#sdcc used to be my most anticipated time of the year damn

[perfectmanisperfect]

god you think you’re having a crazy weekend and it’s only friday. no 15 year old is having a fucking heart attack. not only did i get to see sebastian stan and chris evans together again yet briefly. i also saw jensen ackles at sdcc for the boys and a new show and jeffrey dean morgan was there. and i saw the new deadpool so that’s reawakened marvel love and the supernatural brainrot goes so deep that i cried when jensen ackles came on stage. lol can never escape

this reads like i’m at sdcc i am not. i am simply living this through the screen exactly as i would’ve ten years ago.

fuck deadpool 3 was so good i can literally feel my brain getting into marvel again.

[dannystattoo]

So I’ve been meaning to make a post about my feelings on Jen (and Jared, Ginny, Josh, Bex, and Emilie...but mostly Jen) leaving the show, season 7, and what may as well be the end of OUAT/CS...or at least OUAT as we know and love it, this entire week, but I’m finally just getting around to it

I feel like before the cut, it must be said that I 100% support all the cast, both those leaving and those staying, in their decisions and future endeavors. Did I cry a little when I found out JMo was leaving? Abso-fucking-lutely, but you can sure as hell bet I respect her decision and will continue to follow her career. 

As for my future involvement in the fandom YOU BETTER BELIEVE I’M STICKING AROUND. I definitely want to continue reading/writing fics and enjoy all the other amazing content this fandom makes, and I want to stay in touch with all the incredible CS shippers I’ve met here. Regarding S7, I’m going to at least give it a shot if only because Colin is staying. Also,I’m hella intrigued by the developments of the series season finale. I’m just going to look at S7 as a spin-off, as opposed to a continuation of the same show, especially since the S6 finale would have been the perfect series finale. 

I’m not sure who will actually read the lengthy post below, but I can’t let this moment pass without reminiscing just how amazing my experience with the CS fandom has been...and now for some happy memories!! 

I started shipping CS just at the end of S2, summer of 2013. At the time, I was having kind of a shitty summer, seeing as I was fully anticipating that I would be doing the Disney College Program and moving to Orlando once school ended. Plans changed, my best friend went and I didn’t, and I was just not in the best place during that time. At one point, I started chatting with a couple other OUAT blogs about shipping and fell headfirst into this fandom. 

I remember the excitement of SDCC 2013 - obviously I enjoy every SDCC, but I don’t think anything can quite compare to the hype and excitement of that year, at least for me. I remember all the new people I met in this fandom, hardcore fangirling about each tiny development we found in SDCC news. The Captain Swan fandom and SDCC honestly pulled me out of a huge slump that year and needless to say, I’m so happy this ship came into my life. Suddenly, I had things to get excited over again. 

I remember S3, which I think was honestly the peak time to be in the Captain Swan fandom....yes, perhaps even more so than during wedding/engagement time. The episodes in that season were quality af and it felt like every episode we were getting some kind of CS development...”until I met you”, “when i win your heart and I will win it”, the coconuts, and so many other moments that I remember excitedly discussing with the fandom. And then of course, THE KISS HAPPENED and the fandom lost its collective shit and I have the absolute best memories of sharing that original kiss image far and wide on this godforsaken website.  Then the first video popped up during the middle of a two hour lecture and I recall rushing out afterwards to grab a seat in the lobby of building my class was in, just so I could watch the CS kiss on my computer before heading home. I also remember texting my roommate about the kiss video being posted but not being able to watch it  and her asking how I was alive and HOW WASN’T I WATCHING IT, and me telling her that I honestly didn’t know and finally her promising to watch the Kiss with me when I got home, even though she never watched OUAT and her only knowledge of it was through me. 

I remember ACTUALLY WATCHING THE KISS and being so full of feelings after that episode I couldn’t sleep, so I went down to the gym in my apartment at 1 in the morning to run off all my feelings about Captain Swan. 

I remember my weekly liveblogging, back when I used to be around to watch the show live every night, and all the fun I had interacting with fellow CSers. I looked forward to that every damn week and I’m still a little sad I never really got back into it after S3.

I remember moving to Disney and meeting my best friend because a Once related Facebook post and numerous discussions about Captain Swan = of course, we fangirled together from season 3B on! 

I remember the couple years I did Captain Swan Secret Santa and Valentine’s Day, some of the most fun things I’ve ever done and it brought more new friends. I’m hoping that we don’t stop this tradition just because the show is essentially over as we know it because I love the massive amounts of amazing fan art and fics that come about because of it. 

