If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, then why not head to Manchester and visit the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre’s Star Wars days. As well as the usual attractions, there are some special Star Wars additions for the weekend. The LEGOLAND Discovery Centre have passed along details of exactly what fans visiting can expect on the day.

- We will be welcoming Star Wars fans in costume, with spot prizes for the best outfits!
- We will be screening LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace in our cinema – a rare opportunity to see the mini-movie on  the big screen!
- We will be building battle packs in the Model Builder Workshop.
- A group build of R2-D2 will be taking place.
- Photo opps with a LEGO C3-PO and Chewbacca.
- A Jedi hunt through MINILAND will take place.
- Spend £30 in the Shop on Star Wars products and receive a free Star Wars sticker book with stickers.

So plenty to see and do again. To check out my report from last November’s Star Wars weekend, click here.

Here's today's release from the team over at Dark Horse.

STAR WARS: DARK TIMES—OUT OF THE WILDERNESS #4

The mystery man is revealed! If Boba Fett is the man you call when you want someone captured, Falco Sang is the one to call when you want someone dead. Sang has been on Dass Jennir's trail for months, and now the Jedi is in his sights.

But Sang isn't the only one searching for Jennir, and he should be careful that he doesn't come between Jennir and Darth Vader!

CREATORS

Writer: Mick Harrison

Artist: Douglas Wheatley

Colorist: Dan Jackson

Cover Artist: Pablo Correa

Genre: Star Wars

Publication Date: February 22, 2012

Format: FC, 32 pages

Price: $2.99

UPC:7 61568 18817 2 00411

Get the new t-shirt by Alan Ashcraft - you've got less than nine hours left!  This is what Alan has to say about the design inspired by Fanboys...

I had this idea after a family trip to Disney World where I frequented the attraction Star Tours. In all honesty, I'm not much of a fan, but that ride rules so much that it obviously had my wheels turning a bit once I returned home. As I was designing it, I googled the phrase and saw that it was a line from the movie Fanboys. So, unfortunately I can't take credit for the originality of the tagline itself.

Very interesting news arrives from the Panasonic conference in Hamburg this week regarding the imminent arrival of The Phantom Menace on 3D Blu-ray. Pocket Lint are reporting that the disc may arrive as soon as this spring.

Pocket-lint sources at the Panasonic conference in Hamburg tell us that Star Wars is headed to Blu-ray in 3D this spring. Rather unsurprisingly, following the film’s 3D cinema release, Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace will be available to pick up on 3D Blu-ray. What is surprising, however, is that it will be on such a fast turnaround after the box office release.

No word yet on whether the originals will be making their way into 3D 1080p goodness, but we've heard strong hints that the rest of the new films will also be released after their cinematic debuts. Good stuff for those who just shelled out for the new Blu-ray boxset. Not.

Panasonic has an ongoing relationship with the Star Wars movie franchise, bundling the films with its Blu-ray players back in 2011. The consumer electronics manufacturer will be bringing Episode 1 to Blu-ray in spring just the same.

As the Star Wars movies are set to come out in 3D yearly in order, it is entirely plausible that the 3D Blu-rays will do similar.

Time to get ourselves a new telly. We thought the classic series couldn’t look much better than the recent Blu-ray release. Who knows what it will look like in 3D at home?

Ever wondered what would happen when you get a bunch of avid Star Wars fans together in Bristols Cabot Circus with their lightsabres? On February 18th 2012 it happened, so watch this video to and find out how it all went down.

Yesterday we posted news of a very interesting rumour that surfaced on Twitter via our buddy Stephen over at Cinema Geek. The rumour was that "According to a UK Fox Rep, we MAY be seeing Attack of the Clones 3D August 2012 followed by Revenge of the Sith Feb 2013."

We've got a bit more info regarding the rumour - and we can't stress enough, it is ONLY a rumour - from Stephen.

A month or so ago I was talking to a Colleague in the Cinema industry re. TPM 3D and the subsequent movies coming out every 12 months. To which my colleague mentions that a Fox Rep here in the UK said that Lucasfilm plan on releasing them every SIX months, to which I responded, “are you sure?”. My Colleague replied, “Well, that’s what she told me!!”…So until I know different, I’m going to stick with every 12 months and will LOVE it if it turns out to be every 6 and not 12 months.

