Comments on: The Bobacabana

The Bobacabana

jonson — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 10:57:55 -0800

Apparently Gus & Pam enjoy the Star Wars films.

By: slater

slater — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:03:38 -0800

i wonder if they're both in secret denial about the prequels? "i hope he doesn't notice that i hated the prequels..." "i bet she thinks I liked the prequels... oh well, anything to make her happy...."

By: lumpenprole

lumpenprole — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:03:45 -0800

Oh god. Life-size Jar-Jar. MY EYES!!!!!!

By: Atreides

Atreides — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:03:56 -0800

I always wondered what my life would be like if I had went totally over to the Geekside and had way too much money to spend....now I know. I want to make fun, but pathetically, I feel envious.

By: ewagoner

ewagoner — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:09:51 -0800

I think my life was better before I knew what a "Cereal Room" was.

By: mathowie

mathowie — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:10:34 -0800

Good lord. They have an entire room devoted to cereal! One question: where did they get all the gold records and why do they have them?

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:16:04 -0800

How nice for the guests.

By: stavrogin

stavrogin — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:16:40 -0800

With all of those toys, they could never have children.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:16:48 -0800

These people own prototypes. They are not your ordinary fans. Give them respect.

By: Plutor

Plutor — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:17:08 -0800

"Apparently Gus & Pam enjoy the Star Wars films." There's no evidence of that. All we can be sure of is that they enjoy collecting Star Wars things. No, wait, there's not even any evidence that they enjoy that. Perhaps the voices in their heads are big Star Wars fans.

By: jonson

jonson — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:17:09 -0800

they have them because the records are Star Wars ephemera. Theme from the Cantina on Mos Eisley, etc... Where they got them is anyone's guess. The two full rooms devoted to prototypes of products make me think these people might have a line on some inside goods when it comes to the world of The Force.

By: athenian

athenian — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:19:23 -0800

George Lucas had better hope his car never breaks down in a rainstorm near *that* house.

By: Clay201

Clay201 — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:20:03 -0800

The the storm trooper statue shouldn't be in the basement. It should greet visitors when they open the front door.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:20:18 -0800

I bet that cereal room smells either delicious, or gross.

By: keswick

keswick — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:20:53 -0800

Am I dating myself by saying I remember Gus from rec.arts.sf.starwars?

By: jonson

jonson — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:22:07 -0800

Am I dating myself by saying I remember Gus from rec.arts.sf.starwars? not so much dating as nerding.

By: nathan_teske

nathan_teske — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:22:34 -0800

I'd actually pay good money for a life-size, cast concrete Storm Trooper. Like lawn deer, only much cooler.

By: graventy

graventy — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:26:43 -0800

lumpenprole : "Oh god. Life-size Jar-Jar. MY EYES!!!!!!" Nothing like creating a room that no one will ever want to enter.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:28:38 -0800

posted by stavrogin With all of those toys, they could never have children. I bet their sex life is replete wth Han & Leia roleplaying. If they had an orgy, I bet they'd do it up like the Mos Eisley cantina.

By: Robot Johnny

Robot Johnny — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:28:58 -0800

Every house needs a cereal room. Also, it's slightly creepy, how this piece in the guest bedroom looks like a crucifix.

By: jsavimbi

jsavimbi — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:29:38 -0800

not only do they have a creepy hobby, but they have very poor taste in decorating with anything other than Star Wars crap. How embarassing.

By: 6am

6am — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:29:47 -0800

"Mommy Mommy I scraped by leg!" "Don't cry sweetie we'll soon fix that up, just hop in the bacta tank for a spell!" "But Mommy the air breather pipes don't work, they're just for pretend." "Get in the bacta tank."

By: billysumday

billysumday — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:30:36 -0800

So, Gus, tell me: do you have any Gold or Platinum Star Wars Record Awards?

By: Pollomacho

Pollomacho — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:31:35 -0800

OK, I wasn't that creeped out until I got to the yearbooks, then it went from obsessive to frightening.

By: glenwood

glenwood — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:32:39 -0800

I love that the house is basically just your standard issue, lame beige kountry kitchen home. except, you know. there's like an r2d2 in the corner. It's just a sheen of sci-fi slathered on top of grandma house.

