Best Halloween Mash-up Ever

See for yourself.

from Rebel Scum's Halloween Costume Contest

Site Updates Coming

Well I'm home. For good. Kelly and I made the trek from West Lafayette, IN to Sinking Spring, PA over two days 10 days ago now. We left on Friday, June 19th and arrived here Saturday evening. We've unpacked (for the most part) and Kelly has returned to her family for the final week before the wedding. Yes, that is THIS SATURDAY. Holy crap.

Anyway, with me being home now I've had a chance to go through all of my Star Wars stuff. I have a bunch of pictures to add that have been missing, indicated by the ambiguous "coming soon" image. Fear not! All those will be gone soon. With the help of my best man Brent B. I was able to go through all my extra stuff and things I'm willing to part with to come up with a "for sale" list. I'll be posting that sometime this week as well.

So check back often these next two days as I add images to the site and list things I have for sale.

PSWCS Charity Fundraiser for Operation Ward 57

The fine folks of the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society are raising money for Operation Ward 57 through a limited edition coin. Press release and coin pictures below.

The Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society is selling a limited
edition medallion as a fundraiser to support Operation Ward 57. The
medallion features Obi-Wan Kenobi, the heroic Jedi Master from Star
Wars - The Clone Wars. The medallions were produced in a one-time run
of 1000 pieces with the permission of Lucasfilm Ltd. The cost is $10
per medallion, with a limit of 3 medallions per household. 100% of the
proceeds generated through the sale of these medallions will be
donated to Operation Ward 57.

Operation Ward 57 is a charitable organization that collects donations
to benefit the veterans in the orthopedic Ward 57 at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center. Ward 57 cares for some of the most severely injured
military veterans who return from operations overseas. Operation Ward
57 purchases comfort and support items to help these veterans and
their families through difficult and trying times. To learn more
about Operation Ward 57, please visit: http://www.operationward57.org

The members of PSWCS hope you will consider supporting this worthy
cause through purchasing these medallions. You can order at:
http://www.pswcs.com/OperationWard57

UPDATE: Already mentioned on Rebel Scum!

A Visit to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis

I am currently 24. Kelly is is currently 23. We have no children at this time. Yet we were at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis this past Sunday. Why? This is why...

Yes, that is actually Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter from Attack of the Clones.

On March 23rd, 2009 the Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Exhibition opened at the museum. Kelly asked if I wanted to go when she found out about it a few weeks ago and I said we could if we were able to fit it into our schedule. Well Sunday, June 7th was the day.

We left West Lafayette at 9 AM and arrived at the museum just after 10 AM. We parked (in their free parking structure) and took the short stroll across the skywalk to the actual museum. Here's a picture of Kelly posing on the skywalk. Downtown Indianapolis is visible over her shoulder.


After purchasing our tickets we entered the museum to the view of the starfighter, pictured above. We made it down to the ground level where I got my picture taken with a Jedi near the actual prop starfighter.


And you know I had to get a picture with Captain Rex and Clone Trooper Denal (wall stickers, not real).


The actual exhibition was basically a small scale version of my trip to the Franklin Institute to see Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination in April 2008. The children's museum exhibition focused mainly on stuff from the new animated series and there was even a sneek peak at a design for season 2!


The place was appropriately decorated with 2D cutouts of the main characters, ripe for pictures of course!

Kelly poses like C-3PO.

I pose with Jabba the Hutt with Asajj Ventress looking over my shoulder. Jabba looks almost 3D thanks to the cutout contours and the camera flash.

Kelly and I try to grab a quick shot with Anakin.

Like many Star Wars exhibits, there was no lack of film props. Weapons and costumes were the focus, which came from the movies (I think mostly AOTC, to tie-in with the cartoon a bit).

Lightsabers and blasters from the Star Wars films.

Anakin's Jedi robes from AOTC.

The Clone Wars stuff came in the form of sculpts, maquettes and drawings. Director Dave Filoni developed a coll sign-off for the prototypes. He used a stamp or signature that said "Plo Kool" if he agreed with what he saw. Below the Mace Windu, Padme Amidala and Chancellor Palpatine get the OK from Filoni.