You're not wrong Palpy, a 3D Star Wars film every 6 months, that would certainly hit the spot.

Here's the latest update featuring new in-stock items and pre-orders from our friends at Toy Palace in Germany...

• Attakus Metal Diorama Set of 2 plus 14 Figures
• Star Wars Spardose Boba Fett 20cm
• Gentle Giant The Clone Wars Cad Bane Animated Maquette 25cm
• Gentle Giant Star Wars Jumbo Vintage Kenner Obi-Wan Kenobi 30cm
• Gentle Giant Star Wars Jumbo Vintage Kenner Jawa Fabric Cloak 20cm
• Hasbro The Vintage Collection Figure Asst. Wave 10-2011 (12 pcs.)
• Hasbro The Vintage Collection Figure Asst. Wave 11-2011 (12 pcs.)
• Hasbro Star Wars 2012 Electronic Mask - Darth Vader
• Hasbro Star Wars 2012 Electronic Mask - Darth Maul
• Kotobukiya Darth Maul Light-Up FX Vinyl Statue 28cm
• Star Wars MIMOBOT USB Stick HanSolo Carbonite 16GB
• Sideshow Star Wars Collector Figure Figrin D'an 30cm
• Sideshow 1/6 Scale Dewback 40cm
• Star Wars T-Shirt AT-AT Logo
• Jedi Bathrobe for Adults
• Star Wars Chocolate Egg with Surprise Gift (24)
• Luke Skywalker Ultimate Unision Figure 30cm
• Wesco Darth Vader USB Hub 15cm
• Gentle Giant Star Wars Logo Collectible Bookends Gold Edition 24cm
• Hasbro The Vinatge Collection Figure Asst. 2012 Wave 1.5 (12 pcs)
• Hasbro The Clone Wars Figure Asst. Wave 2-2012 (12 pcs)
• LEGO Star Wars Torch Keyring - Darth Maul

Our friends over at LEGO site FBTB.net have noticed a couple of Easter Eggs in the first few seconds of the LEGO video highlighting the new modular Town Hall building set.  The video has since been removed by LEGO but not before they were able to take some stills of the new R2-D2 set (#10225)...

Tahe the link below to play the DK Star Wars: Episode 1 quiz and you will be entered into a prize draw to win Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray.

Read on for the latest update from Site Sponsor Big Bad Toy Store that features a great batch of arrivals and many more new preorders (including some items revealed at the US Toy Fair last week)...

Box Office Mojo have reported some solid progress for The Phantom Menace at the box office as it rises up both the north american and worldwide charts.

The film has risen to the all-time 4th position in the US, nudging past A New Hope on Friday to end the weekend with $464,826,295. It won't rise any higher than that, The Dark Knight lies another $69 million dollars out of reach. Perhaps a solid take by A New Hope later this year (perhaps) will snatch third slot.

Worldwide The Phantom Menace is now up to 11th, surpassing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and rising to $995,126,295, less than $5 million off the billion dollar mark. It should nab that accolade later this week and in doing so pass The Dark Knight to take the all-time 10th position. It has an outside shot of passing both Alice in Wonderland and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides to take 8th position.

A repacked figure, but a welcome one. My latest review looks at the repainted Wookiee, Chewbacca from Wave 1 of 2012 of The Clone Warsline!

Join Jason and Jimmy Mac for the Weekly ForceCast...

Episode I is finally here in glorious 3D, but the question remains: what do the fans think? Find out as the ForceCast opens the phones and the voice mail box to hear about your first Star Wars 3D movie experience. Plus, Star Wars artist and trivia-meister Kevin Leill drops by to talk about his upcoming appearance on Kevin Smith's new AMC reality series Comic Book Men..

Show Notes: You can see more information about this episode on its wiki page. We invite you to expand and improve the wiki with your own contributions.

ForceCast Podcast Mobile Apps: Have the entire ForceCast archives at your fingertips, plus bonus shows and exclusive content!

• Download for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad
• Download for Android OS Devices (running 2.1 or higher)

ForceCast T-shirts: Order yours today!

