Topic: Celebration V War Journal

[Tamer]

Life on the road was good! Pat's tom tom (notice the falcon icon) did a great job getting us to the right point and we glided into the motel right off the convention center. We arrrived very early 6:30 AM, but the motel was nice enough to allow us to check in and after a quick bite of breakfast we hit the sack for a few hours of much needed sleep! Needless to say I am too excited to sleep long, but figured it would probably be nice to put down some thoughts about this whole trip while it was fresh in my memory. 

The trip down was thankfully uneventful and I tried the litte 5 hour can of energy for the first time.  That little can hooked me right up and not one time did I even get remotely drowsy while driving the last leg in early this morning.  We didn't get to see much yet, but one thing we can say is that the convention center looks huge. I am thinking there is going to be more than ample space for an event of this magnitude.

The plan today is to check out said convention center, pick up a few passes, perhaps pick up our Last Tour To Endor tickets and try to determine the lay of the land for tomorrow.  Ofcourse we will be running galleries off the front page for what we find.  I will let you know what we find out later today!

[Phatty]

well, we're back from our first excursion into the fray, as it were.  We went in to pick up our media badge and take a look around, and are we impressed!  There is more than enough room and rooms for all of the events taking place this weekend.  The staff on hand were exceptionally nice and pointed us in the right directions as we needed them.  As we walked about, we were admitted into the R2 Builder's room to take some advanced photos of the place and props, and it was incredible!  Even more incredible than that, was when we walked by the 501st room, and ran into none other than Steve Sansweet himself!  We shook his hand and said hello, and then realized after it was too late that neither of us thought to take a picture with the man, or even ask him a couple of questions!  I guess we were just too star struck.  Tamer got to view and take some pics with his AT-AT Walker, courtesy of the Belguim 501st.  I narrowly evaded an attack from a Wampa, and we got to cool off a bit as we scoped out the Hoth Ice Bar.  IN all, we're very excited about the coming attraction tomorrow, so stay tuned to more from the ISY Team, both on here and our Twitter account!  For images, coming soon and coming later, check out our Event page at

http://www.imperialshipyards.net/cv/

[Tamer]

It is just about the end of Day 1 of my Celebration V excursion and I am just wiped out. What a great day. Now I will admit it started out a bit rought as Pat and I had to stand in line for over an hour just to get into the event, but once we got in I had a pretty good day. Pat and I started off by looking at a few vendors on the way to Pat looking for his CV Exclusive Artwork while I wanted to get my ACME At-At Sketch Plate. Life looked good as I walked right in, handed ACME my reciept while Pat went around the back to look at all the artwork. It only took moments and my minty fresh Sketch Plate was in my hand and it looks outstanding! I had to admire the huge Falcon Sketch Plate (see picture gallery off the front page)  and if I had 1,500 smackers I didn't know what to do with that would be coming home too. Still, I was drooling.

From there I went to look for Pat around the corner and he was able to find the artwork he wanted. He was given a written on reciept and told he would have to pay and then come back and pick up the art from the various booths he bought art from. We found the end of the pay line and it was wound clear around the entire ACME Gallery which was quite some distance. So, I left Pat for a bit and headed off to check out Hasbro.

Now, I know I am Hoth biased, but that daggone Echo Base diorama was the finest piece of figure building diorama goodness I have ever seen. It had blinky lights everywhere. I could easily spend the rest of my time right there and leave happy. I actually was smart enough to make a video of the whole thing and while the commentary isn't the greatest take a look at the Youtube video we are loading up on it. After that I looked at all the new Hasbro product and was drawn to Target Ultimate Hoth Battlepacks. I am happy to report that the Attack BP has an At-St driver that looks like he could withstand Hoth at this point. I am also happy to report that the Defense BP looks as good as I had hope too. Bring them on.

[Tamer]

Next, I was drawn to the vintage boxed ships and that Walker just seems like magic. I can't wait to get my hands on all three of them, but the Walker is magnificent. I think I would buy the box even if there wasn't a Walker in it.  I could write two more pages on Hasbro, but my highlight was talking with Daryl Depriest about Hasbro and he was a very down to earth guy and very willing to talk and interact with fans. While I was there he spent the whole time talking with kids and fans and you could tell he was just a genuine person who really likes what he does. He was also very appreciative of the work folks like us do to promote Hasbro products. Please make sure you take a look at the gallery for all the new Hasbro products and see the video presentation I made of the entire booth. I tried to be thorough, but please remember the Tamer isn't a movie star! I am working on it though. If there is something you Shipyarders wan't me to reshoot or look at more in depth send me a pm or tweet us.

