Stormtrooper Pez Dispenser

Another Christmas present from my partner was this awesome Stormtrooper Pez dispenser.


This'll go great with my growing collection of Star Wars-themed Pez dispensers - including Chewbacca, Darth Sidious, and the Darth Vader I picked up a short while ago.

Star Wars Belt

I received some fantastic Star Wars-themed gifts this holiday season, first of which is this amazing belt from my partner.


It wasn't long ago that Star Wars clothing was extremely hard to come by in New Zealand. In recent years, however, there's been an explosion of fantastic items like this. This is the first Star Wars belt I've owned, and it goes without saying that it'll be getting a lot of wear!

Darth Vader vs. Santa Claus

Every now and then a reader will send me something that I just have to share. A short while ago, Loris from Italy did exactly this. He's part of the D-UNIT Stunt YouTube channel, and to celebrate the festive season they've put out an incredibly polished (and hilarious) video entitled "Darth Vader vs. Santa Claus". Check it out below!


D-UNIT Stunt have a bunch of great videos, so be sure to visit their channel and give them a follow. A huge thank you also goes to Loris for sending this through!

Mission Series 3 3/4" MS 07 Death Star Han Solo and Chewbacca

This year I took part in the New Zealand Post Twitter Secret Santa. The mandate was simple: spend around $10.00 on a Christmas present for a random Twitter user, and in turn you would receive a gift from another anonymous individual. Mine arrived a couple of days ago, and my thoughtful Secret Santa (whoever he or she might be) surprised me with this awesome Mission Series MS 07 Death Star Han Solo and Chewbacca!


It's a great set, featuring two of our favourite heroes from the original saga. I must say, I'm continuing to be surprised by the high quality of the sculpts on these five-points-of-articulation figures. Chewie's bowcaster is particularly detailed - the stock, bow, and sight all disassembling for easy transportation.

If my Secret Santa happens to be reading this, then thank you so much for my amazing gift!

Darth Vader Pez Dispenser

During my recent travels i found a Darth Vader Pez dispenser being sold on the Dover to Calais Ferry for £3.95 ($NZ8.05). This is an item that falls outside of my usual collecting focus, but ever since seeing Fanboys I've found Star Wars-themed Pez dispensers incredibly cool.


For some reason, they're also an item that's incredibly difficult to come across in New Zealand - so it's always hard to resist the temptation to purchase any I do find!

Disney A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back Figurine Playsets

I recently spent some time abroad, and while travelling through London I managed to track down a Disney store and pick up two of their new figurine playsets - those from A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. Unfortunately they'd sold out of the Return of the Jedi packs, so I'll soon be hunting for one of these to complete the set!


These packs retailed for £12.50 ($25.23NZ), making them an incredibly affordable way to build up a nice collection of well-detailed characters. The figures lack articulation, but their dynamic poses more than make up for this. Each figure is also mounted on a black display base - perfect for diorama building!

Vintage Poster 13 Coaster Set

Another birthday present - this time from my parents - was this tin of thirteen vintage poster coasters.


The graphics are fantastic, and draw on designs from around the world. The coasters themselves are completed with a matte finish that makes them well-suited as mini-artworks in their own right.

The Ultimate Action Figure Collection

I celebrated my birthday a couple of weeks ago, and was lucky enough to receive a copy of Stephen Sansweet's The Ultimate Action Figure Collection from my partner.


Written by the owner of the world's largest Star Wars collection, the book features photographs and details of every Star Wars figure every released at the time of publication. It's a sizable tome, and a must-have for anyone in the hobby.

The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer Released

Yes, this is now incredibly old news - but the biggest Episode VII announcements always seem to be made while I'm travelling! For those of you that might have missed it (which, lets be honest, should be absolutely no-one) the official teaser trailer for The Force Awakens was released on November 27th. You can watch it below:


Since the release, Lucasfilm has also attached names to the characters we see in the trailer. John Boyega's stormtrooper armoured figure is called "Finn", the adorable ball droid is "BB-8", Daisy Ridley's speederbike rider is "Rey", Oscar Isaac's X-Wing pilot is "Poe Dameron", and the mysterious cloaked figure in the forest is "Kylo Ren". Andy Serkis has also been confirmed as having provided the voiceover.

Insofar as teaser trailers go, this was absolutely perfect. We saw just enough of the action to get some sense of the the pensive atmosphere of The Force Awakens, but not so much as to begin ruining plot points of the movie. The decision to focus on the new cast - leaving out the old guard - was also an excellent one. It's these characters who will be leading us into the new trilogy (and perhaps even beyond), so it's only right that they're the central focus of the marketing.

I absolutely adored this trailer. There's something about the camera-work that makes this feel far more like Star Wars than anything we saw in the prequel trilogy. There's also the perfect blend of the new and old. It's clear that there are a number of exciting new elements about to be introduced to the Star Wars universe, but they all feel solidly grounded in what's come before. And lets be honest - whose eyes didn't get a little watery when the Falcon blasted onto the screen accompanied by the Star Wars fanfare?

What are your thoughts on the teaser trailer for The Force Awakens? Be sure to email them to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com, or send me a tweet at @Archon_Revuge!