By: boo_radley

boo_radley — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:32:51 -0800

Well, I'm stunned. First off, they have a cereal room? Gah. Secondly, it's interesting to note that the Japanese poster (as seen in the guest room, which is surely a euphemism) for RotJ shows the droids as heroes.

By: fochsenhirt

fochsenhirt — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:33:42 -0800

All about Gus. All about Pam. Gus' doctoral dissertation.

By: Gamblor

Gamblor — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:34:45 -0800

You know, it bothers me to no end that I can't afford to buy a house in the current market. And then I see someone not only buying a house, but doing something like this with it, and I just died a little bit inside just now.

By: glenwood

glenwood — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:35:36 -0800

I want to make fun, but pathetically, I feel envious. Really? The presentation here just makes it all seem so...lame and fruitless. Hey look. Boxes and boxes of stuff on uninviting 11 dollar aluminum shelving. I guess we can't open anything. It's like being in the back warehouse at walmart or something.

By: Samizdata

Samizdata — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:45:41 -0800

First thing I'd do in their guest room if I were to stay there... Carded figures? Huhn? Check out my cool diorama!

By: AstroGuy

AstroGuy — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:46:54 -0800

Holy crap. I hope they have good insurance.

By: nylon

nylon — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:47:14 -0800

What glenwood said. It all seems so dead and empty. If you're going to be obsessive, go the whole whole like the Star Trek Apartment guy. A standard 80's boring house with Death Star stuck awkwardly in the entrance hall and shelves of boxed things in the basement is wholly depressing in a way that I simply don't have the vocabulary for.

By: DonnieSticks

DonnieSticks — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:47:34 -0800

jasvimbi nailed it. They could really stand to take some interior design classes.

By: mrmojoflying

mrmojoflying — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:47:55 -0800

It's the 40 Year Old Virgin, but married. I wonder what kind of whup-ass awaits the child with the temerity to play with any of those "collectibles".

By: justkevin

justkevin — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:50:48 -0800

In the event of a nuclear attack, do you think they would a) open the collectible star wars cereal boxes, or b) starve?

By: bullitt 5

bullitt 5 — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:52:04 -0800

I started out feeling envious, and slowly transitioned into pity. Seems so...empty.

By: robhuddles

robhuddles — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:53:32 -0800

Since no one else has commented on this yet ... not only is this a nice story on how not to decorate a house, it's an even bigger story on how not to build a website. A little navigation swould actually kill them??

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:54:29 -0800

mrmojo, they don't seem like they would ever beat their kids. They would simply stop loving them if they ever broke any of that stuff. but damn, these people have high school yearbooks of the cast, folks. they ain't fuckin' around. And of course, the anime room is nothing but sailor moon and other teen girl screech fests. what the fuck is it with my chosen subculture?!

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 11:57:16 -0800

posted by justkevin In the event of a nuclear attack, do you think they would a) open the collectible star wars cereal boxes, or b) starve? They'll survive off the crops from their underground moisture farm.

By: Ber

Ber — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:02:02 -0800

I feel so much better about my wife's Professor Snape poster, our small collection of out-of-the-box action figures, and my Return of the King poster.

By: wakko

wakko — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:02:28 -0800

One question: where did they get all the gold records and why do they have them? There are entire stores which specialize in music memorabilia. I know of one in particular next to the Aladdin Theatre in Las Vegas. You can also find them from time to time on eBay. Gold records are generally cheaper than other memorabilia , but they're not exactly cheap. Official gold records are not awarded in any traditional sense of the word. First, an audit is conducted (paid for by the record label seeking gold or platinum "certification") by the RIAA. Once an album is certified, awards are ordered by the record label and are purchased (just like stars on the Walk of Fame), so you can buy as many as you'd like when your record goes gold. Many of these make it back into the marketplace after a while.

By: spock

spock — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:04:44 -0800

Dang! George Lucas' senior picture looks like some satyr or something. If the camera could pan down I'd be expecting to see a goat body & legs. He needs a couple of nubbin' horns to go with those ears!