Box Office Mojo bring us the latest update on the box office haul of The Phantom Menace.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace's 3D re-release didn't fare so well on Friday. The movie plummeted 78 percent to an estimated $1.92 million, which brings its total to an underwhelming $27.8 million. Still, by Sunday The Phantom Menace's total gross will exceed the original Star Wars ($461 million), which will make it the highest-grossing entry in the series and fourth highest-grossing movie ever.

Not the best weekend, but with rumours surfacing via our buddy Stephen over at CineMeGeek that "According to a UK Fox Rep, we MAY be seeing Attack of the Clones 3D August 2012 followed by Revenge of the Sith Feb 2013." Hopefully the mission has been a success and we're now looking at a faster rollout for the saga...and closer than we thought to A New Hope in 3D.

George Lucas goes into detail regarding the 3D conversion of The Phantom Menace. Wonder how long it will be before Uncle George actually shoots a film in 3D instead of doing a (very impressive) conversion?

Great news comes to us from Adam Parr regarding the hotly anticipated Star Wars Filming Locations of the U.S. The Kickstarter project has reached it's goal of $9000 and the project will be going full steam ahead.

Over to Adam for the full details.

Well folks, what's left to say? Five days yet remain for the Kickstarter fundraising effort. We began with a goal of $9,000. We solicited mercilessly for your pledges, and you didn't disappoint. As of this moment, we have 164 backers on Kickstarter, who have pledged a total of $9,841!!! We've already hit 109% of our goal. And the surge continues. We're dazed & amazed, folks. We really are.

It's because of your incredibly generous support that we're being allowed to experience the 10-year old dream of sharing this work with the world. You've made it happen. And what's truly remarkable is that you've offered this support for a product virtually sight-unseen. NO ONE has actually seen this book yet. But we have, and believe me, it has turned out beautifully. You're going to be blown away. A million sincere thanks to each & every one of you. We wrote it for you & you've made it happen.

And for those who haven't yet pledged, but are still thinking about it, hit this link now to grab your signed copy of this thing while they're still available!!

My first HD The Clone Wars review looks at a figure from late 2011, the Bounty Hunter, Seripas!

The weekend coming – Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th February – will see the return of Star Wars Days to the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Manchester, UK. To find out what went on last time, read on – and then get your tickets booked!

The LEGOLAND Discovery Centre held a Star Wars themed weekend on November 12th and 13th 2011. The event saw the busiest day in the Discovery Centre’s history, with many guests turning up in costume to meet characters from Star Wars. Read on for the full image-laden first hand report from Saturday 12th November…

The LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is located at Barton Square in the Trafford Centre, Manchester. It’s the only LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in the UK. Inside guests find a variety of attractions and building opportunities, primarily aimed at children aged 3-10 years old.

Squint, focus, stare and strain at the crazy detail in this image and then try and find Wald. First one to do so and write in wins our eternal respect and admiration.

Update: If you want to know who found Wald first it was Fanboys director Kyle Newman who spotted our favourite young Rodian in the crowd. Well done to Kyle, the no-prize is in the mail.

"Always two there are..." That's what we were told, and Master Yoda was right. There are not one but two new Darth Maul projects coming our way via the team over at Dark Horse. Here's editor Randy Stradley to explain in more detail.

By now every Star Wars fan has heard the news: Darth Maul is coming back!

By the end of Season 4 of The Clone Wars, everybody’s second favorite Sith Apprentice will have taken his first steps on his path of vengeance, to be continued in Season 5, next fall. But while the TV series will tell the beginning of Maul’s unholy return, there are stories to be told which take place between the end of Season 4 and the start of Season 5. That’s where Dark Horse comes in.

I first spoke to director Dave Filoni about the idea of telling a story between seasons almost two years ago, when the plans for Maul’s return were revealed to the Star Wars licensees at a meeting at Skywalker Ranch. Dave was receptive to the idea -- so receptive, in fact, that he took time out of his busy schedule with the show to confer with writers Henry Gilroy and Steven Melching on their story The Sith Hunters, and to paint a cover for that digest volume of The Clone Wars! The graphic novella will be in comics shops and bookstores in August.

