ImperialHolocron

Wizard World Philadelphia

2007-06-18T14:35:00.000-05:00

I attended Wizard World Philly on Friday the 15th with Joe K. and had a good time. This year the hours were shorter for Friday, they were only open from Noon till 6:00PM.

I probably could have used a couple more hours to do some more digging but I spent enough cash so it probably worked out for the better.

Highlights include scoring the new Gentle Giant Zuckuss bust for $35 and attending the Mega Movie Panel put on by the Wizard crew.

I have several more photos and a complete write-up that I'll get to later.

Celebration IV Wrap-up

2007-06-11T16:28:00.000-05:00

I've posted all of my photos and written some wrap-up articles for Celebration IV. You can find the link off the main page or go directly to the Celebration IV Coverage page.

The last two articles I'm finishing up are a listing of store and floor exclusive merchandise as well as some of the free swag that was available during the weekend. I should have them up in a couple of days.

Also, now that CIV is over, I'm going to use the blog page to cover other events such as this week's Wizard World Philadelphia show. So, stop back for show coverage or hit the main site page for all you Star Wars collecting information!

CIV Swag!

2007-05-31T16:44:00.000-05:00

There were a ton of free items to be had at Celebration IV if you knew where to look. After running around the floor Thursday, several of us got together and came up with a list to help us out for the rest of the weekend.

All of the stuff you see in the photo was picked up for free from the various booths on the convention floor.

Items ranged from Hasbro collector coins, cardbacks and the Collector Panel medallions to Del Rey's novel, "Betrayal." Post cards, autographed photos, patches, pins, cards and posters were just some of the items out there.

Sunday Wrap-up

2007-05-28T02:24:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the final big day at CIV as I'm expecting the crowds to be much smaller Monday.

Sunday was fun, however, as I kicked it off with an autograph from Anthony Daniels.

Also caught "Star Wars in 30 Minutes" and several panels in the collecting track room. The Droid Builders room was a fun stop during the day as well.

We ended the day with the PSWCS members getting together for dinner at the Holiday Inn.

Pre Celebration Fun

2007-05-24T01:48:00.000-05:00

Although the movie marathon was today it wasn't an official con day. That did not, however, stop plenty of info getting out.

If you have been reading Rebelscum and other sites you know about the new offerings from Hasbro, including the much asked for hyperdrive ring for our Jedi Starfighters!

We should have photos online later.

The movie marathon was a blast! I made it through the first five movies but hunger forced me out before Jedi aired. It was a great way to kick off the weekend.

Plenty of stars were in town today including Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Jeremy Bulloch. Not to mention three PSWCS stars.

We're Home!

2007-05-29T22:51:00.000-05:00

Finally back in NY after a long week at Celebration IV.

I have a huge amount of photos and video to arrange and upload so I'll be busy doing that the rest of this week.

Be sure to stop by for that along with updates on the various panels, exclusives, toys and general goings on at Celebration!

Day 3. Already?

2007-05-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

I can' t believe it has already been three days of CIV and we still have two to go!

Filled up most of the day with the PSWCS booth but I did manage to make two panels in the collecting track room, even scored one of the medallions.

Room sales were Friday night at the Wilshire Grand. There were plenty of cool items including vintage carded, vintage and modern pre-production and bootlegs.

The autograph hall was in full swing as well with Anthony Daniels and Carrie Fisher being two of the busiest.

More free swag was handed out at the various dealer booths such as Hasbro's coin and cardbacks.

Due to time constraints and a late start I didn't get to see much of the Fanboys presentation...but, did I mention how hot Kristin Bell is?

But I digress.

I had some problems uploading photos but I will keep trying. keep an eye on the file dates for current postings in the CIV Photos directory.

More New Photos

2007-05-26T09:53:00.000-05:00

More New Photos Posted

I posted several new photos to the CIV folder.

Check them out.

