Celebration Europe: Exploring the con floor

Before the show opening on Sunday, I took a tour of the main convention floor of Star Wars Celebration Europe in Essen, Germany. Check out all the cool ship models and other dioramas from the Belgian 501st Legion, as well as a peek inside the Rancho Obi-Wan Experience and LEGO displays from Halles 11 and 12 of Messe Essen.

And below, a video of the Fan Hall booths in Halle 5, including the R2 Builders Club, Rebel Legion and 501st Legion and other fan organization booths.

Roundup: Celebration V is closer than you might think

So in the midst of real life and other such horrors, I missed a great deal of Celebration V news. First off, you should know that we are now 99 days out from the event, a fact which strikes me with terror because I haven’t done a damn thing to prepare. (Yes, I really need to stop moving in Celebration years.) But onto the news:

  • We’ve had two sets of t-shirt reveals: The first, some standard logos. (I suppose if one must have Boba Fett, sticking him something appropriately Miami Vicesque takes some of the fanboy stench off.) The second set is much more palatable, even if it involves hot pink, and the Han/Leia shirt combo is rather adorable.
  • Jay Laga’aia is returning as celebrity host, which is A-OK by me, because Jay Laga’aia is awesome. Really, no snark here. He just is.
  • The doctor is inAlso hosting (at the Behind-the-Scenes Stage) is Internet Rockstar Pablo Hidalgo and LucasArts’ David Collins (on the Digital Stage.) Alas, this crushes my secret hope for a Pablo-staffed continuity-counseling booth (mockup at right) but it is more likely to keep him from running like a madman into the night.
  • The R2-D2 Builders will be there in force, promising “a bigger and more encompassing experience for our visitors that will not only include tons of droids, but also re-creations of some of the most iconic scenes from The Empire Strikes Back.”

The fandom minute: Cake wrecks (and not,) R2 builders, Star Wars Lego, lol internets

disturbing-yodaOr death? Cake Wrecks went on a Star Wars twofer last week. First the bad cakes, then the good ones. At right, one of the more disturbing cakes, which I’m pretty sure is what happens when Yoda mates with a certain fertility idol.