n The Empire Strikes Back, notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett had to travel across the entire galaxy to capture Han Solo. All you'll have to do, however, is travel across the Valley.
Local artist and Star Wars geek Lou Scichilone is currently selling his near-perfect mock-up of the famed starship captain frozen in carbonite for $1,800 on Craigslist.
The 36-year-old Chandler resident says he's parting ways with his creation to raise the money for an even better version of the statue, which was modeled after a prop used in Empire.
"I hate to let this one go and sell it because I spent so much time and money on it," he says. "But I want the next version to be perfect."
Scichilone estimates he spent several months (and around $1,000) building the statue out of resin and wood. (In case you've never seen Empire, it depicts Solo -- as played by Harrison Ford -- frozen in the fictional substance of carbonite after being detained in Cloud City by Boba Fett.) Scichilone also added blinking LED panels on the side and a friend helped create the mold of Ford's face and body.
When he isn't created life-sized Star Wars props and costumes -- including a realistic Boba Fett getup -- Scichilone works as a sergeant for a local police force (he declined to specify which agency).
Scichilone also makes 12-inch collectible action figures of police officers to sell on the Internet, says his hobby provides a creative way to funnel the stresses of being a cop.
"I have a hard job as you can probably understand," he says. "So this hobby of mine is a release and my escape from the things I do for my job."
