23 May 2005

Star Wars Memoirs and Memorabilia



It's Star Wars Week in this blog! And here's some historical facts on some starwarsy days in my life.

I was in grade school when Episode 4 (a New Hope) was first shown. I remember our school had a day dedicated for Milo promotional activities, and part of giving chocolate drinks to us was also the handing-out of Star Wars and Charlie's Angels trading cards. Of course I settled for the former.

I have quite a number of toys and memorabilia, but many of them were not simply purchases. Here are some of their stories.

chromartIn 1993, before the Special Editions were being made, I was in frantic search for Episodes 4 thru 6. I was able to get my VHS copies in Greenhills. A year later, I was given a chance to make a business trip to the US for 2 weeks. We were fortunate to have a couple of days extra, and we used one day in Disneyland Anaheim! That is one of the most unforgettable moments of my life. I had a grand time, especially when we took the Star Tours Ride! And I bought a Star Wars Return of the Jedi poster there, as well as a limited edition ChromeArt of Artoo and Threepio (see photo at left). I was also able to buy the Star Wars original versions VHS in Toys R Us (Lucasfilm released these prior to the showing of the Special Editions).

Also during this year, I became interested in scale model painting (mostly resins). My first kit was that of a Tie Fighter, which was followed by R2D2 (see photo on top of this post). I was in the middle of making an X-Wing but stopped midway and has been kept in my cabinet that way.

pizza hut items and an artoo coin bankWhen the Special Editions were shown, Pizza Hut ran a promo stint featuring large tumblers with the top-half featuring a character. Wish I got more than one set; the Threepio tumbler's damaged. But I knew then that subsequent Star Wars showings will become hunts for toy tie-ins and merchandize purchases.

For Episode 1, a friend named Francis Ibanez collected all KFC toys, bucket, and tumblers and gave them to me. I don't know what made him do it (he also gave me a couple of original Transformers casettes); perhaps it's the show of generosity between fellow fans.

My former boss Sir Renan (he now heads another department), knew how big a fan I was of Star Wars. So when he comes back from a business trip abroad, he'd buy me the transparent version of the vehicles as a present. I think he was able to give me 4 different kinds.

toys

other toys

And then David (Claville's husband) gave me some old Star Wars toys in the late 90s. I was surprised when he also gave me a set of Metallic Impressions Card (see below)! And then Claville (who is now in Australia gave me a boxed set of Star Wars DVD for my birthday last year.




My latest toy search at the height of Episode III's popularity has yielded four figures from Jollibee and a poster from M&M. Pauline has also bought a lightsaber for me (one that can change color between blue and red, and is obviously Anakin's. Pauline and Anthony also has lightsabers). I want those toys from Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs but cannot seem to get my hands on any. Indulge me in this simple pleasure; it's the last episode after all, and it's an exciting time for me when a Star Wars film is showing.


12 comments:

  1. wow! that is cool! made that yourself nick?

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  2. ako wala ako gaano toys ng star wars pero naniniwala talaga ako na magiging jedi ako before i turn 30!!!

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  3. now my comment look dumb. ha ha ha. i guess next time i'll make sure the post is finished before leaving any comments on it. :P

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  4. Hi Amie! Yup, Artoo is a resin kit which is a rough, grayish mold and comes in different parts. You assemble it and scrape off imperfections in the mold. And then you paint away! I remember I had to paint around three layers of white paint on the body because the gray color of the mold kept showing through.

    Master Chu! Konti na lang at magagaya mo na ang hair ni Luke mwehehehe

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  5. Di naman Amie! It was a pleasant surprise when I saw a comment already while I was still making the post. Feeling popular ang blog. hahaha!

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  6. kakatuwa naman collections mo. i never collected such toys eventhough i used to have them through giveaways and gifts from the family & friends but just took them for granted. pero, i admired princess leia before and always followed her hairstyle when i was in grade school.

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  7. Hi Princess Em! Toy collecting is a hobby of mine, but right now I only buy when there is an occasion to do so. I have no more space in the apartment, and no more budget! :-)

    You also did the ensaymada look of Princess Leia? :-)

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  8. Wow!!!!! I love those toys! Well, my husband would love them, that's for sure. You sure are a huge fan! :)

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  9. Hi Toni! Good to know your husband is a fellow Star Wars fan!

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  10. hi watson.. didnt know ganun mo pala ka-luv ang starwars.. natutuwa ako sa collection mow.. if i have anything starwarsy, i'll give it to you. noel had a free jedi pocket watch when he bought my digicam and he doesnt want to give it to me.. =(

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  11. chief if wala ka na space for your collection adopt ko na lang collction mo hehehe...

    kakainggit!

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  12. wow! impressive collection, sir! ako kasi, even though napanood ko nung bata ako ung SW 3logy, di ko sya syadong pansin until I saw it sa theaters in a thx certified cinema. ung special edition, dun ako na-hook. i completed ung sa kfc pero nawala ko na. may time kasi na wala na ko paki sa toys ko. sayang din mga un. i met an architect named Charlie Go. pakita ko syo collection nya.

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