Today’s unboxing and review features the Funko Pop! Vinyl Wicket With Slingshot figure. This is a Funko 2023 Summer Convention Limited Edition release, for San Diego Comic Con. I try to collect Wicket and Ewok merchandise when I can, so I’m really happy to be able to get my hands on this one!

Check out my unboxing video –

This particular Funko Pop! Vinyl is marked as a ‘ 2023 Summer Convention Limited Edition’ as noted by the purple sticker on the front – in the US, this is a ‘shared retailer exclusive’ for San Diego Comic Con. Here in New Zealand, most US exclusives are available from our regular Funko retailers, sometimes $1 or $2 more than a standard pop vinyl, but totally worth it.

As well as a being a summer convention exclusive, this Pop! Vinyl is also part of the Return Of The Jedi 40th Anniversary collection – and it has other figures from the collection pictured on the back of the box. Interestingly, the recent ROTJ wave already included a regular Wicket Pop! Vinyl, holding a spear – this limited edition variant features Wicket holding a slingshot instead.

As collectors, we often prefer to pick out our Funko Pop! Vinyl figures in store, so we can see the paint job and box condition in person, but for this summer exclusive, we had to buy online. Thankfully, it arrived quickly, in great condition, and with a really nice paint job too!

I love the sculpt and pose for Wicket – slightly leaning to his left, ready to let his slingshot fly towards an Imperial opponent. There is subtle paint weathering to highlight his fur texture, and also on his hood.

While I don’t yet have the standard ROTJ Wicket version yet, I do intend to add both to my collection. Perhaps not all collectors will feel the same way – some may prefer one pose over the other, or just choose to get this exclusive version and feel no need to get the regular one. I do like it when companies choose a variant (like glitter/flocked etc) as an exclusive, rather than a unique character not available in the regular line, as fans who can’t get the exclusive still have the option of the standard version.

Overall, a very cute version of Wicket in battle mode that I’m happy to add to my Funko Pop! Vinyl collection. I like the pose and sculpting, his expression and stance, and the paint job is tidy. Now I really need to hurry up and add more from the Return Of The Jedi wave to my shelf.

May the Force be with you!

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Welcome to 10 Star Wars Things – a regular series highlighting a variety of Star Wars items from our collection. Today’s theme is – Han Solo!

Today is Harrison Ford’s birthday, so in celebration we are highlighting his iconic Star Wars character Han Solo. From the original Kenner vintage action figure, to collectibles from Gentle Giant, Hasbro and more, we highlight 10 Han Solo items from our collection.

Watch the full video on YouTube –

Check out our gallery below – which one is your favourite? May the Force be with you!

• Hasbro Unleashed Han Solo Figure

• 2. Vintage Kenner Han Solo Action Figure

• 3. Funko Pop! Vinyl Han Solo (Snow Gear) #86

• 4. Han Solo At Star’s End paperback novel by Brian Daley

• 5. Hasbro The Black Series Archive The Force Awakens Han Solo Carded Figure

• 6. Gentle Giant Ltd 2011 Premier Guild Exclusive Han Solo (Bespin) Mini Bust

• 7. Funko Pop! Han Solo Pocket Keychain

• 8. Hasbro The Black Series ROTJ Han Solo (Endor) Carded Figure

• 9. Gentle Giant Ltd 2010 Convention Exclusive Han Solo (Stormtrooper Disguise) Animated Maquette

• 10. Vintage Kenner ROTJ Han Solo (Hoth Outfit) Carded Figure

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We had so much fun this past weekend at the Armageddon Expo in Auckland, June 2023 – and bought some fine additions for our collection. Our haul included a Sith Lords print, a Funko Pop! Vinyl chase figure, accessories and more – we can’t wait for the next event!

Check our our shopping haul video –

One of the first things we picked up at Armageddon Expo was this amazing Sith Lords art print by Xteve Abanto. He has done cover artwork for Marvel, which you can see from the style of this awesome print. Can’t wait to get this one framed and on display!

Funko Pop! Vinyl figures are an Armageddon Expo staple, with many different stands stocking a wide range. Browsing at the Card Merchant stand, we spotted the Cobb Vanth chase variant! We already have the standard version (with the helmet) so we are so happy to add this chase version to our collection.

I wasn’t expecting to find anything Old Republic-themed, until I spotted this KOTOR lenticular print at the Lily’s Collection booth! Inspired by Knights Of The Old Republic, this lenticular print shifts between three characters – Darth Revan, Darth Malak, and Bastila Shan. As a huge KOTOR fan, I had to have it.