Well, I know I spent hours at Hasbro so I went to look for Pat. Guess what, he was still in line at the ACME Gallery. I won't even get into detail how much time he waited, but Pat took it all in stride as he spent hours in that daggone line. I left him and went on other forays as you will see and finally the gave him a pass to come back later, but Pat got his art at almost the end of the day. I have to admit ACME didn't do a very good job of thier area. One cash register for thousands of fans is probably not a very smart idea.  Pass in hand we headed over to the CV store and picked up a few more goodies with no wait at all. 

[Tamer]

We hit a few more vendors booths and made some plans for some further day looks. The amount of SW swag was immense and the only thing I didn't see was an MR Walker, which was probably a good thing. I did pick up a Hasbro Zuckuss and 4-Lom, a Cami and Fixer for Eric, and I just couldn't pass on the remote control flying Falcon after playing with it myself (once again see the videos if we can get them loaded).

Finally Pat got his art and we headed for the Collecting Panel on Prototyopes. Wayne would have loved this one and you wouldn't believe all of them there are. The Panel ended with the ole Tamer getting his Hothy Wampa Flakes. It was getting on towards 7PM and my dogs were tired and I was hungry so we headed out to see more again another day and to work on getting this stuff up for you folks to see. Overall, I loved it once I got into the actual place, but will admit the early waiting in lines was not fun.  Tomorrow is a new day and we have a new game plan.  We plan to hit a few more panels including the "Whats New from Hasbro" so, stay tuned for more! Now, I think I haven't been this tired in a long time, but what a good tired it is.

[Phatty]

Sorry for the late addition to the War Journal, but we were a bit busy yesterday!  Needless to say, this hotel's spotty wi-fi internet is really taking it's toll on our abilities to put out the pictures and web pages.  I'm not even going to get into the problem with our videos...

In any case, yesterday was a MUCH better day all around.  We were in line at a good time, and from there we got into the showroom floor at about 10 after 10...however the line for the Gentle Giant Boba Fett was quite long already.  Something tells me, we won't be getting our Boba, and that's OK too.  From there, we hit a couple of booths that we had missed the day before, canvassing the area for killer deals we may have missed before.  I did finally stop at the GG booth after the line had dwindled to pick up my Darth Talon mini bust, and got the last one available for the day, so there was a small victory.  As we meandered about, we came upon the Mandalorian Mercs taking group photos with fans, so Shawn and I hopped up in there and got ours.  I have to say, if I were to ever join a costuming group, it'd probably be theirs. They have fun with their armor, and holy crap do some of those look GOOD!  Shawn was on a mission to find a boxed, complete Vintage AT-AT at a good price, so we went to scope one out we had seen before.  The guy advertised it as sealed for $400, yet upon inspection, it was open on one end, so he ended up passing on it.  As we were browsing another booth that looked like it had a bunch of junk, I spied a few mini busts still boxed buried in a table full of other stuff.  And what should my wondering eyes spy?  None other than the Biker Scout mini-bust that I've been searching for for years!  I've never seen one in hand that was less than $125, but I got this one for an amazing $55!!!  Truly happy, I stopped by the Disney booth and grabbed a couple of Shadow Ducks, and then headed over to the Hasbro panel to wait in line there.  It was an easy wait, and a much relaxed wait.  We got in, and got some great info from Hasbro that I honestly wasn't expecting at all.  In addition, we got to meet Chuck from Jedi Temple Archives and Marjorie and Andy from Star Wars Action News.  After the Hasbro panel, we stopped by the R2-Builder's room and the 501st TK Helmet Project room to snap some more pics and take a look around, and then decided to call it a day so we could get these pics online. 

The highlight of the day by far was the opportunity to meet up with forum member Kreeper2 for drinks later that night.  Definitely a cool guy, it was by far our pleasure.

Well, it's Saturday morning, and it's time for me to hop in the shower and get ready for Day 3 of our adventure!  Tonight is the MGM Studios/Last Trip to Endor extravaganza, so we may not get things uploaded until tomorrow, so bear with us!

[Phatty]

Boys and Girls, I have so much to tell you all before I hit the hay, so bear with me!

First of all, Shawn and I would like to apologize, as there will be NO new pics today.  Frankly, we've been running the floor and events since 8am this morning, and just got back to our hotel at 11:30 tonight.  We have several more videos that we still need to upload, but due to the inefficient internet connection, that may not happen until Monday or Tuesday.  The images may be up tomorrow, and if not, then by Tuesday as well.