By: Occams Hammer

Occams Hammer — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:06:17 -0800

Imagine that kind of passion with a budget. Check THIS out. This was a project that I was in charge of at a company that I used to work for (Dillon Works) This theater was awesome. 2 high quality fiber optic starfield walls, automatic sliding doors and a large media room with Han Solo in carbonite as a door. The outer hall had a gantry with a mirror effect on the floor and ceiling to create an up/down infinity effect that really looked like ten stories of catwalks. They REALLY let us go nuts with the details. Also, check out the designer's name on this one...I was actually was in touch with him for a while during the initial build design phase. Not a bad resume to have designing your home theater.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:07:03 -0800

Well, now we know where he got the idea for the Mos Eisley cantina scene.

By: _sirmissalot_

_sirmissalot_ — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:22:03 -0800

Actually it's pretty cool that they have the real Death Star. I mean, think about it. THE Death Star. I would hang it over the dining room table like a chandelier, but that's just me.

By: Atreides

Atreides — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:28:24 -0800

Really? The presentation here just makes it all seem so...lame and fruitless. Hey look. Boxes and boxes of stuff on uninviting 11 dollar aluminum shelving. You must lower yourself to view the world through the eyes of a Star Wars fanatic. Once you do so, the the house ceases to be empty, but a loving shrine with required sacred relics. I once had a bedroom that began to border on appearing normal in their house. Call it maturing, new additions, or intervention, I've moved on from that time in my life. All that remains is a Boba Fett pez dispenser and a small rubber statue of Yoda. Erm.

By: Atreides

Atreides — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:31:15 -0800

Occams, heh. Thats all I can say. Its like asking Widget Works to design your Bag End theater. Nifty.

By: NationalKato

NationalKato — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:36:11 -0800

First row, first picture: Marjorie Likwartz

By: stratastar

stratastar — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:38:58 -0800

Anyone have an idea what the auction value of that stuff would be?

By: JB71

JB71 — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:40:32 -0800

Occam's Hammer - man, when I win the lottery I'm callin' Dillon Works... Guess I'd better go buy a ticket...

By: caution live frogs

caution live frogs — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 12:50:03 -0800

spock writes "He needs a couple of nubbin' horns to go with those ears!" The irony of a person with your username making fun of anyone's pointy ears is not lost on me.

By: Jesse H Christ

Jesse H Christ — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:11:09 -0800

These people are very different from me and therefore I hate them.

By: neurodoc

neurodoc — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:13:56 -0800

Check out my cool diorama! I bent my Wookie!

By: jonson

jonson — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:15:54 -0800

The irony of a person with your username making fun of anyone's pointy ears is not lost on me. although the phrase "nubbin horns" made me laugh out loud.

By: selfmedicating

selfmedicating — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:15:59 -0800

I must give Pam credit for self-awareness, though: "In my spare time, I collect toys. Lots and lots and lots of toys. And dolls, too! And little plushies. You'd be apalled!"

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:21:44 -0800

These people are very different from me and therefore I hate them. These people are very similar to me and therefore I love them.

By: Gator

Gator — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:23:09 -0800

George Lucas' senior picture looks like some satyr or something. Bwahahahahaha. Or, should I say, Baaaaaaaaaa.

By: craniac

craniac — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:37:30 -0800

I bet the worth of their collection has at least quadrupled in the past ten years.

By: jennaratrix

jennaratrix — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:46:50 -0800

I started to get scared at the cereal room. I vowed that if it was the only bed left on the planet, I'd never sleep in the guest room. I reeled at the life size Jar Jar statue. I became uneasy at the high school and college yearbooks. And I finally lost control of my unease and terror at the life size guy-with-the-red-and-black-face (sue me for not remembering his name) in the cast and crew section of Prototype Room 2. I'm sorry if it makes me unpopular, but I find this disturbing and sad and pathetic all at the same time. To spend that much time and money and effort to stack up unopened paraphernalia from terrible movies. . . I honestly don't have the words to describe the nineteen different kinds of "bad" this makes me feel.

By: piratebowling

piratebowling — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:55:46 -0800

Man, why am I not surprised that this house is in Seattle, a city consisting ENTIRELY of kids that got picked last for gym? I used to live there, I kid out of love. Please don't kill me

By: jonson

jonson — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:56:12 -0800

life size guy-with-the-red-and-black-face I believe you mean Darth Maul.

