A long-lost Star Wars model has been found and it's worth a huge amount of money

A long-lost model of an X-Wing Fighter that was used in the original Star Wars film has been put up for auction.

The 20-inch model was discovered in the collection of late model-maker Greg Jein, and bids have started at US$400,000 (£320,000, AU$625,000) for a Dallas auction on 14 and 15 October.

The model was made for the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope and used for close-up shots; it has articulating wings, working lights and is marked with battle scars. It was flown by hero Luke Skywalker in the film.

Visual effects historian Gene Kozicki found the model when helping Jein's family organise his collection. He told the Hollywood Reporter the model was regarded as a “white whale” by those working in visual effects because no one knew where it was.

“For those of us that grew up in the 1970s or 1980s, and those of us that work in visual effects, this model is as significant a find as the ruby red slippers or the Maltese Falcon,” Kozicki said.

When they found it, those in the room “knew immediately that it was the actual filming model and then the magnitude of the discovery started to set in”.

The model was used in the production of the classic 1977 movieLucasFilm

Jein’s full collection which also includes an original Stormtrooper costume from A New Hope, an astronaut suit from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Batarang throwing weapons from the 1960s Batman television series, and props from Star Trek will also appear at the auction.

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