Big news for London MCM and possible future UK conventions.

The London MCM (...26-28/10/2018...) will be getting it's first proper exclusive toy from a major manufacture. This will be a UK and European exclusive but it's a start.

This is big news for UK convention as this is something we have been asking for, for a very long time. Also it is about time that UK and European conventions are treated just as important as SDCC or NYCC for example.

And sorry I don't count the Mighty Mugg and Funko Pop from last year. Just putting a small sticker in the corner does not really count. even though I did pick up the Darth Vader exclusive Mugg. 

So what are we getting? and from whom?

Hasbro is giving us a Star Wars Black Series Hoth Han Solo and Princess Leia twin pack in diorama packaging. That packaging looks like Echo Base from the beginning of Empire Strikes Back.

Here's the link to the London MCM web page with the details. 

https://www.mcmcomiccon.com/london/2018/09/06/hasbro-announces-first-ever-uk-and-european-convention-exclusives/

I first saw this on Facebook and then headed straight to the MCM site. I may have stopped getting Star Wars figures from Hasbro but I will try my best to pick this up. 

I do come down on the Blue Coat Han side as that's what the toy was. I do know that the coat was originally brown but looks blue on film.

pictures from Star Wars .com Facebook  Page

These figures look good and if they sell well hopefully we will get an exclusive very year and different figures from other franchises. like the 2016 SDCC Transformers Titan Returns Fortress Maximus. Fingers crossed this leads to other companies releasing exclusive. We can only hope. 

This years Winter MCM is looking better than I thought, 

Star Wars Celebration Europe 3 London 2016 and The Darth Vader Complete

So this is late. Over TWO years late but better late than never.... 

Here in the UK conventions would normally run for two days Saturday and Sunday. But in the last 3 or 4 years a lot of bigger profile conventions like the LFCC, MCM and so on have started to take three days Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Not quite the American Four day con but we're slowly getting there. So this will be my first ALL THREE DAY CON!!!   

But before I jump in to the convention I should talk about the Darth Vader Amour. I was all finished and it looked great even if I was a little tubby.. LOL. 

So a big improvement over how it originally looked. All the hard work paid off. I was happy with it. There are a few things i would like to change or improve. mostly around extending the back of the helmet and making the trim a little thicker. and I want to get a new chest/shoulder amour. Something to think about for 2019. 

Star Wars Celebration Europe 3  was AMAZING!!!! 

It began the day before on the Thursday when I received my Anovos First Order Stormtrooper Standered Line Helmet.

The Helmet looks fantastic on the shelf or from a the other side of the room. When you look at it, it looks like it came straight off of the set of The Force Awakens. The helmet looks good next to the Master Replicas CE Stunt Helmet and the E-FX Shadow Trooper Helmet 

(recast of the MR Stunt but in Black).

My biggest problem is that it is  £20-30  over priced. It may look great and I am happy and if you're happy with your helmet. I like it I really do, I'm just am not happy with the price I paid. Before anyone says I over paid I paid around £206 for it at the Forbidden Planet. But it has the same build quality as a Stormtrooper CE Stunt Helmet from Master Replicas that came out round 2007/8 and that cost me £150 New. So its a little over priced but It was still worth it. I like the new Trooper design. I have no idea how much The Last Jedi one costs but if you can get it for around the £200 mark then pick one up. 

A couple of hours later my mate turned up and we made our way to the hotel in Beckton. Once we checked in and unpacked we made our way to the Excel Center where the con was being held to get out passes, program and other little bits that were pre-ordered like T-shirts and badges. As we were going back to the hotel I was amazed at the number of people already in line. I'm getting to old for that I need my bed and a good nights sleep. Oh to be young and free again. 

After that we went back to the room and tried to get some sleep.   

The Convention was awesome I had such a great time and met so many new people. There was also so much more there than the first Celebration Europe. Great back in 2007 but nearly 10 years later this was a massive step up.

This being the summer of 2016 there was a big push for the film out that year Rogue One. There was a selection of costumes from the movie and it was interesting to see how they have changed the Stormtrooper armour for a movie made in 2016. It was also cool to see the new Shore and Death Troopers. 

There was so much to see and so many people. The con was really well laid out and even though it was super busy it never felt packed or to crowed. 

There were a lot of people in cosplay and everyone looked great. Wish I had taken more photos of all the cosplayers. There were some amazing costumes there

I didn't buy that much at this convention. Not that there wasn't a lot to buy. There was loads of dealers but just not a lot that caught my my eye. If I remember correctly I did all my shopping the Sunday. That's pretty good for me. Going to have to do more cons where i'm there for more than  one day. It'll force me to pace myself when it comes to spending.  

All the fan created booths were fantastic the amount of detail but in to the models is amazing. Also the 501st were there with a great display of armour and other costumes 

On the Sunday I was walking around when a guy stoped me and asked if I wouldn't mind being interviewed for a South Afcian TV??? I said ok and he ask a few questions whole thing lasted a few mintues. Not something that happens everyday.

    

I didn't go to any panels I just didn't have time. There was so much going on time just flow by. We got there an hour or so before the doors opened and we left at around 5pm in time to get back to the hotel for dinner. The Friday and Saturday night there was a screening of A New Hope and The Force Awakens. Which was great to sit there with a hall full of Star Wars fans.