The coolest things there were definitely the 3D sculpts. They had a few busts (Chancellor Palpatine, Mace Windu, Count Dooku and a Clone Trooper) as well as scaled full body ones.

Production Clone Trooper bust from The Clone Wars.

Padme, Anakin and Ahsoka production maquettes.

As I said before, there was a TON of production art. Here are a few of my favorites.


After taking in the entire exhibit - which you can do in about 30 to 45 minutes - we got some tickets for the planetarium show at 11 AM. We also took some time to check out a few other exhibits, such as the aquarium, model trains and the dinosaurs.


Once we are all finished, which was a little before noon, I took one last picture of Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter and the trip was over.


I took a bunch more pictures. You can see the Star Wars-related ones here and any other exhibits here. It was a great trip and another thing to add to my Star Wars site. I'm definitely glad we got to go!

More Movie Anniversaries of Note

Yes, May is a big month for Star Wars fans. Today, 32 and 26 years ago respectively, Star Wars - Episodes IV and VI were released. Both were, and still are, box office successes. Throughout its many releases, Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope (originally just Star Wars) has grossed $775,398,007 worldwide. The film also won six Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy. The film is routinely cited as one of the best movies ever. There is a glut of top or best movie lists out there but some of the most prestigious, like the American Film Institute's, give A New Hope mad props.

Star Wars on AFI Lists

• Top Movies - #15 (original list from 1998)
  
• Top Thrills - #27
• Top Heroes and Villains - #3 (villain: Darth Vader), #14 (hero: Han Solo), #37 (hero: Obi-Wan Kenobi)
• Top Movie Quotes - #8 ("May the Force be with you.")
• Top Film Scores - #1
• Top Cheers (Most Inspiring) - #39
• Top Movies - #13 (10th year anniversary list, released in 2008)
• 10 Top 10 - Sci-Fi #2
  

It's second sequel, 1983's Return of the Jedi, has earned $475,106,177 to date. Though it isn't considered on par with A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, ROTJ usually is a favorite among the kids. And it does end the original trilogy. That has to count for something.

In other related news, yesterday was the 20th Anniversary of the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Indiana Jones movies rate up there with Star Wars to me; I wouldn't turn down watching one of them, ever. Last night after a rugged game of wiffle ball, I asked Kelly what movie she wanted to watch. She didn't have any suggestions so I said Indiana Jones. I meant Raiders of the Lost Ark but her favorite is The Last Crusade. Guess which one we watched? As we turned The Last Crusade on I went to look up some Wikipedia facts on the film, as I do for basically every movie we watch. That's when I noticed that we were watching it on the 20th Anniversary of the films release. Completely unintentional but cool nonetheless.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is now 20!

Brent's Q&A Updated

Star Wars super collector Brent Behrenshausen answered a few more questions for me recently and I have finally been able to update his Q&A section. You can check it out here. Brent gets the throwback treatment, with all my questions revolving around the vintage line.

With me moving back to PA this summer, Brent and I (as well as his brother, Bryan) will be documenting and filming parts of our collections. Be on the look out for more pictures and video starting in mid-July and running through August. We are very excited about sharing our collections with you, like we teased with these clips.

Happy Anniversary Empire Strikes Back

On this day in 1980 the original Star Wars universe received part two, er, Episode V, perhaps the best of the six movies to date. The Empire Strikes Back is now 29 years old. With the 30th Anniversary of the film looming in 2010, expect big things in the spring next year. It may not lead to entire reboot of the Star Wars toy line like the 30th Anniversary of A New Hope but we may finally get Celebration 5!


The Empire Strikes Back earned more than $538 million worldwide during its original release and subsequent rereleases. When adjusted for inflation, Empire ranks 12th all -time in box office gross.

On This Day in Star Wars History...

The Phantom Menace is officially ten while Revenge of the Sith is five. May 19th, 1999 and 2005, respectively, was the official launch of the Star Wars prequels beginning and end movies.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Phantom Menace, Hasbro will be running a mail-away offer this fall for Qui-Gon Jinn and Eopie.

Mail away exclusive Qui-Gon Jinn with Eopie to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Phantom Menace (from Jedi Insider).