At the Cobalt Heights booth, I spotted a few cool Star Wars jewelry pieces, but as soon as I spotted these Millennium Falcon earrings, I knew I had to add them to my collection. Made by Frantasy Island, the dangle stud earrings are glittery and just my style. As the inspiration behind my Star Wars fashion blog The Kessel Runway, I try to collect as many Millennium Falcon accessories as I can – and these are just so cute!

Of course I had to stop by the Oasis Scents booth – they had finally restocked the Padme’ Amidala lip balm! I was so sad to miss out when they released this online, and had been eagerly awaiting it to be restocked. I grabbed two, just so I don’t run out for a while!

Our adventures at Armageddon Expo wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Sweet Rock Candy Artists booth for a sweet treat. We always pick up some candy to enjoy at the event, and save some for afterwards – this ‘crazy mix’ assortment is what we have left from our visit to their stand, the rest has already been enjoyed!

A fun Star Wars haul from an awesome Wintergeddon. It was so much fun to attend an Armageddon Expo in our home town, and we always love to find some cool Star Wars collectibles to add to our collection. We can’t wait for the next event!

May the Force be with you!

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We had so much fun at the Armageddon Expo in Christchurch, held in April 2023 – and bought some fine additions for our collection. From a Star Wars Loungefly backpack, Director Krennic Pop! Vinyl figure, to getting an autograph from Katy O’Brian and more – we can’t wait for the next event!

Check our our shopping haul video –

First up, we stopped by the Appleby Games booth – they had a few Loungefly mini-backpacks, and I spotted one that has been on my wish list for a while. This classic Stormtrooper design has Rebel heroes pictured on a lenticular insert in the helmet lenses, very cool! I had seen it starting to show up on sale from a few places, so I asked the price – half off! So now I have a new Loungefly mini-backpack for my collection.

Also at the Appleby Games booth, we spotted this Funko Pop! Vinyl figure of Director Krennic from Rogue One. We don’t have many Pop! Vinyl figures from Rogue One, so we’re definitely keen to fill that gap in our collection, so this figure was a great find.

A big highlight from this Armageddon Expo was a Star Wars guest – Katy O’Brian from The Mandalorian! She plays Communications Officer Elia Kane in season 2 and 3, serving Moff Gideon. We attended her panel, and of course had to get her autograph. She was so lovely, and had some really fun stories from her time on the Star Wars set.

I always check out the range of Star Wars pins at the Kyber Forge booth, and of course I found two more to add to my collection – a fun ‘Fly Casual’ design and an ‘elegant weapon’ lightsaber pin.

Keeping up with our Armageddon Expo tradition, we stopped by the Sweet booth. Because Star Wars Day was coming up, we decided to treat ourselves – to a huge Mandalorian lollipop!

Lastly, a fun surprise from my daughter – a Mother’s Day hard candy assortment also from Sweet. I love all the little designs on the candy. I’ll be saving this to enjoy on the day, but it was a lovely gift to round out the weekend.

So a slightly smaller haul in terms of the number of items we brought home compared to previous events, but it’s been a while since I’ve bought a Loungefly bag at an Armageddon Expo. The mini-backpack is definitely the biggest single item I’ve bought at the event for a while, but it was such a good deal I wasn’t going to leave that one behind, even if I had to carry it around all day as well as all my usual shopping bags. A fabulous weekend as usual, and we can’t wait for the next Armageddon!

May the Force be with you!

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We always have a great time at each Armageddon Expo event, and come home with a fun array of Star Wars finds to add to our collection. We flew down to Armageddon Wellington this past weekend, and while we couldn’t fit too much shopping into our carry-on luggage, we still managed to find some fun and unique items to bring home.

Check our our shopping haul video –

First up, this adorable Star Wars print from the Artist Alley. This IG-11 artwork is by Eeden Artworks – we always love finding new Star Wars art, especially when it features one of our favourite characters!

Of course we had to follow our Armageddon tradition and pick up a few more Funko Pop! Vinyl figures for our collection. We found these two at the PopStop booth – Darth Vader from Return Of The Jedi, and Chewacca with Porg from The Last Jedi.

We love checking out all the fantastic Star Wars items at Cameron Percy Antiques – at this convention, we spotted The Black Series Gaming Greats Zaalbar figure from Knights Of The Old Republic, so that was a must-have.

