New Affiliate - Far Far Away Radio

I'm very pleased to announce the addition of a brand new Relics of the Force affiliate - Far Far Away Radio. FFAR launched their website and daily blog last night, and will begin their weekly live podcast on February 24th at 9.15pm EST.

If you're after the latest news and rumours about Episode VII, then this is the podcast for you. Created by Austin Blankenship and Andrew Lupi (EUCantina.net), and co-hosted by Chris Carey (The Washington Post, EUCantina.net) and Jason Hamilton (LordoftheLightsaber.com), FFAR will offer a "fresh perspective on the upcoming Star Wars films" through "an entertaining and enthusiastic podcast that focuses on providing listeners with a positive and fun discussion".

In short, this podcast looks like it'll be all kinds of awesome. Be sure not to miss it!

First Look at Star Wars Rebels Character "Chopper"

StarWars.com has given us our first look at a new Star Wars Rebel character - a grumpy little astromech droid called "Chopper".

While the video doesn't give us any actual footage from the series, it does provide some excellent insight into the overall aesthetic we can expect from the show. The animation style looks very close to that seen in The Clone Wars (which makes sense, given the overlap in crew), but the producers seem to be doing an excellent job of drawing from the Original Trilogy for design inspiration. Chopper appears to be based on an early Ralph McQuarrie concept drawing of R2-D2 that saw release in action figure form back in 2007.

(Images courtesy of cyberneticzoo.com and Rebelscum.com)

I loved The Clone Wars, but given the OT-setting of this new show - and the classic look and feel the crew are trying to achieve - there's every chance that Star Wars Rebels could be even better.

What are your thoughts on Chopper? Are you optimistic about Rebels? Be sure to send me your thoughts at relicsoftheforce@gmail.com or tweet them to @Archon_Revuge!

Darth Vader Phone Case

This week I switched over to a new phone, giving me the chance to pick up this awesome PowerA Darth Vader phone case from Amazon.

It's a great sturdy case, and all of the detailing is molded in coloured plastic as opposed to being merely printed on. PowerA make three other cases in this line, including R2-D2, C-3PO, and Chewbacca (with real fur!). You can check them all out here.

"Hunter" T-Shirt and Star Wars Sleepwear

New Zealand K-Mart stores currently have a very cool variety of Star Wars-branded clothing in stock. Last week, my partner surprised me with a Boba Fett "Hunter" t-shirt, and on a return visit I picked up a set of retro Star Wars pyjamas for just $20.00.

Someone's gonna be sleeping in style from now on!

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.

Hallmark Keepsake "At Jabba's Mercy" and Wicket and Teebo Christmas Tree Ornaments

Over the past few years I've been building up a nice assortment of Hallmark Star Wars Christmas decorations. For my birthday this year I received two more to add to my collection:

Be sure to stay tuned for some pictures of these on the tree!

The Clone Wars Season 5 DVD

For my birthday last weekend I received a DVD copy of the fifth - and final - season of The Clone Wars.

This has been on the shelves for a month or so now. If you missed this season when it aired, I definitely recommend hunting down a copy. Season 5 features some of the best story arcs and character development of the entire series.

A Force-Filled 27th Birthday!

It was my birthday last Saturday, and after arriving back in New Zealand in the early hours of the morning my parents surprised me with this awesome cake featuring a very familiar stormtrooper...

As if that wasn't enough, I also received some great Star Wars items as gifts. I'll be blogging about each of those in the coming days, so stay tuned for updates!