Overall it was a great con  and I hope it comes back to the UK again soon. As a Star Wars fan you owe it to yourself to go at least one day. You don't need to go all three days. I had a friend who only went on the Saturday with his son. Both of them loved it and can't wait to go again. 

Doing this from memory was not the best idea as I haven't gotten across my thoughts and feeling about the con properly or coherently. This would of been better if I'd done this once I got home  two years ago. 

       

Star Wars Celebration and Darth Vader is done.... well almost.

As of writing this it is the 12th of July and Star Wars Celebration Europe 3 is 3 days away. Tickets brought and email printed so I can pick up my pass and the hotel is booked. All that is left for me to do is to pack my Suitcase and bags. I do not really know how I feel about Celebration right now i am very disappointed on how they are doing the talks for the main stage and the prices of the autographs and photos. The doors open at 06:00am for people to queue up so you can get a wristband for the talks you want to go to. That is very early and a real pain in the backside, this means that I am unlikely going to be able to see the talks i wanted to. Now the one good thing is that the other stages don't need one so I can see the talks broadcast on the other stage at the same time. But it wont be the same as being in the room. On the other hand there was only 3 talks on the main stage I wanted to see  anyway and the rest of the interesting stuff is happening on the other stages. Apart from that I can not wait for this Con it will be an awesome 3 days. and it's the first time I've gone to all 3 days. 

Then there's the Darth Vader armour....

OK Darth is done it's complete I've done everything I can and wanted to do in the run up the convention. It has been a long and at times a hard road but it was worth it. I am very happy with it. 

It is hard to believe how different it looks compared to what it looked like when i got it back in 2007. It's a completely different helmet a Night and Day transformation. And the rest of the suit looks different as well.

So wheres the photo of me in FULL Vader... well that will have to wait for the next post. Don't want to give away any spoilers away now do I!!!

This is a short post as I am getting ready for the trip and there is still a lot to sort out and doing this while also working it's not easy to find the time. But hopefully the next post will be a big one. 

  

Star Wars Celebration Europe and Darth Vader update.

Three weeks to go till Star Wars Celebration Europe III.... 

And i am getting a little worried about the convention. I mean the show floor is looking like it will be good. I am looking forward to seeing artist alley and there will be costumes and props from Rouge One there and I am really looking forward to that. But in the last few weeks Celebration have been releasing guest lists, prices for photos and talks on the main stages. I have to say I am very disappointed at the moment, I must say that the guest list is some what lacking in star power. Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Peter Mayhew will be there but no one... I repeat NO ONE from The Force Awakens nor Rouge One will be there and as for the rest of the guests... They are the same people that go to The London Film and Comic Con most years and some of them will be there a few weeks later for the LFCC 2016 con... Considering that the films are now being filmed in England and the fact that the studio is not far from London there is no reason for there not to be any of the new cast to not come. We don't even need all of them but there should of been some. I just hope they do not turn up to next years con in the US. If they do then that will be a BIG F**K YOU to us European fans. But with three weeks to go I am hoping that they will announce new guests.... fingers crossed. If not this is looking like an armature production. Also the price for Mark Hamill is £145... That's nearly $200 USD.... What the hell is that I was excepting £60 or maybe £70 something similar to what was being charged for the MAIN CAST of Star Trek. I had a Photo with the cast of Star Trek The Next Generation and it only cost just over £200!!!! and that was with NINE actors. And with Destination Star Trek back in the UK for the 50th anniversary in October.... Maybe I should of brought tickets to that con instead... 

So with that little rant out of the way lets move on the the Darth Vader Amour. Now a lot of progress has been made and I am nearly finished. I have a little bit of work to do with the jump suite and that should only really be an afternoon worth of work. I am hopping to get some fan installed ion to the helmet and the dome repainted by the 3rd of July. That gives me just over a week and a half to get the whole thing finalized before leaving for the hotel on the 14th.

So how far am I, what has been done?

The chest book is painted and just needs to be strapped and the neck seal is complete. I just need to figure out a way to attache it to the helmet. Something I am going to have to think long and hard about. I then moved on to the chest armour and helmet. 

The mask and chest armour is finished. I am not going to do anymore painting. Unfortunately I dropped the dome and the paint was messed up. I have now re sanded it and am going to get some primer and more black paint and paint it one last time. I can not believe I did that. but not to fair there is still time to fix anything i screw up....

Early last week my new Darth Vader ep IV gloves came and they are amazing. I might have made a little mistake with the measurements but if i put some cotton wool in the finger tips everything will be fine. 

The last thing I did since the last post was to put the tusks. mouth grill and install the new lenses into the mask. while doing this I cut my thumb... That was just STUPID of me. I had blood go everywhere and it hurt like hell. So i have now Bled for my Cosplay. 

It still hurts now. Anyway the pain and blood was worth it as the mask looks great. 

I am very happy with how this is coming together and look forward to show you the final costume. 

And that's everything so far. Nearly done and I can not believe it. I started this way back in early 2015 and it had taken nearly a year and a half to finish. This has been a fun project but I will be happy once it's over. Who knows I might wear it at work for Halloween.

Leave a comment below if you are going to Star Wars Celebration on what you think about the guest list and some of the prices they are charging I would like to know your thoughts on it.