Posted on Feb 7, 2009 by

Time to Clean Up!

One thing about running a directory is that it requires vigilance. As we're always adding new listings, so too are url's for listings constantly breaking, moving or disappearing. Like the phone book, an online directory must be current and maintain accuracy in order to be relevant and useful to all you fine folks.

Even though we're constantly making changes and trying to stay on top of things, sometimes the directory requires a little spring cleaning. But it's only February? Ah, never mind that! Don't worry, we didn't let the two "stormtroopers" in the picture above touch anything, but we've repaired many broken listings and swept away ones that are no longer available. Those listings we removed have been archived and will continue to be checked to see if any of them rise from the ashes. If they do... we'll get them re-listed right away.

-swabie

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Posted on Feb 3, 2009 by

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Locust

One thing that always fascinates me is how Star Wars invades all aspects of our lives. It truly is ubiquitous... and not just in places you'd expect it to be like modern television shows and films. It pops up on a daily basis seemingly everywhere - the grocery store, the post office and even the science lab. "Wait, what... the science lab?" you ask. Well, that's why I love this story. Read on!

Tom Spears of The Ottawa Citizen has posted an article titled "Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Locust" which details why Claire Rind, a robot-ologist at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in England, showed Star Wars to locusts in order to design a collision-avoidance system for cars!

Uhm... no joke. Star Wars is EVERYWHERE!

-swabie

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Posted on Feb 1, 2009 by

Star Wars Fine Art

I graduated with a degree in fine art from the University of Southern California, so when I saw the Star Wars Ren 2 competition at Worth1000.com, I was totally stoked. The goal... take a piece of fine art and add an element (or elements) from a galaxy far, far away. The only pieces of art that couldn't be used were the Mona Lisa, Munch's 'The Scream' and any painting by Norman Rockwell.

The winner was the above piece titled "WD-40" by aards2. Based on the amazing 1888 oil on canvas titled "The Little Pouter" by Adolphe-William Bouguereau, we see why it won! It's perfectly executed and is 100% fun. And even though it didn't rank, we also liked this piece titled "Luke de La Tour":



Executed by talita, who describes it as, "Luke Skywalker. Hamletian meditation over the helmet of his father," the piece is based on the classic work titled "The Penitent Magdalen" by Georges de La Tour.

There are quite a few Last Supper pieces (which probably should have been on the hit list) but other than that... there's some well done and interesting work. Make sure to head on over to Worth1000.com to see 'em all!

-swabie

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Posted on Jan 31, 2009 by

Swagalicious - Star Wars Lightsaber Lamp

Ask any optometrist, opthalmologist or anyone else who's name ends in "ist"... working in poor lighting is bad for your eyes. And why would anyone on earth use a "regular" lamp when they could use a lightsaber lamp? I mean come on! So head on over to StarWarsShop.com and pre-order yours today for only $26.99!

-swabie

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Posted on Jan 27, 2009 by

Official Imperial Range Targets

 

Ever wonder what Imperial Stormtroopers use for target practice out on the blaster range? Well, thanks to thecrow65 over at deviantart... now you know! Check out his gallery to see six very cool Official Imperial Range Targets - not to mention a ton of other cool Star Wars art!

-swabie

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Posted on Jan 26, 2009 by

Swagalicious - R2-D2 Water Bottle

There's no way to describe just how 'swagalicious' we feel this R2-D2 water bottle really is. It's the very essence - the core of the soul - of 'swagilicious' itself. From Japanese company Tanomi, it will be available in April for around $37.

Needless to say, we'll be placing our order early!

-swabie

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Posted on Jan 24, 2009 by

Swagalicious - efx Ahsoka Signature Edition Lightsaber

efx Collectibles has announced a pre-order date of February 1st, 2009 for their first ever replica lightsaber - the Ahsoka Tano replica saber from 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'. The piece will have an MSRP of $349, an edition size not to exceed 1,000 pieces and will come with a signature from 'Clone Wars' director Dave Filoni.

We here at GalacticBinder are big fans of efx's work. Barry, Bryan, Amy and the gang at efx are some of the nicest people in the collectibles industry and truly are huge Star Wars fans. They pay passionate attention to even the smallest details (which is very important with the uber detail-oriented prop replica community), and quality is certainly job one on each piece they produce.

Considering the economy decided to tank right as efx was launching as a company, they have faced some serious obstacles in getting their feet under them. High-end pieces such as prop replicas do come with a significant price tag (they aren't $5.99 at Target), so it would seem like these would be the first thing collectors might cut out during such trying economic times. But the efx team has demonstrated an amazing knack for unsderstanding the climate and has responded by being flexible with edition sizes and pricing. They have even made special efforts to keep shipping costs in check on their pieces.

Factoring all this in, and with Ahsoka's popularity soaring as nine million viewers a week tune into 'The Clone Wars' on Cartoon Network, we feel efx's Ahsoka saber is 'swagalicious'!

-swabie

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