Kenner Wars Kickstarter

Kenner played a huge part in the success of Star Wars, enabling fans (myself included) to create their own adventures. Personally, the toys (licensed by Palitoy in the UK) took my mind off of years of neurological rehabilitation in the wake of a life-changing traumatic brain injury in childhood. I still have my original R2-D2 action figure, which an aunt gifted me before Star Wars was in cinemas in 1978.

Pulse has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Kenner Wars documenting the original toy line from 1978 to 1985, curated and annotated by Ron Salvatore and Jean-François Rolland.

Read the official description for Kenner Wars:

"A long, long time ago, in a toy store near you...

With the book Kenner Wars, travel back in time and return to the Star Wars toys range manufactured by Kenner between 1978 and 1985. This stunning, large-format, 240-page hardcover book will take you back to your childhood with hundreds of original photos, detailed descriptions of the action figures, spaceships and playsets, in-depth information on their production, and the most surprising stories.

A brand-new collector’s edition of Jean-François Rolland’s book is now available in an exclusive slipcase, along with a second 100-page book of advertisements titled May the Toys Be With You, by Ron Salvatore and Jean-François Rolland, as well as five prints of exclusive photos created for the book’s illustrations.

If you already own the first edition of the book, you can back a special Upgrade Bundle that includes the case, May the Toys Be With You, the five prints, and a dust cover to have your initial edition match the new one.

Kenner Wars is the gift that all the nostalgic fans from the galaxy far, far away have been waiting for! We need your support to make it real, so you can receive it by next Christmas."

What are your Kenner Star Wars memories? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars made out of cardboard

In an era of AI-generated slop and algorithms, I stumbled across Star Wars superfan and YouTuber Zach King's loving recreation of the original Star Wars, made out of cardboard!



King enlisted several of his friends to help create the Star Wars reimagining, including on-screen roles for actors Randall Park and Jamie Costa. Costa has previously acted in Star Wars fan films.

"Star Wars has truly inspired so many filmmakers and reshaped how movies are made," King tells SPACE. "As a nod to how groundbreaking those films were, we asked ourselves, what if we made a version out of cardboard and shot it in just five days? That’s exactly what we ended up doing."

I mean, what Star Wars kid (myself included) didn't use cardboard boxes and pretend they were flying the Millennium Falcon or an X-wing into the Death Star trench during school summer holidays?

Have you watched Star Wars made out of cardboard? Let me know in the comments below.

The Batman: Part II first look

Director Matt Reeves has shared a camera test from The Batman: Part II. The upcoming sequel has been delayed until 18th February 2028.



Reeves recently confirmed that Robert Pattinson (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Jeffrey Wright (Jim Gordon), Andy Serkis (Alfred Pennyworth), Colin Farrell (Oz Cobb/The Penguin), Jayme Lawson (Bella Réal) and Gil Perez-Abraham (Officer Martinez) will reprise their roles, alongside new cast members Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Charles Dance, Sebastian Koch and Brian Tyree Henry.

Nick Smith, our US-based reviewer, raved about The Batman.

Are you looking forward to The Batman: Part II? Let me know in the comments below.

LEGO celebrates SpongeBob Day!

It's SpongeBob Day! The LEGO Group dives down to Bikini Bottom with two new SpongeBob SquarePants sets, the 1,794-piece LEGO Icons SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom (11386) and the 72-piece LEGO BrickHeadz SpongeBob SquarePants Figure (40858), both available 1st September.

Read the official press release:

"Embark on an underwater journey with the LEGO® Icons SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom (11386) building set, a perfect gift for adult fans of the popular animated series. Enjoy the experience as you recreate SpongeBob’s pineapple home with a living room and bedroom; Squidward’s house with a living room, bedroom, bathroom and rooftop lounge; Patrick’s rock with a detailed interior; and a Jellyfish Fields scene. Relive iconic moments with favourite characters including SpongeBob SquarePants, Patrick Star and Squidward Tentacles, Gary the Snail and DoodleBob. Discover items from famed storylines, including the boatmobile, Squidward’s clarinet and music stand and a portrait of Gary, plus lots of surprises. Bring your favourite scenes to any bookshelf, desk or display cabinet with this collectible home and office décor building kit. Build smarter with the LEGO Builder app, where you can rotate the model in 3D, zoom in and track your progress."

LEGO Icons SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom is available from LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

Will you be adding LEGO Icons SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom to your collection? Let me know in the comments below.

Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill dies aged 78

Actor Sir Sam Neill, famed for his leading role in Steven Spielberg's dinosaur blockbuster Jurassic Park, has died aged 78.

Born in Omagh, Neill moved to New Zealand with his family when he was seven.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Sir Sam "started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of".

"For more than fifty years, he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today – one of our greatest cultural exports," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The first film I remember seeing Neill star in was Omen III: The Final Conflict. He played Damien Thorn, son of the devil. During an illustrious career, he auditioned for the role of James Bond and later starred in Peaky Blinders.

In a statement to Variety, Spielberg paid tribute to Neill.

"I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr Alan Grant in Jurassic Park.

“Sam was exceptionally collaborative,” the Jurassic Park director said. “It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children.”

