Now, I need to start this blog post with an apology. The last time I went to Liverpool Comic Con in November 2024, I took my trusty Canon camera and took loads of photos of Cosplayers and props etc. But, when I got home, the memory card died on me. Meaning that all of those photos were lost forever before I could back them up. So no November 2024 blog or photos.
This time around, I just used my brand spanking new Samsung phone for the photos, and they turned out pretty good. I’m going to keep the words to the minimum this time around though, and let the pictures fo the talking.
I will mention that there were some big guests again at this event. Star Wars was well represented by Hayden Christensen and the very lovely Rosario Dawson. I may well have a huge crush on Rosario Dawson, but decided not to meet her as autographs cost an absolute fortune. And she would’ve immediately fallen for me and wanted to elope, which would be kind of unfair on our families. So it was for the best.
But yeah, lots of interesting guests including a load of Starship Troopers people (Denise Richards!), Michael Ironside, Dirk Benedict and so on.
As these photos hopefully show, there was a respectable number of amazing Cosplayers frequenting the event. Daugthertron went dressed a Monster High character this time, but again I’m forbidden from sharing the pics. Well done to all the other costumed visitors, you were fantastic. Thanks for letting me take your photo.
Other than that, there were some great props and famous vehicles, plus dozens of stalls selling all manner of wonders. But we’ll cover those in Part 2 – stay tuned!
What an excellent way to spend Star Wars Day. May the Force Be With You!
Liverpool Comic Con is massive! This event has grown into a truly huge experience, taking up gigantic halls just at the side of the river Mersey. For one whole weekend, thousands of people visited this convention and were able to be a part of what was a monumental gathering.
With it being Star Wars Day on the Saturday (“May the Fourth be with you”, of course), this event seemed like the ideal place to be. I ventured over to Liverpool with my daughter in tow on the Sunday, eager to make a full day of the whole experience.
Daughtertron attended dressed as Ellie Williams from The Last of Us Part 2. I’ve never heard of it, but she looked pretty cool. Unfortunately I have been banned by Daughterton from sharing her photos, in case they are used for nefarious deeds by evil classmates. A shame, it was nice that one of us made the effort to get into a bit of cosplay – but never mind – there are plenty of other photos here.
With literally hundreds of people milling about, there was no way I could take photos of everybody. There were dozens of amazing costumes worn by talented people on display – thank you all for allowing me to take your picture. You’re all heroes, and one day I’ll join in with you and get dressed up. I’m running out of excuses, so I just need to decide who to be. Suggestions are welcome.
Of course the merch stalls were a big draw for me, as always. There were loads of different stalls selling all kinds of amazing paraphernalia, all in an enormous aircraft hangar of a building.
The best bit was that I was actually able to buy comics at a Comic Convention! I know that sounds crazy, but several of the events I’ve attended haven’t had a single stall selling comics. Luckily I was able to spend a few quid on some classic Bronze Age Marvel publications for my collections.
I was less happy with the action figure situation, as there was little in the way Star Wars and Reaction figure selections that interested me. Tons of Funko Pops, though none I desired. Daughtertron was very happy with a Monster High doll and an Elvira Funko Pop (different to the version I already own!).
There were many celebs in attendance for those desiring of autographs and meet and greets. The guest list was very impressive, with Hollywood big timer Orlando Bloom at the top of the list. There were also some Lords of the Rings dudes, Jay and Silent Bob, and John Cleese – amongst many others.
The only criticism I’ve heard of the day was the inflated prices: tickets, celeb autographs and photos, even the food. One one hand, putting on an event of this magnitude must incur some major expense; but I could see the point of the detractors. This was an event where spending could easily get out of hand.
My only complaint personally was that there was little in the way of guidance for what was where. Visitors could buy a program, which seemed to be the only way to get hold of a map. Without a map, finding your way around could be a headache. It took us a while to find our way into the main arena – but when we did get in there, our jaws hit the floor.
The huge arena housed an array of amazing vehicles and props: a life size X-Wing Fighter, Luke Skywalker’s landspeeder, a Jabba the Hutt model. There were also vehicles and scenes from Ghostbusters, Robocop, Stranger Things, The Lost Boys, even the Flintstones. It was photo opportunity heaven, all while live bands played.