By: Gator

Gator — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 14:00:17 -0800

Seattle, a city consisting ENTIRELY of kids that got picked last for gym? OMG, it's the city of all the people who were secretly relieved that the big game was canceled on account of rain.

By: piratebowling

piratebowling — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 14:02:19 -0800

No wonder they didn't riot when they lost yesterday

By: You Should See the Other Guy

You Should See the Other Guy — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 14:06:28 -0800

I'd love to break in there and just open everything and then leave.

By: fandango_matt

fandango_matt — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 14:08:17 -0800

Seattle, a city consisting ENTIRELY of kids that got picked last for gym? OMG, it's the city of all the people who were secretly relieved that the big game was canceled on account of rain. I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE! Seattle, here I come!

By: kindle

kindle — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 14:11:34 -0800

My god, it's full of star.. wars.

By: EnormousTalkingOnion

EnormousTalkingOnion — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 14:23:32 -0800

I'd love to break in there and just open everything and then leave. True that. I hate when people hold on to sealed collectibles.

By: spock

spock — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 14:49:25 -0800

"If the camera could PAN down. . ." I kill me

By: keli

keli — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 15:02:01 -0800

"I bet their sex life is replete wth Han & Leia roleplaying. If they had an orgy, I bet they'd do it up like the Mos Eisley cantina." Journey to the Darkside

By: Ynoxas

Ynoxas — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 15:02:58 -0800

Meh. Kinda sad. Kinda kooky. Not much else to say.

By: TeamBilly

TeamBilly — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 15:03:44 -0800

kindle wins. as much as I respect people's wishes to do what they want, I absolutely want to flog them for doing that to a decent piece of real estate in Seattle. A town I would consider moving back to if I could bloody well afford to buy a house in town. Gah.

By: MegoSteve

MegoSteve — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 15:08:04 -0800

I bet the worth of their collection has at least quadrupled in the past ten years. Eh, I doubt it. I think the bad prequel trilogy killed the Star Wars collectible market, aside from maybe vintage items. There are probably thousands of fly-by-night Star Wars collectors crying over the serious money they've spent "investing" in new Star Wars crap, only to see it sell for pennies on the dollar on eBay (if it gets a bid at all). That said, I bet his collection's into six figures valuewise. As a collector, I don't understand all the hate flying around here. It's pretty obvious, reading some of their personal info on Gus's site, that he and his wife have worked very, very hard to be able to afford all that stuff. Why some people care if they choose to buy a bunch of Star Wars merchandise and decorating their house with it instead of buying a sports car, expensive clothes, a giant McMansion or something more "normal" is beyond me. Frankly, I think people that don't collect or at the very least have a fannish enthusiasm for something are pretty bland.

By: squirrely

squirrely — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 15:34:25 -0800

how could they NOT have star wars sheets and comforter? They have all that crap and then they put a frilly flower comforter on the bed? I don't these people are truly invested.

By: ktoad

ktoad — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 16:43:46 -0800

...and I can barely afford to eat every day. If ever there was a house in need of a fire, this is it.

By: Mercaptan

Mercaptan — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 17:17:35 -0800

squirrely: The original sheets and comforters? They're locked in a vault somewhere along with the other really valuable stuff, like Alec Guinness's jeweled skull and Jimmy Smits in a cage (have you seen him in anything lately?).

By: mr.marx

mr.marx — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 17:49:33 -0800

Imagine that kind of passion with a budget. Check THIS out. This was a project that I was in charge of at a company that I used to work for (Dillon Works) How big a budget?

By: kaiseki

kaiseki — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 18:03:39 -0800

Seattle, a city consisting ENTIRELY of kids that got picked last for gym? No, that's Portland, Oregon (where I live). Sadly, Seattle is where people from Portland go when they think they need to step-up in the world.

By: CG

CG — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 18:15:56 -0800

Ah, Colt 45 in the kitchen. Yeah, I can dig that... that... that...

By: ancientgower

ancientgower — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 18:51:46 -0800

Man, and I felt dorky for buying a Philosopher's Stone poster autographed by all the cast from a collector friend. And birthday greetings from Sean Astin. At least the third graders think I'm cool...

