Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume Exhibition (St. Petersburg, FL)

While visiting family in Florida this week, I got wind of a Star Wars exhibition going on in nearby St. Petersburg. A little investigation found that it was the Smithsonian Institute's Star Wars and the Power of Costume - a display of over 60 original screen-used costumes from throughout the Star Wars saga. Fortunately, I got a chance to check it out on my last day in town.

I really had no idea what to expect going into this exhibition. And now, having seen it, I'm still struggling to put into words the impact of actually seeing these iconic pieces in person. So instead, I'm just going to let these phenomenal photos taken by my fiancée do the talking...

Star Wars and the Power of Costume is at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida until April 1st 2018. After that, it'll be wrapping up its four-year tour at the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit, Michigan from May 20th to September 30th 2018. The exhibition is simply a must-see for any fan of the saga - so if you happen to be anywhere near these locations, be sure to check it out!

The Hunt is On - Force Link 3 3/4" Wave 3 Figures Now Entertainment Earth Exclusives

In a surprising turn of events, Entertainment Earth this morning announced that they have secured the exclusive rights to distribute the third wave of 3 3/4" Force Link Last Jedi action figures (including C'ai Threnalli, the Flame Trooper, and the Finn vs. Phasma 2-pack) in the US.

(Image courtesy of Entertainment Earth)

In all honesty, this is incredibly frustrating news. While store exclusives may be common in other lines, five-point-of-articulation figures have always had the blessing of being widely available. Further, Entertainment Earth's inflated pricing ($10.99US instead of the $7.99 MSRP for individual figures, and $17.99US instead of the $14.99 MSRP for the two-pack) combined with its shipping fees will see collectors paying around 55% more ($47.92US versus $30.97US) for these three items than they would in an ordinary brick-and-mortar store. In light of this, I'll be passing on these 'exclusives' and removing them from my Force Link hunt list.

The Hunt Is On - Force Link 3 3/4" Wave 2 Figures Found

After an early false alarm all the way back in October, the second wave of Force Link 3 3/4" Last Jedi figures has finally turned up in my local vicinity. There were four figures from this wave on my hunt list - DJ (Canto Bight), General Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker (Jedi Exile), and R2-D2. Fortunately, I was able to pick up all of them in the last couple of weeks.

Despite the limited articulation and unnecessary Force Link gimmick, this second wave of figures is further evidence of just how good Hasbro's sculpting process is becoming. R2 uses the reliable build-a-droid mould from a few years ago, meaning that he can be completely disassembled and combined with other droids from that line. All three human likenesses are spot-on, with Leia and Luke being particular standouts. Each of these figures comes with a screen-used accessory, as well as some sort of removable soft plastic outer-ware. In fact, Hasbro's plastic sculpting of soft goods is becoming so good, it's starting to aesthetically outshine the fabric soft goods of the higher-priced Black Series line.

The best part about this wave, however, is that it finally gives us a Leia in the basic 5POA line. Astonishingly, this is the first appearance she's made since the advent of the sequel trilogy era. It's great to see Hasbro finally remedying this glaring omission.

Force Link 3 3/4" Ski Speeder

One good thing about having a very short lead time between Star Wars movies is that it doesn't give stores long to clear out stock. In the prequel era, retailers had a solid three years to get rid of a movie's merchandise. Now they barely have a few months. For collectors, this means some great clearance details - like the rathtar I recently acquired. The ski speeder is another case of this.

I was largely indifferent to this vehicle when it was first released, but after seeing The Last Jedi I fell in love. Unfortauntely, the $89.99NZ price tag was incredibly discouraging. Recently however, Target had them on clearance for a much more reasonable $18.98US ($26.35NZ) each - and that was an offer I couldn't refuse.

The first thing you notice about this vehicle is just how darn big it is. The box belies its true size, largely because the vehicle ships broken into two pieces. If it's not exactly 1:1 scale with a regular 3 3/4" figure, then it's awfully close - and that's great to see. Not only is it big, but it's packed with fantastic features too. The one concession to playability is the handle on the lower side - but this is perfectly incorporated into the stabiliser and doesn't detract from the aesthetics of the vehicle one bit. Pull a trigger on the handle, and two missiles (again, discretely concealed into the engine greeblies) will fire. Depress another button on the top of the engine, and the starboard wing will 'blast' off battle-damage style. The whole engine canopy is removable, in fact - giving you further options for displaying damage, or setting up a maintenance diorama. The ski speeder also features a pair of fold-down landing gear so she can nestle somewhere safe between battles. Perhaps my favourite feature, however - and one that isn't even given a call-out on the box - is the tiny working seatbelt used to hold a figure securely in the cockpit.