I remember the one season (S4) I was able to consistently join the Captain Swan Net chat and how much fun I had every week, freaking out about all our babies’ precious moments. I especially loved fangirling with all of you because the other group chat I was in during OUAT was with all my Disney friends who didn’t like Emma for some reason and didn’t ship Captain Swan how I did and I really needed like-minded people to flail with. 

After S4, my participation in the fandom really dwindled. Once I moved to Florida permanently, the theme park life didn’t allow me to be home on Sunday nights...plus the fandom just didn’t seem as active as a whole. However, I do remember the S5 finale, knowing I’d be working at Magic Kingdom til well after the episode ended. When I went on break that night, right before 9, I decided to go to a different breakroom than usual because I wanted a vending machine and the Tomorrowland breakroom didn’t have one. Well, as luck would have it, I went to the right breakroom at JUST THE RIGHT TIME and Once was already turned on on their TV. I was able to watch Hook and Emma reunited after his funeral and it took everything I had not to start crying like a baby in front of tons of strangers and WHAT A HAPPY COINCIDENCE THAT I HAD NO FOOD AT HOME BECAUSE I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF MOVING. 

And of course, the wedding - the amazing fairytale ending we’ve been dreaming about for CS since S2. 

I could go on, but I won’t since this post is a damn novel already. Captain Swan, thank you for bringing so many amazing memories and wonderful people into my life. I truly hope this fandom doesn’t die just because the show is taking a different direction and in a way, we essentially got our series finale last night. Finally, a HUGE THANK YOU to anyone who’s ever fangirled with me about this ship, as well as all the wonderful content creators who put out some of the best fics, gif sets, videos, manips, etc, that I think any fandom’s ever seen. Whether you’re still active in the fandom or you’re one of those URLs I haven’t seen cross my dash in ages, thanks for flailing along with me. 

If you’re no longer watching after last night, thanks for 5 seasons of Captain Swan and I hope to continue to see those familiar URLs around my dash! If you’re continuing to watch along to S7, I’m excited to see what this show will bring us next! <3 I love you guys!

[greencardback]

The mid-February weekend marks every toy nerd’s favourite time of year – New York Toy Fair. Each year the big guns of the toy world set out their wares for the next 6-9 months, giving us our first glimpse of how our collections are going to take shape.

Last year’s NYTF was a disappointment for this collector as far as Star Wars was concerned; the repack heavy and entirely cynical 40th Anniversary Black Series line failed to hit the mark. Meanwhile the Tatooine themed Black Series 3.75″ wave (more repacks, but at least ones I would buy) looked good but didn’t even make it to these shores.

We already knew that the Vintage Collection was coming back at some point this year while the first wave of 6″ Solo: A Star Wars Story figures were revealed this week, but we didn’t know how the rest of the line was going to shake out. Would Hasbro bring the goods to make a success of things this year?

The answer was a resounding yes. Click through to see the most exciting Star Wars reveals from NYTF 2018!

7. Imperial Hover/Assault Tank (The Vintage Collection)

This was my #1 most anticipated upcoming release after SDCC last year, and now seeing it in the plastic makes the need all the more real. The incredible bulk of the vehicle, the excellent weathering, the cockpit details and the myriad little features (kyber crystals, anyone?) make this vehicle a must for anyone who loves Rogue One. I agree with some online that it’s a touch undersized, but it still fits the bill for the revitalised Vintage Collection.

Throw in the 3.75″ super articulated Hovertank Driver and the battle of Jedah is going to come to insurgent life in geek caves all across the globe.

6. Princess Leia (Hoth) (Black Series)

If you ask, then so you shall receive. Princess Leia in her Hoth attire is the second character from the GCB Black Series Most Wanted List 2017 to make it into plastic (following the Rebel Fleet Trooper), and she looks fantastic.

A brilliant likeness of Carrie Fisher in pretty much everyone’s favourite Star Wars film, the addition of her goggles and spanner make her perfectly suited for fixing that 6″ scale Millennium Falcon that we’re definitely going to get one day. When Leia hits shelves the Hoth crew will be complete!

5. Commander Wolfe (Black Series)

Back in the day (let’s say about 10 years ago) clones were as divisive as The Last Jedi is today. Since then we’ve all had plenty of new Star Wars to hate and so, as a community, we’ve started to accept the many Jaangos as the part of the saga that they are.

Personally I love me some clones. Some day I’ll get around to watching Clone Wars from start to finish and appreciate each CT as the character they no doubt grow to be, but for now I just love how they serve as kick ass space commandos in a war against robots. And that’s something that Wolfe here looks like he does with aplomb.