The official site has documented their ten favorite Episode I posters.

And PSWCS member Eric Franks has a nice merchandise run down at his site (posted on May 3rd).

While people rip the prequels often, especially TPM and Jar Jar, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about my favorite science fiction/fantasy world. I remember going to see the movie as an eighth grader and the massive buzz surrounding the film.

Here's to you, Phantom, for getting me even more interested in the Star Wars universe after the special editions started the fire.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season One "Review"

I use the word "review" lightly because, well, I'm not actually grading the show and going over pros and cons. It's just kind of my recap and some commentary on the first season of the animated show.

Basically, it rocked.

Seriously.

To me, the show was very good. Sure it was corny at times, as we have come to expect from bits of dialogue in the Star Wars media universe, but you have to remember the show is aimed at kids. Adults will get a chance to keep the franchise afloat with the live action series in 2010. For now, kids keep Star Wars alive and kicking. And they are doing a good job of it. The show was picked up for a second season.

There were 22 episodes during season one of The Clone Wars. I can't say I absolutely hated any episodes and would never watch them again. Though there definitely are some that I liked more than others. The list of episodes, in order of air date, is below.

1. "Ambush"
2. "Rising Malevolence"
3. "Shadow of Malevolence"
4. "Destroy Malevolence"
5. "Rookies"
6. "Downfall of a Droid"
7. "Duel of the Droids"
8. "Bombad Jedi"
9. "Cloak of Darkness"
10. "Lair of Grievous"
11. "Dooku Captured"
12. "The Gungan General"
13. "Jedi Crash"
14. "Defenders of Peace"
15. "Trespass"
16. "The Hidden Enemy"
17. "Blue Shadow Virus"
18. "Mystery of a Thousand Moons"
19. "Storm Over Ryloth"
20. "Innocents of Ryloth"
21. "Liberty on Ryloth"
22. "Hostage Crisis"

It's clear that the crew likes making longer episodes that won't fit the 30-minute time slot. There were six instances where a story line last two or more weeks. The second episode started The Malevolence Saga, which was three episodes. Then there was the two episodes focused on R2-D2 and Goldie. Episodes 11 and 12 were connected as were 13 and 14. "Blue Shadow Virus" and "Mystery of a Thousand Moons" were two different episodes very much about the same story line. Then came The Ryloth Trilogy. I am not saying this is bad; in fact, it's the opposite. Each episode had definitive ending but left you wanting more; you knew the episode wasn't over even before the Cartoon Network showed clips from next week. It keeps the audience captivated for sure.

Looking back on the episodes, the series really grabbed my attention around "Jedi Crash". I felt that the episodes from there on out were pretty fantastic. That's not to say the first 12 were bad; the second half of the season just kept me interested a little more.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite episode. Of course I love when the clones are involved, so naturally "Ambush" - the series premiere - as well as "Rookies" rates right up there among the best. "Trespass" and the second and third parts of The Ryloth Trilogy were great episodes as well. However, if I have to pick one, I think I'd select "The Hidden Enemy". It focused a lot on clones and was a direct tie-in to the movie that debuted last August to prime everyone for the show in the fall. It answers questions that some may have been wondering about after seeing the movie. The movie, in all honesty, does not do the series justice.

Of course with a new series comes new toys. The line kicked off last July 26th - as I documented - asnd has been a strong seller. The Clone Wars figures are routinely sold out and are much harder to find than the companion Legacy Collection line.

After watching the last few episodes recently (I had recorded them so I could watch a bunch of them at once) I yearned for some of the clones and clone commanders to be made. Have no fear, Hasbro is here with delightful repaints.

Clone Commander Ponds, seen in "Liberty on Ryloth" will be a Toys R Us exclusive this summer or fall (from Jedi Defender).

Clone Commander Gree, seen in a few episodes, is set to hit store shelves this August.

Clone Commander Thire, seen in the premiere episode "Ambush", will follow this fall.

Clone Commander Bly has not been seen in the cartoon yet but expect him at some point in season two.

We'll be getting a Clone Turbo Tank in August so it is only natural to have a support squad for it.

