Quinlan Vos = Great new figure!

Today I purchased a figure from the Hasbro Vintage Collection Phantom Menace wave - Quinlan Vos.

Normally, I don't buy too much from the prequel era anymore, but there is the exception from time to time. The prequels, while being far from perfect movies, do have their moments. I love the idea of The Jedi. I think that whole mythology is one of the stronger ideas addressed in episodes I-III. Some of the Jedi were kind of strange like Oppo Rancisis (the hairy, bearded Jedi with the snake body), and Yarael Poof (AKA: long-neck-dude thanks to SNL). They were only briefly seen in the movies, but their characters were explored more fully in the Dark Horse Star Wars comic series - Republic.

If you haven't read Republic, DO check it out! I really like the story from issue #48 through the end of the series which deals with the time frame mainly between Attack of The Clones and Revenge of The Sith - The Clone Wars era. This is where Quinlan Vos' character is truly explored!

Vos was a character that came out of the movie The Phantom Menace (hitting theaters again on February 10th, in 3D!) He was a character seen in the background in Mos Espa on the planet Tatooine. He was never named, or mentioned, in the movie, but Dark Horse Comics' artist Jan Duursema spotted him and liked the way he looked. From Jan a character was born! He became a central character in the Republc comic, written by John Ostrander, and drawn very well by Duursema. He had a rocky relationship with one of my favorite characters from from the comic series, Jedi Master K'Kruhk - a Whiphid Jedi (seen behind Vos with his hat, that I customized) with great ability as a healer, which served him well as he has lived through countless battles, and has survived where many others certainly would not.

  Also pictured, in the back, and on the left is Ki-Adi-Mundi. On the right is Plo-Koon.

 These two are very important to The Clone Wars era, and have made numerous  appearances in the films, the comics, and on The Clone Wars animated series.

  So, back to Vos - the action figure! I had to make a post about him after purchasing him today!

 This figure is amazing in every way. The sculpt is fantastic! Lots of articulation for those great Jedi poses. He comes with ignited lightsaber, AND just the hilt which can be attached to his belt. Also, he comes with a blaster and a holster on his belt which a Jedi should NOT have, but that's the thing about Vos - he didn't follow The Jedi Code very well, sometimes had a tendency toward Sith behavior, but ultimately remained a Jedi.

  An interesting character, Quinlan Vos. One that I am glad Jan Duursema took under her wing, and released into the Republic comic from Dark Horse. He has also made some guest appearances on The Clone Wars animated series. His appearances in the animated show portayed him in a less dramatic fashion than the comics, but was still good fun to watch.

  Add this figure to your Jedi ranks!!

Verizon Commercial - Spectrum by LG: R2D2

So, Verizon thinks that people would actually choose one of their phones over R2??
I think NOT! ;)

It's only temporary...

Renovation. It happens sometimes, and many times, like now, it can take a while, and of course there are set backs to contend with. At the moment we are trying to renovate our basement....where my collection exists. First, we had to deal with a crack in the wall which was leaking. I'm happy to say that has been repaired, so YAY! However, that was a financial set back, and now ANOTHER set back - the good 'ol car repair....which was a BIG financial set back, but not as bad as I had feared.

  Anyway, as a collector who likes to have his stuff displayed, all of these set backs (I'm gonna try to stop saying set backs) means that the stuff that I had packed up for the renovation continues to be packed up, and that means I don't get to see it as often.
  To remedy this I try to bring a few figures out and switch out a scene, or two, just to remind me of all of the cool stuff I have collected over my years as a Star Wars fan -- which leads to the little shelf "scene" above! I brought out my Jawa figures (great little figures!) and my droids from the purchase of R2 and 3PO scene in the original Star Wars film (A New Hope - as it was eventually tagged). I LOVE all of the droids from Star Wars, and the fact that Hasbro has produced all of the droids from this scene is amazing! Hasbro is getting around to making essentially all of the background characters from the original trilogy and I just love that!

  Bottom line is - be sure to celebrate what you love! You don't have to have it everywhere, but sometimes just a small reminder will make you happy, as it does for me....for now ;)

January 1st, 2012

Today is the first day of a brand new year, with new possibilities.
It's a fresh start for everyone, and now all of the annoying reports of "news year's resolutions" can begin. It's stupid really. Do you need a new year to start living your life as you feel it needs to be, only to forget all about it tomorrow. It's silly.
  Pick any day. Just live your life as it should be. Treat others as you would want to be treated. Live a life style that benefits others, without excess, and realize that each of us has the duty to make life better for all.
  My hope is that everyone will have a happy, and healthy, 2012. Treat your neighbor with respect, and understand that we are all in this life together.
  Peace to all, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

  Looking forward to more blog posts this year so I hope that you will stick around!!

  -Mike

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!!