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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So I finally sat down and recorded my Star Wars shopping haul video from Armageddon Expo Auckland! This year, Armageddon celebrated its 100th event with a special winter edition in my hometown of Auckland. We attended all three days, and even with the occasional rain, we had an awesome time!

We were delighted at the range of booths and Star Wars items to buy this year, and we sure picked up a bit ourselves. I’m always on the look for Star Wars collectibles to pick up at our local conventions, and I found quite a few pieces that I just had to buy.

Check out my haul video below –

First up, Funko Pop! Vinyls – because what Armageddon would be complete without checking out the range of Funko collectibles? We made use of a multi-buy promotion at the Card Merchant booth to grab General Grievous and Boba Fett to fill some gaps in our collection – and I also found the chase Bo-Katan Kryze figure! I have wanted her for ages, I can’t believe I found her!

One of my first booths to visit at Armageddon Expo was Cobalt Heights – a local stockist of Loungefly. I’ve had my eye on this Loungefly x Star Wars wallet for a while, but I wanted to see the pattern placement in person, to make sure that Princess Leia was on the front. Sure enough, I finally found one I liked, so of course I had to get it! I already have the matching tote bag (a wonderful gift from my family), so now I have the set.

In my follow up visit to the Cobalt Heights booth (you know, to see if I missed any Loungefly Star Wars items on my first stop), I remembered I hadn’t looked through their pin section – and found this! A Loungefly x Star Wars 4-piece enamel pin set featuring Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Chewbacca, as seen in A New Hope. I had seen this pin set online a while ago, but it had sold out before I could grab it, so I made sure to get it this time. Aren’t they so cute?

Alongside the Loungefly pin set, I spotted this fan-made Rebel/Imperial logo pin, made by Frantasy Island. It has a wonderful dark grey glittery swirl, and I just love the angled split design.

Next up, Oasis Scents. I’ve been a fan of their geek inspired candles and soaps for ages (I already own several items from their awesome range) so I always make sure to check out their booth early. For this event they had an Ahsoka Tano inspired candle! It smells divine, with a beautiful combination of fig and melon – so of course I had to grab one.

I spotted these beautiful embroidered keyrings in the Artist Alley, from ZubKitty Creates. I saw the Princess Leia design straight away, and then noticed the Ahsoka Tano keychain beside it, so I grabbed both. I think I’ll use these as bag charms – they’re too pretty to use as keychains!

Browsing the wide array of fandom inspired jewelry at the Lola & Alice booth, I found this Princess Leia earring set. I’ve always loved this classic promotional image of Princess Leia onboard her ship the Tantive IV from A New Hope, so it really caught my eye. Princess Leia and jewelry is a combination I can never resist!

The Lola & Alice booth also had a section next to it with a huge array of pins – my family and I spent ages going through all the geek themed sections and picked out a few of our favourite designs. These are the three pins I choose – May The Force Be With You, Millennium Falcon, and Princess Leia Rebel. Perfect to add to a jacket for a little touch of Star Wars flair.

So this next was a completely random find – a licensed Star Wars sewing measuring tape! I spotted this cute little find at a booth that sold geek fabric cushion covers etc, and just loved it. I’ve never seen it before – and it even features Han Solo and Princess Leia! I’m going to keep it as a collectible to display in my little sewing area where I work on my Star Wars costumes.

Check out this cute little gift from my daughter – Star Wars ‘Clan Of Two’ inspired washi tape! She spotted this in the Artist Alley, and saw it featured Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan, so she knew I would love it. She also bought me two Star Wars stickers from a nearby artist booth – Princess Leia and BB-8, lovely little gifts. The perfect final addition to my Princess Leia themed haul this year.

So there you have it, my Star Wars shopping haul from Armageddon Expo Auckland June 2022. I was really delighted at the great range of booths this year, with some really fun finds – I picked up seven Princess Leia items, I think that’s my new record for Armageddon! From Loungefly, to pins, earrings, a candle and more, I had so much fun shopping at this convention, and I can’t wait for the next event.

May the Force be with you!

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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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