You can never have enough Clone Troopers. Especially ones that can fly!

The previous five images are taken from Rebel Scum.

So basically, watch The Clone Wars on Adult Swim (they're reshowing the series). Buy the Season One DVD when it comes out this fall. Buy the toys. And be sure to watch season two this fall as well!

Easily Something That Could Happen to Me

Today, May the Fourth, is considered Star Wars day by many fans of the franchise for it's similar sound to the tag line "may the Force (Fourth) be with you". People celebrate in their own way, possibly by buying some merchandise or watching a movie (or all six of them).

Anyway, I was reading the always humorous FMyLife.com and stumbled upon this...

Today, I sent everyone a text on my phone book saying, "Happy Star Wars Day!!! May the Fourth be with you!!" I forgot to uncheck my exgirlfriend's number. She texted back, "one of the many reasons I broke up with you." FML

Burned!

Oddly enough, most of the comments were along the lines of "if she can't appreciate what you like then screw her". I found that unusual but rather cromulent.

On a more personal note, today marks exactly TWO MONTHS until Kelly and I get married!

Collection Updates Coming!

As you may have noticed on the right panel, I have not made any updates to my Star Wars collection since February 8th, nearly three months ago. Honestly not much had happened since then until I went home at the end of April. And then I got some stuff yesterday. And today. So, fear not, I will be updating my collection soon.

I, finally, saw the AT-TE Assault Squad battle pack in the wild. Now, yesterday and today, I saw both the new Jabba's Palace and Scramble on Yavin battle packs. At Target yesterday I found one figure from the newest TCW wave - the 41st Elite Corps Clone Trooper! Woo woo!

So yeah, new updates soon!

John Williams is the Man

Kelly found this clip on YouTube and thinks it is the greatest thing in the history of the universe. It is a tribute to John Williams done with Star Wars-related lyrics set to many of Williams' most recognizable themes. It is the same dude in all four panels singing a capella. It is truly amazing. Take a look.

I Am a Winner

You a winner, ha ha ha. You a winner, ha ha ha.

Last week I posted about Creature Cantina's 8th anniversary. For the milestone Bill Cable, the sites creator and organizer, ran a quick trivia contest.

So you got it? Ready? OK, here are your questions:

1. Identify the goofy, food-based collectible that Gus Lopez is so passionate about that he listed it among his primary collecting interests.
2. Which accessory in the Legacy Wave 6 photo was never depicted in the film "The Empire Strikes Back"?
3. From Wednesday's BIG ANNOUNCEMENT, what is the name of Sideshow's newest original line of Collectibles?
4. What other fiction character served as inspiration for Bill Cable's Major Bren Derlin drawing?

I answered those questions as fast as I could. I was pretty confident my answers were correct. A week later it was confirmed: I knew the answers. I was chosen as one of the four winners for sweet swag from Sideshow Collectibles, Brian's Toys, Gus and Duncan, and Bill Cable himself. I wound up with the enter Wave 6 of The Legacy Collection, set to hit stores in May. I'll be getting it as soon as Brian's Toys has it in stock. Really freakin' excited!

The Legacy Collection, Wave 6. I won these figures!

I wanted to extend my thanks and gratitude to Bill Cable, Creature Cantina, and Brian's Toys.

And this just proves that not everything about Creature Cantina sucks.

Creature Cantina is 8

Star Wars fan and artist Bill Cable, president of the Pennsylvania Star Wars Collecting Society, sends word of an anniversary celebration extravaganza!

CreatureCantina.com Celebrates Eight Years of Laughs

This April Fool's Day CreatureCantina.com marks their 8-year
anniversary with an enormous update and a special contest!
CreatureCantina.com has delivered satire and wit to the Star Wars
collecting community for more than 75% of a decade now, and such
longevity is certainly worthy of commemoration. So they've partnered
with sponsors Gus Lopez & Duncan Jenkins, Sideshow Collectibles Inc.,
and Brian's Toys to reward their readers with a bevy of fantastic
prizes! If you're in the mood for a laugh or want a chance to win
some amazing stuff, visit http://CreatureCantina.com and join in the
festivities!

