Lionheart Art

 There are hundreds of film covers and posters knocking off the famous Star Wars New Hope cover art.

Here's another one, Lionheart. This one is a VHS.

That could almost be Luke and Leia on the artwork! 

Do you know of any sci fi film cover art that's a knockoff? 

Star Wars Recycling

 There's a Star Wars toy in here somewhere.

Any clue?

Got it?

I had thought it was this, mini-rig MTV 7

But I'm with Yorkie, another mini-rig, the ISP 6

Star Wars World at Shibuyu

While I watch my shirts go round and round at the local Laundromat, I'll sort some holiday snaps for you Moonbasers!

Star Wars World in Shibuya is basically an exhibition on the Ground floor of one of the big Department stores.

The full size costumes were very popular and in the Basement, was the pop-up Merchandise store!

Sadly most of the slick goods were as astronomical as their inspiration! The groovy T shirt was about £25 and the small backpacks £135!

But i did get some SW themed mini Japanese lanterns for prezzies!

May the Forsu be with you! 

 Looey

Japan

Licence to Whill - Looey's Obscure Star Wars Reference

I'll never know why George Lucas called his early draft of Star Wars "Journal of the Whills" and I guess this far on, it really doesn't matter...

So here I am in a nice little hotel in Asacusabashi Tokyo. The railway station has a big poster for a local business called Yoshitoku Dolls that makes traditionally crafted Japanese dolls.

That is, until they got a License from Lucasfilm to make traditionally Japanese themed Star Wars dolls.

Here's our favourite Sith Lord with a heavy dose of Bushido styling...

Sadly the top of the range version, with a silk painted background view of Mustafar, is already sold out.

And with a price tag north of Au$ 3,400 each, they must have made someone a nice little packet!

" I find your lack of availability disturbing..."

Looey

Oz Base in Japan

LUKE SLIPSTREAMER

Slipstream: 

My interest in this old flick was piqued by the name Mark Hamill, old Luke himself, in the cast list, so I decided to give it a whirl on You Tube.

I have this flick on big box VHS stored away. I was reminded of it in my loo library, whilst browsing through my book, the W.H. Smith Guide to Videos from the 1990's. 

The three main actors in Slipstream are: 

Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill; A L I E N S' private Hudson aka the late Bill Paxton and Jurassic Park's embattled gamekeeper to be, the late great Bob Peck.

An auspicious trio with a not-too-bad screenplay about a global wind encircling a shattered society.

Yes, Slipstream is about a post-apocalyptic world in which the dominant feature is a tremendous wind [no jokes please!] blowing across the Earth's surface, which is the slipstream of the title. 

The story follows a grizzled bounty hunter turned cop [Hamill], his equally tough female assistant [Kitty Aldridge] and a dodgy peddler [Paxton] who, along with a suited man [Peck], is the film's central figure. 

Bob Peck has the most interesting character and in a windswept world seems completely out of place with his suit and suave accent. There is more to him than meets the eye but you'll have to watch the film to find out what. There are a few interesting planes and kites too.

I enjoyed it to start with, especially the Mos Eisley-like settlement complete with cantina and music. I also liked the harder edge to Mark Hamill, a sort of older bitter Luke tinged with a little dark side. 

I did think the ramshackle plane at the heart of the film and the video sleeve was a bit weak though and lacked any screen presence. In the end I had to turn it off!

Overall it reminded me of a sort of Waterworld mixed with something like Blade Runner - lite. Sadly, apart from the initial interest of seeing a new role for Mark Hamill back with his old Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz, I found the film boring. 

I can see why it flopped back in '89. Viewing format: You Tube and PC. Score: 3 out of 10.

Have you seen Slipstream?

Ed says May The 4th Be With You

Happy Star Wars Day!

While I'm no longer big on watching TV, a couple of weeks ago I ended up binge watching Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on Disney+. 

It's a nice little kid-centric adventure series focusing on a group of kids who find themselves on a runaway starship. 

Jude Law plays a scoundrel in this one who at times helps the kids and ultimately hinders them. 

Now I'm thinking of watching Andor - uh-oh, the Dark Side has grabbed hold of me! 😄

From A Galaxy Far Far Away

Ed

The Force Just Wasn't With Them!

 

What a hoot! Star Wars A New Hope auditions! 

Over an hour of nervous readings with youthful wannabees like Kurt Russell no less and less-well known actors like William Katt, who went on to star in the cult horror movie House in 1985. Cindy Williams was already known as Shirley in the hit TV show Happy Days and Robby Benson, who I personally don't know at all.

Did George pick the right actors?

