To town, LEGO Santa Yoda is coming.

Halloween in The Cantina

I couldn't let October pass me by without a Happy Halloween post, and what better way to do that than with the Star Wars Creature Cantina!

The Cantina, released in 1978, was a simple, yet great, little playset. I remember begging my grandmother to get me this set when it showed up in stores that year, along with Snaggletooth - the short gray haired alien in the red "space suit," which hit stores at the same time.
Remember the store called AYR-WAY?
 That's where I found my Cantina!
The Cantina was a made with a simple plastic base which included levers that you could move to revolve your action figures, and some small bits in the floor where you could stand your figures and, when activated, would bump the figure's feet just enough to knock them over. This was to recreate the scene with Han and Greedo where Han shoots and blows 'ol Greedo to smithereens. :)
There is also a colorful, hand drawn, backdrop that fits in the back of the plastic base depicting aliens in the background of The Cantina, a small hinged doorway with plastic doors that swing open with the use of tiny rubber bands, and is activated by having one of your figures step on a little button in the door way. There is also a computer console (sticker) in the doorway which clearly states - "NO DROIDS." - which is cool!
I loved this thing when I was a kid, and still do!
 Though the movie had lots and lots of aliens, the Kenner action figure line only produced some of the more noteable, close-up, aliens from Star Wars which included the likes of the aforementioned Greedo, as well as Walrus Man, Hammerhead, and one that you DIDN'T see very well - Snaggletooth.

 Now, in the modern action figure line from Hasbro, we have MOST of the aliens seen in the Star Wars Cantina, including the incredible smuggler alien, Bom Vimdin (seen above), which I will cover quite a bit more in an upcoming post.
 Until then - HAPPY HALLOWEEN, stay safe, and watch out for those aliens from a galaxy far, far away!

"It's working! It's working!!"

I think I have finally resolved my technical issues that I had been having with Blogger! My last post has finally.... well... posted. It's my rant on trying to find figures from The modern/vintage (oxymoron) line of Star Wars Toys. Well, what was true a few months back seems to still be the case! Those figures are still hard to find!!

 Just wanted to give a shout out that if you live in Kentucky, and are a Star Wars fan or collector, you should stop by Faith Lutheran Church this Saturday as KSWCC (Kentucky Star Wars Collector's Club) is having it's annual Fall Festival. It's festival celebrating Star Wars Collecting, of course. A great time will be had by all! There will be games, food, fun, and lots of prizes to be given out!
 That's Faith Lutheran Church, 100 Tates Creek Road, in Lexington Kentucky, from 12PM-6PM.

Come on out and have some fun!!

Vintage Tales of Woe....

I have stated before that I am concentrating my modern Star Wars Action Figure collecting to only The Vintage Collection figures that are from the original trilogy. I have made this decision primarily due to the cost of these things - they are now around $10 a piece!

My focus where this is concerned is now on the figures, and I mean ALL of the figures, that appeared on screen in the original trilogy, the ones that thrilled, and inspired, when I was a kid, and continue to thrill, and inspire.

The dilemma: On the one hand this is the cheaper option, and on the other hand, I CAN'T FIND THE DANG THINGS!!

I have never had such a hard time finding Star Wars figures. From 1995, when the modern line began, up to now, the figures have been plentiful. You could find most every figure that you wanted without a problem.

Now, however, the figures aren't two per Hasbro shipping case like they used to be. Hasbro is now shipping ONE of each figure per case, and to make matters worse, most stores are only ordering one case at a time! This probably has to o with the fact that Hasbro has THREE Star Wars Figure lines running at the same time - Saga Legends, The Clone Wars Animated Figures, and my favorite - The Vintage Collection.

I think the folks who order Star Wars tous for the major chains are quite confused by all of this, and it's making things difficult for those of us who collect.

It has been many months since I have found anything new, but I will persevere!

When I find my new figures of choice I will shout out from the rafters. I will take new pictures, and hopfully rave about the new sweet stuff that I've found!

Until next time, stay safe, have fun.... and persevere!! :)

Technical issues are killing me!

Puffs Tissues Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back Commercial (1980)

KAY-SWAP!! - Collectors coming together.

Being a member of a collector's club is fun, and rewarding. If you are a collector, no matter what it is that you collect, it is always fun to get together with people in your area who share the same interests.

As a Star Wars collector, and enthusiast, I have the fortune of living in a state (Kentucky) where there is such a club, of which I am a member - KSWCC (Kentucky Star Wars Collectors Club).

