May the 4th be with you! Happy International Star Wars Day 2021

Happy International Star Wars Day 2021

The above image (Topps Trading Card No. 72) from Rogue One one of my favourites of the Star Wars films sums up how Star Wars has changed since I was a young boy watching the first film Star Wars IV A New Hope on its release c. 1977/78.

We didn’t see many films at the cinema growing up in the 70s. It remains the only film I have seen twice in the cinema – I still remember the awe of watching the opening moments of a huge Imperial star cruiser appearing to fly over your head across the top of the screen.

It changed the school playground overnight. Everything became space!

I have seen each of the films since in the cinema and Rogue One remains a favourite, being a stand alone prequel to the events of the first film in 1977 /78.

Now Disney have worked hard to make these movies as inclusive as they can be ranging from female X Wing Fighter pilots, young and old to a multiracial cast.

That gutsy feisty dark-haired space princess heroine of Princess Leia has been recreated many times in the subsequent films and stand alone films.

The Mandalorian Disney TV series continues this multiracial inclusive approach. Everyone should be able to see themselves reflected in this Star Wars universe somehow.

Thanks George Lucas and team for bringing us this interesting, inspiring, gritty and fantastical universe.

This is the set I wish I had bought – Star Wars Battle of Hoth set – with the tiny snow troopers and rebel snow figures.

From my c. 1980/81 Airfix Catalogue – a set I never saw in the model shops.

Instead of the Airfix sets, I still have my original Palitoy Star Wars figures (goodbye Airfix budget for a while). I hoped Airfix would bring out OOHO or 1:32 Star Wars figures.

Eventually 1:32 Star Wars figures – seen in my blog post In A Yarden Far Far Away – and MicroMachines type tiny Star Wars figures appeared from different makers. They have been good for the occasional duelling games.

Some borrowed Star Wars figures are almost OO HO scale.

Spot the Airfix Luftwaffe crewman – odd one out – for scale.

My Close Little Star Wars rules for the tabletop or garden

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/close-little-space-wars/

Happy International Star Wars Day!

Previous International Star Wars Day May 4th blog posts.

2020 https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/international-star-wars-day-may-the-fourth-be-with-you/

2019 https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/04/farewell-chewbacca-may-the-4th-be-with-you/

2018 https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/march-reading-minor-galactic-epic-fail/

2017 https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/04/happy-international-star-wars-day-may-the-4th-be-with-you/

2016 https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/in-a-garden-far-far-away/

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 4th May 2021

International Star Wars Day May the Fourth (Be With You)

Because there is only one space princess…

Even the recent gutsy female leads have an element or echo of Leia in the form of Rey lead character (Daisy Ridley) of the last three Star Wars films VII to IX and Jyn Erso in Rogue One (Felicity Jones), probably my favourite recent Star Wars standalone film.

Airfix Star Warriors space princess vs the real one …

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Lots of space related postings over the last four very odd years including the gift of some 54mm plastic American Tim Mee Galaxy space figures from Alan Gruber which are now finally on my painting table.

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/06/29/54mm-repurposed-space-figures

And the whole Flash Gordon thing in 54mm & 32mm Pound Store figure conversions …

Where my non-Airfix pocket money went in the 1970s. Month’s pocket money each … I still have them today!

Previously on International Star Wars Day

2019 https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/04/farewell-chewbacca-may-the-4th-be-with-you/

2018 https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/march-reading-minor-galactic-epic-fail/

2017 https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/04/happy-international-star-wars-day-may-the-4th-be-with-you/

2016 https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/in-a-garden-far-far-away/

Close Little Star Wars rules Back Yarden game 2016 Airfix / Star Wars figure mash up

Here’s looking to the next Star Wars related day … Geek Pride Day May 25th. (Incidentally this is always my Man of TIN Blogaversary, my 4th coming up!)

If you know the date connection between Geek Pride Day and Star Wars, you win your Geek Points.

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/happy-geek-pride-day-and-its-my-3rd-blogaversary-25th-may-2019/

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, May the Fourth 2020

Happy Geek Pride Day and it’s my 3rd Blogaversary 25th May 2019

Distractions of my 1970s childhood, my first Star Wars figures, still with me!

May 25 2019 Geek Pride Day – time to get your Geek On!

We’re almost half the way through an irresolute year and its my 3rd Blogaversary, so time to say thanks to all my readers and commenters.