Speaking of figures: the ski speeder comes with one of the nicest Poe Dameron figures we've seen yet. It's a spot-on likeness, and he features some great details like a rubberised jacket, working holster, and removable headset.  So far, this version of Poe is exclusive to this set - which is interesting, given that it's his most iconic outfit from The Last Jedi. Nevertheless, that makes him something of a must-have for 3 3/4" collectors, so he's a very welcome bonus with this vehicle.

You might think I have only praise for this set. And you're right. I really can't fault a thing. Hasbro have done a phenomenal job in translating this vehicle from film to plastic, creating a piece that plays well and displays wonderfully. It might not have the bang-to-buck ratio of the A-Wing, but it's definitely worth the money on clearance!

Force Link 3 3/4" Rathtar and Bala-Tik

I've been patiently waiting for a 3 3/4" Bala-Tik ever since adding the Guavian Enforcer to my collection back in 2016. Unfortunately, when he finally did turn up, it was as a pack-in with the Force Link rathtar. I don't really have any interest in this creature, and with an MSRP of $39.99NZ, it was a purchase I simply couldn't justify. I made a deal with myself, however: if I ever found the set retailing for less than I'd pay for the single-carded figure, I'd pick it up. Recently, that deal paid off when Amazon dropped their stock of rathtars down to the incredibly low price of $6.91US ($9.59NZ).

Bala-Tik comes with his screen-used blaster rifle, and is a fairly unassuming figure. But that's fine with me. His main job is to fill a character gap in my Force Awakens display, and he performs that role satisfactorily. One complaint with my particular figure is that he suffers from some severe bowing in his legs, though hopefully this is something that a little hot / cold water treatment will be able to fix.

It might seem that, at this price, the rathtar is just a nice added extra - but as my fiancée so eloquently put it, "that thing's not a bonus, it's a burden". The rathtar takes up an enormous amount of display space for very little aesthetic return. It might look passable from a distance, but up close it's a complete disaster. I thought the tentacles would be molded from some sort of bendable rubber-covered wire, but instead they're hard plastic fixed in a single pose. Further, each tentacle plugs into one specific hole - making assembly and reassembly a real pain. You might wonder why you'd need to be reassembling the rathtar, but that's just the thing: the slightest amount of movement or play will see at least one of the tentacles ejecting itself from its mount. The body itself is a completely hollow rubber orb that very much resembles the kind of thing you'd see in the dog chew-toy aisle. Even the Force Link chip has been added without any real consideration for design - being placed behind a glaringly obvious square flap on the very top of the creature instead of subtly tucked away on its underbelly as you might expect.

Don't get me wrong. I'm perfectly happy with my seven dollar Bala-Tik. I just believe the less that's said about his pack-in companion, the better.

The Last Jedi Incredible Cross-Sections and Visual Dictionary

Back in 1999, my grandmother surprised me with the Incredible Cross-Sections and Visual Dictionary books for Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Over the following days and weeks I eagerly lapped every last detail contained in those books - my 12-year-old mind was blown at the depth of the universe that existed behind that movie. Since then I've made a habit of picking up the latest editions of these volumes whenever a Star Wars film is released. The Last Jedi was no different.

This edition of Incredible Cross-Sections is once again brimming with gorgeous hand-drawn cut-aways of every imaginable vehicle and starship from The Last Jedi. Accompanied by a raft of technical details and specifications, the book should - as usual - prove fascinating to both fans of the saga and of spacecraft engineering more generally. The Visual Dictionary encompasses a slightly wider scope, featuring high-quality photos of every imaginable character, costume, and prop from the film - making it a must-have resource for any cosplayer. Each image is also accompanied by fascinating call outs and trivia, enriched along the way by author Pablo Hidalgo's famously dry wit.

