Top picks from Prop Store's 2017 costume, prop and memorabilia Live Auction...

On September 26, 2017 it's your chance to once again get your hands on 600 lots of amazing costumes, props and memorabilia from some of 200 of your favourite films and TV shows courtesy of Prop Store and their latest Live Auction. This time around you can bid for spectacular costumes, props and production materials from movie franchises like Batman, Star Wars, James Bond, Indiana Jones, Iron Man, Thor, Terminator, Gremlins, Star Trek, The Martian, Back to the Future and many more besides. Here's just a few hot picks that caught my magpie eye for purely personal reasons.

Buddy costume worn by Will Ferrell in Elf

First up is Will Ferrell's 'Buddy' costume from one of my all-time favourite feel-good films, Elf.

Laura Jean Shannon was Costume Designer on Jon Favreau's 2003 comedy in which a human baby grows up with Santa Claus and his workshop elves in the North Pole, then sets off to New York City to find his birth father when he grows up.

Buddy's green antron fleece is trimmed with white fur collar and cuffs, with a green and gold flower filigree pattern and completed with his signature yellow tights. This authentic Elf costume which is in excellent shape is expected to fetch anywhere from £8,000-£10,000.

Magneto costume and helmet
worn by Ian McKellen in X-Men

Next up is Sir Ian McKellen's 'Magneto' costume from Bryan Singer's 2000 X-Men movie, designed by Louise Mingenbach.

This streamlined look for the leader of the 'Brotherhood of Evil Mutants', combined with McKellen's and Patrick Stewart's stellar performances as frenemies 'Magneto' and 'Professor Xavier' really added some gravitas to the comic book adaptation that started a new generation of superhero movies.

If you like this villainous look, make sure you check out Michael Fassbender's younger Magneto costume from X-Men: Apocalypse also designed by Louise Mingenbach.

This costume worn by the 'Master of Magnetism' in X-Men is expected to sell for £20,000 to £30,000.

Sark costume worn by David Warner in Tron

Disney's 1982 cult classic Tron really evolves some fond childhood memories so I was excited to see this Game Grid costume worn by David Warner as the merciless 'Sark' up for auction.

Elois Jenssen and Rosanna Norton were Costume Designers on Steven Lisberger's groundbreaking film where a computer hacker is zapped into a digital world of gladiatorial games, where he has to help a heroic security program in order to escape.

If you like this villanous outfit, be sure to also check these other original Tron movie costumes on display.

If you're a fan of Tron, this original Sark costume could be yours for around £10,000 to £15,000.

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell flight suit
worn by Tom Cruise in Top Gun

With a sequel to 1986's Top Gun movie in the works this flight suit worn by Tom Cruise as 'Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell' really caught my eye.

Tony Scott's film about the U.S. Navy's elite pilot academy really cemented Tom Cruise's star power and this piece of cinematic history is expected to sell for £20,000 to £30,000 at least.

Alien Xenomorph suit from Aliens

And finally for my top picks, how could I not resist this extraordinary Xenomorph creature suit from James Cameron's 1986 sci-fi horror classic, Aliens.

This is one of my all-time favourite science fiction movies as it has everything, from great action to great character moments, hordes of aliens and Sigourney Weaver's 'Ripley' versus an Alien Queen.

Legendary make-up effects maestro Stan Winston was tasked with updating H. R. Giger's original alien and I think he did a spectacular job. This iconic thing of beauty would set you back from £20,000 to £30,000, and would be worth every penny.

As you can see from these examples there are some real treasures going up for auction at the year's event, and there's so much more with hundreds of screen-used props, production and promotional materials and lots of memorabilia that collectors will love.

If you don't believe me go online yourself and visit Prop Store's Live Auction website for all the details.

Sci-fi and fantasy costumes at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas...

Earlier this year on my first visit to Las Vegas on April 7, I popped into the Planet Hollywood Cafe and snapped this eclectic assortment of movie costumes from the world of science fiction and fantasy.

Private Frost Space Marines armour from Aliens

In the 1986 Alien sequel, Aliens, Ricco Ross played one of the Marine troopers sent to LV-426 aboard the 'Sulaco' spaceship. 'Private Frost' was killed investigating the alien hive under the colony's nuclear reactor and this armour he wore didn't protect him from the flamethrower that accidentally killed him.

Aliens movie poster

From one alien to another and this outfit featured in Predator 2. In the 1990 sequel to the Arnold Schwarzenegger original, the alien hunter stalks the futuristic streets of L.A., rather than the jungles of Central America.

Costume worn by Danny Glover as

Lt. Mike Harrigan in Predator 2

Danny Glover starred as an L.A.P.D. cop, 'Lieutenant Mike Harrigan', hunted on the gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles whilst sporting this look.

Predator 2 movie poster

From futuristic aliens to supernatural creatures and this rather unique example of knitwear.

