>On May 7th 2012, The Star Wars Fan Fun Day celebrated its fifth anniversary at Burnley Football Club, in Burnley, England…
The following morning, it was an early start for many of us who were excited about the day ahead. Particularly for those who were setting up at the Fan Fun Day. Various dealers, costume groups and prop groups held stands at the event, including Hunter Toys, Three Darths, The Mint Imperials & The Rebel Legion UK. BBC Radio Lancashire were also broadcasting live from the event. I myself also held a stand at the Fan Fun Day, where I would display my scratch built E-11 Stormtrooper Blaster Rifle, Han Solo Blaster Pistol and Mos Eisley dioramas. I was also selling off various parts of my collection, including action figures & vehicles, as well as more obscure items such as the Star Wars themed “Micro Machines” playsets and vehicles from the mid 1990’s. As was well documented on my Facebook and Tumblr pages, I would also be raffling a Clone Trooper Helmet, designed to feature the markings of the Wolfpack Troopers from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The helmet was a modified Hasbro Voice Changer, created by my father, complete with interior padding, hand painted details, working lights and a display stand that was signed by all of the actors in attendance at the Fan Fun Day! The helmet would be offered as a first prize, whilst prizes such as Vintage Collection action figures, Sticker books, LEGO mini-figures, Visual Dictionaries, T-Shirts and more, kindly donated by Jedi News, would be offered as second, third and fourth prizes. The raffle raised over £200, with the proceeds being donated to Macmillan Cancer Support, so I would again like to take this time to thank everyone who contributed to the raffle, as you have helped a fantastic cause. The Clone Trooper helmet itself was won by Jase Fox of The Rebel Legion UK, so it was nice to know the helmet would be going to a good, loving home.
I was also lucky enough to meet several viewers of my work on YouTube, including Reece Marshall, who even asked me to sign his Gentle Giant 1:6 Scale Kenner Tusken Raider, Euan Knight, fellow YouTuber “JediJumper270,” Mark Astin, Johnny Robinson and Josh Lambert, Francis Connor and Ethan Hunt. All of whom came to say hello & had photos taken with me! Thanks guys!
With regards to the event itself, over 1,400 people attended the event, making it a runaway success, and possibly one of the biggest Star Wars Fan Fun Days so far. The costumed characters in attendance were swamped by fans seeking photo opportunities. I even spotted Darth Maul signing young fans Lightsaber! The various dealers at the event were selling a wide range of Star Wars and other Film & Television memorabilia, amongst some of the items for sale were Kotobukiya ArtFX+ statues, Hasbro action figures and vehicles, artwork, T-Shirts and other merchandise. The costume and prop groups also had impressive displays, including a 1:1 scale Death Star Corridor, which on the reverse side, revealed a Tatooine alleyway, a 1:1 scale Battle Droid and IG-88, constructed by The Mint Imperials, plus a fully functional 1:1 scale R2-D2 & Mouse Droid. Costumed characters included Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Clone Commander Cody (played by the amazing Keith Armour, who gave me hints & tips on how to sign up to the Rebel Legion, and was an overall nice guy and fantastic to talk to throughout the day), Boba Fett, Mandalorian Warriors (played by members of the Mandalorian Mercs costume group), Stormtroopers, Scout Troopers, TIE Fighter Pilots and many, many more… Even a Snaggletooth and Sand Person! The costumed characters were more than happy to chat with fans and pose for photographs, I was given the responsibility of looking after Darth Maul’s Lightsaber whilst he adjusted his robes… until he had to take it back to change the batteries!
In addition to the costumed characters and 1:1 scale Droids and sets, there was also a Model Display, which was present at last year’s event. The models on display were constructed by one of the members of The Mint Imperials and featured scaled vehicles, sets and characters, such as the Yavin Hangar and various Rebel Fighters, including X-Wings and Y-Wings, Imperial Star Destroyers, C-3PO, R2-D2 and a Stormtrooper, complete with Tantive IV display stand, and finally work in progress models of an Imperial Shuttle and AT-AT Walker! Each model looked like it had jumped straight off the screen, as the level of detail in each one was absolutely unbelievable! Also in attendance, and providing fun activities for the younger fans in, was Becky’s Brainiac, who you can visit here.
Having my own table at the event meant I missed out on some of the action, but thankfully, towards the end of the day, due to our table being amongst The Mint Imperials and Rebel Legion UK, when it came time for the “Cast and Crew” group photo in front of the Death Star Corridor, we had a front row seat! It was so good to see so many of the stars of Star Wars together again. Dave Prowse even signed the Death Star Corridor set itself, leaving his mark amongst other stars who had signed it, including Boba Fett himself, Jeremy Bulloch, Richard LeParmentier who played Admiral Motti and Chris Muncke, who played Captain Khurgee, and who I had the pleasure of meeting at last years Fan Fun Day. I also had the pleasure of meeting more of Star Wars’ stars at this year’s event, including last minute addition to the line-up, Kenny Baker, who of course played R2-D2 throughout all six Star Wars movies. Kenny was kind enough to have his photograph taken with me, as well as sign my Vintage Collection R2 figure. Thanks Kenny! Derek Lyons also returned at the Fan Fun Day, and continuing our chat from the previous night, was kind enough to record a brief introduction video for my YouTube channel, as well as pose for photographs wielding my Han Solo Blaster Pistol! It was also fantastic to briefly chat with the actors who signed the Clone Trooper helmet display stand, including Barrie Holland, Stephanie English, Paul Blake, Garrick Hagon, John Coppinger and Ian Liston. I also managed to catch up again with Frank from Star Wars Autograph Collection, who conducted an interview with me about my work and what it means to me to be a Star Wars fan, and to an attend an event as awesome as the Fan Fun Day. You can check out Frank’s interview here. Frank also conducted interviews with other guests at the event, including Dave Charlesworth of The Mint Imperials, Dave Prowse, Derek Lyons and many more. You can check out Frank’s interviews, plus coverage of his “May the 4th” European tour here.
Overall the Dinner with the Stars & Fan Fun Day events were a tremendous way to spend the Bank Holiday weekend, and Neil Livesey and his team did a superb job of organizing it. On behalf of Neil, I’d like to thank Daz Wildman and Paul Eke for helping to arrange such a fantastic event. Daz’s son, Neo, who attended last years Fan Fun Day dressed head to toe in miniature replica Republic Commando armour was in costume again this year, this time as a Stealth Ops Clone Trooper, with the costume created by Daz himself, who was also costuming as Darth Vader at the event. Everyone involved in the two events should be very proud, as a great time was had by all, and over £2,000 was raised for the East Lancashire Hospice, which is absolutely fantastic! Well done to all involved, and here’s hoping The Star Wars Fan Fun Day 2013 is even bigger than this one, because based on this years attendance figures, it certainly needs to be!
I’d like to express personal thanks to:
- Neil Livesey and his team
- Frank Rich
- Keith Armour, Jase Fox and The Rebel Legion UK
- The “Star Wars Stars” (Dave Prowse, Kenny Baker, Derek Lyons, Simon Williamson, John Coppinger, Ian Liston, Garrick Hagon, Stephanie English, Barrie Holland, Anthony Forrest & Paul Blake)
- Everyone else involved in these fantastic events!