First off, let me start by saying this was the most productive day so far!  As Shawn and I walked towards the queue line to wait for entrance to the show, I was stopped by a security guard.  Now, normally, the next part has me getting loud and violent, being led away in cuffs with tazer wires still sticking out of my chest.  However, this was a pleasant surprise: We were told that because I had a Media badge (they never checked Shawn's!), that we were allowed immediate entrance to the Main Event with Jon Stewart and George Lucas!  We headed for the auditorium, and I played the role of the slow but lovable and cooperative Media personnel asking a staff member where we were supposed to be.  She informed us that the wrist bands that allowed people into the Auditorium or the Digital Viewing stage were long gone, as people had been waiting in line since 11:30 the night before, and were handed out at 6am this morning.  I asked if we had to go back to the queue line, and she said we could go there if we wanted to, but we could instead go to one of the overflow rooms to watch the whole thing live on screen!  Of course, we chose option B.  

While waiting for the show to begin, I decided to get bold and try to enter the show room floor before anyone else except for exhibitors.  I saw another person with a Media badge stroll in like it was his business, so I figured I could too!  I sure did, and waited for Gentle Giant to begin selling the 12" Vintage Carded style "figures," Stormtrooper and Boba Fett.  I got up to pay, and they only let me get a grand total of 2 figures, so I was able to get a Stormtrooper (LAST ONE!!!) and a Boba Fett.  Shawn got them both because he wanted the set, and I was on the fence about them, so I was happy to help set him up.  After that, I joined Shawn in the overflow room along with Arnie from Star Wars Action News and Jason from Yakface.com (both great people!) in the first 2 rows to wait for the Main Event!

What can I say about the Main Event that you haven't already seen on YouTube?  Jon Stewart was funny as always, and definitely a great person to select for the roll of Interviewer.  George approached the whole thing with a great sense of humor and entertained all.  At one point, the question was asked "Which planet is Obi-Wan Kenobi from?"  George's response was that he was from a planet called "Stewjon," and that it was a 'coincidence' that it was similar to Jon's name.  In fact, it just so happened that the good people from Hasbro wanted to commemorate the event with an action figure of Jon Stewart in Stormtrooper armor, carded and clamshelled, with an alternate head with Jon with a goatee!  Pictures have been sent out by Hasbro, and those will be up shortly.

Next, George announced that the Blu-Ray versions of all 6 Star Wars movies would be available next year, complete with additional footage and deleted scenes.  Mark Hamill joined them both on stage soon after, and showed everyone a deleted scene, featuring Mark's big entrance into the movie!  I'm sure you've all seen it on YouTube or other outlet by now, but it shows Luke building his very first lightsaber, buried in the shadows.  Very ominous, very cool to be sure!

Finally, Carrie Fisher joined all 3 on stage for some joking around, including asking if George included the nude scenes, along with the "porno" of her and Jabba.  

Carrie, I love ya, and you'll always have a special place in my heart, forever glorified in that gorgeous gold bikini.  But today...today was not your finest day.  Carrie looked like a drag queen with too much make up.  It literally broke my heart.  Still, she has a good sense of humor!

After the Main Event concluded, Shawn and I took in some more vendors and show room gazing, along with fulfilling my last goal for the Celebration: Getting close to a Wampa!

From there, we headed off on the bus to The Last Tour to Endor, at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  We were allowed in at 4pm, and were given black wrist bands.  After 7pm, the general public were kicked to the curb, and the park became Star Wars Fan Central!  It was so great to see the Tour to Endor again, very nostalgic.  Even better, was the less than 10 minute wait time to get on board!  We hit some more rides and attractions, with almost no wait time at all.  We hit the Tower of Terror, Aerosmith's Rockin' Roller Coaster, and Tour to Endor 3 times each, along with attending the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and Muppets in 3D!  It was a great night, and we finally headed home.

So, here we sit, with one day left to cover.  Thank you to all of you who have been following our adventures, and stay close, because there definitely is more to come!

[Tamer]

Well I am finally home from my very first Celebration and I must say it is one of those "must go to" events at least once in your life if you are a Star Wars Fan. It really is a Star Wars Mecca.