Sweater worn by Kristy Swanson in Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Before Sarah Michelle Gellar immortalised 'Buffy Summers' on TV, Kristy Swanson played 'Buffy' in the 1992 big screen version, which saw her star alongside Luke Perry and Donald Sutherland as a teenage girl who discovers it's her destiny to slay vampires.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie poster

Finally, here's the costume worn by Ursula Andress as the Greek goddess of love, beauty, prosperity and procreation, 'Aphrodite', in 1981's mythical Clash of the Titans.

Dress worn by Ursula Andress as Aphrodite

in the original Clash of the Titans

This wonderful example of Grecian drapery helped transform the actress into her Olympian deity in the movie which told the tale of 'Perseus' and his battles against the legendary 'Medusa' and the 'Kraken'.

Clash of the Titans 1981 movie poster

Be sure to come back soon for more costumes on display at the Planet Hollywood Cafe in Las Vegas.

Alien Queen replica from James Cameron's Aliens on display...

Sci-fi enthusiasts will love this first-edition replica of the Alien Queen from James Cameron's Aliens on display at the London Film Museum.

Life-size Alien Queen replica on display

It really is amazing to see the iconic horror villain up close, and to scale, and admire all its alien detail.

Using H.R. Giger's amazing Alien creature design as a starting point, James Cameron was responsible for the initial Alien Queen design concept and collaborated with special effects artists Stan Winston to bring the finished Xenomorph Queen to the big screen in the 1986 sequel.

The Queen is significantly larger and stronger than the warrior and drone Aliens, around 4.5 meters (15 ft) tall, with two pairs of arms.

At the 1987 Annual Academy Awards, Aliens won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

Aliens movie poster

If you like this model of the Queen surrounded by her eggs, be sure to check out an actual warrior Alien body-suit featured in this movie sequel on display.

First-edition Alien Queen replica

This monstrous model was snapped at the London Film Museum on January 25, 2011.

Discovering the delights of the London Film Museum...

Imagine my delight on a recent trip back to the U.K. when I discovered the cinematic treasure trove that is the London Film Museum.

Whether you're a tourist or a local, if you're a movie fan and enjoy seeing original costumes, props and vehicles on display you'll love this amazing place in County Hall, near Westminster Bridge and the London Eye.

Not only do they have some fantastic permanent displays, but they also have some temporary visiting exhibitions, like original costumes from Batman Begins and Superman Returns on loan from Warner Bros. Studios.

Brandon Routh's Superman Returns costume

Plus when I visited on January 25, 2011 they had a wonderful Myths & Legends exhibit featuring the work of stop-motion animation legend Ray Harryhausen, from films such as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts.

Christian Bale's Bat-Suit from Batman Begins

Apparently I recently missed an Aliens movie exhibition, but they still have amazing first edition replicas of the original alien and the Alien Queen from the sequel on display for you to see up close.

Alien Queen from James Cameron's Aliens

They really do have movie memorabilia from all genres, from horror to sci-fi, espionage to family films, plus other infamous items like this gong featured before all the movies of the British entertainment company, Rank Organisation.

Rank Gong on display at the London Film Museum

In fact there's something inherently

British a

bout the museum, with lots of items from

British

produced movies (like

Zulu, 007, Mr. Bean, Excalibur and Dr. Who & The Daleks

to name but a few), as well as those originating in

Hollywoodland

.

Original costume armour from Excalibur

designed by Terry English

Dinosaur prop from Night at the Museum 2

In addition to props and costumes there are also some impressive movie vehicles like the autogyro used in Sean Connery's 'James Bond' movie, You Only Live Twice, plus a TARDIS and a Thunderbird 4 sub

mersible from the 2004 live-action Thunderbirds movie.

007's Little Nellie autogyro from You Only Live Twice

The London Film Museum really is a great way to spend a few hours and is open seven days a week. It's also expanding to open another venue in the Covent Garden area, so keep you eyes peeled for details of that in 2011.

In the meantime, if you do get a chance to pop along to this museum you won't be disappointed, as it's always fun to see authentic movie costumes and props in person up close.

Alien movie costume from James Cameron's Aliens...

James Cameron's Aliens is one of my all time favourite sci-fi action movies and probably one of the best sequels ever made.

Original Alien costume from James Cameron's Aliens

The 1986 movie has suspense, horror, space marines, explosions, face huggers, chest bursters, the Alien Queen and an iconic heroine with a big gun who's not afraid to use it. In the original

Ridley Scott

helmed space classic, 'Ellen Ripley' (Sigourney Weaver) only faced one Alien, in the sequel she has to face a whole army of the deadly creatures.

Aliens movie poster

As the H.R. Giger inspired Alien is such a creature design classic, I was totally thrilled to see this original Alien body suit used in Aliens on display at the AFI movie villain costume showcase at Disney's Hollywood Studios on September 22, 2010, courtesy of Planet Hollywood Inc.

Actual creature body-suit from Aliens

The costume is amazingly detailed when you see it up close, from its skeletal-like frame to its spiny tale, and you can just imagine it dripping with slime as it chases Ripley and her ragtag group of survivors through the air vents of the colony on planet LV-426.

360° view of the Alien costume

On screen you totally forget there's a man inside the creature body-suit.

Now this would make a truly scary costume to wear for Halloween.

Aliens movie poster