This past Saturday saw the return of Echo Base Live and this time it was an Endor Adventure. In the run up to the show I’d heard from various friends/collectors just how excited they were for the big day. Like any Star Wars event, it’s the friends made along the way that really make it. I’d arrived just after 7am to take my place in the queue (my usual partner in crime at these events Chris Cooke was again selling this time) and so I struck up a conversation with Gwin from Wales who had travelled the night before. The 2 hours until doors opened just flew by as we chatted about toys, Disney+ and, of course, Japan next April.
When it came time 9.15 a hefty queue had formed and was up the escalator once more. As is ever the case with these shows it’s overwhelming to enter as your eyes set upon Star Wars goodness at every level. The usual dealers were there and this time around I really noticed a trend that had been happening quietly. Folk are more likely to do a few laps of the show before making their first purchase. I did the same but once I’d had my first catch of the day it was all go from there.
View this post on Instagram
There is Star Wars to suit all needs here from graded Vinyl Cape Jawa’s to Episode I Christmas Selection Boxes. My budget allowed me to pick up the latter. I had a fantastic haul this time around and it was great to be buying again after selling last April some duplicates. I was able to pick up some brilliant items such as a 12 inch boxed Vintage Leia (something I’d really tried to manifest through the Force the night before and it worked), a 1980 Darth Vader Cake Tin, 8 Tomy Japanese Models for a bargain £20.00 and a Special Edition Pizza Hut Store Death Star Display to name a few. I kept to my budget and came away with some amazing finds.
I can’t write about the day without talking about the new highlight. There’s a new King in town and its name is SWAG. For a few days before I’d seen some of the brilliantly creative items people were making and I’d been lucky enough to receive some SWAG in the past by some kind folk but I wanted to get in on the action this time. I made some Jawa peg doll people to trade and the official SWAG SWAP was 11.30am at the top of the escalators. It was phenomenal. It was chaotic. It was friendly. It was as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. So much fantastic stuff was made and well done to everyone who got involved.
View this post on Instagram
As ever, I cannot speak highly enough about Echo Base Live. I’m calling it here now…this is a world class event. Things will only get bigger from here on out. The team do fantastic work for charity and have raised over £150,000 in total over the years for good causes. Amazing stuff.
Now, at this point I would start getting excited for the next one but the date will be important here as I leave for Japan on Saturday April 12th. If I can’t attend, I’ll be genuinely gutted as the team have already teased the next one. The day if filled with great people in a fantastic setting and really does feel like Christmas.
View this post on Instagram
Before we went into the event, I told my new friend Gwin that I’d mis-looked at the clock in the night and been awake since 3.30am with excitement, absolutely buzzing to head out for the day. Gwin, it turns out, had done the same. Such is the power of Star Wars, collecting and, indeed, Echo Base Live.
