Gareth Edwards to Direct First Star Wars Spin-Off Film

StarWars.com today announced that Godzilla director Gareth Edwards will be directing the first Star Wars spin-off film set for release on December 16th 2016.

(Image courtesy of Yahoo.com)

Gary Whitta, the writer of After Earth and The Book of Eli, has also signed on to provide the screenplay. There's no hint yet as to what the focus of the film will be, but more details are sure to follow soon. Stay tuned for updates!

"Force for Change" Video Gives First Glimpse of Episode VII Set

Just over an hour ago StarWars.com posted a video announcing the new charitable initiative "Star Wars: Force for Change" - a collaboration between Disney, Lucasfilm, and Bad Robot. To kick off the project, Force for Change is looking to raise funds for the UNICEF Innovation Labs by offering fans the chance to be in Star Wars Episode VII. As if that wasn't exciting enough, the video also gives us our first official glimpse of one of the sets of the film.

The creature we see part way through the video is certainly new, but one thing is for sure - that looks a hell of a lot like a Tatooine marketplace!

The Birth of a Trooper - A Trrooper is Born!

With the addition of the thermal detonator, my suit of The Empire Strikes Back stormtrooper armour is now complete! You can check out a permanent gallery of images on the Stormtrooper Armour page, and follow the project from start to finish by checking out the Birth of a Trooper feature.

This hasn't been a one-man project, and it seems only apt to take this opportunity to thank everyone else involved. First up is Jon - who provided me with an amazing suit of Oota Goota Armour, thereby making a childhood dream come true. If you're looking to build your own suit, I can't recommend his work highly enough. Be sure to drop him (user name OotaGoota) a line over at the SWNZ Message Boards. Next up is Freddy, who supplied the awesome belt and leather holster. His workmanship is impeccable, and again highly recommended. You can find him on the SWNZ Message Boards as well (user name Fredstar). A huge thank you also goes to Matt, who donated a spare pair of ESB handplates.

The suit has turned into something of a family affair - my mum allowing me to make full use of her sewing skills, and my dad providing helpful advice right throughout the build process (including a suggestion for the webbing that saved me dozens of man-hours). They're also the pair behind all of the awesome work-in-progress photos you've been seeing over these last few months.

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone else over at the SWNZ Message Boards for your comments, suggestions, and encouragement throughout the build. I never would have had the motivation to complete such a huge project without all of your support!

The Birth of a Trooper - Thermal Detonator

This week I've been tinkering away on the final piece of my stormtrooper armour - the thermal detonator. The reason this part has taken so long is due to the difficulty I had finding a piece of PVC pipe with the right diameter. My local hardware stores weren't able to help, but fortunately MattG over at Star Wars New Zealand had an extra piece lying around that he generously sent through to me.

Another difficulty was working out the simplest way to obtain some metal clips for affixing the detonator to the belt. Matt came to the rescue again, suggesting I pick up some cheap tape measures and pilfer the belt clips from those. With all of the parts in hand, I was finally ready to make a start. The first job was to cut the PVC pipe to length and drill holes for the belt clips. Then it was time to give the PVC pipe a couple of coats of paint - the same grey colour as the buttons on the abdomen of the suit.

Once that was done, it was just a matter of screwing on the belt clips and gluing on the control panel and end caps using some good old E6000 glue.

With the thermal detonator finished, my suit of stormtrooper armour is now (finally!) complete. Be sure to keep an eye on the Stormtrooper Armour section of this blog for a new round of armour photos soon!

Vintage Collection 3 3/4" VC98 Grand Moff Tarkin and VC100 Starkiller (Vader's Apprentice)

On Monday I dropped into my local Toyworld store and discovered that they were getting rid of their old Vintage Collection figures at a ridiculously cheap price. Normally selling for $24.99 each, these figures were now two for $12.99. Most were peg-warmers, but among the mix I managed to find a Grand Moff Tarkin and - most surprisingly of all - a lone Starkiller.

I'm particularly excited about the Starkiller figure. He made it on to my Hunt List some time ago, but - given his rarity, and the exorbitant price he was demanding on the second-hand market - I soon resigned myself to going without. It's nice to finally have one to add to my collection!

Saga Legends 3 3/4" SL08 Shock Trooper

A few weeks ago my mum came across this Saga Legends Shock Trooper reduced from $19.99 to $5.00 on account of his damaged packaging.

As a habitual opener, this damage certainly didn't bother me. This is also the first five-points-of-articulation figure to be added to my collection, and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised at the detailing. He'll make a great addition to my Order 66 display!

The Birth of a Trooper - Mobile Trooper

With my Stormtrooper armour now largely complete (apart from the thermal detonator - stay tuned for an update on that soon), my attention's now turned to finding a way of getting the suit from A to B. While I was in the US I picked up an awesome helmet bag from TrooperBay.com. For the rest of the armour, I'll be using a white plastic storage tub I picked up for $25.00 from my local Warehouse store. I've added a couple of black Imperial cog decals to it (also from Trooperbay), so it's now looking suitably Imperial.

Together, the bag and tub will give me an easy (and relatively cheap) way of getting my armour to and from troops. They don't look too bad either!

Star Wars Rebels Trailer Released

A couple of days ago, StarWars.com released the first official trailer for the upcoming Star Wars Rebels series.

The more I see of this series, the more excited I get. As I've mentioned before, this is largely due to the strong cues Rebels is taking from the aesthetics of the Original Trilogy and the concept artwork of Ralph McQuarrie. By the looks of this trailer, the series will also be hearkening back to some of the central themes of the classic films. I, for one, can't wait to see more!

What are your thoughts on the first Rebels trailer? Be sure to send me your thoughts at relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or tweet them to @Archon_Revuge!

Star Wars Episode VII Cast Announced

So I get on a plane for thirteen hours and happen to miss the biggest Episode VII that's yet to be released. On the 29th April StarWars.com posted an announcement of the cast for the next installment in the Star Wars saga along with this incredible image.

(Image courtesy of starwars.com)

Yes, that's Mark Hamill (Luke Sywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) hanging out with Writer/Director/Producer J.J. Abrams, Lucasfilm President and Producer Kathleen Kennedy, and Producer Bryan Burk. Also announced as returning - but not in the above picture - is Kenny Baker (R2-D2). These familiar faces will be joined by new cast members John Boyega, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, Andy Serkis, and Max von Sydow.

As far as casting announcements go, this couldn't have been better. It's fantastic to see almost the entire original cast returning (with the notable omission of Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian) along with a group of fresh new faces that will hopefully continue the franchise long into the future.

What are your thoughts on the Episode VII casting announcement? Be sure to send them to me at relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or tweet them to @Archon_Revuge!