I can’t believe I’m saying this - and have not the slightest intention of getting one - but that “Darth Vader” Barbie looks pretty cool 

I had preordered the Chopper and Ezra figures from Entertainment Earth which were then backordered for a while.  On Wednesday, I got a message from EE saying that the order was cancelled as the manufacturer had unexpectedly run out of stock of those figures for some reason. Frustrated a little, I ordered an Ezra and Chopper figure off eBay, where there seemed to be plenty of the figures for under $25 (which I consider reasonable).  Then while on a work-related road trip on Thursday, I made a quick stop by a Target store and found two Chopper figures!

Darn, I’m embarrassed 
I thought something seemed a tad off with it...

I found one of these on the peg yesterday afternoon.  First I’d seen of the figure at any of my local Targets.  It wasn’t a figure I was in a big rush to find as I have the original Black Series Stormtrooper Luke from several years back, but I still got the new figure anyways.  With the helmet on, it makes a decent battle-worn Stormtrooper 

I didn’t see a specific thread for this subject and felt it might get lost under the similar topic for the Star Wars Resort at Disney World, so started a new thread.  Anyways, this past Sunday, I had the opportunity to visit the soon-to-open Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge area at Disneyland, California.  I was able to visit thanks to my brother, a Disney Cast Member, while the park was doing a “dress rehearsal” for the operations of the new area and attractions.  As the new “land” isn’t officially open to the public, cellphones and photos were not allowed and we had to put our electronic devices into a sealed bag for the duration of our stay...  Thus I’ve included a photo of my wristband below 





I won’t divulge too much, but in short, this new area of the park is awesome - basically a Star Wars Nerd’s fantasy come to life.  The new area is immersive and a lot more like one of those living history areas (think Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia) than one of the other “lands” in Disneyland like Adventureland or Fantasyland.  You have to reserve a specific time to enter and are allotted four hours for a visit.

The new area is centered around a spaceport/village called Black Spire Outpost.  It is set in the Sequel Trilogy era and the architecture and details of the spaceport and village look amazing.  Like something you’d see in the films or a movie set.  The centerpiece is a life-sized (1:1 scale) Millennium Falcon, recreated right down to the smallest pipes and wiring.  There is also a First Order Shuttle in another part. There are cast members in costumes of various movie characters, FO stormtroopers walking about, etc. The outpost village has a variety of shops and a couple restaurants, all themed to look/feel like something from Star Wars.  The shops sold a lot of unique merchandise - not so much the action figures and toys, but more like costumes and props, etc.  I did not do the build-a-lightsaber function as I didn’t have $200+ to spare!  Moving out from the outpost you come to a Resistance base with a full-sized T-70 X-Wing and A-Wing.  This part looked like it was still under development somewhat and a Resistance-themed ride is set to open next year (I think).  Tons of great photo opportunities through the entire place.

The main attractions are the cantina and the simulator ride - Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run.  I wasn’t able to get into the cantina due to a long line, but did do the Millennium Falcon ride a couple times.  This was a blast!  The ride involves flying a smuggling run in the Falcon and riders are assigned crew specialties (e.g. pilots gunners, engineers).  You sit in a recreation of the famous cockpit and are given control over certain aspects of the ship using buttons and controls. Its a far more interactive ride; a lot more like a flight simulator.  Again, it was really fun

Overall, I really enjoyed the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge themed area immensely. It was awesome seeing the full-sized ships, the buildings, and especially the Millennium Falcon ride.  It was really an immersive experience and Disney has done a superb job at making you truly feel like you’ve been transported into the Star Wars Universe...

I’ll be anxious to hear the experiences of everyone else that gets to visit this new park in the coming weeks and months.  While I was lucky enough to get in for free thanks to my brother, getting a chance to see it would definitely be worth the Disneyland ticket price

Thanks Jesse!  I long ago figured out the paint situation with the Bandai kits.  I’ve still not picked up any yet (have been blowing money on some much more high end collectibles lately) though they always seem tempting...

But speaking of the blockade runner, I love the X-Wing Minnatures prebuilt version 1/270(?) scale

Today a new Walmart Supercenter, aparently the largest in California for the moment, opend about a mile away from where I live.  I decided to brave the crowds and see if I could find anything and made a nice score with the Vintage Collection Wave 2 figures.  While I already had some of these, I was able to get figures I didn’t have like TFA Luke and and the Imperial Range Trooper.  They also had the new TIE Fighters, but I already found them at another store.  Felt nice to score something for once