Spielberg concluded his statement by saying, “I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him. Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”

To this lifelong Spielberg fan, Neill will always be fondly remembered as Dr Alan Grant!

LEGO Icons Hubble Space Telescope

The LEGO Group has revealed the 1,252-piece LEGO Icons Hubble Space Telescope, a detailed replica that captures the essence of the legendary observatory that helped reshape our understanding of the cosmos, available from 1st August.

Read the official press release:

"Explore one of humanity’s greatest scientific achievements with the LEGO® Icons Hubble Space Telescope (11382) – a space decor building set for adults. Perfect as a gift idea for astronomy enthusiasts, this detailed replica captures the essence of the legendary observatory that helped reshape our understanding of the cosmos. Remove the exterior panels to reveal a detailed instrument bay depicting gyroscopes and primary and secondary mirrors. Position the solar arrays and antennas, open the aperture door and display the telescope on its stand, complete with an information plaque. The set also includes an astronaut minifigure for approximate scale representation. Build this space model with confidence using the LEGO Builder app’s detailed 3D instructions. Discover the inspiring range of LEGO Icons projects (sold separately) designed specifically for ages 18 and up. This set contains 1,252 pieces."

LEGO Icons Hubble Space Telescope is available from LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

Will you be adding LEGO Icons Hubble Space Telescope to your collection? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars SDCC exclusive from Jazwares

Lucasfilm licensee Jazwares has announced its San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) exclusives, including a concept art variant of Boba Fett’s Slave I from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, which will sell for $60.

Read the official press release:

"Based on its concept art and model prototypes from the production of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back™, the Starship comes packed with a pivoting cockpit and wings, an opening side panel, a removable weapons rack, an extending boarding ramp, positionable chin cannons, a seismic charge hatch, and more."

The fan-favourite Ralph McQuarrie design will be a must-have for fans (myself included) when it goes on sale on Friday, 23rd July. I might ask Nick Smith, our US-based reporter who is attending SDCC, to pick one up for me if it hasn't sold out.

Are you getting the Jazwares Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron exclusive at Comic-Con? Let me know in the comments below.

Lucasfilm announces Star Wars: The Experience

Lucasfilm has officially announced Star Wars: The Experience, a large museum exhibit to celebrate the franchise’s 50th anniversary in 2027.

The roaming exhibit will contain more than 70 objects from a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars: The Experience will open on 13th February 2027, just before the 50th anniversary re-release of the original Star Wars comes to cinemas. The exhibit will be on display at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until 6th September 2027.

“Star Wars created a cultural landscape that spans decades and delivers massive, undeniable global appeal,” says Larry Dubinski, President and CEO of The Franklin Institute. “Its influence extends far beyond cinema—shaping entertainment, culture, technology, and business, while redefining how stories are created, experienced, and shared across generations. The Franklin Institute is excited to put Philadelphia once again at the center of a major cultural moment with another blockbuster world premiere exhibition in 2027.”

From there, it will visit cities all across North America over the course of 5 years. It will not be going overseas.

Fans (including our very own Nick Smith) attending San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) this month will get the first look at the care put into curating this exhibit over more than four years of collaboration, with exclusive exhibit renderings and other new details.

Are you planning on visiting Star Wars: The Experience? Let me know in the comments below.

Star Wars fans patrol seaside town

Star Wars fans descended on a Lancashire seaside town for a free six-and-a-half-hour themed event, featuring costumes, market stalls and more.

For years, local fans have organised meet-ups at Cleveleys, on the Fylde Coast, where Andor season one was filmed on the seafront. Cleveleys was transformed into the planet Niamos as part of the filming for Andor in 2021.

Jessica Monger grew up in California, not far from Star Wars creator George Lucas and moved to Cleveleys on the Fylde Coast in 2012.

"I still get giddy thinking about it, especially since I grew up in California next to Modesto, where George Lucas was from," the Star Wars superfan said.

Andor is a prequel spin-off series set before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story on Disney+.

"So I move halfway across the globe, and it's right here at my doorstep - yeah, it's brilliant," said Monger, who has lived in the UK for more than 15 years.

Organisers said the event's emphasis was on community spirit and accessibility. This is the way.

Star Wars: Visions gets striking spin-off

On Friday, Lucasfilm dropped an official trailer for Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi on Disney+ and Hulu, first revealed at Anime Expo 2026.



Read the official synopsis:

"This summer, trust in the Force and listen to your heart when Kara resumes her quest to find her missing father and evade Jedi Hunters in Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi, a new limited series from Lucasfilm and Production I.G."

The 8-episode limited anime series is part of an all-new Star Wars: Visions Presents banner, which allows filmmakers to tell longer-form Star Wars: Visions stories. Picking up not long after the events of the Visions shorts, in the new series, Lah Kara continues to train in the ways of the Jedi under Margrave Juro amid an epic journey of self-discovery as she and Juro’s small fellowship of Jedi-in-training embark on a quest to save her father.

Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi, an all-new anime series, streams on 5th August on Disney+ and Hulu.

Are you looking forward to Star Wars: Visions Presents - The Ninth Jedi on Disney+ and Hulu? Let me know in the comments below.