The Star Wars Identities Exhibition (Sydney, Australia)

A few months ago my wife and I moved to Sydney, Australia - just in time to catch the Star Wars Identities Exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum. Unlike the Power of Costume display we caught in Florida (which focussed exclusively on screen-used costumes) this exhibit features an additional range of concept art, maquettes, and - most exciting for me - model starships.

As the name suggests, the exhibition centres around the many influences that comprise our personal identities. Guests use an electronic wristband to interact with ten digital stations throughout the exhibit - each of which invites them to make decisions about what kind of person (or alien) they'd be in that galaxy far, far away. At the end of the tour, each guest's Star Wars alter-ego is projected on a screen for all to see.

Unfortunately, the 'identities' activity was a little underwhelming. Each guest's final character really ends up being a combination of only two choices - the costume (of which there were about a dozen options) and head type (of which there were around the same number). It would have been great if some of the other identity choices had an effect, making for a more unique avatar - but lets be honest, no-one came to this exhibition for the interactive component. The real attraction here were the gorgeous, screen-used costumes and props. And these certainly didn't fail to disappoint.

The Star Wars: Identities exhibition will next be at Warehouse TERRADA in Tokyo, Japan from August 8, 2018 to January 13, 2020. More locations and dates are expected to be announced after this, and can be found on the official website of the exhibition.

Loose Vintage Collection and Black Series 3 3/4" Figures

As of late, it's been slow going as a Star Wars collector. The last few years saw the return - then ultimate demise - of my favourite line of Star Wars collectibles. My wife and I have tried to dabble in some newer lines, specifically Micro Force and the Xcavations Creature Crates. Sadly, the first of these proved impossible to find after the first two waves, while the latter was cancelled outright only shortly after hitting stores. There's always been the stalwart 3 3/4" line, however - at least, until recently. Apart from one lucky sighting of a single case of Wave 4 figure in my New Zealand hometown, I've seen nothing but racks of Wave 1 figures since the line's relaunch fourteen months ago. This same glut of stock also meant we never saw the third (and arguably most interesting) wave of Solo figures. With nothing new in stores, then, my attention has instead turned to filling gaps in my collection - specifically, super-articulated Original Trilogy figures from the Vintage Collection and Black Series 3 3/4" lines.

 

In recent weeks, I've managed to stumble across some great deals on eBay, picking up the Vintage Collection VC04 Luke Skywalker (Bespin Fatigues), VC55 Logray (Ewok Medicine Man), VC57 Dr. Evazan (Cantina Patron), VC88 Princess Leia (Sandstorm Outfit), VC111 Princess Leia, VC 112 Sandtrooper, Stemzee (from the Ewok Assault Catapult set), as well as the Black Series Princess Leia Organa. I also managed to scoop a Power of the Force IT-O Interrogation Droid to complement my cadre of Imperials.

Here's hoping that Hasbro will soon fix its distribution issues. In the meantime, however, I'm incredibly grateful to have the secondary market as a way of scratching my collecting itch!

Special Modifications - The Vintage Collection Imperial Scanning Crew Stormtrooper

The philosophy behind the Special Modifications feature is simple: to make small enhancements to 3 3/4" figures while remaining faithful to their original store-bought aesthetics.

Today's project involved making a few tiny improvements to the stormtrooper from the Vintage Collection Imperial Scanning Crew Special Action Figure Set. For me, this has always been the definitive stormtrooper figure. Not only is he wonderfully detailed and articulated, but he also comes with a couple of features not seen on any other version of this character - most notably, a pair of binders and a removable comlink.

Before (left) and after (right).

For this figure, only two changes were needed: the addition of some black paint to the soles of the boots, and the inclusion of the missing thermal detonator (which I had going spare from my recently upgraded sandtrooper figure). Now he's ready to take on all kinds of Rebelscum!

Special Modifications - The Black Series #07 Biker Scout

The philosophy behind the Special Modifications feature is simple: to make small enhancements to 3 3/4" figures while remaining faithful to their original store-bought aesthetics.

Sometimes it takes the tiniest improvement to make an otherwise great figure even better. Today it was my Black Series #07 Biker Scout. This version of the character is a near-perfect figure, save for those horrible black joint stripes through the shoulder pads.

Before (left) and after (right).

It's hard to understand why Hasbro didn't simply use white hinges - but fortunately it's an easy fix. A few thin coats of Model Masters Gloss White, and the figure looks a million times better!

Kinder Surprise The Force Awakens Bust Launchers

Kinder Surprise are no strangers to weird Star Wars toys, and its seems they've done it again. This time around, they've released a small series of Force Awakens-themed busts. I picked up my first of these while back in Houston, then received another couple from my parents for Easter.

In total, I pulled three unique characters - C-3PO, FN-2199, and R2-D2. Each bust comes with a small disc projectile that can be launched from the base and a small cardboard 'foe' for target practice. In total, there are eight characters in the set: the three above, as well as BB-8, Captain Phasma, Finn, Kylo Ren, and Rey.

Special Modifications - The Legacy Collection BD32 Spacetrooper

The philosophy behind the Special Modifications feature is simple: to make small enhancements to 3 3/4" figures while remaining faithful to their original store-bought aesthetics.

Yellowing plastic is the bane of all collectors. Despite our best efforts to keep figures from sunlight, smoke, and other environmental factors, many white plastics will inevitably turn that sickly shade. I've previously addressed this problem on my Vintage Collection R2-D2 and Legacy Collection Sandtrooper by incorporating the yellowed plastic into a wider 'weathering' of the entire figure. Unfortunately, I'm not able to do the same with the abdomen of my Legacy Collection BD32 Spacetrooper - so I had to come up with a different strategy.

Before (left) and after (right).

While bleaching is always an option, it's not something I'm yet brave enough to do with my figures. So I opted for something a little less extreme - covering the affected areas with several thin coats of Model Masters Gloss White. Fortunately, the gloss matches well with the rest of the figure's armour and completely removes the unsightly yellowing below!

Funko Pop! #292 Baby Nippet Bobblehead

My wife's carefully curated collection of Funko Pop! figures grew recently with her second Star Wars addition - Baby Nippet. While intended to be a Target exclusive, we were lucky enough to stumble across one at our local EB Games here in Sydney.

Seated in an adorable basket and finished with soft flocking, this Nippet hands-down wins the award for cutest Star Wars Funko yet!