Meet Omar Al Bahiti. He's a Marketing Exec for Honeywell's Dubai office. Omar is just like any other person working a corporate job. He has a modest home in a modest part of Dubai(I know, hard to believe Dubai has a modest neighborhood amid it's grandiose opulence) and just like many of us, he enjoys weekend BBQ's with family and friends.
He's also a huge Star Wars fan and the Garrison Commander of the UAE Outpost of the 501st.
Omar started his collection like many other fans. He started buying when he was a kid. Whenever his family would go on vacation, he would look for any Star Wars merchandise he could get his hand on, be it toys, collectibles, clothes...anything.
From those humble beginnings came the birth of a collection that is now rumored to be the the largest private collection outside of the United States and Europe, with a conservative estimate of about $300,000 in value...and for the second time, part of his collection will be on Display, along with other collections at the Dubai Mall.
Why, you ask? Simple. See, unlike the rest of the world that has multiple local, regional, and international conventions year round, the middle east only has one annual gathering called "The Middle East Film & Comic Con" (MEFCC). This is their equivalent of the San Diego International Comic Con. MEFCC is displaying Omar's, as well as other collections just ahead of this year's April 9th to 11th event at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Omar's contribution to the display will include 10 helmets and 6 lightsabers. The helmets will show the evolution of troopers from the Clone Wars, through Episode III and to the Stormtroopers we first saw in Episode IV. The lightsabers are from the Master Replicas line, which include Anakin, Luke, Yoda and Darth Vader's sabers among the 6 on display.
Check out the images of just a handful of Omar's collection below (Click to Enlarge) & feel free to share some of your favorite pieces from your own collection with us on our Facebook page.
Source: TheNational.ae
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