Looking for the ultimate Star Wars Weekend?
Join us on Saturday for the Fordingbridge Star Wars Family Fun Day.
We will be raising funds for the Salvation Army Christmas Present Appeal with an incredible line of Special Guests, Traders, Talks, Costumers AND back by popular demand the Mon-Cal-Carnival, a series of Star Wars themed carnival games to win tickets to exchange for prizes (each game is 50p)
Then on Sunday it is the only show in the UK that is 100% vintage Star Wars toys and memorabilia.
If you have never been before, what are you waiting for? There will be many of your fellow collectors and friends there too, along with a huge diverse range of vintage toys and collectibles at all ends of the price scale. Finish that loose run, grab yourself more for that focus or maybe even find that holy grail.
Almost a decade ago on 23rd January 2013, my very first article over at StarWars.com was a look at the second running of Farthest From in December 2012 which took place just 2 months after the very first Farthest From on Sunday 23rd September. In the ten years since that first show, not only have there been an additional 22 runnings of the event as well as a live online edition during lockdown, but guests from the Star Wars collecting world including Gus Lopez, Duncan Jenkins, Jason Joiner and Shane Turgeon have travelled to Fordingbridge – the literal embodiment of ‘farthest from’ – and enjoyed a show that has grown and grown in stature to earn its reputation as a unique and very special event on the convention calendar.
Jump ahead a decade to Sunday 11th December 2022 and the day of the 23rd Farthest From. With a World Cup quarter final featuring England vs France, inclement weather and a looming recession, what would the latest event bring? Well, while certainly being smaller than some of the previous shows it was no less enjoyable, with treats galore to find, conversations to be had and as always the delightful offerings of the New Forest and Fordingbridge itself.
This years guests included Carl Upshell, Nick Clark and Steve Morphew from Andor and Stuart Shepherd-Garner from Rogue One (interviews with all coming soon to Making Tracks) and on the evening of Star Wars Family Fun Day (the kid-focused event that takes place on the Saturday before Sunday’s Farthest From Retro Toy Show) I had the good fortune to interview Carl and Steve on stage, which you can listen to below. They also tried their best to complete Dave’s LEGO challenge, complete with the awesome Voice of God (provided by my Making Tracks co-host Mark Mulcaster).
After a disappointing match and a superb Christmas meal we sat down to watch a live episode of Star Wars Spins featuring Dave Tree, #CANTINA organiser Martin Keeler and their guests Stuart Skinner and Jez Allinson from the excellent Generation Skywalker. To say the duo were bemused by the Spins questions (for example, ‘Trevor from Eastenders is in Star Wars. What other soap stars would you like to see in Star Wars?’) would be an understatement.
Speaking of Generation Skywalker, one of their many strengths is their superb video content, and here’s a brief look at the show – as filmed by Jez. Try not to drool at some of the offerings on display.
Mr Palitoy Jason Smith is a fixture at the show, and he was there again snapping away at the stalls and his pals from Generation Skywalker as well as his fellow members of The Vintage Rebellion.
One constant of Farthest From is the superb array of vintage items on display, and this time round was no exception. From Micro Collection to Palitoy, cardbacks to ephemera, there was everything you could hope to find at the show (and a constant flow of tea, coffee and cakes coming from the team in the kitchen).
If you want loose, it’s here. Carded, there are dozens, and playsets, vehicles, stationary, books, cast and crew products, posters, international collectibles….you get the picture. While other shows like the excellent Echo Base feature vintage era collectibles, Farthest From is one of very few that has tried to remain steadfast in its goal of celebrating that ’77 to ’86 era. For that, the show should be commended, especially as those years recede and get further and further away.
In the upstairs room late on the Sunday afternoon, we recorded a Making Tracks chat with our newest contributor to the site Jonathan Hipkiss, a conversation about the TV offerings of 2022 that will be coming to Fantha Tracks Radio very soon.
Farthest From will return in Spring 2023, and as always Fantha Tracks will be there. After a decade of great events and awesome memories, we wouldn’t miss it.
