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Special Effects Coordinator Tony Lazarowich dropped by today with some unique special effects consignment equipment that he has asked us to sell for him.

The 4 Ultra Foggers shown in the picture were built for, and used repeatedly on, Stargate - SG1 and all of the long running show's spin-offs. These machines create a steady flow of cool water mist, much like the traditional Mee-Foggers, but on steroids. Tony tells us that he purchased an entire pallet of Ultra Foggers when the show wrapped a couple of years ago. Much of the surplus gear has been purchased by Vancouver-based special effects technicians, and the rest has been consigned to Thomas FX for clearance. According to Tony, these Ultra Foggers were custom made for the Stargate crew at a cost of about $3,000 per unit. We are selling them for only $700 each!

Tony is also offering 2 LeMaitre Show Foggers for sale. These industrial strength fog machines were originally used in the doomed Vancouver themed attraction Storyeum. Unfortunately, this attraction never achieved traction in the local market and quickly closed. The foggers had been sitting in a warehouse for years when Tony purchased them. Tony tells us they have hardly been used, and judging how quickly Storyeum came and went, I am inclined to take him at his word. Today's price for a new Show Fogger is about $1,399. We are selling these two "lightly used" units at $700 each!

You will have seen Tony's work as Special Effects Coodinator on movie projects such as: The Day The Earth Stood Still, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Elf, Deck The Halls, Alien vs Predator: Requiem . . . and also on Television projects  such as The Andromeda Strain and Virtuality. Check out Tony's website for more information.

We Look At The World Differently

So why are we helping out a firm that has positioned itself as one of our competitors in the local marketplace? . . . Because at Thomas FX we still believe in building "community". What goes around, comes around. We also believe in abundance. In our world view, there is plenty for everyone. A Utopian point of view perhaps, but we honestly believe that each one of us has an obligation to do good in this world and to lend a helping hand whenever an opportunity presents itself.

If you are interested in acquiring any of this professional special effects equipment, just Contact Betty and she will help with all the shipping and logistics details.

On the other hand, if you are a special effects professional with surplus equipment to sell, let us know. Perhaps we can help to turn some of your used Gak into cold hard cash.

Keep checking the Used Equipment page on the Thomas FX website for surplus equipment updates and buy online, or make an offer.

NOTE: There is no warranty on used special effects equipment. Buyers must rely on the reputation of the Seller, and on the Seller's representations, which we report dutifully. Thomas FX makes no representations about the quality or condition of any of the consignment inventory that we offer for sale on behalf of third parties.

I am pleased to introduce the latest addition to our family; this rare Gibson koa wood, triple pickup, gold plated, "CS 356 Custom" beauty.

When I found out there were only three exactly like it in existance, I just couldn't resist. Pricey . . . . but well worth it.

Andre from the vintage and custom guitar department at Vancouver's Long & McQuade outlet scoped out my personal tastes in guitars then claimed this rare gem for me when he visited Gibson's custom shop in Nashville a few weeks ago.

Seriously, waiting for the guitar to clear customs was almost like waiting for a new baby. However, the "baby" eventually arrived and it looks great in my collection.

It is "almost" criminal that this amazing instrument will never tour, but I readily admit to feeling no guilt whatsoever.

Coincidentally, when I went in to pick up my CS 356, Betty and I bumped into Vancouver Special Effects Coordinator Gary Minielly who was in the store helping his son to pick out a new axe. Gary had just wrapped "Sleeper", a new media film project, the day before.

You will have seen Gary's work on films such as: I Robot, Tron: Legacy, 2012, X-Men 3: The Last Stand, Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2, and the TV Series Kyle XY.

If you want to see the special effects fog machine equivalent of this guy's steroid overdose photo, check out Dieter Sturm's latest video.

Literally folks, it  ROCKS . . . and . . . ROLLS !

Well done Dieter!!!

Long-time friend, colleague, and Academy Award winner, Special Effects Technician Dieter Sturm has just hit another one out of the park. He has invented one very cool jet powered fog machine. See it in action HERE. Dieter says "the SMOKE shown in these tests is NON-Toxic and we have MSDS sheets to back it up".

According to Dieter, using a commercial-grade micro jet turbine engine, massive amounts of fog and smoke can be quickly created for special effects visuals in motion pictures, TV, disaster simulation training, and special event projects.

Dieter's system is designed and built to be mobile, so very large areas can be fogged by physically driving the system as an STV. The new fogger can also be used in a static position. The jet turbine head, produces up to 150 lbs of thrust, and has an automated tilt feature to disperse down to the ground or up into the sky.

This jet turbine system was designed to be "modular", so with little effort the unit can be removed from this vehicle and can be integrated into other project uses.