You’re a life-long Star Wars fan in the UK, often heralded as the spiritual home of the saga, particularly the original trilogy, so you’d think there would be an event to celebrate 40 years since the release of what we now refer to as A New Hope, right? Well wrong, there was no Celebration in the UK this year, and no event to give the fans an opportunity to show their love for the galaxy far, far away. That was until convention organiser Jeff Cummings stepped in and put together SW40: A Star Wars Celebration, at Fargo village in Coventry.
The event was a mixture of trader stalls, with some wonderful local independent stalls, and a guest list comprising contributors to all of the live action films released to date.
So the intrepid roving Fantha Tracks duo of Clair Henry and Carl Bayliss set off to the newly crowned City of Culture 2021 to join in the fun.…
On a particularly chilly December morning we headed over to Coventry to Fargo village, an artistically repurposed industrial space in Coventry City centre, designed exclusively for creative, independent businesses and like-minded visitors. This fantastic and eclectic setting hosts many independent traders and a wonderful exhibition space, which was the setting for SW40.
Upon entering the hall we were immediately greeted by life-size replicas of a Stormtrooper and Darth Vader, and a display of their regular-sized companions by collector Keith Guppy.
Next up we had the glorious SW-themed baking of Bakeology. Taking many of the readily available moulds for heroes and villains alike, they had moulded chocolates to top some delicious cupcakes, and if you’re planning a Star Wars wedding, they had a multi-tiered cake on display complete with a silver painted chocolate Millennium Falcon, perfect for your big day.
Next we took some time to chat with JAKe, artist and author of ‘How to Speak Wookiee’ and ‘How to Speak Droid with R2-D2’. A regular at these shows, JAKe is always a favourite with the kids and adults alike thanks to his unique art style and wonderful prints available, as well as the books which he’s happy to sign and add doodles to. Another impressive ‘feature’ of JAKe’s stall was some original 70’s Star Wars wallpaper. I recall badgering my parents for this in my bedroom, without much success.
Moving round the trading area we next spoke to Rees Finlay, another artist who has been providing art for Topps Trading Cards ranges, including Star Wars. He also let us know that the latest cards featuring images from The Last Jedi should start hitting the streets around the 20th December.
Next to Rees were some fantastic framed pieces from one of the traders based at Fargo, Fantayzia Designs. A mixture of pieces including original artwork and LEGO minifigures, silhouette art using old vinyl records and some Christmas baubles again using minifigures.
Several other artists featured their work at the show, and finally for the traders we spoke to Mostly Curious Games, purveyors of steampunk styled sculptures including a TIE fighter Bluetooth speaker, which might just sneak on to my Christmas list.
Moving out of the trading area we went into the spacious autograph hall, featuring a wide range of guests from both in front of camera and behind the scenes. As with the very best fan-run conventions this was a relaxed environment where fans could spend time chatting to the guests and getting autographs, without being rushed through, and with the event being split into morning and afternoon sessions it wasn’t oversold so you could take your time, without fear of missing the chance to grab a picture or chat with the people that helped bring the saga to life.
The (most) impressive guest list comprised of:
Rony Bridges – The Force Awakens, John Coppinger – Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace, Daniel Eghan – Rogue One, Gloria – The Force Awakens, Bill Hargreaves – IG88, Imperial Probe Droid and more, Alan Harris – A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and Phantom Menace, Michael Henbury – Return of the Jedi, Frank Huseyin – Phantom Menace, Nick Joseph – A New Hope, Jack Klaff – A New Hope, Sandeep Mohan – The Force Awakens and Rogue One, Brian Muir – sculptor of the original Vader mask, Christopher Muncke – A New Hope, Cathy Munroe – The Empire Strikes Back, Richard Oldfield – The Empire Strikes Back, Chris Parsons – The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Andy Secombe – The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, Tina Simmons – Return of the Jedi, Clem So – The Force Awakens.
One of the highlights was getting four Bounty Hunters together for a reunion that was a special moment for fans and actors alike!
While chatting to each guest they happily shared stories about their experience while making the movies and it was fascinating to compare the techniques and styles from all the different eras of Star Wars. It was difficult to pinpoint one story as being the best as they all felt so special when they were being shared with us.
The feedback that we got from the visitors who came from far and wide on such a wintery day was very positive and a common factor was how the staff and volunteers were so helpful and friendly. We couldn’t agree any more that the dedicated team helped to make the event a family friendly affair.
What we need now is to encourage Jeff and his team to plan SW41!