Please be on the lookout for something that was stolen!

[Sumdumgai]

Here's the thread:

Luke ROTJ Version 2 Lightsaber Prop stolen

"Unfortunately, someone stole the Luke V2 on display at the MR party last night.

This is much more than just a stolen item, this is an active sample being used in the process of releasing this piece and it being missing will cause delays in its release, which is a shame.

MR needs this piece back and has asked me to convey there would like to get it back, no questions asked.

I'm happy to assist in any way I can as well."

I am asking you to please keep your eyes open for anyone trying to sell a "Master Replicas Luke Return of the Jedi Version 2 Lightsaber Prop Replica". If you see anyone doing so, please contact Phlip Wise at Rebelscum, or contact Amy (or Travis, or Bryan) at Master Replicas.

[Chowser]

Ouch, guess I will scour ebay and see if it shows up.

[Sumdumgai]

Much appreciated Chowser!

"Thank you" to those of you who keep an eye open for this thing. Although a number of people fear that it's going to stay in the thief/douchebag's personal collection.

[Max Jenius]

LoL, whoever did that is awesome.

[Hikuro]

lol Genius on MR's part for keeping things out there in the open for ppl to touch and not think that someone will go and snag that stuff....I mean k'mon......bad form on MR's part, that's like leaving a gold bar in an unlocked car in the middle of the night in Queens.

[LePoseur]

I'm probably just getting too old, but the whole prevailing attitude in America (as well as my own when I was younger) about if they leave something out it's their fault for having it stolen really gets my goat. It's been something that's been on my mind a lot especially as I'm planning to move back to the US after a long time in Japan.

You know, when I first moved here I thought I was so street smart looking at cars with neon-lit Pioneer speakers on display in the back windows of cars thinking, "Naive little kids, try that in America and they'll be gone in one night." But now, I'm 180 degrees the opposite.

People should be expected to keep their hands off sh!t that doesn't belong to them, in fact any decently raised human being wouldn't even consider it.

Blaming the victim of the theft is like blaming the victim of rape. They both had it coming I guess…

Anyhow, I wish Master Replicas the best of luck in getting it back.

[yellowlightman]

People need to protect themselves, whining about there being bad people in the world and expecting THEM to change is inredibly naive. You have to look after your own interests.

Sucks for Master Replicas, but if they put something that coveted out in the open and in an easy place for theft then yeah, they were stupid.

[Radd]

LePoseur has a point, though. There's no reason why people can't protect themselves while at the same time recognizing the faults of our society. It's a sad statement of our society that we must keep everything under lock and key. To place a significant portion of the blame on the victim for not protecting themselves enough only seems to encourage the idea that we simply must expect this sort of behaviour, and that is simply not the case.

Edited May 29, 2007 by Radd

[Max Jenius]

I trust those close to me. I extend limited trust to those that have earned it, ie; long-time MW members, reputable online retailers, etc. But leaving something that valuable/critical out unattended is foolhardy. This is far from rape, so that comparison is rather ridiculous. It's more like leaving the keys in your unlocked, running vehicle while you go shopping. Take stupid risks and these things happen. Plus... it's JUST a toy/model/whatever you want to call it. They should be glad it wasn't something that actually meant anything. Get mad about it all you want, but I doubt theives give a damn. This is the real world, not an idealistic fantasy land.

Still.. whoever took it has some stones for a SW nerd.

Edited May 29, 2007 by Max Jenius

[LePoseur]

As for the rape comment I figured I should have spelled it out more, but I like the more direct impact.

Of course the level of a crime like the theft of some toy prop is not comparable to that of rape. That should be a no-brainer

My point was that the act of blaming the victim of these two crimes is similar. Hope that clears things up.

Unless of course you're saying we should only blame the victim for misdemeanors. If so then, well wow... I guess. But to me it just sounds like a "If he wasn't there I wouldn't have hit him" cop out. No matter how unprotected something is does not give anyone the "right" to steal it.

Sadly I believe most of America no longer thinks so. Yeah, I know, I know, it's a rough place out in the "real" world. Well, you deserve what you accept I guess.

[Radd]

I don't believe that most Americans believe that if the victim left it out, the thief had a right to take it. It's just that people tend to lump a disproportionate part of the blame onto the victim for not taking more precautions, and lose sight of the real issue.

Of course, if we all take responsibility for our own actions, if we put a valuable item into a place it risks being stolen, we take that risk. Sure. Maybe the object should have been better protected. However, if you linger on that, you lose perspective of the real issue. If any blame is to be doled out, it should be aimed entirely with the thief. The victim already has a lesson learned and the results of their risk to deal with, pointing the finger at them does no one any good, and only reinforces the idea that this sort of behaviour ought to be expected and even accepted.