Is Star Wars like Lord of the Rings?

 I have a theory, albeit a flimsy one, that Star Wars is basically Lord of the Rings in space.

The journey of Luke, under the tutelage of Obi Wan, battling with the forces of evil and ultimately finding triumph as a Jedi against The Empower is essentially the journey of Frodo, under Gandalf's wing,  facing the powers of darkness until his ultimate victory against Sauron at the fires of Mount Doom.

OK, it leaks but here's my list of comparable characters. See what you think!

Luke - Frodo

Obi Wan - Gandalf

The Emperor - Sauron

Darth Vader - Sauron

Leia - Galadriel

Han Solo - Strider/ Aragorn

Chewie - Gimli

Can you think of any more?

Have you got a theory? Shall I just pack my lightsabre and leave for the Rebellion?

Is Zero-X bigger than the Millennium Falcon?

 Does anyone know?

RIFFING WITH THE SITH

 The Outer Realm have a cool gallery of some Star Wars knockoffs and general space toys riffing on the Lucas blockbuster.

Feel the force!

https://theouterrealmsw.com/5_and_dime_store_toys.html

Star Wars Day LOOKALIKES 2

Botcycling!

Maria becomes C3P0!

Darth Raider

The Dark Lord's famished. He's raiding the fridge.

"As usual Woodsy's eaten all the cream buns, I'd like to tear this fridge apart!"

He consults his dark side, Alexa.

"Alexa, I need some food. No. I am not your father!"

"Do you mind! I'm on the phone!"

"Deliveroo? sssss. Ah, good. I'd like Sith 'n' Chips, cut up into small chunks."

"What! no Sith!"

"I find your lack of Sith disturbing!"

"I'll have some darth chocolate then!"

Bang!

*

Star Wars Day TUCKALIKES 1

Reddit

Kenner Upcycling!

Gamorrean Guard becomes Friar Tuck!

Is there a Better Movie Opening?

...... than Star Wars, A New Hope?

Happy Star Wars day readers!

May the Fourth be with you! 

Fitzi Finds

Today I bagged a decent haul of cheap and interesting tat down at Fitzwilliam's bid Wednesday boot sale. Lots of vintage toys to be had along with knick knacks galore.

The 2005 Darth Vader Imperial Motorbike cleaned up well and once he got a DIY lightsaber in his mitt he was off! 

TH3

This space toy line is intriguing, TH3 by Italian firm Edison Giocattoli.

I've always thought TH3 was like George Lucas's first film title THX 1138.

So this TH3 helmet caught my eye online in Spain.

THUR.

The front has an C3P0 look to it.

Its the white rear that got my attention.

Looks like a motorbike helmet.

A bit like the motorbike helmet used for THX 1138!

What do you think?

THE 1978 STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL

 

It just wouldn't be Christmas without one showing of the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special!

Festive Wookie family fun and the first appearance of Boba Fett. There's cosmic prog rock and it even has Princess Leia singing Jedi carols! 

You know you want to watch it! I don't even think this is on Disney +! One and a half hours of vintage first trilogy Star Wars!

[viewers at the time on November 17th 1978 were expecting The Incredible Hulk on CBS but they got this instead!]

Enjoy and tell us what you think!

[this YouTube rendition by DJameyson]

RE-INFORCED! THE STORY OF KENNER'S RECYCLED STAR WARS TOYS

Even if you're not a Star Wars fan this is interesting for toy collectors generally.

Long time Star wars collector and writer Ron Salvatore has torn apart the Falcon to find all the Star Wars toys that Kenner up- and re- cycled. It looks old and I've no idea when it was written but I liked it a lot.

For instance, did you know that the Kenner Gamorrean Guard became their Friar Tuck? Me neither!

Its a fascinating story, so have a shufty.

http://theswca.com/images-speci/recycle/ 

I also found Ron's bio page really quite poignant, talking about his Mom and Dad and those gloriously free days of our childhoods. Even though I'm much older and British, it struck a chord, which I imagine is universal.

http://theswca.com/ron.html

Have you come across Ron Salvatore before?

IT'S RIGGED!

This CLIM extravaganza is a classic multi-wheeled monster.

Interestingly, the listing on Spain's Todocoleccion suggests that the red driver cab is somehow linked to a Star Wars Mini Rig!

What do you think?

Here's two I saw on Ebay.

Is it the MTV-7?

or ISP-6?

THE WHITE WITCH FINISHED

 With the prototype firmly in my sites, some new white paint and a cauldron of bits later, my Star Wars White Witch is done!

It was a lot of glued-fingers fun!

Double, double, droid and bubble!

See what you think.