you're also contributing to bring to live an amazing festival that honors women in action films. Cool!

Thanks for the heads-up, Carbonek!