Founded in 2003, KSWCC now has three main state regions; Louisville (where the club was launched), Lexington, and Ashland. These three regions have active club members who meet up each month to share collecting stories, talk shop, trade, and help other collectors find pieces that they may be missing from their collections. Through the club we share the joy of collecting, which includes finding collectibles that we love without having to go through other sources like Ebay, or other outlets that like to inflate prices for what they consider to be "rare," or "hard to find" - a practice known as "scalping" which KSWCC does not condone.

This past Saturday KSWCC hosted a swap meet. It was open to the public and the first of it's kind. The event took place at Church of The Ascension in Frankfort Kentucky, a beautiful old church that opened in 1852 with a rich history.

The swap went really well, and all in attendance had a good time. It is now being considered for an annual tradition! I hope this happens!

It was great to see many familiar faces! Some folks I see on a regular basis, but there are those from other regions that I only see from time to time, like our annual fall festival, which I will cover later in the year. It's always great to reconnect with my fellow collectors, and also get a chance to meet new collectors who attended the sawp and I hope will consider joining our club. If you live in Kentucky, and are on the fence about joining, please do not hesitate! I have been a member of the club since the beginning and have been enjoying myself ever since!

We had a special guest at this years swap meet, illustrator Justin Stewart! This was my first time meeting Mr. Stewart and I found him to be a very friendly, easy going guy. I paged through his portfolio and found his work to be fresh and interesting. He obliged me in my request for an R2-D2 sketch card, which he finished in full color for only five bucks!! What a deal!!

As an R2 focus collector I try to get sketch pieces from any artist at a show. It's great to see everyone's individual take on my favorite little droid.

If you're a fan/collector of Star Wars, or anything for that matter, I urge you to find a group in your area where you can connect with others on a personal level and share in the fun of whatever interests you!

If you would like to join KSWCC, or would like more information, check us out at http://www.kswcc.com/

To see more about illustrator Justin Stewart, check out his site at http://www.justinstewart.net/

For more on Church of The Ascension http://www.ascensionfrankfort.org/Home.aspx

Until next time, and as always,

Stay positive, stay safe, and have fun!!

D2 from a G9... and 10 years of Ben!

Ello, ello! It's been a while since I have made a post about cool toys, so here's a new one for April. A few posts back I was talking about how cool the all new sculpt of R2-D2 is from the new ROTJ wave from the Vintage Line of figures. I went on about how great a figure it is, it's accessories, and all. It IS a great figure! So, someone commented to me asking what I thought about the R2 from the Hasbro battle pack; "Resurgence of The Jedi (2009)." In two words I can say - "LOVE IT!" True, the new ROTJ vintage one has all of the bangs and whistles that you would need for R2 in any situation. The R2 from the "Resurgence" battle pack is a great standard R2 itself! He doesn't have any accessories, but if you want just a simple, fantastic, R2 - this one is a winner! This version of R2-D2 can ONLY be found in the "Resurgence" Battle Pack - a pack which was hard to find depending on where you lived. Some areas had this pack in large numbers, but in other areas it was scarce. What makes this version unique is the fact that he was made from the same mold as the original R4-G9 Astromech. This particular model is the one with a great retractable middle leg feature that moves up, or down, with a twist of the astromech's dome. When the leg is in the "up" position it disappears inside the droid, as it should, to be film accurate. This mold, known as "the R4-G9," is very popular with fans of astromech figures. Here are a couple of images of my "G9" R2-D2 in my Ben Kenobi Dwelling diorama that I made in 2001.... In 2001, I created this diorama of Ben Kenobi's Dwelling just prior to the birth of my first daughter. This was my most ambitious diorama ever attempted, and to date, remains so. In fact I haven't attempted any major dioramas since this one! As this year is the 10th anniversary of the creation of this piece I thought it would be fun to take a shot of it, and use it to talk about this "G9" R2 because this particular droid resides, year round, in this diorama! All of the figures in this diorama are from the "resurgence" battle pack except for Obi-Wan. This particular Obi-Wan was a figure available in the "Power of The Jedi" figure line from 2001. I love this figure as it seems to be made for this particular moment in the film. Even though it is a little older, it is still a very nice figure. Until next time - stay safe, stay positive.... and have fun!!

Star Wars Celebration V: TK's, Droids, & Fans

Hey back again to share a slide-show that I created.
In August 2010, Star Wars fans gathered from around the world for Celebration V in Orlando, Florida. It was a great time!
Here is a look at the helmets from The TK Project - Stormtrooper helmets re-designed by celebrities and artists that were auctioned off. All proceeds went to charity.
Then, have a look at some of the droids created by The R2 Builders groups from around the world, and finally the fans that make all Star Wars Celebrations possible....




Until next time,
stay safe, and have fun!!

Lifesize Lego R2-D2 emerges

Hey, just a quick note today. Check out R2 being delivered to help promote the LEGO Mini-Land in California!
Now there is an item I would love to have!
Nice job R2!!!