During our travels home from Celebration Europe earlier this month, my Star Wars luggage tag got ripped off my suitcase somewhere along the journey, so I wanted to replace it. I spotted this Clone Wars Anakin and Obi-Wan luggage tag also at Cameron Percy Antiques, and it was a fun little find to replace my lost tag.

Keeping up with another of our Armageddon Expo traditions, we stopped by the Sweet Rock Candy Artists booth to pick up some sweet treats for our days at the convention. This was the only bag that made it home – the rest of it was enjoyed at the event!

Kyber Forge always has a cool array of lightsabers available at their booth, but they also have smaller items like pins. These two Star Wars logo pins caught my eye – the Rebel Alliance symbol and the Jedi Order symbol, perfect for my Star Wars pin collection.

Lastly, I finally adopted an adorable little dragon from Turtle Creations. Their booth has a huge range of cute 3D printed dragons in varying styles, colours, and sizes. I knew it was inevitable that I would get one, it was just a matter of which one to choose? Well, it turns out this was the Armageddon where one little silvery blue dragon caught my eye, and after holding it for a few minutes, I knew I had found the one. Now I just need to name it!

So there you have it, our fun little shopping haul from Armageddon Expo Wellington April 2023. I was really delighted at the great range of booths this year, with some fun finds – as well as classic favourites like Pop! Vinyl figures and candy! I had so much fun at this convention, and I can’t wait for the next event.

May the Force be with you!

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Today’s video features a Funko Pop! Vinyl mystery box! We have really started to focus on collecting Funko Star Wars figures recently (even starting to plan out a new collectible space for them), so we’re wanting to fill out gaps in our collection. A fun way to do that is with a mystery box!

Check out our unboxing video –

Australian retailer PopCultcha has a great range of Funko Pop! Vinyl figures, and we often shop their website to find exclusives that aren’t available locally in New Zealand. Browsing their range, we spotted a Star Wars mystery box, and we were intrigued.

The price of the mystery box equated to two full price Pop! Vinyl figures locally, so we figured we take a chance and see what we got! So opening it up, our mystery box contained –

• #410 Darth Maul
• #422 Qui-Gon Jinn (Tatooine)
• #443 Wrecker
• #460 Iden Versio
• #477 Grogu (Using the Force)
• #500 Jar Jar Binks

So overall, an interesting mixed bunch. A lot of special edition figures, which is cool. A couple of them had some box damage, which is a little bit sad but I get that mystery boxes are for clearing out stock, so it’s not really surprising – and honestly, I’ve seen much worse in some stores with full price stickers!

Ideally, we needed two new figures we didn’t already have, and the price would be worth it. So, which ones did we already have?

Well, we already had three (Jar Jar, Wrecker, and Iden Versio). At first I thought the Darth Maul was a double up, but after I checked, I realised the Darth Maul figure we already had is different, so yay a new one! We didn’t have the Qui-Gon or that version of Grogu, so all up, three new figures for our Funko collection, and three double-ups to add to our Star Wars collection around the house. We call that a win!

May the Force be with you!

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Today’s unboxing and review features the Funko Pop! Vinyl Cassian Andor figure. One of the very first items of Andor branded merchandise available locally, it is fitting that it features the title character, Andor himself.

We really enjoyed Rogue One, so of course we are very excited for the upcoming Andor series, but in this modern era of Star Wars it can be quite rare to get much if any merchandise in hand before a series or film releases, so this figure is especially exciting to get this early!

Check out my unboxing video –

This particular Funko Pop! Vinyl is marked as a ‘ 2022 Summer Convention Limited Edition’ as noted by the green sticker on the front. Here in New Zealand, most US exclusives are available from our regular Funko retailers, sometimes $1 or $2 more than a standard pop vinyl, but totally worth it.

The figure depicts Cassian Andor as seen in the Andor series from Disney +. The pose isn’t anything too exciting, he’s not holding a weapon or item, but then I suppose that gives Funko lots of room for variant versions down the line after the series has finished airing.

I like the tussled hair and beard sculpt – sometimes it’s hard to make a regular person look distinctive or recognisable when rendered in the stylistic Funko design, but I feel like this does a good job of looking like the actor Diego Luna.

It’s fun to be able to add our first piece of Andor series merchandise to our collection. To be honest, there wasn’t as much Rogue One merchandise available locally as we would have liked, so it’s great to be able to get this figure from our usual local store.

