The Northern Lights

Lyra Silvertongue and Pantalaimon, how do you fare? I'm considering a new niche in toy photography, the oft underlooked and under-priced Golden Compass line. I think I'm hitting a literary mood for the summer anyway, this looks like a nice crossover of interests...

This was taken in February, when we had the snow. As unpredictable as the UK climate is, snow in May would be a bit too much...

EDIT: Sorry for the terribly small lo-res image, hopefully the picture looks a little better now. Basically, I tried to upload it directly from my phone using the Blogger app. I've had countless issues with that app, including a post I can't delete which is showing on my phone as 'publishing', and now it's compressing images badly. The upshot is: uninstalled!

Friends Reunited

TVC Yavin Ceremony Han Solo arrived last week, and what a figure it is! Most likely my favourite of the new style figures I've been acquiring, and I'm sure that's due to more than just novelty - it's a sturdy figure, a good sculpt with crisp detailing, and it's several hundred miles better than the POTF2 version I had been using. Plus, put him together with Chewie and you have an instant smuggler display!

An updated Leia and C-3PO to go before I have definitive versions of all the main characters; a Stormtrooper, Tusken Raider, Jawa and Death Star Commander to go until the original 12 update is complete... I'll probably cool my boots for a little while and enjoy what I've got, but it's nice to have focus!

Tatooine Days

And right on cue, we're getting our late-May heatwave here in the UK. In between bouts of sweating and drinking lots of water I've been working on a couple of films, and by chance, for two nights only have the opportunity to use a Canon 600D with a couple of lenses. I couldn't let the chance pass without getting some toy shots...

I also couldn't resist the opportunity to retake one of my favourite shots (top, and you can see the original here), and as always it was fun to photograph Kenobi. Of course, I also recreated the very scene I built this set-piece for... Well, if you apply a little imagination!

"Well of course I know him - he's me!"

The Mighty Chewbacca

 It took me long enough, but for the first time since probably the early 90's, I have a Chewbacca! I've gotta say that I love the face and sculpt on this guy, the more I look at it the more I like. While I'm still needing a decent Han I figured I'd take Chewie back to his Kashyyyk roots...

Bunker Command

Lieutenant Renz and the troops of Tempest Force had killed nearly 300 Ewoks and other such life-forms on Endor's Sanctuary Moon since the construction of the shield generator, and the sport had started to become tiresome. 'If only', thought Renz, 'the locals would fight back with a bit more spirit...'

Darth Vader

Darth Vader (TAC) is my most recently acquired modern loose figure. I gotta say that given the sculpt, posability and sheer fun of this guy, it's a wonder that I didn't get into the super-articulated figures sooner. Whilst I still work out the best way to light photographs the detail might not quite come across, but rest assured, it's there!

There's another reason why this figure is so good - remember the POTF2 Darth Vader with removable helmet? Well, that seems to come as standard now:

Look at that scarred mug and tell me Obi-Wan isn't badass...

Bad Dad!

In a sterling week I obtained new (well, recent) and super-articulated versions of Darth Vader and Chewbacca for less than six English pounds. Result! This means I've been cracking out my Death Star backdrop, and I now have a pretty spectacular ANH themed display going on on my shelf. Expect pictures soon, but in the meantime here's the dark lord of the Sith (remember when that title meant something mysterious and cool rather than being all goofy and explainable?), doing what he does best on completed Death Stars - killing old Jedi who're on suicide missions...

Star Wars Day

May the Fourth be with you!

The New Hope!

On Sunday I went shopping at my local discount store, where my girlfriend spotted an ROTS re-issue of the 'all new likeness' Princess Leia, packaged with a plastic cup, for the paltry price of £4. After purchasing and opening said figure, I knew it was finally time to open my ANH Blu-Ray Commemorative Pack.

I was not disappointed.

The sculpting and posability on these figures is second to none, especially for a seasoned (former) POTF2 collector as myself. Luke looks like Luke, Ben Kenobi is incredibly accurate and the Sandtrooper is the boss, completely. Even the R2-D2, which I thought would be the weakest of the four, has a nifty action feature whereby you twist his dome and his sensor pops out; and that's on top of a superb sculpt and crisp, clean paint apps. I don't think there's any going back now...

Given the increase to my ANH principal cast, it meant I was finally able to better utilise my Death Star walls, and get my own version of that classic promo shot...

The Leia and Han are nice place fillers, but they really pale in comparrison (literally with the Han, he's from the Jabba pack and his skin is almost green). Time to upgrade the POTF2s, no?

Finally, sorry it's been a while between posts, but college work, film-making and other projects have taken over. My comic/writing/film-making blog is now up and running at http://dopemeat.wordpress.com; take a look if you have a spare couple of minutes!