Visiting the Legoland Star Wars Display (Winter Haven, FL)

Last week my girlfriend and I took a trip down to Florida, and while we were there I managed to tick something off my bucket-list that's been on there for a very long time - a trip to Legoland! Along with tiny versions of locations such as New York, Las Vegas, Kennedy Space Center, and Daytona International Speedway, there's also an entire section of the park dedicated to Star Wars.


As well as three life-size statues of R2-D2, Darth Maul, and Darth Vader, there are miniature dioramas depicting scenes from Naboo, Geonosis, Christophsis, Kashyyyk, Mustafar, Tatooine, Hoth, and Endor.






The dioramas depict a variety of events from the first six Star Wars films and The Clone Wars animated series. As yet, there's nothing from any of the Disney-era properties (Star Wars Rebels, The Force Awakens, or Rogue One), but I imagine these exhibits take a lot of time, planning, and park space to be developed.

The level of intricacy in each of these displays is breathtaking. The longer you look, the more details you find yourself noticing. Some displays also include interactive features that, with the push of a button, cause a tiny animation (like the dancing cantina band) to occur. If you happen to find yourself in Florida, it - and the rest of the park - are well worth a visit!

Funko Pop! #91 Captain Phasma (Chrome) Bobblehead

Well, as expected, it happened - and my Funko Pop! K-2SO now has a friend in the form of Captain Phasma. In fact, my girlfriend's brother is entirely to blame, as he very kindly surprised me with this latest addition last weekend.


This isn't any ordinary Funko Phasma either, it's the Smuggler's Bounty exclusive, which - unlike the standard version - comes with a chrome-plated finish. It's an embellishment that not even the 3 3/4" or 6" Hasbro versions of this character received, and it's what really makes this adorable figure (ahem) 'pop'. Like others in this line, Phasma features a wobbling bobble-head and a removable display stand.

Fortunately, you needn't be a subscriber to Smuggler's Bounty to get your hands on of these figures. At the time of writing, Amazon.com has her in stock - but you will pay a premium price: $24.99US ($35.60NZ), compared with $12.99US ($18.50NZ) for the standard Phasma.

The Hunt Is On - The Force Awakens 3 3/4" 2-Packs Found

The release of Force Awakens figures sort of fizzled out in New Zealand, with the last wave of characters barely seeing the light of day in stores. While the single-carded figures I'm after from wave 7 (namely, Admiral Ackbar and Tasu Leech) are still proving elusive, I have managed to track down the two final 2-packs on my huntlist: Sidon Ithano and First Mate Quiggold, and Snap Wexley and First Order Snowtrooper Officer for $14.95US ($20.79NZ) each.


While the Snowtrooper Officer is a minor repaint of the Commander figure that came with the First Order Snowspeeder (his pauldron now being black instead of orange), the other three figures across these two packs are all character debuts. Least impressive is Snap, who unfortunately suffers from the same 'banana visor' we saw on Poe and Ello in earlier waves. He does come with a working holster, however - and he's a welcome addition to those of us who are desperate to add more Resistance pilots to our collection.


Nevertheless, the real boons here are Sidon and Quiggold. I'm not usually one for alien figures, but these two are simply phenomenal. Hasbro have done an excellent job recreating their on-screen appearances, and an incredibly tidy paint job (including a nice glossy sheen to Sidon's helmet) ensures that none of those fine finely sculpted details goes to waste. Quiggold is unarmed (unless you choose to utilise the ridiculously oversized cannon included in the pack), but Sidon comes with a blaster rifle and a removable cape. Set in fantastic neutral poses, this pair of pirates look great standing side-by-side.