By: geekyguy

geekyguy — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 18:55:25 -0800

Seems like a bad idea to list your home address on your website that shows all of the unique, one-of-a-kind stuff you've collected in your entire life.

By: Gungho

Gungho — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 19:07:21 -0800

sirmisalot said "Actually it's pretty cool that they have the real Death Star. I mean, think about it. THE Death Star. I would hang it over the dining room table like a chandelier, but that's just me." Isn't that like owning the Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane? I mean they were both destroyed in the film...

By: hyperlith

hyperlith — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 20:39:01 -0800

Holy crap. I hope they have good insurance. I was wondering how large their PAP was in addition to what kind of security they have to fend off those who'd love to come visit. And given Gus' pedigree, I wonder if they have an intarweb database replete with custom barcodes to track all the stuff. I mean think about it: you go visit in the guest room, how will they *know* something fell off a shelf into your luggage? Pam could always use some Jedi Mind Tricks though -- "These aren't the platinum record awards you're looking for."

By: JekPorkins

JekPorkins — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 20:43:34 -0800

What's in the office that they don't want us to see?

By: planetthoughtful

planetthoughtful — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 21:09:15 -0800

Sigh. I'd love to own that house. Not, you know, all the crap inside it, just the house.

By: guslopez

guslopez — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 22:58:48 -0800

to clarify a few misconceptions: -- there's no actual cereal in the boxes. some of these are from the 70's, folks. however, the cereal room has approx 300 different cereal boxes, but most of my boxes don't even fit in the room since I have over 1200 different star wars cereal boxes. see: SWCA cereal box list. -- the house was not built recently. it was built in 1903. -- almost all of the memorabilia is opened. in fact, the only sealed in package collectibles are the carded figures in the (everyone's favorite) guest room. -- the death star was not blown up in filming the first star wars movie. there's this cool trick in visual effects where they superimpose footage of an explosion on top of a model. -- yes, the address posted on my site, 1111 E. Madison St. *PMB* 256, Seattle, WA 98122 is our home address and we publish this address to the whole world because we're totally clueless and we actually live in a private mail box. -- regarding some of the personal, mean-spirited, prejudiced, and ad hominem remarks aimed at me and Pam on this thread, well, Pam and I abandoned the endless pursuit of hipness a long time ago, but my advice is discover your inner geek and you'll be free! or spend all day in mom's basement insulting people on the internet who differ from you. whatever turns you on, but methinks doth protest too much. -- and finally, yes, even Pam hates the friggin' Jar Jar statue. I, on the other hand, think Jar^2 is really the messiah. Gus

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 23:22:57 -0800

Hey! Where'd everyone go?

By: meech

meech — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 00:57:03 -0800

Gus, may I say, that is one impressive collection. But I want to repeat a question from above...what's in the office? Surely it is not entirely bereft of Star Wars artifacts? Is that where you keep the really good stuff? Post photos please.

By: guslopez

guslopez — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 01:10:37 -0800

not much Star Wars stuff in the office except trading cards, coins, and books which are not exactly photogenic. but one of my favorite pieces sits on the desk, The Tree of the Force, a ceramic sculpture given to me by the Toluca Star Wars Fan Club in Mexico. it's also visible in the image of the office room. Gus

By: 6am

6am — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 01:15:07 -0800

The Office ...its just not hyperlinked to.

By: bunglin jones

bunglin jones — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 01:46:23 -0800

regarding some of the personal, mean-spirited, prejudiced, and ad hominem remarks aimed at me and Pam on this thread, well, Pam and I abandoned the endless pursuit of hipness a long time ago You fucken tell 'em, Gus. That's an impressive collection.

By: brownpau

brownpau — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 01:58:42 -0800

It's great, and the best part of it all is the Colt 45.

By: yankeefog

yankeefog — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 03:38:38 -0800

Gus, my feeling is, if you're going to do something, then, dammit, do it well. You and your wife have chosen to do something with your money that's different than I would--but you've done it astoundingly well. And like MegoSteve says, you haven't spent your money on stuff to impress your neighbors; you've spent it on stuff that makes you guys happy. You clearly are too comfortable with yourself to need the approval of some random stranger on the Internet--but for what it's worth, I've always thought the truly cool people are the ones who follow their own bliss and don't care whether anybody else approves. That's you. One thing I'm curious about. What do you DO with all that stuff? I mean, do you take a tour of your collection every once in a while to look at things, or play with the toys? Or is it just enough to know you've got it? I ask because I am not at all a collector; in fact, I hate having too much stuff. So the psychology is a little alien to me, and I'm interested in knowing more about it.