Celebrating my third happy year of random flibbertigibbet flitting from  subject to subject this year ranging from repairing  Broken Britain’s and lots of 54mm toy soldiers, the joy of the Job-lot, through cheap plastics, FEMbruary Land Girls, 15mm Mounties and on to my current project reproducing Scout Wide Games:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/01/01/new-gaming-year-irresolutions-2019/

May 25 2018 last year my 2nd Blogaversary!

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/happy-2nd-blogaversary-from-the-man-of-tin/

May 25 2017 was my 1st Blogaversary!

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/05/25/may-25th-2017-my-1st-blogaversary/

Geek Pride Day is another excuse for another Star Wars Day, being the first showing date in 1977 in the USA.

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/04/farewell-chewbacca-may-the-4th-be-with-you/

Alan of the Duchy of Tradgardland blog, the  Tradgardmastre, my Scouting Wide Games co-conspirator, has sent me a bag more USA Tim Mee Galaxy Laser Team figures over on a International / intergalactic Scouting exchange – thanks Alan!

He also mentioned what Games Workshop does for Scouting with a sponsored Warhammer craft badge: encouraging the next Geek generation to use fingers and thumbs for more than swiping and clicking. I wonder if any historical miniatures companies will follow suit? https://fundraising.scouts.org.uk/warhammer

However you spend you Geek Pride Day, whatever your Geek is, enjoy the day!

Genuine 1980 Geek Pride? check out great little D and D BBC Archive clip from 1980 with 80s hair at  https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/geek-pride-day-25th-may/

Blog Posted by Mark Man of TIN 25 May 2019.

Farewell Chewbacca – May the 4th Be With You!

 

Some of my playworn original Star Wars figures from the 1970s …

Sad news that another of the original Star Wars cast has passed away, Peter Mayhew the very tall actor who played Chewbacca, announced on the eve of International Star Wars Day (May the 4th – be with you!)

In honour of the day  and Peter Mayhew’s memory, here is  a small parade of some my childhood Star Wars figures from the early films. Each represents a part of my mis-spent youth, literally, as if I spent no other pocket money I could scratch together in 1978 about one pound a month. That was what each Star Wars figure cost in the shops. Birthdays and Christmas might stretch to a spaceship or a playset.

More pocket money gone (each figure a month’s pocket money) as the Rebel Forces build up on ice planet Hoth for the Empire Strikes Back. The TaunTaun creature must have been Christmas or Birthday funds.

By hiding the fiddly bits like guns away in a tin, I still have a few of them left, surprisingly  as they have now been played with by several generations of the family over the last forty years.

The bases stopped them being quite as tippy, although lining them up for a photo, they were still fairly unbalanced. On their own they could not stand up well at all which made play a problem, but with no bases they could fit into vehicles  or onto lugs on playset bases.

My investment in Darth Vader and the Dark Side – a motley squad of Stormtroopers, snow troopers, pilots and Death Star technicians. Over a year’s worth of pocket money here!

Star Wars remains one of my favourite films, one of the few films I have seen twice in the cinema as a child. It enlarged the scope of my imaginative games beyond soldiers, knights, cops and robbers and cowboys and Indians. Suddenly everything was space crazy again.

Collecting these figures put a serious dent in my pocket money, so the Airfix figures came second place for several years. Star Wars and action figures must have been a serious challenge for toy and model firms like Airfix and Britain’s.

I haven’t used these large Action figures in any space gaming scenarios since the 1980s. However I do have some smaller 54mm figures that I still use: https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/close-little-space-wars/

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/in-a-garden-far-far-away/

Star Wars formed part of my childhood reading too!

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/17/march-reading-minor-galactic-epic-fail/

However you spend today, have a Happy International Star Wars Day. May the 4th be with you!

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN on May the 4th 2019. Another new film due this year …

 

 

 

 

 

Happy International Star Wars Day May the 4th … be with you!

Last September’s back Yarden galaxy game with 54mm Star Wars Command and Airfix Space Warriors. 

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/25/in-a-garden-far-far-away/

Happy International Star Wars Day,  May the 4th … be with you!

A day for duelling lightsabers no doubt!

In homage to one of my all time favourite films (life was never quite the same after 1977/8) and in keeping with our last Duelling game blog about Bartitsu, some interesting duelling illustrations:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/more-duelling-inspiration-bartitsu/

H. G. Wells meets Star Wars … Very funny altered image from the Bartitsu.org website. Well worth a long look through. 

http://www.bartitsu.org/index.php/2015/12/e-w-skywalker-vs-darth-vigny/

and some much more ‘serious’ discussion about lightsaber moves in duelling.

https://www.fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=23437.0

Happy May 4th! 

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 4 May 2017