4. Mimbam Stormtrooper (Black Series)

So let’s get this straight. You take one normal Stormtrooper, make him filthy from the ground up, give him a black cape (because Captain Phasma – it rhymes), and voila: you’ve made a new kind of Imperial that people are going to go nuts for and squad build? Screw you Lucasfilm, you crazy geniuses – it just might work!

Is it the most exciting toy revealed this year? No way. But no matter what Solo is like (the film, not the man), these figures are going to generate so much great action figure photography that I can’t wait to see them hit shelves.

3. Han Solo (The Vintage Collection)

Troops aside, the Black Series reveals for Solo: A Star Wars Story haven’t been particularly enthralling. That was why it was such a great surprise to see the film get a strong showing in the relaunched Vintage Collection, with an Alden Ehrenreich-style Solo joining a 3.75″ Mimban Trooper and Range Trooper in the new VC line.

And it’s a great looking figure, no doubt. There’s something about the saturated browns and blues that places this character firmly in the OT era, while the boots, Correllian blood stripe pants, belt and holster make this unmistakably Han.

2. Range Trooper (Black Series/The Vintage Collection)

As alluded to above the Troopers for Solo: A Star Wars Story have both looked exceptional. However, it’s the way that the Range Trooper blends the Hovertank Driver and AT-AT Commander’s armour (topped off with heavy duty mech legs and a fur coat, of course) that make this design such a winner. It’s a bit of a cheat putting both the Black Series and Vintage Collection Range Troopers in this spot, but both figures look ace in their own right; the VC version is a stocky, well sculpted powerhouse of a trooper, while the 6″ version achieves the rare feat of making soft goods look good.

It’s unlikely that they’ll get loads of screen time, but as long as they’re not complete chumps I think any Star Wars collector will be hard pressed not to put together at least a small squad of these.

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1. Jabba’s Sail Barge (The Khetanna) (The Vintage Collection)

Wow. Who saw this coming? Fans have been asking Hasbro for years to get into a crowd funding model to deliver the biggest items such as Jabba’s Sail Barge, and now with the Haslab project the big H has delivered – and asked fans to stop moaning and start fronting.

At 4ft long the Khetanna, from Return of the Jedi, is the biggest Star Wars toy vehicle ever made and it looks mighty. The imaginative playset features an exclusive Jabba, an armoury, a kitchen, a prison (with emaciated Ithorian corpse) and even a two-figure seating cockpit. The roof features two cannons and plenty of Skywalker hack ‘n’ slash room, and it’s all topped off with soft goods sails. A hidden compartment, prison cell trapdoor and opening shutters round out the rest of the features to make this the greatest looking playset that Hasbro have produced since the Legacy Collection Millennium Falcon.

It’s a Star Wars collector’s dream vehicle, and it can be yours for only $499.99 (plus tax and 4,999 of your friends committing to do the same). Oh, and it needs to reach that target by April 3rd 2018.

If it does get over the line it won’t be coming my way for a few reasons – cost, space, and the fact that it’s so far only available in the US being the main factors. But that aside, it’s great to see Hasbro throwing down the gauntlet; either we get an awesome toy, or the more obnoxious voices in collecting get a reality check. It’s a win-win either way.

Visit the Haslab site to view the dream, and share the link far and wide to try and make it a reality.

**

You know, it’s much easier to differentiate between scales now that the Vintage Collection is back – no more BS 3.75″ required when a simple TVC will do. Hopefully there will be more upsides to the all-but-certain associated price rises, right? And no, recycled old card back designs don’t count.

The Haslab project is a great idea on Hasbro’s part that I sincerely hope works. It could enable fans to get the vehicles, diorama pieces and exclusives that wouldn’t see release any other way, while it also re-opens a long dormant community dialogue. However, 5,000 is a heck of a stretch goal for something so expensive. I get why they launched with such a big ticket item but with the number of backers not even in four figures at the time of writing, it may well struggle to get there. Furthermore, at $499.99 and with no lights, sounds or electronics, it’s definitely in keeping with Hasbro’s recent sky high pricing policy – and that’s not a good thing.

All the same, this year NYTF marks Hasbro finally turning back to engage with collectors. From Haslab to Solo to TVC and the proper return of super articulated 3.75″ figures (damn, doing it again), it looks like 2018 will see Star Wars toys getting back on track.

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NYTF has been and gone once more, and this year Hasbro delivered. Check out the best of #StarWars 2018 right here >> The mid-February weekend marks every toy nerd's favourite time of year - New York Toy Fair. Each year the big guns of the toy world set out their wares for the next 6-9 months, giving us our first glimpse of how our collections are going to take shape.