By: NewBornHippy

NewBornHippy — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 05:34:24 -0800

Someone keeping a tab on how often someone getting metafiltered buys/obtains an ID and posts back?

By: Mid

Mid — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 06:23:17 -0800

Gus: starwars aside, beautiful house. Is that the Queen Ann neighborhood? I've always liked walking about there when I visit.

By: dr_dank

dr_dank — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 06:48:45 -0800

I was wondering how large their PAP was in addition to what kind of security they have to fend off those who'd love to come visit. Check out the corner of one of the prototype room photos. There is a wireless camera in there.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 07:20:09 -0800

Gus, your lifestyle and your collection are awesome. Don't be dismayed by mindless haters, or, indeed, by the evident increasing senility of George Lucas. Follow your bliss, keep up the good work, and may the Force be with you. (And have you seen the Build Your Own Lightsaber Kit? I don't know if I can justify dropping 35 bucks on it, but damn, that's cool.)

By: jonson

jonson — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 07:23:35 -0800

Gus - as long as you're responding in the thread, care to offer your opinions on the prequels?

By: glenwood

glenwood — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 07:49:45 -0800

Someone keeping a tab on how often someone getting metafiltered buys/obtains an ID and posts back? And the subsequent backrub they receive on arrival?

By: mk1gti

mk1gti — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 07:51:47 -0800

Gus, I'm giving a shoutout of support, I don't collect but envy those who are able to pursue it. Good for you! And ignore the haters, they probably wish they had all the cool stuff anyway.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 08:14:30 -0800

You had me at the Death Star in the foyer.

By: guslopez

guslopez — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 08:22:26 -0800

to answer a few questions: -- although I splurge on collectibles now and then more than I did when I was a student, I do not spend as much as you might think on star wars. most of the items I find are through networking and tracking down people who worked on the films or the toy line. or other fans in 70+ countries who are nice enough to search supermarkets for cereal boxes I need. I know quite a few people who can and do spend way more than I do on this stuff. -- yes, we have a few security measures in place. -- I give private tours to friends and family. part of the reason to show this online is that it's not feasible to give public tours so we offer the virtual one and created my site where many collectors share their best items. I also have the Death Star and a few other pieces currently on loan to the Experience Science Fiction Museum in Seattle so that people can see them in person. They'll remain there for at least another six months. -- neighborhood in Seattle is Capitol Hill -- I like the prequels, each one better than the predecessor by an order of magnitude. Many Star Wars fans hate the new films though.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 08:47:30 -0800

Way to go Gus, metaphors be with you.

By: JanetLand

JanetLand — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 10:38:56 -0800

Oh nickyskye, that was so good it hurt.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 12:12:18 -0800

And the subsequent backrub they receive on arrival? They aren't real people unless they're members.

By: freebird

freebird — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 01:36:16 -0800

Holy crap nickyskye, I'm so glad I happened back through this thread. You know that stuff about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery? Consider yourself flattered, because I am *so* stealing your line.

By: b_thinky

b_thinky — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 09:25:49 -0800

Awesome collection, but the yearbooks are scary.

By: LeLiLo

LeLiLo — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 23:51:33 -0800

George Lucas' senior picture looks like some satyr or something. It makes me think more of Tony Perkins in Psycho. I’d also like to add that it’s their house, let them enjoy it (cereal room and all). Plus, toysrgus is a fantastic (and certainly appropriate) name for his URL.

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 23:25:15 -0800

Astounding! I lived directly behind Gus and Pam until this fall, and often wondered about the Star Wars things I would glimpse in the house through a window here or there. The Death Star!

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 15:22:44 -0800

Gus is the coolest person in this thread.

By: jb

jb — Sun, 26 Feb 2006 13:01:16 -0800

I'm impressed that they found the props from Tunisia.