Martian War Machine prop from the film War of the Worlds produced by Paramount Pictures. 1953.

Fiberglass, paint, metal, resin (cracks and scratches with some paint loss). 22 x 24 1/2 x 20". Provenance: Forrest J. Ackerman (1916-2008), American editor, magazine publisher, and science fiction author; acquired by the present owner directly from Ackerman.

Accompanied by a letter from special effects artist John Deall which reads in part, "When I restored this prop for Forrest J. Ackerman in 1993, I took note of many elements that would prove the prop to have been an original prop from the 1953 film War of the Worlds, which was also modified and used in the subsequent 1963 film Robinson Crusoe on Mars... It was my firsthand observance that the fiberglass body of the prop was fabricated with a type of "gel-coat" exterior that is not used...in contemporary props. Further, the internal riggings had been modified for electronics that mark this prop as having been lit and used in the film Robinson Crusoe on Mars... It is common knowledge that the only remaining War Machine from the film War of the Worlds (all others were melted down for their copper) was cannibalized and used in the Robinson Crusoe on Mars film."

The Martian War Machine as designed by Albert Nozaki for the 1953 film was meant to resemble the manta ray. In total three War Machine props were constructed, all from copper; the blueprints were later used to design the alien spacecraft in the 1963 film Robinson Crusoe on Mars. At half the size of the other two props used in War of the Worlds it is believed that this one would have languished in storage until being rediscovered during pre-production and modified for use in the later film, as noted by John Deall in the accompanying letter.

This prop was gifted to Forrest J. Ackerman by an Paramount Pictures executive in 1968 and was represented to him as being the last remaining War Machine prop from The War of the Worlds.