Disney decided to market this item as Yoda’s illuminator, but it would be more accurately called ‘Luke’s flashlight’, and we can assume that Luke brought his to Dagobah as part of standard-issue Rebel survival gear. While maybe not recognizable to the casual fan, once you know the scene, the item springs to mind pretty easily.
It’s not surprising that Disney went to the trouble of producing this lamp, but for $30, is it worth buying? Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: Yoda Illuminator”
First thoughts on ‘The High Republic’
While I try to avoid association with the post-Disney canon, I feel like the recent announcement of the-project-formerly-known-as-Luminous could prove very intriguing, and I wanted to share my observations and initial thoughts as they relate to our pursuit of the ‘costume arts’ and authentic reenacting in the Star Wars setting. As has been mentioned by many, the idea of a multimedia publishing campaign is nothing new for Star Wars; it’s somewhat reminiscent of the ‘movie without a movie’ approach of the Shadows of the Empire project in the mid-Nineties (games, a comic miniseries, toys, novel, soundtrack). But while SotE filled in the gap between 3-4ABY, the High Republic has a much bigger sandbox to play in… Continue reading “First thoughts on ‘The High Republic’”
The issue of Original Characters
It’s been a while since I’ve done a ‘back to basics’ post, so we’re taking a break from the usual projects-and-research content and taking a turn for the nitty-gritty. The vexing issue this week is that of the ‘OC’, or ‘Original Character’ (differentiated from a recognizable ‘Face Character’). Stick around at the end for a list of character ideas to take your OC to the next level!
After hanging around a popular SW cosplay facebook group for the last few years, I have noticed a pattern that my historical-authenticity-focused mind finds quite aggravating: Continue reading “The issue of Original Characters”
In search of the functional ‘blaster’ rifle
If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t posted in far too many weeks, this is one of the reasons. Don’t worry, projects are proceeding apace!
*I use EU terminology. If you’re into post-Disney stuff, just replace any instance of ‘A295’ in the following with ‘A280C’*
About a year back, I began toying with the idea of retooling my SKS into a more GFFA-style slugthrower. Eventually, though, I had to resign myself to the limitations of the Simonov platform, and abandoned the idea. However, a few weeks ago, someone in the Endor Commando facebook group was seeking help on a A280 prop rifle they were planning…and I got the bug again. I never liked the looks of the Endor rifle…it just seemed clunky and ugly to me (the alternate version with the triangle buttstock especially so) – give me an A295 Hoth rifle any day!
Owing also to having more time onscreen and the easier availability of the base gun*, I see way more prop A280s online. At the same, I got to thinking about what folks these days could use to build an A295 prop out of, and one fellow pointed out the most accurate base rifle would be AGM’s all-metal electric airsoft StG44, which retails for $235; he commented that it would be awfully expensive “for something you will be cutting up” for a prop rifle. I agreed, but this led me to my next question: well, what if you were cutting it up, but it was still a functional rifle? And just out of curiosity, how cheap could I do it for?
Continue reading “In search of the functional ‘blaster’ rifle”
An authentic Medpac at long last!
In the spirit of my New Year, New Gear tradition, I recently finished up an essential piece of my in-universe survival/hiking kit. Some 20 months ago, I made a discovery – I noticed that the health powerups in Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy were essentially the same design as one from an early SWRPG sourcebook:
a bit of digging turned up similar designs in the Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology and the more recent SWRPG Revised Core Rulebook (2002):
As my backpack’s current first aid kit has been stashed in a repurposed extension cord waterproof safety box, I’ve been thinking about what I could use as a container for my medical supplies that would better fit the in-universe aesthetic. Continue reading “An authentic Medpac at long last!”
Project: Adventures in Applied Color Theory!
The color scheme basically was the baddies would be black or gray, with the exception of the stormtroopers, and the goodies should be in earth colors—fawns and whites…Mollo tried to keep the colors muted wherever possible. Color is very, very difficult to use. Bright colors don’t work well on film, particularly reds and blues. George always goes for the authentic….and if it’s all garish color, it doesn’t work.” – Star Wars Costumes – the Original Trilogy (Alinger), p15.
At this point on my journey into the hobby/lifestyle of Star Wars reenacting/living history, I have a number of no-nonsense, generic civilian garments hanging in my closet, and as I’m always looking to Star Wars-ify my everyday wardrobe even more, I’m always on the lookout for things that fit the bill—or could fit the bill, with a little tweaking! Today, we’re talking color, and the surprising transformation seen below:
Continue reading “Project: Adventures in Applied Color Theory!”
Image Analysis: Mon Calamari outfitter
It’s been awhile since our last Image Analysis, and we’re looking again at the work of Langdon Foss, who consistently infuses his images with plenty of details that sell the galactic setting, and therefore are ripe for teasing out insights!
Although this picture is chock-full of details, there’s one in particular that I will focus on later, as it has the most potential for real-world usage. Continue reading “Image Analysis: Mon Calamari outfitter”
Galaxy’s Edge merch: Jedi & Sith Holocrons
I don’t have a ton to say about the Jedi and Sith holocrons ($50) offered at Galaxy’s Edge, because such items were extremely very rare in the Galaxy, and not something your regular Jedi—let alone average citizen—would ever have access to:
“…the deepest secrets of the great Masters of the Force were stored in restricted holocrons; since the Lorian Nod affair, some seventy standard years before, access to these holocrons was denied to all but Jedi Masters.” (Matthew Stover, Revenge of the Sith, Chapter 10).
While some further research revealed that the Jedi Temple archives probably held more holocrons than I had originally understood, I still don’t think they would be the kind of thing that any random Jedi or citizen could pull out of their backpack. (Disney!Canon has made it pretty clear through their various properties–Galaxy’s Edge, the recent Jedi: Fallen Order game, probably Rebels (I haven’t seen it), likely Marvel comics as well–that in their Canon, holocrons are widespread. I’ll just have to agree to disagree. Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: Jedi & Sith Holocrons”
Boba Fett’s survival knife: Accuracy vs. Authenticity
I’ve been thinking about this item a lot recently, as a possible easy project to bang out with the drill press and benchgrinder some weekend. We don’t have many references to non-vibro knives in the Star Wars galaxy, and its identification as a “survival” knife lends itself easily to my purposes of wilderness adventure and interpretation. With a beefy 5 or 6 mm spine, I can easily see it being perfect for batoning firewood and other tasks around camp (in GFFA style, of course).
The problem is, there are two versions of Boba Fett’s ‘survival knife’ out there – so which one is ‘right’? Continue reading “Boba Fett’s survival knife: Accuracy vs. Authenticity”
Galaxy’s Edge merch: Credit Chip
Unlike the $100 Black Spire Gift Card, this item is simply a $60, heavy lump of metal with a Republic credit symbol (Resh with two strokes) and etched lines on the back side, with only passing resemblance to what has existed for 20+ years: Continue reading “Galaxy’s Edge merch: Credit Chip”
Living History in the Star Wars Galaxy 