My autograph hunting days are well behind me, but we made an exception to meet Tim Rose, the man behind many creations including Admiral Ackbar and Salacious Crumb in Return of the Jedi. Ackbar is one of Daughtertron’s favourite Star Wars characters, and mine too. Mr Rose could not have been nicer, he was charming and chatty and an absolute joy to spend a few minutes with. Thanks, Tim!
And that was about it for the day. I hope you enjoy the photos – there should be some more, but currently the technology is playing tricks on me and I can’t find them. If and when they turn up, I’ll do a Part 2. Hope you had a good time at Liverpool Comic Con if you were there. If not, get yourself to the next one!
OK – so as I mentioned last time, I ended up with quite a few photos from Wales Comic Con. Far too many for just one blog post. So here’s part 2, featuring the remainder of pictures that I took.
Not much in the way of text this time – most of it was covered in the previous instalment. Scroll down if you want to check that out.
So here you go – the second part of our adventures at Wales Comic Con in Wrexham…
At last November’s Wales Comic Con, my trusty Canon camera suffered a sudden, unexpected demise. As a result, my recent photos have been taken on a little digital snappy camera and my phone. Not ideal. Now I don’t claim to be a great photographer, but a good camera has helped cover much of my inexperience. I hope you can forgive some of these less than awesome pics and enjoy some of the fun of the day.
Snow White and friend
Catwoman
Thor
Nightwing and Punisher
Motley crew
My thanks again to anyone who allowed me to take their photo at Wales Comic Con. It’s really appreciated, and I hope you like the results.
MJ Spidey and Black Cat
Scooby Doo Where Are You?
Harley and pal
Awesome Batman!
Spectacular!
Wales Comic Con was a real success yet again, in my opinion. An enjoyable welcoming atmosphere, with very friendly guests. I shared my last post on social media and the feedback was resoundingly positive, which was great.
So thanks again to all I encountered at Comic Con. Your warmth and positivity made this event a fantastic experience!
It’s the 4th of May, and to celebrate Star Wars Day I thought I’d share with you some photos of something from my toy collection. I’ve been collecting Star ars figures since I was five years old (a very long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away). So it’s about time I featured some of those toys at the Virtual Hot Tub. And what better time than now?
We have here a fairly recent item, Hasbro’s X-Wing Fighter released in 2013. This was an exclusive for Toys R Us stores, luckily we got it in the UK too. Any fan can tell straight away that this is actually Biggs Darklighter’s ship that he flew in the Battle of Yavin. Biggs was Luke Skywalker’s childhood friend from Tatooine, though the assualt on the Death Star in Episode IV would be his last mission.
Box image
The toy
This item was release when Hasbro were re-visiting the classic packaging desing from the 70’s/80’s with their Vintage line. It nicely mimics the original box artwork, but is updated with new shots.
The ship itself is a joy. Nicely recreated in plastic, with loads of detail and nice features. The wings open into attack position; the landing gear deploys and hides away nicely; and there’s even a hidden proton torpedo for if you get close enough to the exhaust port. This X-Wing is larger than the original toy from years gone by, and more accurate in scale.
My absolute favourite feature of this ship is in the cockpit. Yes, the targeting computer pulls forward and into position for the pilot to use the view finder! Awesome.
Also shown here is the Biggs Darklighter action figure from the 2013 Black Series. He’s a nice sculpt, though as I already owned a previous (very good) rendition of this figure I nearly didn’t buy him. I’m glad I did – the older version doesn’t fit in the X-Wing cockpit, but this newer one does. Removable helmet too!
Biggs figure before I opened it…
To finish things off, I added R2-Q2 – the droid who flew with Biggs in the Death Star attack. There’s a handy slot behind the cockpit for rhis R2 unit to fit into. R2-Q2 is from the 2006 Astromech Droid Pack Series 1. He’s had a long wait for his ride to show up.
I waited a while to pick this ship up, and eventually the price came down in TRU. It would have been worth paying full whack for though.
Enjoy Star Wars Day everybody. May the Force be with you!
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 