New Star Wars Items

A few things caught me by surprise tonight and both came via email.

First, Gentle Giant announced to its Premier Guild Members that the Snowtrooper Mini Bust was available for pre-order. It is set to ship in September. At this time, you must be signed into your Gentle Giant PGM account to pre-order this bust.

Gentle Giant's next trooper-oriented bust, the Snowtrooper, will be shipped in September.

Next was at the bottom of the weekly Star Wars Homing Beacon. Some unreleased Hasbro toys were available for pre-order on Star Wars Shop - including at least three items originally believed to be released in August or September. According to Star Wars Shop, the Turbo Tank will be available... in April!?!? June releases are set for the Saber Class Fighter Tank and Crab Droid Vehicle and Figure Pack. The Build-Your-Own Blaster is still set for July.

Perhaps these dates are just placeholders; as usual the "small print" says dates subject to change. We'll see when these really start showing up in stores.

Disney/Star Wars Crossover Figures Wave 3 Announced

The official Star Wars site announced today through their Collecting Vault that during Star Wars Weekends 2009 the third wave of the Disney/Star Wars Crossover figures would be available. The third wave consists of

• Mickey as Luke Skywalker in X-wing Pilot Gear (with removable helmet)
  
• Minnie as Slave Princess Leia
• Donald as Stormtrooper (with removable helmet)
  
• Goofy as Chewbacca
• Chip and Dale as Ewoks (with additional Stormtrooper helmet)

The first two waves, released in 2007 and 2008, can be found in the middle of this page.



In addition to the Crossover figures, fans will also have a chance to pick up a Jedi Training Academy box set, complete with a generic Jedi Master, Darth Vader, and three young padawans.



Other items, such as the Stormtrooper helmet and Mickey and Minnie's Star Wars poster pose banks, will also be available. All these items are exclusive to the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Parks.

2009 Gentle Giant Busts

Besides the TIE Fighter Pilot and AT-AT Pilot coming out early this year, Gentle Giant showed a bounty of busts and other items at Toy Fair yesterday. I'm most excited for the Snowtrooper and Stormtrooper Commander from The Force Unleashed.

Gentle Giant's Snowtrooper bust, available this summer.
(image from GentleGiantCollectors.com)

This Stormtrooper Commander bust will be a Star Wars Shop exclusive this summer.
(image from GentleGiantCollectors.com)

Toy Fair 2009: Hasbro Presentation Highlights

I posted some images on Saturday from Rebel Scum. This time I am highlighting what interests me from the Hasbro presentation. These slides are from Jedi Temple Archives.

This new packaging will start in August and percolate through all Star Wars merchandise.

The Clone Wars - 2009 Wave 2

The Clone Wars - 2009 Wave 3.

The Clone Wars - 2009 Wave 4.

The Clone Wars - 2009 Wave 5.

The Clone Wars - Revamped "deluxe" line.

Turbo Tank Gunner Crew on-shelf date indicates that we should see the vehicle sometime between mid-August and mid-September.

The "starfighter" line will see some new vehicles this year, like the Republic Fighter Tank.

The ARC-170 makes another appearance, with yet another price hike. The vehicles to large for the "starfighter" line but too small to be a "big" vehicle will be in the new "deluxe" vehicle line.

There she is, the Turbo Tank! Expect to see this monster in time for Season 2 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

New turrets!!!

With "Evolutions" set to go on hiatus this fall, the line falls to an exclusive label.

The highly coveted and hard-to-find The Force Unleashed Stormtrooper Commander figure will be rereleased as a shared exclusive at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con.

There are some images of what to expect out of Hasbro from now until early fall. A lot of good stuff like the Republic Fighter Tank and the Turbo Tank, in addition to the Geonosis Assault battle pack with two Episode II-style Clone Pilots and turrets! You'll notice I didn't mention anything about The Legacy Collection. It just so happens that there isn't a single figure shown at Toy Fair that I want. And I don't want to steal every image from Jedi Temple Archives. If you want to see the rest, go here.

It was also revealed that the Unleashed line will be ending and that Mighty Muggs will become Toys R Us exclusives.