May the 8th saw this year's Star Wars Fan Fun Day, hosted this year in its new home at Ewood Park, Blackburn. The SWFFD has been running for several years now and is the North-Wests premier event for Star Wars fans combining signing guests, stalls, cosplay & props.
While Warwick Davis and family, one of the headline guests for 2022, had to cancel due to filming commitments there were plenty of other Star Wars actors in attendance both at the 'Dinner with the Stars' event the evening prior and on the day. Spencer Wilding, a late addition, was in great form and it was great hearing some of his insights into Rogue One and his roles on other projects like Guardians of the Galaxy and Doctor Who.
The Star Wars sequels were represented by Mark Lewis Jones and Amanda Lawrence, while the original trilogy stalwarts such as Dermot Crowley (General Madine), and Greedo (Paul Blake). With Greedo merchandise on the stalls in short supply as fans looked to source merchandise for Paul to sign - not an issue for Sean Crawford (Yakface) who had brought a number of his action figures with him ready to sign. I also thought the printed Kenner card back inspired sheets the SWFFD team had created for use with the guests were inspired.
Hunter Toys and Collectors Den were the main stalls for new action figures, while traders such as DNA Toys, Corvus Moon, and Jawa Unique Toys brought a wider range of merchandise including plenty of Vintage figures. I did my usual and procrastinated too long over grabbing the new Omega Black Series figure from Collectors Den - especially when the wife kindly agreed to grab it for me as a gift - alas they had all sold when we got back.
A shout out also to the brilliant Cherry Sheriff Art who had a stall full of Dave Kennedy's fantastic artwork - please check him out if you want something quite unique for your collection. I have a few of Dave's pieces already and was sorely tempted by his new Boba Fett prints but I do need to finish the office/display room before knowing how much space I have for artwork.
My highlight at any event like SWFFD is the cosplayers. I am in awe of the detail and time put into their costumes and how friendly and happy they all are to pose for photos - a selection of which I have shared below. Thank you to my very better half who comes along to these events and does the photography to such a great standard - check out her Facebook page Jo Holmes Photography for more.
We asked permission for all photos on the day. Please get in touch if you want a copy or want the photo removing for any reason.
The key groups in attendance were the 501st UK Garrison, 99th Garrison, and the 5th Legion. The 99th Garrison brought with them the 'Shoot the Trooper' attraction allowing you to pick off several Troopers - and a Wampa - with Nerf guns. I apologise, on behalf of my son, to the Death Star Gunner who was hit with a couple of dead-on head-shots.
While I loved all of the cosplayers, my favouites included the very relevant Tusken Raider Warrior from Book of Boba Fett, the Salacious Crumb puppet, the Shore Trooper. the Ewok, and the insanely brilliant unmasked Darth Vader (sadly we didn't get a picture of this last one).
Well done to Neil and the team for another well-run event, and for moving it even closer to where I live. We look forward to next year's event.
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About Me : As a child of the '70s and '80s I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force), and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licenses - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who, and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK-focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...