I managed to secure both Incredible Cross-Sections and Visual Dictionary for the incredibly low preorder prices of $13.78US ($18.99NZ) and $11.36US ($15.65) respectively - but you can still find them both on Amazon.com for not a lot more than that.

The Last Jedi Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

One thing I may have failed to mention during my effusive praise of The Last Jedi is its score. But maybe I didn't need to. With the return of John Williams as composer, it goes without saying that the music in this film is beyond reproach. That's why I didn't hesitate to pick up the Target exclusive soundtrack (featuring two collectible art cards) as soon as I spotted it in stores.

There's a real sense of what's come before in the Last Jedi soundtrack. In fact, it might very well feature more callbacks to the original trilogy than any prequel or sequel trilogy score that's come before. There are a number of samplings of classic character themes, as well as a few surprises - like the use of "TIE Fighter Attack" from A New Hope. There's also plenty of links to The Force Awakens, with "Rey's Theme" and the "March of the Resistance" featuring prominently throughout. At the same time, however, Williams also explores some intriguing new musical avenues.

Every new Star Wars film tends to add one particularly iconic piece to the orchestral oevre of the saga. The Phantom Menace had "Duel of the Fates", Revenge of the Sith had "Battle of the Heroes", and for The Last Jedi, it's "The Rebellion is Reborn" - a wonderful Disney-esque theme that adds some great levity to what is, at times, an incredibly dark film. There are some other great new tunes, too. "Canto Bight" features fantastic new in-universe orchestration reminiscent of the cantina from A New Hope, and in "The Spark", we finally get what might be considered Luke's theme - a powerful, triumphant variant of the Imperial March.

Regardless of where the saga has gone over the years - or how the films have been received by audiences - John Williams scores have never faltered. This soundtrack for The Last Jedi is simply further testament to this fact. It's my sincere hope that we see Williams contribute at least one more score for Episode IX before he decides to call it a day.

Episode VIII: The Last Jedi Premiere (December 2017)

At 7.00pm on December 14th 2017, my fiancée and I headed along to the release of what is - somewhat unbelievably - the eighth installment (and ninth theatrical release) in the Star Wars saga. I always like to let a new Star Wars film sink in for a few weeks before writing up my thoughts, and after a second viewing this afternoon, I'm satisfied that my first impression was the right one: Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi is one hell of a movie.

From Luke's very first scene in the film, one thing becomes very clear: This isn't going to go the way we think. Unpredictability is the order of the day here, and The Last Jedi pulls no punches when it comes to subverting audience expectations. I'd done my best to avoid the rampant theorising in the two years since The Force Awakens, but my fiancée and I had been unable to avoid the occasional late-night discussion about how we thought The Last Jedi might play out. It turns out, of course, that all of our speculations were for naught - and I love this film for that very reason.

Never have I been so surprised by a Star Wars film. If The Force Awakens is a warm blanket of familiar nostalgia, then The Last Jedi is its maverick antithesis. But that's a good thing. The wildly different approaches these two films take to the Star Wars universe causes them to complement - not detract from - each other. The characters characters established in The Force Awakens are now taken through meaningful arcs full of failure, despair, and growth. At the same time, legacy characters - characters whose arcs we might have thought complete - face new challenges that see them develop and rise beyond the heroes we grew up with. Along the way, we're also introduced to a raft of wonderful new characters (Kelly Marie Tran's Rose and Laura Dern's Vice Admiral Holdo are particular standouts) who further enrich the Star Wars universe.

Its hard to say more without giving too much away. But rest assured that - despite its subversions - The Last Jedi still retains all of the elements we've come to love about Star Wars: a thrilling story, fascinating new worlds, and some of the most gorgeous visuals we've ever seen in a Star Wars film. Johnson also manages to inject an incredible amount of humour into the proceedings. In fact, The Last Jedi may oddly be both the funniest and the saddest Star Wars film to date. I'm rapt to hear that Lucasfilm has entrusted Johnson with an entirely new trilogy of Star Wars films. If this is what the saga looks like under his direction, then the universe is safe indeed.

So what did you think of The Last Jedi? Did you attend a premiere? If so, how did it go? Be sure to let us know via Facebook or Twitter, or by sending an email to relicsoftheforce@gmail.com!