Well, that came round quick, didn’t it? With Celebration Europe falling on the weekend in April when Echo would normally be, it’s hard to fathom that the last one was way back in February. Anticipation was high judging from the Facebook forums and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Chris (of Toys of the Jedi) and I took our places in the queue at just after 7.15am with a few other early birders. This is always great fun to chat about latest media or what pick-ups folks are hoping to get. SWAG was swapped and we watched the queue steadily fill up and eventually lead up the escalator at the Kingfisher shopping centre in Redditch. I always find the final 15 minutes before the doors open to be the most exciting. It’s the same as going to see a concert. It’s the moment before the lights go down. It’s the anticipation. Here, we could just about see inside at the mountain of goods that were on offer.
Come 9.15 we all headed in. Where to go first? The atmosphere was electric, as always, and it’s like stepping into another world with all the Star Wars goodness on offer.
No matter what your taste or budget there is always something to find at these events. The range of product on offer is staggering. From bargain bins where I picked up a tin of Chewbacca soup to more premium items such as a Sideshow Ben Kenobi, your wish list can really be completed.
Some of the stalls included ReadFive Designs who offered limited copies of their Vintage Kenner Guide book and a very special booth towards the back that was manned by Maureen Bulloch and family who was selling the final items of the late, great Jeremy Bulloch’s collection. From here I picked up some caps that belong to the greatest bounty hunter and it was wonderful to see so many fans being supportive.
As ever at these events there was a roster of powerhouse stars from the saga and this October’s event saw a slew of guests from Jabba’s Palace. it was great to see the ever-popular Sean Crawford and Femi Taylor and proving to be the big hit this time around was the Rancor Keeper himself, Mr Paul Brooke.
After the event this year it was amazing how many people came away saying that their had completed items of their checklists or had their ‘best haul yet’ or found some bargains. I personally did have my best haul yet (picture attached) and it was great to see people so enthused and energised about the hobby. The traders always offer fair prices and so long as you’re fair yourself, there’s always almost a deal to be done.
The room which the event takes place, which it has done for the past 4 times now I believe, works extremely well and here’s hoping that it continues there. The team have done a brillaint job building this up and it’s now so popular people travel hundreds and hundreds of miles to come.
We can’t talk about Echo without mentioning the sensational work that is done for charity. A few days ago, the team posted how much they had raised. Through the various endeavours, such as the raffle and the previous night’s all-star dinner, a mammoth £4279 was raised for Friends 2 Friends in Lichfield. That is worthy of recognition in the Jedi archives if ever there was some.
The team have already teased the next event with a photo update of Hoth for the next show and speculation about the date has begun. Next year, our national holiday of May 4th falls on a Saturday and while this would seem logical…the team at Star Wars Fan Fun Day have their show on Sunday May 5th with their evening dinner presumably being Saturday May 4th so I would expect the date to perhaps be April again. Time will, of course, tell but one thing is for sure; get saving those Republic Credits. You’re going to need ’em.
- Hardcover Book
- DK (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 144 Pages - 12/05/2023 (Publication Date) - DK (Publisher)