I hope this is the first of many Andor figures from Funko – I especially need lots of Mon Mothma figures!

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Today’s unboxing features the Funko Soda Harley Quinn figure. I am a big Harley Quinn fan (I made her classic animated outfit back in 2007) and while my collecting is mostly focused on Star Wars, I like to pick up a few Harley Quinn items from time to time. I love the Funko Soda range, so of course I wanted to add the Soda Harley Quinn to my collection.

Check out my unboxing video –

The Funko Soda range is different to the main Pop! Vinyl range in that every figure has a chase variant. Because the metal soda can has no windows, you can’t see the figure inside, so you don’t know which version is inside.

This Soda figure features Harley Quinn in her Suicide Squad movie outfit, played by Margot Robbie. While that is not my favourite movie featuring Harley Quinn (I personally love Birds Of Prey), her outfit in that movie is very popular, and is used for a lot of merchandise.

The tin features a red and blue colour scheme, which matches Harley’s Quinn outfit. The back of the can has an image of the standard figure version, with a red silhouette of the chase version – which appears to be the same figure, but holding a mallet instead of the baseball bat.

This figure has a total edition size of 12,500 – 10,500 of the standard figure, and 2,000 of the chase variant figure. My figure is the standard version – 1 out of 10,500. I have yet to find a Soda chase figure, wonder if I’ll ever get that lucky?

I am really quite impressed at the level of detail on this figure. Considering the cute stylized design, I wasn’t expecting all the small details of Harley Quinn’s outfit to be included. Her tattoo’s, t-shirt print, jacket back, gloves, baseball bat decorations – it is quite detailed for the size.

The Soda Harley Quinn figure is a cute rendition of her Suicide Squad outfit, and a wonderful addition to my little Harley Quinn collection. Someday I’ll track down the convention exclusive Soda Harley Quinn figure, featuring her classic red and black outfit – and I can’t wait to see what other Soda figures Funko makes next!

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Today marks the 35th anniversary of the release of Robocop in theatres in the US. I’ve got a few favourite Robocop collectibles on display around the house, but my most recent acquisition from this franchise is the RoboCop Funko Soda Figure (international version, limited to an edition of 6,000).

A nice thing about this line of collectibles is that the packaging opens cleanly across a seamline that means that the soda can is a displayable collectible once open too. Funko generally only release a few characters per franchise in this line (it’s nowhere near as prolific as standard Funko Pop! Vinyl figures), and Robo himself is the only character from the movies to have been released so far.

One aspect about this collectible line is that every figure has a chase variant. Sometimes the outside of the can shows what the variant version looks like, some have a ‘mystery silhouette’ as this can does. We know from online research and advertising that the variant is a version with his helmet removed. Two separate runs of this figure have been released – a US run of 10,000 (1,600 chase variants) with the black name band around the bottom of the can, and an international run of 6,000 (1,000 chase variants) with the grey name band around the bottom of the can.

Okay, so no variant for us today… just a regular version. Nice to have a classic representation of the character nonetheless.

Also included in the soda can is a little cardboard “pog” disc which notes whether the figure is the standard or chase version. In our case, this RoboCop figure is the standard version – 1 out of 5,000 (out of a total edition of 6,000, with the other 1,000 being chase versions).

There is no articulation at all on this collectible – again not too surprising. Despite that, this is overall a fun, stylised rendition of Alex Murphy, aka RoboCop, to add to our collection.

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Happy New Year from Matt & Kristy at Villa Varykino! We hope you have a great year that is filled with fantastic Star Wars content and hobbies.

As we mentioned over on the SWNZ, Star Wars New Zealand website, there is an unprecedented amount of content coming in 2022, spread over games, comics, books, and, of course, Disney+ streaming series. We’re fully looking forward to absorbing it all, and sharing it with other Star Wars fans on this blog, and on our YouTube channel. At a minimum, the following are the bits & pieces we are excited about and are counting down to – it’s looking like it’ll be nearly back-to-back weeks of galactic highlights.

• The Book of Boba Fett (7 episodes), streaming now
• Star Wars The Old Republic: Legacy of the Sith (update 7.0), Feb 15th
• Obi-Wan Kenobi (6 episodes), TBC (possibly starting second quarter)
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, second quarter
• The Bad Batch season 2 (16 episodes), release date TBC
• Andor season 1 (12 episodes), streaming Jul-Sep
• The Mandalorian season 3 (8 episodes), streaming late 2022 (possibly starting Oct-Nov)

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