[Berttt]

Bah. Theiving is low. Plus whoever it was was invite by MR to attend their function and returned the favour by stealing.

Edited May 29, 2007 by Berttt

[JsARCLIGHT]

I have always believed that people feel "their group" (toy fans, anime fans, etc) is always immune to the bad sides of mankind and they unintentionally leave themselves open. It's been my personal experience that "fandom" in general has a very, very high ripoff precentage. From all the con artists that prowl and pounce on fanboys to the wastes of space that shoplift at stores to the punks who rip off prototype toys from manufacturers' shows... it would not shock me if the "crime rate" perpetrated in the fields of adult hobby is the same or greater than that of society on the whole. Everywhere I turn these days someone is getting ripped off or something is getting stolen... Sad really.

[Mowe]

Do we have a visual of what we are talking about (sorry, I am no SW fan but I like to keep my eyes open)

BTY, I am sure there is a country or religion that cut your dick off if you steal from your brother...

Edited May 29, 2007 by Mowe

[pfunk]

That sucks, exspecially for the hold on progress.

As for the crime, certain precausions should have been made (hind site is allways 20/20. I like my buddies sign on his property to keep hunters off. it goes kinda like this

No Trespassing

Violators will be shot, stripped of all valuables, drug into the woods and burried. thank you

he hasnt had a problem since the "new" signage has been up

[Max Jenius]

Yeah, I know, I know, it's a rough place out in the "real" world. Well, you deserve what you accept I guess.

Well, it's not like you're doing anything about it except talking.

That does nothing. Taking the appropriate precautions can in most instances discourage this kind of behavior.

Edited May 29, 2007 by Max Jenius

[Sumdumgai]

Here's a picture from the party before it was stolen (no I didn't go to that party I didn't join the Collector's Society):

MR wanted to do something special for the CS members. A lot of people get frustrated at only being able to see things behind a locked glass case, and they understood that, so they thought they would be nice and allow people to handle the things on display.

While I personally agree it was a bad idea, and that they should have at least had some people watching over the items, I agree with the points of LePoseur, it's sad that it's more common to accept the crime and blame the victim for not taking enough precautions.

It is unfortunate that there's always low-lifes out there that are there to take as much advantage of people as possible. But on the opposite hand there are some really great people out there.

[Max Jenius]

The crime is not acceptable, but precautions should have been taken. I learned that when I was 5. Some people suck and you never know when they might strike. All it takes is one person to ruin it for everyone else, but I guaranee you that the one person is always closer than you think.

[HoveringCheesecake]

Sorry, but that's kind of funny.

[cobywan]

It may never come out if they can't get it out of the warehouse before thier current license expires. They aren't renewing it in 2008.

[JB0]

It's kind of stupid to leave a vital manufacturing sample out unguarded.

Not just because it got stolen... what if someone had dropped it and it was damaged?

I can understand if they were actually ready to roll with production and it was no longer needed, but ... well, they aren't and it is.

[Max Jenius]

It's kind of stupid to leave a vital manufacturing sample out unguarded.

Not just because it got stolen... what if someone had dropped it and it was damaged?

I can understand if they were actually ready to roll with production and it was no longer needed, but ... well, they aren't and it is.

Thank you. I guess I wasn't clear enough earlier. Well put.

[KingNor]

taking someone else's stuff IS wrong

Leaving your things on a table is NOT wrong.

why are we even debating this?

leaving their things on the table probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but the blame lies soley and completely on the theif. Things don't get stolen if you're careless, they only get stolen if someone steals it.

[Chowser]

That's like saying it's ok if I leave my daughter's tricycle on the front porch. It's on display for the world, but it doesn't give someone to right to come up and steal it.

Stealing is stealing.

[JsARCLIGHT]

I'm not sure anyone is "debating" anything here... some folks are just saying things along the lines of "gee, you'd think they would have kept eyes on it a bit better" and to a degree you have to respond "yes, they should have kept their eyes on their stuff better". I can understand the whole "criminalizing the victim" side of what is being said but at the same time to many of us it's kind of common sense these days to keep your stuff close to your chest.

I mean, even at a local police department meet and greet here in my town to which only officers and those involved in the department were invited, their display table of seized weapons STILL had metal cable locks on all the pieces. Everyone there where cops or other upstanding, law enforcing citizens... yet the goods were still kept under lock. If you can't trust cops around things who can you trust? Nobody... not even cops. I guess what I'm saying is definately double dog bad on the perp who swiped the item but at the same time I personally have to raise an eyebrow that they left something so "valuable" just sitting there... I mean the thing had a lanyard loop on it, the least they could have done is put a chain on it like they do cheap plastic pens at the bank.

