Yoda!

Back again! I wasn't too happy with the way the previous Luke and Yoda shots turned out, so in a fit of Sunday inspiration I grabbed the figures and marched down to the park.

I much prefer this over the older one here. The tree and background looks good, and I got lucky with the lighting, and got there just as the sun had pretty much set. Also, as proof that the POTF2 Yoda figure does have legs...

One day I'll expand on it to have a swamp filthy X-Wing flying over his head whilst the John Williams score plays as loud as humanly possible over the top...

Slight Change of Tack... DINOBOT ATTACK!

As my obsessions shift every now and again, I find it hard to stick to one particular theme. And so, on a different note (but from the same album), I present... The Dinobots!

I had no choice but to start with Swoop, as he's my favourite; in fact, when I was a kid I made up a song about him. I still remember the words, but they will never be published. The G1 Swoop was impossible to find when it was out (edit: this may explain why) and I never had it, so when the Emcat got me the Transformers Animated Grimlock for Christmas, it didn't take me long to make amends...

Snarl used to be called Slag, and it's a name he's going to keep in my collection. Since the Dinobots were reduced in number for the animated line, I can understand why the moniker Snarl was used instead - it's cooler sounding, and potentially less offensive to us sensitive Brits... Don't get me wrong though, if Sludge and Slag/Snarl/whatever they call him are also re-designed/released, I'll be all over them.

Eyes Of Evil

My enduring memories of seeing Return Of The Jedi for the first time are of Endor, specifically the speeder bike chase and the Ewok tree village. However, given how young I must've been when that happened, I'm amazed I didn't have anything from Jabba's Palace seared into my brain, Bib Fortuna in particular. The red eyes, the tailed head, clawed fingers and creepy way he touches up R2 - although I guess he loses his air of maelovence when we encounter Jabba, and realise ol' Bib's actually a weak-minded fool...

This is the second picture I've got up here with Boba Fett relegated to the background - I think he'll have to take centre stage at some point.

It's Cold Outside

One of the reasons I love the POTF2 line, besides the enormous nostalgia and younger wish fulfilment (see the Dewback post), is that you can get most of this line really pretty cheap - such as this Luke my girlfriend picked up for me from a clearance store where he was hanging out in the window with Han Solo and Count Dooku. And then there's charity shops, and car boots... It's almost enough to make me give up my eBay account. But not quite.

Nice and Easy...

The Special Editions were the defining cinematic experience of my youth, even more so than Jurrasic Park. Having had the theatrical versions on VHS, I was as excited as I would've been on blue Smarties about the new and updated content. Case in point - Jabba checking on Han in Mos Eisley. Not a bad scene, makes Greedo's appearance (and demise) a little more unnecessary, but then at the end, we get Boba Fett doing a final sweep and stare into the camera. Geek rejoice!