Briefly, our last day was one of packing up and heading over to wait in yet another line to get in. I think Pat and I both agree that the event holder's need for total flow of everyone really hampered the event. Even after the main entrance time folks still had to go through a main que line which meant tons of walking and waiting when the event was supposed to actually have started! I know many people had to miss some panels because of this. The sad thing was that there were tons of entrances and ample room that both Pat and I were left scratching our heads about a lot of it. I guess the need to steer everyone by vendors was the ultimate reason, but it was very frustrating at times. Still, once I got in it was pretty easy to forget the wait.

Ok, back to our last day. Once we got in we had a few things we wanted to get done; namely purchasing a gift for my wife, picking up something for Clint along the same line, checking out to see if there were some last minute deals we could cash in on, and visiting the awesome fan made Echo Base diorama. I must say it was a little disheartening to see that some vendors had actually raised prices on some of thier items. Still, I was able to fill in quite a few gaps in my Action Fleet collection at one booth and get a steal on the Xmas version of C3-PO and R2. It also didn't hurt my feelings much that even after I haggled I got off almost 40 dollars cheaper than I thought. I told Pat it was time to run after I got out of that booth!

[Tamer]

Sorry for two posts, but the scrolly monster was one me. Back to my story.

Pat then went to check out a Maquette price while I went to do something I was on the fence about the whole time; meeting the one and only General Veers. Having heard and read many horrible experiences with fans meeting the actual actors and seeing some of this during the Celebration in person,  I wasn't sure I wanted to have my childhood memories forever tarnished by meeting who for me is my favorite fellow of the movies; the General who commanded Blizzard Force and told those Walkers what to do! Still, I decided to push on and I must say I am glad I did. Meeting Julian Glover was simply outstanding. I handed him my Saga2 Action figure and he asked me where I wanted him to sign it. It was great to hear him discuss the finer points of where to put it where it wouldn't get rubbed off, but still cause it to increase in value. Like I would ever sell it! Anyhow, I just happened to mention our little place and he loved the sound of it. I was able to snap a pic and left with the possibility of doing an interview in the future. It is probably a good thing he doesn't know my fascination with the whole Battle of Hoth. I walked away telling him I hope to see  him in a Walker again one day commanding another landing force in future. It was just awesome.

Then, Pat and I were able to knock of my other major want to do and that was present Deryyl DePriest one of our Shipyard's T-Shirts. Needless to say, he was busy every single second of the four days. And I am not talking about dealing with corporate big wigs or Site heads or Convention folks. I watched him help kids put together droids and show them new toys and it wasn't the drive through have a nice day bs you hear sometimes. He too, was down to earth, and really cared what the kids thought and what the fans wanted.  We waited for just a bit and Pat found an opening and we jumped in. We thanked him for his hospitality and presented him with the T-Shirt. Check out the front page to see what he thought.

I was on Cloud nine at this point and figured it would be nice to try and show the Shipyarders some of the main highlights of the main convetion floor with a video and I was off here and there for the next half hour. I also met the Corporate fellow for the new Shogun Stormy and will show you that in the future too.

[Tamer]

Scroll monster again.

Anyhow, after that we hit the 501st room to see if we had won anything in thier droid hunt and marveled just a bit at thier TK helmet project. We later heard on the road home that they made over 50,000 smackers on those helmets. You gotta hand it to the 501st and thier charity work.  We finally decided to hit the road and 9 hours later were at our halfway point where I met my family and Pat kept rolling.

I think we had both decided the just get home, but saner minds prevailed and we ended up finishing the last leg of our trip today. I am just bone tired, but it is that good tired you feel after doing some really amazing. It will probably take years to put into words how great this trip was. Yes, there were a few irritating things, but on the whole the experience was one simply undescribable. From meeting the other Site heads to meeting the toymakers to the King to just seeing the great costumes to meeting thousands upon thousands of folks just like me is hard to put into words. It was great to meet Kreeper2 and hear him put into words my feelings about the whole thing. Kreeper I don't know about you, but when you see that many folks who feel the same way about Star Wars that we do surely we aren't all off our rockers! It truly made me feel part of a larger world of Star Wars Fans and know it is ok and good to be affiliated with such a great hobby. Yes, we do probably feel all feel a bit wierd at times when we feel such joy at bringing home what for most is viewed as just a toy or a senseless momento of one's past, but if so many people share so much happiness with so many facets of Star Wars I for one am not going to downplay said joy. I am taking part in it!  It is so nice to not feel all alone in my chosen hobby. Shipyarders, there are tens of thousands of us and it is growing daily. And Steve, the nex time I shake your hand I will try to take a daggone picture to show folks what a nice guy you are.  Sansweet too is about the fans.