Last year, I only made it to one Comic Con, which was of course this fabulous event in Liverpool. 2026 was a no-brainer in terms of attending again, so we made a family day trip out of it. Here’s a brief over view of our time at the convention, with a bunch of photos to give it some flavour.
On a personal note, this was a big event for me: it was the first time that I actually dressed up as a character. Yes, I made my Cosplaying debut (if you don’t count that time I went to Wales Comic Con dressed like Tony Stark).
And what was my choice of character? Well, after seeing them live recently, and acquiring some of their gear – what else could I go as, but a member of The Aquabats??!!
It was good fun dressed as an Aquabat all day. I thought the outfit was a bit niche and no one would know who I was, but quite a few people “recognised” me, and even asked for a photo! I was very happy – and honoured – to oblige. After all, it was kind of nice, in a way, to repay all the photos of Cosplayers I’ve taken in the past.
I wasn’t as popular as Daughtertron, however: she was dressed as Applejack (from My Little Pony) and she had many more photo requests than me!
There were plenty of other people attending the Con in fantastic and extremely clever costumes, some of which I managed to photo and include here. There were many I glimpsed but missed the opportunity to ask for a photo, as well. Far too many. If you posed for a pic, thank you!
Great to see lots of Star Wars outfits too, with May 4th the very next day!
Other than that, there were many celebrity guests on site, though I didn’t get any autographs etc this time. There were quite a few interesting guests, but no one I wanted to splash the cash for. I did get some pics of several of the props, vehicles and so on that were on display, however. Some great photo ops there.
The rest of the time was all about perusing the many stalls, reviewing the merch and spending money. There were several stalls selling comic books, so I was able to fill some gaps in my Marvel collection. The only let down was a distinct lack of action figures – gone are the days when I could increase my vast Star Wars collection with convention purchases.
The day was a great success, and we all had a great time. I think we’ll try and attend more conventions this year – maybe including the next Liverpool event later in the year.
The question is – do I dress as one of The Aquabats again…?
Welcome to the second part of my reminiscences of my old Star Wars figures. This time, we’ll complete the rest of the Empire Strikes Back waves that came out in the early 1980s. A little less words maybe, a few more photos.
Last time we looked at the first wave of Empire figures, plus an early arrival (Boba Fett) and a late comer (Yoda). Whereas the figure selection for the first movie was never exhaustive (we could’ve done with more, to be honest) – the remaining Empire waves would deliver a bundle of key characters as well as some background oddballs, to pad out your playing experience.
The first wave gave us a classic Leia, this time in Hoth Outift. Again, the figure shown here is my excellent condition version, which I bought myself at the end of the line’s run, to replace my sister’s slightly beat-up one.
Next was Han Solo (Bespin Outfit), hands down my favourite Han figure. This guy saw a lot of play. Great sculpt, holds his blaster well, just awesome. The only negatives are that his trousers are too light in colour, and they packed him with the wrong gun.
The Rebel Commander was a welcome addition – you can never have too many troops! Lots of detail, but the blaster he came with is pretty lame. The Medical droid, 21B, was also a very detailed figure. I loved the transparent torso. Sadly, I lost his medical tool/needle thing years ago, so I should replace that.
A couple of Bespin characters next: the Ugnaught, who is exactly the type of minor character I have to own! He comes with a soft goods apron, presumably to add more value a la cloaked Jawa. And lastly, Lobot – a really cool looking guy who I’d have liked to see get more screen time.
Finally, with this wave, we got an Imperial officer! Named Imperial Commander on the card, this late-to-the party figure would have to double up for every Imperial officer in all three films – including Tarkin (don’t get me started on that thorny issue) – despite the black, not olive outift. So better get as many as you can! I have two; there’s a slight difference you’ll see in the pics below: one has no hair (I assume this is a paint app production error, or some one scraped it off – not a genuine variation).
At this point, the biggest toy around – biggest in size literally, but also in impact and desirability – was the AT-AT. I couldn’t believe that a toy would be made of this huge vehicle. Of course Kenner did, and thus I needed at least one, preferably two AT-AT drivers.
Last from this wave, another cool bounty hunter: Dengar. The first mail away figure I ever sent off for (Palitoy waved it’s proof of purchase nonsense this time), he took months to arrive. As in, literally months. Palitoy were swamped with requests, but one magical day, after ages spent in anticipation, a clean white box with Dengar inside arrived in the post. What a wondrous day that was…
Let’s start the next wave with the droids: C-3PO with Removable Limbs and R2-D2 with sensorscope. I wasn’t really expecting these figures as a kid. C-3PO was kind of cool as he came with a bag you could put him in, on Chewbacca’s back – though Chewie could never stand unassisted with the extra weight. R2’s new feature was interesting, though this version could never take the place of the very first R2 figure, my first and most loved Star Wars figure of all.
Luke in Hoth Outfit was a much needed alternate look, ideal to place on your Tauntaun toy. However, he came packed with that weird gun instead of the obviously more preferable (and accurate) blue lightsaber. The black Bespin Guard was an instant troop builder and a nice early nod to diversity. Twin Pod Cloud Car pilot was definitely a cool design, but he’s less “blink and you’ll miss him” and more “was he even in the film”? This figure was a necessity so someone could pilot the vehicle, I guess. I’ve lost his communicator sadly, this extra accessory was actually a good feature.
To finish the Empire figures, the “bad guys” from this wave. AT-AT Commander (or General Veers, if you knew your SW trivia) was another handy addition to the mighty AT-AT toy. And at last, a TIE Fighter Pilot, so stormtroopers could be relieved of their flying duties. You’ll notice here that the TIE Pilot isn’t holding his gun, I just couldn’t get him to grasp it for longer than two seconds. Interesting side note: my TIE Pilot had a nice fruity smell when I first opened him, which remained for years. Must’ve been the paint – anyone else have the same experience? Unfortunately, that smell has long disappeared now.
The last two bounty hunters shown here were two of my favourite action figures in the line so far: 4-LOM and Zuckuss. Both were really detailed and despite limited screen time, they were amazingly cool. Awesome weapons too – two of the best guns in the entire line. This adherence to showcasing the myriad background characters is exactly what I loved about Star Wars figures: I could scene build and create whole little worlds. “Which is 4-LOM and which is Zuckuss?” you may ask. The answer’s on the card name lozenge, that’s all I’m saying.
There we have it: all of the action figures from The Empire Strikes Back. The line was particularly strong at this time, with improvements in the sculpts and some great character choices, not to mention a masterful piece of cinema inspiring it all. This really was a magical time in mine – and many others’ – childhoods.
I was surprised how many of these figures I could actually remember buying, and from which now long-gone small toy shops around the country I found them (there was no Toys’R’Us in those days). I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief nostalgia trip, maybe we’ll meet again soon for the next chapter…
Bonus photos:
Leia and Hoth troops
General Veers – prepare you men for ground assault!
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 