One month ago we left Star Wars Celebration Europe 2. After having such an incredible time I would normally suffer the blues. Thankfully there is a string of conventions to take us up to the Christmas period and this weekend there was Cardiff Film and Comic Con 2013.
This is the first time the 2 day event has come to Cardiff following the event at Glasgow the weekend before. First impressions were, there seems to be queue to get in, a big queue. In fact, I believe this is the longest queue in South Wales since Roger Rabbit in 1988.
The queue only took an hour and once into the Motorpoint Arena we are greeted with the usual trademark sounds and sights the conventions in the 21st Century is known for. There’s the autograph floor, dealers tables, Batman, artists and plenty of cosplay.
There is no doubt that Cardiff is the home of Dr Who and Torchwood with plenty of memorabilia and celebration for those franchises. Star Wars also had a strong presence with regulars Dave Prowse (Darth Vader), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Jeremy Bullock (Boba Fett), Paul Blake (Greedo), Alan Harris (Bossk), Brian Blessed (Boss Nass) and Michael Carter (Bib Fortuna) all in good spirits. What was great was to meet some of the lesser known characters from the original trilogy. Shane Rimmer, who has played in 147 film and TV roles was a nice surprise. Famous for his work as Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds as well as roles in Dr Who, James Bond, Dr Strangelove and Batman Begins, Shane Rimmer was the ‘InCom Enginner’ from Star Wars who asks Luke if he want a new R2 unit before the Battle of Yavin. There was also Mos Eisley cantina aliens Laurie Goode (Male Saurin), Annette Jones (Mosep Binneed) and Barbara Frankland (Female Saurin).
One of the many highlights from meeting members of the Star Wars family was Brian Blessed bellowing “Gordons Alive!” from his role in Flash Gordon. Kenny Baker informed me that he has not yet received any contact from Lucasfilm for Episode VII, but what was really interesting was that all of the actors confirmed that Star Wars is bigger today than it was in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Being a very small padawan back then, I can remember it being everywhere, but it’s nice to have that observation verified by those who witnessed it as the original trilogy was being made. The actors all believed that it was the fans and the internet that has sustained the fandom over the years and doubted it would ever stop. There was also plenty of modern Star Wars for sale including Hasbro’s latest black series and loads of Lego, but not much vintage. A lot of the dealers claim that it’s more difficult to buy collections outside the internet than ever before.
All in all it was a fantastic 2 day event and well worth the trip. Organisers say there will be another next year. Showmasters, the company behind the event, will be continuing with more Film and Comic Cons later this year with London on 5th and 6th October and Milton Keynes on the 15th to 17th of November. See you there.
P.S- Robert Englund is just as funny and just as terrifying as Freddy Kruger in real life.
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