The Star Wars saga has been a story with avid viewers of all ages - all around the globe. From episodes I, The Phantom Menace, to Return of the Jedi - the latest of the Star War Series movies, there is a large fan following that never seems of cease. There will be hardly an adult who is not familiar with the cuddly Chewbacca, the handsome Anakin Skywalker, beautiful Princess Leia, the all-knowing Yoda, the dashing Obi Wan Kenobi or the brave but deadly Darth Vader. The technology and the sheer brilliance of the space wars have left us all dazzled and enthralled. It is therefore not surprising that Star Wars costumes are in great demand during Halloween or celebrations especially involving kids. The demand for Star Wars masks and accessories outstrips their supply at times.
On offer are Star Wars costumes of the most amusing C-3 PO, the efficient clone and storm troopers, Count Dooku, Mace Winder, Padme and Queen Amidala besides the eternal favorites mentioned earlier. Also available are Star Wars costumes of Luke Skywalker and the Jedi. Star Wars masks and accessories have a massive inventory as well. Light sabers did you say? You have to specify whose light saber you are after because for $10 you could buy one in respect of Ahsoka or Anakin Skywalker. But, it will set you back a cool $120 for an authentic Anakin Skywalker light saber of the Fx standard! Deluxe Anakin gloves for kids are for $10 and the adult ones for $13. If you want Padme Amidala’s blaster it’s for $10 but a collector’s edition Yoda statue will cost you $600!
Star Wars episodes have effected a substantial production of masks. Not only do you have masks for Chewbacca supreme as he is called but for his versions as adult and child! Similarly you have C-3 PO masks, the child one for $2.50 and the adult one for $8. The cases of Darth Vader and Princess Leia are especially interesting since they have masks not only in their versions of baby, child, adult and supreme but pet as well! Star Wars are after all everyone’s favorite!
About the Author
John is an expert web writer and he is associated with www.costumes4less.com - an online venture that offers a wide variety of quality, branded costumes and costume accessories for every occasion. Visit our site for Star Wars costumes, Children Costumes and kid's costumes - all at affordable prices.
OK I need help! I still cry over Anakin Skywalker! Why am I so depressed about Star Wars Episode III?
I still need advise because my doctor said try to stay calm while watching episode 3 by myself. I am a 16 year old Jedi Knight and I still cry over my favorite Jedi who is Anakin Skywalker. Why am I soo depressed? I will talk to my dad about this problem I have since May 20th, 2005 that is the same day I went to see Star Wars episode III Revenge of the Sith! I think I need a new obession because one one like me because I am a star wars fan and I am so depressed. I will see my doctor some time in september and I will tell him my problem watching episode 3. I am scared to watch episode III by myself. The other thing is Star Wars is my favorite science fiction film and I can't go back to Star Trek because Star Wars is my favrotie thing in the world. I still need advise. I still cry at the ending part when Anakin got killed and my heart was pounding for Anakin Skywalker. Thanks for your time to help me. Peace, jedisara29
please consult a psychiatrist. You obviously need some help
In the last month, at Annual Toy Fairs around the world, LEGO have unveiled the next wave of releases in their popular Star Wars line. Due for release in August 2010 the LEGO sets are a mix of old and new with brand new sets and re-releases from the Original trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy and the Clone Wars.
One of the main draws of any new Star Wars set is the new minifigures and this wave doesn't disappoint. Along with new sculpts of Boba Fett (with more authentic blue jumpsuit coloring), Han Solo in Carbonite and General Grievous there are previously unreleased minifigures of Aalya Secura, Empire Strikes Back Bounty Hunter Bossk and Clone Wars villain Cad Bane.
The sets themselves are also a mixture of new models and old. As usual the focus is on vehicles but the addition of a play set will also appeal to fans.
With 297 pieces, model 8089, The Hoth Wampa Set combines the new figure of the powerful Wampa with a redesign of the snowspeeder. This is the third interpretation of the snowspeeder, it has been previously released twice in standalone sets and once in another Hoth play set. The Hoth Wampa set also comes with Luke Skywalker in Hoth gear (ready to be suspended in the Wampa's meat freezer) and a snowspeeder pilot and will retail for $39.99.
The re-release of Boba Fett's Slave 1 includes the third version of Slave 1 to be released as well as the figures of Boba Fett, Bossk and Han Solo. The latter includes a Carbonite mould that can be attached to the Han Solo figure and carried by two other figures. The redesign of Slave One looks to be a huge improvement over previous versions. Boba Fett's Slave 1 has been released twice before and the latest version, model 8097, is more screen-accurate in both colors and design. It will retail for $79.99.
Model 8096 is Emperor Palpatine's Shuttle as seen in Episode Three, where it was used to rescue a scarred and burned Anakin Skywalker after his battle with Obi Wan Kenobi. The Shuttle is a first time release from LEGO and includes figures of The Emperor, Anakin in transition to cyborg Darth Vader, a shuttle pilot and a medical droid. The vehicle will have 592 pieces and will retail for $59.99.
Model 8095 is another re-release, General Grievous Starfighter. With 454 pieces it comes with 3 figures a beautifully designed General Grievous, a medical droid and Bant Eerin. A Mon Calamari, Bant Eerin is Kit Fisto's padawan and met his demise in the Clone Wars Season one episode The Lair Of General Grievous. As mentioned previously the General Grievous minifig is a huge improvement on previous Episode 3 sets and this figure will no doubt be highly sought after on the sets release. The General Grievous Starfighter will retail for $49.99.