Fanboys

2007-05-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday at CIV we had the chance to see a sneak preview of the new movie Fanboys.

The story is about a set of friends that, in late 1998, set off to break into Skywalker Ranch to see The Phantom Menace before it is released in theaters.

The film is going to be hilarious!! I expected to see about 15 minutes of footage but they treated us to nearly 45 minutes of clips.

From the actors to the script to the awesome cameos, the film had the crowd chearing and laughing.

I'm going to try today to go to the discussion panel to see what else the director, producers and actors have to say about the film. More info later and definitely when I get home. For now I'll leave you with two words: Kristen Bell....HOT!

Hasbro

2007-05-25T02:55:00.000-05:00

It was mentioned on RS.com what we're gonna see later this year but today we got to see them.

The McQuarrie Obi-Wan, Yoda, Han and Snowtrooper are insane!

There is even an exclusive concept General Grievous on the way as well as a SDCC exclusive Shadow Scout Trooper on speederbike.

The hyperdrive ring is huge and should be well worth the price.

Some of the battle packs that are coming look nice even for re-pack figures.

Don't forget to take a look at the raw photos at:
www.imperialholocron.com/c4photos

Sideshow

2007-05-25T02:53:00.000-05:00

Sideshow is showing off some incredible items in ther booth including an all-new OT Obi-Wan Kenobi!

The new holo Sidious on walker is also on display.

One of the nicest 1:6 figures is the Asajj Ventress, I can't wait for that to ship.

Let the games begin

2007-05-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

Joe and I are in L.A.!

We got in about 9:30 local time. Other than a little drama getting to the Philly airport everything is looking good.

More updates later.

Celebration IV is here!

2007-05-20T15:02:00.000-05:00

This will be the last update before we leave for Celebration IV. Our flight leaves Philly at 7:00am on Tuesday.

We are all set to bring updates from the con floor, including photos.

Look for a new update Tuesday night from LA and con updates on Wdnesday and Thursday.

Multiple Updates

2007-05-14T23:30:00.000-05:00

The updates are coming fast and furious on StarWars.com as we get closer to the convention.

With all of the running around I have to do between now and when we leave I don't have time to post every detail of the panels and events. So, check out the Celebration IV section of StarWars.com for the most recent information.

I'll have some updates between now and when we leave but definitely make sure to stop back beginning Tuesday, May 22nd for updates from LA.

Acme Archives Tarkin Character Key Pre-Order

2007-05-09T08:27:00.000-05:00

Acme Archives will be joining the pre-order bandwagon for their Celebration IV exclusive Grand Moff Tarkin Character Key.

They will offer 200 keys for people not attending the convention. This will be followed by a pre-order for attendees of the convention and will be available for pickup at the Acme booth.

Any keys not sold in the two pre-order events will be at the Acme booth for walk-up customers to purchase.

Fan Club Breakfast

2007-05-09T08:24:00.000-05:00

I didn't get this post up in time, which kind of sucks, but last Friday night they announced that there will be two Fan Club Breakfast events at CIV. One on Friday and one on Sunday.

Jay Laga'aia will be the host for both and they'll be held at the Omni hotel from 7:00 - 9:00am. The price was $70 and tickets went up for sale Monday night and promptly sold out in about 5 minutes total.

Good luck to those that were able to buy tickets.

Fan Favorites

2007-05-09T08:09:00.000-05:00

Both the "One Man Star Wars Trilogy" and "Star Wars Trilogy in 30 Minutes" will be appearing at the convention this year.

If you've never see "Star Wars Trilogy in 30 Minutes" you need to go. I was able to see it at Celebration II way back in 2002 and it was one of the high points of the weekend.

I missed out on "One Man Star Wars Trilogy" last year but it will be high on my list of things to see this year. Put them both on your schedule, if you can, you won't be disappointed.

Production Stars at CIV

2007-05-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

StarWars.com updated last night with some exciting news, Irvin Kershner will be attending Celebration IV and holding an interview session!