[Beware of Blast]

I feel sorry for the person or the committee that was in charge of the whole event, already. The thief(s) may be the most wrong here, but employers and their management will find next best option to place their blame.

Edited May 30, 2007 by Beware of Blast

[JB0]

I wasn't saying MR deserved it, or the thief isn't the scum of the Earth, or anything(though if I were on the Star Wars board where the news started I think I'd have to remind them that it's a replica movie prop, not food for orphans... they're taking it WAY too seriously).

I was just saying that it was stupid to have something that important out in the first place.

They placed what was apparently a critical part of the manufacturing process in the path of about a million different hazards, and one of them came through. It just HAPPENS that it was one of the more malicious hazards that struck.

[Sumdumgai]

Well it wasn't the ONLY one they had. There were two prototypes. One for tooling and stuff, the other for being sent to Lucasfilms for approval and to show off, etc. So they still have one, but it's going to take longer to get everything done since they need to work on the one they do have, then send it to Lucasfilms, then get it back and continue work.

It's going to take longer to get things done, and with MR having to get things out before 2008, it's cutting it close.

[Max Jenius]

Stealing is stealing, but I dare any one of you to leave your valuables out on display w/o supervision. If it was so important, they should have someone watching it. Idealism is no excuse for lack of vigilance. OF COURSE MR didn't DESERVE to have it stolen... but kids that touch hot stoves don't DESERVE to get burned now do they?

[JB0]

Well it wasn't the ONLY one they had. There were two prototypes. One for tooling and stuff, the other for being sent to Lucasfilms for approval and to show off, etc. So they still have one, but it's going to take longer to get everything done since they need to work on the one they do have, then send it to Lucasfilms, then get it back and continue work.

It's going to take longer to get things done, and with MR having to get things out before 2008, it's cutting it close.

That's a lot better than having to redo it from scratch.

Stealing is stealing, but I dare any one of you to leave your valuables out on display w/o supervision. If it was so important, they should have someone watching it. Idealism is no excuse for lack of vigilance. OF COURSE MR didn't DESERVE to have it stolen... but kids that touch hot stoves don't DESERVE to get burned now do they?

Like I said, even ignoring the possibility of theft, there's a lot of mishaps that could've befallen the thing that would've made it HIGHLY prudent to lock it up, tie it down, or SOMETHING.

Edited May 30, 2007 by JB0

[carlodibi]

it was probably a dumb jock stealing it as a prank.

[Max Jenius]

Like I said, even ignoring the possibility of theft, there's a lot of mishaps that could've befallen the thing that would've made it HIGHLY prudent to lock it up, tie it down, or SOMETHING.

Exactly. They could have tied it down and people would have been able to handle it just as well. I mean, really... it's just some stupid prop/toy. The fact that it's getting even this much attention makes it all the sweeter for the theif.

[Mowe]

Let's not call the owner stupid, it is bad enough that his stuff got stolen.

Let's focus on how cursing the thief and hope his balls gets cut off if he does not return the goods...never underestimate the power of cursing, words can be a powerful thing....

[KingNor]

it is just a toy after all, but the concept of stealing is real enough.

after all, still today there are places you can have a hand cut off for doing less than this guy did.

while i personally can give a fart about any lightsaber that doesn't actually work, stealing is stealing.

the people who made this thing put hours of work and resources into it. stealing it robs them of all that time and energy, and in the end all any of us have is our time.

To me, stealing goes far beyond the object that was stolen, i really do see it as an assault on ther person who's been stolen from.

while stealing a goofy nonfunctional replica of a 20's style flashbulb handle isn't the crime of the century, it does affect an individual/buisness greatly, and the act of stealing should be utterly dispised dispite the object stolen.

also it's some what silly to say they should have locked it up better. hind sight is always crystal clear. if they'd bolted it to the table with a bike lock, and someone had clipped the lock and stole it, people would be saying it should have been in a steel cage.

if someone wants something they'll get it.

the important thing is to make the act of stealing so socially dispicable that no one will do it for fear of getting caught and suffering the riddicule of his peers.

or even better, they won't do it, because of the harm it may cause to the victim. but that's just wishful thinking.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Bike locks are kind of hard to get through. You'd need a bolt cutter or some other form of industrial cutting tool to get the item loose... I'd think someone would notice some pasty fatass fanboy clawing at a bike lock with his 20" Boba Fett Bolt Cutter. In the end it was not so much the lack of locks, cages, exploding Padme dye packets and secure lock boxes but the lack of attention. Having some guy just stand behind the thing and watch it probably would have dissuaded your average cowardly toy thief. The second you think "no one will steal anything" is when you let your guard down and someone steals something.

However I for one thing everything that can be said about the actual theft has already been said. It got swiped, analyzing the "fanboy crime of the century" into History Channel levels of hype is not exactly proactive.