Star Wars Day 2026

 This year marks the 49th anniversary of Star Wars. And with May the 4th coming tomorrow, it is a day for the fans, more than anything. Of course the true Star Wars Day is May 25th, but that's an argument for another time. This is a day for the fans, by the fans. So whether you enjoy Legends, or Disney Canon, or your own personal Canon, May the 4th is for you! 

Normally, I would post about what you can get or buy for Star Wars Day, but with the recent livestream reveals being available to be preordered tomorrow, it's a moot point. Please feel free to search my blog for those posts in the magnifying glass on this page to find some of my older posts regarding Star Wars Day. So for today's post I will delay my planned reviews of Poggle The Lesser and General Veers for some different reviews. 

I didn't collect modern Star Wars figures until late 2007. I had a few, but POTF2 figures were still my preference. But once the SA Obi-Wan from ROTS came out in 2006, and more figures followed that as far as articulation and no action features, I put my POTF2 figures into storage. But, those figures were also my first forays into making custom figures. Back then, there was a website called The Custom Alliance which showcased custom Star Wars figures. A guide website called the Forgotten Force Ultimate Resource Guide (ffurg.net actually) which offered tips to help make figures or even weapons. I learned you could use Q-tips for Kenner style lightsabers thanks to ffurg. Sadly, both websites are no longer operational. But for some of my POTF2 era customs, I used what I read or saw on those sites to create some new figures. So, I've teased this for a long, long time. Here are some of my POTF2 customs. 

1. Leia Organa Solo

The Heir To The Empire comic adaptation inspired this Leia. I used a spare Leia from the 1st POTF2 wave as by 1998 they were cheap to find. I originally painted her yellow and black as she was in the comics, but I didn't like the look, so I painted the yellow areas light grey, and I still think it looks better. This was my 1st real custom attempt. I used a head from Slave Leia as the HTTE comics had Leia in a similar hair style. She can use almost any lightsaber, too. I can nitpick on what I did wrong, but for 1998 this came out pretty good. 

2. Jedi Master Luke Skywalker 

I took a head from the Luke that came with the Rancor, and glued it on. Boil and pop didn't work for me back then as I hadn't figured it out back in 1998. I had to glue the head at an angle, as I cut the neck at a bad angle. I painted his belt gloss black, and added silver paint to make a "buckle". I used this figure as inspiration for my custom VC Jedi Academy Luke, which I painted the belt of that figure the same way I did this one. It served its purpose back then. 

3. Clone Palpatine (young)

The Dark Empire Clone Palpatine irked me as the right hand couldn't hold his lightsaber, and his left hand had the one that could hold it, and could be removed so you could recreate Luke and Palpy's duel from issue 6. This custom I made in 2005 using a right forearm from an Anakin Skywalker figure. I cut off the right forearm of Palpy and glued Anakin's forearm on. I should have painted it black, but I didn't. A mistake on my part. I have put this figure on my March Madness Top 25 for a few years now. 

4. Kam Solusar 

If the Monkey Face Leia buck was good to use for female customs, the Carbonite Han Solo was good to use for male custom characters. I based Kam off his appearance in Dark Empire 2. Originally I painted on a black vest, but once the Commtech Han came out, I put that vest on this figure, and once I saw that it fit I painted Kam's chest grey and it was easy. The head came from a 4 inch Godzilla figure from the 1998 movie. I don't remember the figure's name so if someone recognizes it, please leave me a comment. I didn't want a black belt so I stuck with tan, and a silver "buckle". 

5. Female Jedi

Now, I don't remember if I used this figure as Tionne or Callista. That Leia buck, as I said earlier, was cheap in 1998, and I got several. The head came from Dina Meyer's character figure from the movie Dragonheart. I painted it "blonde" so she could slightly resemble Tionne from the Jedi Leviathan miniseries, or Callista. 

6. Mara Jade 

The cover of 1998's Vision Of The Future had Mara on the cover wearing a green outfit, and I had to make my own. It took me until 2000 when I finally found another Mara Jade figure so I could do a head swap. I didn't have a lighter color green for her boots, so I opted for black. Now should I have gone for a dark tan? Yeah, I should have. But I had a lot of black paint and went with that instead. I can't remember where her plastic skirt went, but I painted it green and black as well. But for a proper Jedi Mara, this is it. Now if Hasbro would make Mara in her VOTF outfit, that would be great. 

LAGNIAPPE SECTION 

1. The VC got great reveals on Friday: a Geonosian Warrior 4 pack, plus a fan channel wave with Sebastian Shaw Anakin Skywalker (alive version, not ghost), Phase I Clone Officer, Plo Koon, Bodhi Rook and Clone Luke (Luuke Skywalker). I want to see Plo out of his robe, but only Bodhi and Luuke will be my preorders. I don't really need that Anakin, or the Clone officer. I may need to sell plasma for the Geonosian 4 pack, though. I'm still holding out hope for a new AOTC version of Obi-Wan, Anakin and a Super Battle Droid. Oh, wait. The unrobed Plo Koon is revealed. And? 

To quote Skeletor from the 1980's MOTU cartoon: What?! Needless to say I'm only getting Bodhi and Luuke. I wouldn't mind a Clone Wars Plo, if he ever gets made. 

2. Maul Shadow Lord wraps up, and while I haven't seen any episodes, I have noted some people who are very critical of Disney Star Wars seem to enjoy it. I got the 1st issue of the comic book prequel, but it focused on the law enforcement officer, with Maul only showing up in the last 2 pages. Needless to say, I'm not getting the rest of the issues. That's the reason I skipped out on the 89 Batman miniseries from DC. Batman was barely in them. I want Maul on the rampage! 

3. I recently finished both Rebels and Ahsoka. I hoped finishing the former would make me appreciate the latter more, but no. While Ahsoka is an entertaining series, making Sabine a Jedi is just wrong, especially when she wasn't hinted at being Force sensitive in Rebels. The live action reveal of Thrawn doesn't hit that hard, as I hoped it would. No Luke cameo, especially after Baylan and Shin destroy a New Republic Cruiser in the debut episode, or Leia in the New Republic Council's trial of Hera is unforgivable. Having Threepio was nice, but having Luke or Leia appear would have been much better. I could see Senator Xiono grilling Luke on who Baylan and Shin are, and if hebever encountered them. But the biggest character waste is Huyang. He should be with Luke at Ossus, helping to get the Temple ready. Instead he's hanging with Ahsoka, which doesn't make sense. 

4. Speaking of Ahsoka, it did in a way help fund The Ghost HasLab. While I'm glad that the Cantina and Gunship are getting support, I'm EXTREMELY disappointed in the support for the Ghost. We only have Agent Kallus, and he was chasing the crew. We have no Hondo. No Old Man Rex. No Maul. No Vizago. Not even Mart Matten, who flew it in the Rebels finale. I'm at the point where I'm considering selling it for a loss. Of all the VC HasLab campaigns, this is the one with the least support. I'd be happy with an Inquisitor 4 pack, a 2 pack of Rex and Kanan as Stormtroopers and could we get S1/S2 versions of Hera and Ezra, plus give Sabine a dead gum jetpack?! And why haven't any Mural Card figures been put on standard VC cards yet?! Hasbro loves repacking figures. And they gave us Greedo on his original card. For Lucas's sake, Hasbro: don't forget about The Ghost! 

Thanks for reading! Please share this link on your social media accounts so I can get more readers! A special thanks to Chris and Nomad at BanthaSkull for allowing me to post this in the comments section!