Along with Kershner will be Howard Kazanjian, Norman Reynolds and Robert Watts.

All four of them worked on the original trilogy in various ways including Kershner who directed The Empire Strikes Back. Their panel should be exciting and very informative.

Gentle Giant Pre-Orders

2007-05-09T07:53:00.000-05:00

Lots of ordering information has been coming down in the last few days, including from Gentle Giant.

On Thursday, May 10th, GG will be sending out an email to all of their Collector's Club members (both free and Premiere) with links for the pre-order of the Commander Gree, Spirit of Yoda and Darth Malak busts, Yoda & R2-D2 maquette and Han and Luke Bust-Up 2-pack.

All three busts will be $50 each while the maquette is $75 and the 2-pack is $10. There will be a limited number of each available for the pre-order as well with each bust at 800 pieces while the maquette and 2-pack will be 100 pieces each.

This isn't the only shot at the maquette, however. This will be making the rounds of the major conventions this summer so if you miss out on it now you might not be done. Keep an eye on the Gentle Giant blog for more information.

Pre-Order Artist's Prints

2007-05-09T07:49:00.000-05:00

If you have a favorite artist with a print at Celebration IV and you want to increase your chances of buying one, be on the lookout for pre-orders.

Several artists are doing pre-orders for their prints which you can then pick up once you get to CIV. Each artist has different pricing and may have a different process for holding them.

Keep an eye on RebelScum.com for more information as they seem to have frequent updates, usually from the artists themselves.

Final Nine CIV Artists Named

2007-05-03T08:10:00.000-05:00

The final round of artist announcements was posted on StarWars.com last night. The final nine will all have prints available in the Artist's Hall at CIV. They include:

Mark Brooks
Kilian Plunkett
Adam Hughes
Randy Martinez
Clark Mitchell
Monte Moore
Jason Palmer
Brian Denham
Matt Busch

Be sure to check out StarWars.com for a look at all of the prints the artists will have available.

Kotobukiya Adds Second Exclusive

2007-05-02T01:32:00.000-05:00

Kotobukiya adds a really cool exclusive collectible to their Celebration IV booth, R2-D2 Kiriko Glassware.

The etched glassware uses a traditional Japanese technique called Kiriko. The glass is limited to 200 pieces and will be available for $35 at Kotobukiya's booth at Celebration IV.

If you're stopping by for the ARTFX Yoda statue, snatch one of these up as well!

ILM Special Guests

2007-05-02T01:26:00.000-05:00

StarWars.com is reporting that several ILM guests will be attending CIV and hosting some presentations.

The guests include:

Jon Berg
Don Bies
Richard Edlund
Dennis Muren
Lorne Peterson
Ken Ralston
Phil Tippett

Already announced was John Knoll. If you are interested in what goes into the production of your favorite movies, these are the guys that'll be able to tell you!

Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge

2007-03-14T00:53:00.000-05:00

Replacing the Star Wars Fan Film Awards this year will be the Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge. A new category has been added for fan fiction. There are still categories for parody, documentary and experimental.

Finalists will have their movie played at Celebration IV in Los Angeles in May.

Check out StarWars.com for more information.

Kotobukiya Exclusive

2007-04-29T12:08:00.000-05:00

Kotobukiya will have an exclusive Spirit of the Force Yoda ARTFX Statue at Celebration IV. This is the first exclusive that Kotobukiya has release for the US market.

The statue will have a light-up feature and includes three lines of dialog from the films. This piece is limited to 1138 pieces and will have set amounts on sale each of the first four days of the convention:

Thursday: 500

Friday: 300

Saturday: 200

Sunday: 100

Yoda will retail for $60 at Kotobukiya's booth and there will be a limit of 3 per person except on Thursday (Fan Club Day) when there will be no limits.

Koto will also offer a limited number of pieces to Celebration Europe and some to Koto's retail shops in Japan.