Star Wars Archives | Page 9 Of 16

Wind up Geek’s Cool Japan: Cool Commercials – ANA’s Cover of Star Wars Theme

But what truly stands out are the commercials ANA presents us with. In it, we are given a front row seat to the daily goings on at the All Nippon flight company.

All Nippon Airways (ANA) rolled out this commercial on their official YouTube channel the day before Star Wars fans were to wish each other May the Fourth (or “may the force be with you, always”). This commercial that ANA has produced promotes their specially painted Star Wars passenger jets, three of them in fact. The jets were finished on October 2015, just in time for the release of Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens in theatres in this country.

The first jet is emblazoned with the Star Wars logo whereas the other jets each represented characters from the Star Wars films, both old and new. For the older fans, you can be a passenger on a jet adorned as R2-D2, but for fans who have been introduced to the Star Wars universe through the latest film, BB-8 may be more familiar.

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A Look Into the Retro with Toy Collecting

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

Model railroads, Hot Rod cars, G.I. Joe, Transformers, Barbie and LEGO are all toys everyone has played with in their childhood, but growing up often leaves those playthings far behind. For the adult toy collector, they can finally own the stuff they couldn’t buy as a child, and the new toys coming out are a must because they look cool.

Biagio Woodward, manager of Cherry Bomb Toys in Victoria, BC believes that toys are designed for people of all ages. This shop moves a fair bit of product and the Christmas season is the best time for shoppers to look for that hard to find item for that hard to please nerd in the family. Sometimes, the perfect gift is a recycled one to bring back the nostalgia of what that geek loved when he or she was young, and in what was played with. Woodward believes what the current line of toys are trying to do is to match the quality of old toys, and collectors are willing to pay more money for them, old or new.

“For example, GI Joe toys from the 60’s is the basis of the 12″ toys of today because they are super-poseable,” says Woodward.

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Cherry Bomb’s National Toy Museum of Canada in Victoria, BC Brings Heartfelt Memories

1410 Broad St
Victoria, BC Canada
(250) 385-8697

10 am – 6 pm Mon-Sat,
12 pm – 5 pm Sun

After much renovation to Cherry Bomb Toys mezzanine area, the store operators opened their National Toy Museum of Canada. After a few weeks, the guest book is indicating that people are keen on the idea. There were visitors from as far as Manitoba! Entry is by donation or purchasing an item at the store.

In what’s displayed brings plenty of fond memories. From the 1920’s is Meccano (‘Mechanics Made Easy’ was this construction set’s slogan and this product is modernized for today’s youths), during the early 1980’s several Mini-Arcades by Coleco brought video games to the home in a pint-sized package and made in the late 80’s were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The original toys stood beside their 2010 counterparts to show how these heroes in the half shell evolved with the times. The highlight for me is with the toys from the 70’s, namely the Six Million Dollar Man and the robots who predated the Transformers craze. Plenty of GoBots can be spotted, but for me, Marvel Comics‘ Shogun Warriors (I have the complete run) solidified my nerdiness. I drooled over the display case, wishing I could paw, er play with them like a needy cat.

Other notable items included the catalog from the Propworx Stargate SG-1 auction from 2010. The props donated to this museum came from an anonymous individual and if I could only hold the Zat’ni’katel, the gun used to stun opponents with, I’d truly geek out. Even a panel of a Goa’uld ship and a door switch lays on display. Very rarely collectors give their memorabilia from such a prominent show away, and this operation will display items from private collectors willing to loan them out (I might consider bringing to them my Studio Ghibli stuffed doll collection) so what’s on exhibit can regularly change. Patrons could find something new, if not rearranged, to look at during a visit to this store / museum operation.

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The Force is Still Strong with the X-Wing Series

By Shawn Trommeshauser
(Dreaming in Digital)

X-Wing — the word alone brings back a flood of memories and nostalgia. It’s also the name of a series of four games developed by Totally Games and published by LucasArts that, despite their age, are still the best Starfighter games set in the Star Wars universe. Putting you in the pilot’s seat of ships from both the Rebel Alliance and The Galactic Empire, the X-Wing series has you flying missions during the Galactic Civil War and are my favourite Star Wars games ever made.

I’m certain many people will agree that Star Wars was one of the defining entertainment experiences in our lives. The exotic worlds, the aliens, the lightsabers, any one of a hundred reasons George Lucas’ world latched on to our imaginations. For me, it was the starships. The X-Wing Starfighter is only a small step below The Millennium Falcon itself in fictional vehicles I’d love to have parked outside my home (slightly above a Light Cycle).

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AMC’s IMAX Promo for Star Wars: The Force Awakens Four Image Collage Revealed!

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

AMC Theatres‘ Star Wars: The Force Awakens IMAX poster collage is complete! The fourth and final poster will be offered to viewers going to see this film this Sunday, Jan 9. In this print, Finn is looking ready to do battle with Kylo Ren. I hoped either character would be used, and artist Dan Mumford did one better by featuring both! Props has to go to this artist for done one better!

The blue tone really works in contrast to the red lightsaber. The blood coloured highlights only accents Ren’s inner rage, and as for those who have seen the movie, the seething anger successfully shows in the tone of this image.

Now the hope is that for fans around the world, not living in the USA, will have the ability to get reprints of this distribution. AMC holds the exclusive for distributing the prints on (presumedly) heavier card stock, but that will not stop a certain group of people taking more than they are allowed to cash in on the craze by selling the set online on eBay.

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Problems with Audio Mixing; How to Experience Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Is watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens (TFA) three if not four times within opening week enough? When the film is a thrill ride from beginning to end, the answer is a resounding yes! Mind you, each viewing was done slightly differently to savour the cinema enhancing technology of RealD (3D), IMAX sized screens (a cinema slimmed version versus the 8 story sized proper screens), D-Box Motion Simulation (a flight simulator) and UltraAVX (3D sound with a large screen sized the same as IMAX’s).

Seeing it the way as J.J. Abrams intended will simply mean going to a regular showing with no thrills attached. When no 3D cameras were used during filming, there’s a difference that can be felt in the presentation. But heading to a proper IMAX cinema for that one sequence, presumably when Finn and Rey are running around on Jakku, what this director filmed is worth heading to the right theatre to.

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