Southlake man's 'Star Wars' museum will be open for fundraiser

Tag : model & miniature toys

ROANOKE — Phillip Wise isn’t a Jedi.
He isn’t a stormtrooper or a wookie, either.
But this Saturday, he is giving local Star Wars fans the next best thing to actually stepping into that famousworld set a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Wise, who has turned his love for everything Star Wars into several successful businesses, is opening the doors to hispersonal Star Wars museum in Roanoke for the first time this weekend.
It’s all part of a fundraiser to benefit Southlake SafetyTown, a planned development in Bicentennial Park that will teachkids how to be safe. Tickets for adults cost $50. Children 12 andunder can get in for $15.
Wise, 55, of Southlake, has been a fan of George Lucas’wildly successful franchise since he saw the first film 31 yearsago. But it wasn’t until 1995 that his fascination with thefilms developed into something more.
That’s when Wise launched a personal Web site where he postedinformation about where Star Wars merchandise was available in North Texas. He quickly learned thatmany people were hungry for such information. He soon launchedRebelScum.com, a hugely popular Web site devoted to Star Wars collectibles.
"That’s the funny thing about the Web," Wise said. "A littlething can become a big thing very fast."
Soon after, Wise acquired TheForce.net, another Web site devoted tothe Star Wars universe, and launched OfficialPix.com, which sells officialphotos from the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies.
Though he didn’t plan it that way, Wise has amassed one ofthe most accomplished Star Wars collections in the world, although only a small number of peoplehave experienced it.
Wise said he has agreed to open his display room in Roanoke for thefundraiser because he believes in the Southlake Safety Townproject.
"It will be a terrific thing when it’s built, and I thinktying it in with Star Wars and the kids’ love for it is fantastic," Wise said.
Walking through Wise’s display room is like a trip downmemory lane combined with visits to a modern art museum and a toystore.
Shelves are filled with miniature versions of characters from thefilms. Many are frozen in fighting poses as if in the middle ofbattle. Along one wall, over a dozen lightsabers sit behind smallplaques describing which character’s weapon each is modeledafter.
Heading further into the collection, one finds Yoda statues ofvarious sizes and shades of green standing clustered together. Alarge model of the Millennium Falcon hangs over them.
Positioned nearby is a life-size model of one of thefranchise’s most iconic scenes, Han Solo frozen in carbonite.
In a corner, away from all the other pieces, Wise has a life-sizemonument of Jar Jar Binks, the widely mocked character from themore recent movies. The statue is leaning face forward against awall, as if in the middle of a timeout.
While some longtime fans panned the prequels released between 1999and 2005, Wise said they also introduced the Star Wars universe to a whole new generation. Newer projects like The Clone Wars cartoons and a planned live-action TV series assure that thefranchise will continue to become more complex.
"I think [the filmmakers] just had the attitude that this is goingto last," Wise said.