Relics of the Force: December 2013

Star Wars Official 2014 Calendar

The New Year is almost upon us, and thanks to another awesome Christmas present I'll be passing the coming months in style with my new 2014 Calendar.

There's a lot of variety in the layout of Star Wars calendars from year-to-year. In 2014, the designers have gone with a series of simple - yet incredibly gorgeous - high resolution close-up character photographs. There's a strong focus on prequel-era characters, no doubt due to the planned (and subsequently canned) 3D releases of Episode II and Episode III in late 2013. The calendar also features an undated two-page Vader spread between the months of June and July, meaning it can be hung long after the end of 2014 has passed.

Vintage Collection 3 3/4" VC83 Naboo Royal Guard

This Christmas I received a new Vintage Collection figure to add to my collection: VC83 Naboo Royal Guard.

As the packaging notes, it's the first time a 3 3.4" Naboo Royal Guard has been released. This is surprising, particularly as he makes the perfect pilot for the Naboo Flash Speeder - an item I've had in my collection since all the way back in 1999.

Lego 7956 Ewok Attack

It wouldn't be Christmas without a Star Wars Lego set to assemble after a day of eating and drinking far too much. This year, I received the Lego 7956 Ewok Attack set - a perfect companion to the Endor Battle Pack I picked up earlier in the year.

The set includes an updated speeder bike (now capable of seating two figures) and a tree fortification that sports a surprising number of features (including a hinged secret compartment, a working catapult, a flick-missile launcher, and a rolling log trap). Of course the real highlight of this set is the minifigures. There's an Imperial Scout Trooper - always great for army building - and two brand new Ewok figures: Tokkat and Logray. These are the first Lego Ewok figures I've added to my collection, and they are every bit as awesome as I'd hoped.

Hallmark Keepsake General Grievous Christmas Tree Ornament

A few days ago I posted some photos of my Hallmark Christmas tree ornaments. This Christmas, I received another one to add to my collection - General Grievous.

The quality and detail on these decorations never fails to disappoint. It's an excellent representation of Grievous, roughly scaled to fit with figures in the 3 3/4" line. His billowing cape is a particularly nice touch, and lends him a festive red colouring. Grievous was released as part of Hallmark's 2012 line, so will be hard to find in stores now - but if you do come across one, be sure to pick him up. He'll make a great addition to any Christmas tree (Star Wars-themed or otherwise!)

Star Wars Christmas Haul!

This Christmas I was a lucky enough to receive a great variety of Star Wars-themed presents thanks to my awesome parents and my partner and her mum.

I'll be posting more about each of these items over the next couple of days, but in the meantime be sure to share your own Star Wars Christmas haul by sending your pictures to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or tweeting them to @Archon_Revuge!

The Vintage Collection 3 3/4" VC42 Han Solo (Yavin Ceremony) and The Black Series 3 3/4" #18 Darth Plagueis

Yesterday I did a tour of the toy stores in my home town, and came across a couple of bargains at my local Farmers: a Vintage Collection VC42 Han Solo (Yavin Ceremony) for $11.99, and one of the highly-sought after Black Series 18 Darth Plagueis figures for $14.99.

It's the first time we've seen a Plagueis figure, and he definitely doesn't disappoint. It's a great sculpture featuring some excellent articulation and well thought-out details. The Han figure will also go well with the Yavin Ceremony Luke I picked up a few months ago.