The force has been unleashed in Ewa Beach.
Boba Fett is on the loose but instead of working for Darth Vader he’s been busy living here on Oahu.
The man behind the mask is 39 year-old Dutch Masella who has been a Star Wars fan and a Boba Fett collector for close to two decades.
"There was something about him a mystique or something," Dutch says.
The bounty hunter is not one of the main characters in the science fiction series but he has a huge following in some circles. Masella collects everything he can get his hands on from comics to posters to figurines.
"Stuff for Boba Fett can go anywhere from a couple of dollars a key chain to 15-thousand dollars for a statue that’s 20 inches high," he says.
The graphic designer who lives in Ewa Beach with his wife who is a doctor has dozens of Boba Fett items in his home office.
"Some people would say I am obsessed I wouldn’t say I am obsessed but I am just a fan," he says.
He’s even met actor Jeremy Bulloch who played Boba in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. But Dutch’s most prized part of his collection is his movie grade head to toe costume which weighs 30 pounds and cost close to $4,000.
The collector takes his role seriously as one of the members of the 501st Legion a Star Wars costuming organization comprised of 5,500 members across the globe.
"People think we are geeky, I guess we are a little geeky but you know we just get together and have fun with what we like… its not like we’re nerds and sit in front of the TV and watch star wars all day long," Dutch says.
Instead members donate their time to local charities. So far Dutch has participated in more than 200 community events.
"When we go to a hospital or some sort of event with kids and their faces light up that’s what its all about…it has nothing to do with Star Wars at that point really," he says.
The force is strong with this one.
On Tuesday night, Olena gets to know another collector who goes over the "top" for her son to help raise money for his school.
See the original article at: KHON2 Local News