Until next time,
Stay safe, stay positive, & have fun!

....A1-R2....

R2-D2 is perhaps one of the biggest icons in The Star Wars Universe, which is funny as he is also one of the smallest characters in that universe.... and, maybe, the biggest hero! He is the one that some how saves the day in each of the movies!

I have been a fan of the little guy since I first saw him in the original Star Wars film. He, along with C-3PO, are the first characters that we glimpse in the original trilogy. I thought back then that these two could be REAL robots, and in a way R2 was a real robot - he functioned via remote control sometimes, but he was also controlled from inside from time to time by "Big Ken," Kenny Baker.

I have collected R2 all of my life. He truely is one of my favorite characters, and has become the main focus of my collection. After many years of collecting all kinds of "stuff," I decided to trim down what I wanted to keep. Seeing as many of the things that I had collected over the years had a bit of R2 mixed in, I kept the R2 related items from all of the "clutter" and began to part with most of the rest.

R2-D2 was represented in four (movie specific) styles in the vintage era (1978-1985). In the modern era (1995-present) R2 has been released MANY times, using different molds, and with different accessories. The R2 that I'm focusing on today is the latest release from 2010, the one I call - "A1-R2!"

I call this one the "A1" because I personally think this is a spectacular figure, and it's the one that I believe Hasbro wanted to make as THE FIGURE to represent all of the vintage releases. I'm sure they believe this is the ultimate R2 - and it is, in many ways, due to all of the bangs and whistles incorporated with the figure.

Here is an example of the new R2 with comparisons to his vintage counterparts. Just watch out for those pesky Jawas! They're always after a good droid. ;)

- The 2010 carded R2-D2 from the popular ROTJ Wave of figures....

- Next, R2-D2 (loose) with his vintage counterparts from 1978-1985....

- Next features the 1978 R2 with the new one in standard R2 mode....

- Next is vintage R2 from the Star Wars Droid Factory Playset (1979). This one was unique as it was the only way to get an R2 with his middle leg. Next to him, the 2010 R2 with the middle leg dropped down....

- Next came R2-D2 with Sensor Scope from The Empire Strikes Back (1980). 2010 R2 also came with sensor scope that now has a little better detail....

- Finally, 1985 brought us the final R2 in the original movie line - with pop-up lightsaber from The Power of The Force era. 2010 R2 also came with a lightsaber, again with better detail, to replicate the vintage figure....

- 2010 R2 also has a great feature that is sometimes overlooked - he has duel wheels on his left and right feet! This is the first astromech in the modern action figure line to include this. Most have only one wheel per foot which makes standing upright on two legs problematic as the wheels are set in the middle of the feet and usually cause him to tilt forward, or backward, in the two legged position. Kudos to Hasbro for changing this design!

- Finally, here is a look at the 2010 R2 with complete accessories. He has a service bar with removable glasses that was used aboard Jabba's Sail Barge in ROTJ, sensor scope, lightsaber, and a pop out front panel with extendable interface arm....

Is this the ultimate R2? Well, you have to decide for yourself. In my estimation this is a GREAT little figure, and to me IS the current ultimate R2!!

Until next time - have fun, stay safe, stay positive, and enjoy yourself!

In praise of a "BMF!"

A new year. A new post!

Happy 2011 to everyone! I hope the new year finds you well.

Today I thought we would take a look at my favorite vehicle EVER from The Star Wars Toy Universe. The Big Millennium Falcon, or "BMF," is truely an extraordinary piece of Star Wars toy history!

I have always loved The Falcon in the movies as it was really a character in itself. It's a ship that had loads of personality due to it's finicky nature of being off and on reliable in tight situations when our heroes needed it most. At the same time it was a tricked out ship that could out run adversaries when it had to.

The Falcon was always a key ship to have in your toy collection. As a ten year old in 1979 it was a great Christmas gift! I got my Kenner Falcon that year and my Han Solo and Chewie action figures very rarely left the ship once I had it. It was wonderful!!

Many years later, 2008 to be exact, Hasbro (now owners of the former Kenner brand) revisited The Falcon with an all new, and much larger, sculpt. The new Millennium Falcon is not neccessarily "to scale" with the modern 4" action figures, but is much closer to the size it truely needs to be. It has lights, sounds, dialogue directly from Star Wars (1977), and includes fairly accurate interior detail that could not be achieved in the original Kenner toy in the late seventies. The new Falcon, "The BMF," Is a Star Wars fan's dream come true! For this fan, nothing beats the beauty of this toy.

Here now is a set of photos that I shot in tribute to this great vehicle.

Enjoy!....

Stay tuned for more!

Until then - Have fun, and stay positive!