August 3, 2006
Story by Pat Newell (Jedi Scholar 8)
Photos by Chris Spice (Darth Spice) and Pat Newell (Jedi Scholar 8)
DAY 1:
SANDTROOPERS INVADE ROSEMONT Troopers,
I'll tell you this: Even without the presence of such heavy hitters
such as Gentle Giant, Sideshow Collectibles, or Hasbro, This Trooper
loves Wizard World Chicago! The day started off a bit gloomy, with
rain pouring down on the trusty Dewback and I, but once we picked up
Master Vos himself in downtown Chicago, it was all fun from there!
Doug Wangler, AKA Quinlan Vos, is one fantastic guy to be around!
His stories from the road had me cracking up, and it was a great
pleasure to meet him in person. It really is uncanny how much he IS
Quinlan Vos. From there it was to the convention we went.
Once
there, we hooked up with Fed Jim from Federation Toys and got down
to business. I was rewarded to my own-signed copy of Star Wars:
Republic #77 with Quinlan on the cover, which was fantastic. I got
around the convention center, which was abuzz with dealers of all
kinds, and took in the sights and sounds. Though not many dealers
had much to say (they were very busy setting up), they all said that
they were looking forward to this convention. The people in charge
were exceptionally nice and helpful this year, and we had no
problems getting our passes and were on our way.
For
the most part, there were the usual items for sale at the usual
prices. Most notably, I was able to get a gold Titanium Darth
Vader's TIE Advanced SDCC Exclusive for $20. Not bad considering it
was not looking good for me getting one any other way! I did see
several of the SDCC exclusive 501st Stormtroopers going for $40-$50
each, and even a pair of Blackhole Stormtrooper busts from Gentle
Giant going at a whopping $600 each! Craziness, but then again, they
were very hard to get. Marvel seemed to be the biggest seller this
year, with Marvel Legends adorning almost every dealer's stands.
Kotobukiya and Gentle Giant represented well at most booths, at the
usual prices. Not many deals to be found yet, but then again, it's
preview night. This Trooper had an excellent time, and can't wait to
go back tomorrow. Check out all the pictures the Darth Spice and I
took, and look back tomorrow and the rest of the weekend for
coverage you can only get here at Sandtroopers.com! United We Find!
PHOTO GALLERY To see the photo gallery
containing 62 photos click
here.
Troopers,
I'll tell you this: Even without the presence of such heavy hitters
such as Gentle Giant, Sideshow Collectibles, or Hasbro, This Trooper
loves Wizard World Chicago! The day started off a bit gloomy, with
rain pouring down on the trusty Dewback and I, but once we picked up
Master Vos himself in downtown Chicago, it was all fun from there!
Doug Wangler, AKA Quinlan Vos, is one fantastic guy to be around!
His stories from the road had me cracking up, and it was a great
pleasure to meet him in person. It really is uncanny how much he IS
Quinlan Vos. From there it was to the convention we went.
Once
there, we hooked up with Fed Jim from Federation Toys and got down
to business. I was rewarded to my own-signed copy of Star Wars:
Republic #77 with Quinlan on the cover, which was fantastic. I got
around the convention center, which was abuzz with dealers of all
kinds, and took in the sights and sounds. Though not many dealers
had much to say (they were very busy setting up), they all said that
they were looking forward to this convention. The people in charge
were exceptionally nice and helpful this year, and we had no
problems getting our passes and were on our way.
For
the most part, there were the usual items for sale at the usual
prices. Most notably, I was able to get a gold Titanium Darth
Vader's TIE Advanced SDCC Exclusive for $20. Not bad considering it
was not looking good for me getting one any other way! I did see
several of the SDCC exclusive 501st Stormtroopers going for $40-$50
each, and even a pair of Blackhole Stormtrooper busts from Gentle
Giant going at a whopping $600 each! Craziness, but then again, they
were very hard to get. Marvel seemed to be the biggest seller this
year, with Marvel Legends adorning almost every dealer's stands.
Kotobukiya and Gentle Giant represented well at most booths, at the
usual prices. Not many deals to be found yet, but then again, it's
preview night. This Trooper had an excellent time, and can't wait to
go back tomorrow. Check out all the pictures the Darth Spice and I
took, and look back tomorrow and the rest of the weekend for
coverage you can only get here at Sandtroopers.com! United We Find!