Set 8093 is Plo Koon's Starfighter a debut model in LEGO. Plo Kloon was a renowned pilot and famously met his demise in Episode Three after being shot down by fellow clone pilots after Order 66. The starfighter set is 175 pieces and includes the figures of Plo Kloon and his Astromech Droid. The fighter itself is a beautiful blue and white design reminiscent of the Jedi Starfighters from Episode two. Set 8093 will retail for $24.99
The last set for this late 2010 wave of Star Wars LEGO sets is the re-release of the Clone Turbo Tank. Released around the time of Episode Three, the original set came with Mace Windu and clone troopers but this newest release gives us a Clone wars TV series theme. Figures include two new designs-Clone wars villain Cad Bane and Jedi Master Aalya Secura. Other figures in this set include Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, and two clone troopers. The Clone Wars Turbo Tank will have 1141 pieces, making it the largest set of this wave and indeed of the years so far. The Turbo Tank also comes with a clone walker that can deploy from the tank and the set will retail for $119.
August cannot come too soon for fans of the highly popular Star Wars LEGO licence and although the release dates give plenty of time to ponder and over-anticipate the details of each set it also allows ample time to save!
Inger loves stories and loves to write. As a librarian in a previous knowledge she also has an insatiable thirst for general knowledge. You can see her latest website which help people to choose the best wok set for their kitchen including cast iron wok options.
Why do the Jedi use the Clones to fight for them in Episode II-III?
I mean, think about it. Obi-Wan accidentally stumbles onto this alien base where they're training thousands of clones of the notorious bounty hunter Jango Fett, and the Jedi AGREE TO USE this hithero-unknown and highly suspicious group as allies in their fight against the Droid army??? Yeah, granted, the clones kick serious butt in a fight, but WHY in the name of Alderaan would the Jedi Council TRUST these guys? Shouldn't warning bells be going off in the minds of - at LEAST - wise Jedi masters such as Yoda and company? After all, THEY sure as hell didn't order such an army! Or am I missing something here?
Because when George Lucas wrote the line in the first Star Wars, "...years ago you served my father in the clone wars.." he didn't think, "Wow, 25 years from now I'm going to have to make 2 f*cking movies based around a stupid throw away line."
Joseph Paxton designed the Crystal Palace in seven days. When it was first built in Hyde Park for the 1851 Great Exhibition it was over 600 yards long and 150 yards wide. At that time glass was unheard-of as a building material. The 2,000 workers who erected it at high speed bolted and welded together 3,300 iron columns, 205 miles of sash-bars and 293,655 panes of glass. With its lofty central transept and colossal glass elevations, it was built to impress.
It had been created for the world to wonder at, as a temple containing the triumphs of Victorian art and industry. The original conception had been Prince Albert's, who was President of the Royal Society of Arts; he believed a showcase of the varied technological and artistic achievements of the many countries of the civilised world would stimulate international trade.
Inside were galleries offering eight miles of display space that was occupied by 14,000 exhibitors from Britain, the United States and most European nations. E F Benson describes a selection of the exhibits in his life of Queen Victoria: 'machinery and oil-yielding palms, stuffed elephants with immense ivory tusks, locomotives, stamps for crushing ores, the pit head of a coal mine, Persian carpets, Kidderminster rugs, porcelain and wax flowers and glass paper weights and bedsteads and blankets'.
Over six million people visited the exhibition between May and October 1851. The emerging middle classes were captivated: here they saw novelties and inventions that would enrich their lives, made possible by the new techniques of mass production.
After the Exhibition, it was decided to move the Crystal Palace to another site, and to turn it into a temple of leisure. For London's millions the Crystal Palace brought opportunities for exciting excursions and days out. If the original building in Hyde Park had been spectacular, it was even more so when it was re-erected in the wooded parkland of Sydenham in south-east London: the original three-storey building was enlarged to five storeys, making it almost half as big again.
It was filled with an abundance of Grecian, Roman, Chinese, Egyptian and other displays, lavish in both size and scope. The grounds were transformed into fantastic gardens with many flower temples, pleasure walks, fountains and lakes; there were statues, urns, busts, temples and miniature palaces to delight the artistic eye and to stimulate civic sensibility. Its impact on the London working man and his family must have been extraordinary: most were used to living in considerable poverty, in cramped tenements and slums where sunlight rarely penetrated.
Brunel constructed water towers three hundred feet high, which held almost half a million gallons of water to serve the complex system of fountains; there were lakes, islands, a maze, a grotto, groves, temples and lawns. It became a paradise of leisure for Londoners, who flocked to enjoy the special displays and exhibitions.
There were firework displays by Messrs Brock that lit up the London sky with flights of 5,000 rockets, celestial cascades and plumes of fire; a fiery Battle of Jutland was played out in the sky before thousands; Blondin walked the high wire and cooked an omelet seventy feet up in the air.
Queen Victoria invited everyone to see her Palace, including the Shah of Persia. Like her subjects, she was delighted by it. The Palace was an unparalleled symbol of the continuing glories and achievements of her reign.
Londoners were shocked in 1936 when the building was destroyed by fire. The deep red corona could be seen in the sky from all over the city. Crowds flocked to watch the spectacle, at once horrified and fascinated. No public building since has approached the Crystal Palace for sheer splendor.
For more details on Victorian Times and to gain an insight to Victorian society, please visit The Victorian Picture Library.