But that’s not all! Also in the works is a four-issue Darth Maul series being written by Tom Taylor (Star Wars: Blood Ties and Star Wars: Invasion)! We’ll have more information about that in the near future.

In the meantime, run to your local theater and catch The Phantom Menace in 3-D, watch The Clone Wars for Darth Maul’s return, and prepare yourself for the Year of Maul!

At last we shall reveal ourselves...  MTV has this exclusive clip showing "Being Human" star Sam Witwer as the voice of Darth Maul!  Check it out below...

Here's my latest review of Darth Maul from the Vintage Collection!

Here's our second and final batch of images from the various companies we saw at the US Toy Fair earlier this week...

• Funko 
• Jazwares 
• Kotobukiya 
• LEGO 
• LEGO Licences
• Underground Toys

You can still view the first batch of images here.

Never let it be said that we lack culture. What could be more cultured than a four minute blast of cello, taking us through some of the saga's greatest musical moments.

For more info on this fantastic piece, check out the info after the break.

We like our GFFA fashions at Jedi News, so we were more than happy to post a piece about this very smart t-shirt, available for a limited time from Shirt Vegas.

Obey Ackbars Trap T-Shirt Limited Edition Print. 'As seen slapped on the streets of L.A., Fresno, London, Manchester and Singapore. You need to OBEY Ackbar's Trap. Lando and Nien Nunb did, which then led Rebels to victory by destroying the Death Star and with it, the Empire'.

The shirt is being sold here in both White & Black for $15. This is a discount code for anybody that buys both black & white Ackbar t-shirts : ACKBARFTW The Limited Edition Shirt is available only till Sunday the 19th February.

My latest review looks at Quinlan Vos from The Vintage Collection, based on his Episode I appearance, that spawned the creation of one of the Expanded Universe's most popular Jedi!

Here's our first batch of images from the various companies we saw at the US Toy Fair earlier this week... (a bit later than planned due to the jet-lag!)... 

• Cardinal
• Comic Images
• Diamond (inc. Gentle Giant and Kotobukiya)
• Hornby (Scalextric)
• Rubies
• Scene It
• Uncle Milton

If you missed our Hasbro images earlier in the week, then you can still view those here (as well as the Official Hasbro press release images here).

More images from Funko, Jazwares, Kotobukiya, LEGO and Underground Toys coming soon...

A lot of us have been collecting Star Wars for a long time, many beginning with the original vintage figures, vehicles and playsets, and some of those collectors have horror stories to tell about how they either gave their collections away to charity, sold them at car boot sales or handed them down to less appreciative siblings.

Whilst that's not me (insert smug grin), Julian Tittershall tells a tale of his fall to the dark side, selling his entire Star Wars collection for, how should we put it, more adult hobbies...

But, Julian was redeemed and having completed a second vintage collection, he had his loft converted, painted and landscaped to allow him to display it all.

Julian has let us know that anyone wishing to visit the Star Wars Loft in Chester, can contact him through his website, which you can check out by clicking on the link below...

LEGO announced (albeit a couple of days ago), that they had renewed their Star Wars licence with Lucasfilm.

Read on for the official press release.

Yakface.com have confirmed their own report from the end of 2011 that Yoda will be replacing Darth Maul on the packaging in 2013.

Click on the image above for a closer look.

The man behind the furry mask of Chewbacca, Peter Mayhew, has launched a new charitable organisation designed to help alleviate disease, pain, and suffering by providing its available resources directly to deserving children and adults in need.

The Peter Mayhew Foundation has been launched to help facilitate charitable endeavours and projects. To better understand the foundations hopes and goals, read the mission statement below.

Our Mission Statement

The Peter Mayhew Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization devoted to the alleviation of disease, pain, and suffering by providing its available resources directly to deserving children and adults in need. The Foundation will also assist other charitable programs that are not funded by the community.

The Peter Mayhew Foundation has had opportunities to work with other charitable organizations such as the "Make a Wish Foundation" and "Wounded Warriors". It is for the purpose of providing supportive funds, services and supplies to the needs of Non Profits and other individuals that we move forward, The Wookiee Way. Examples of the types of endeavors which we would sponsor: Many times the Make a Wish Foundation selects a terminally ill child to make a visit to places such as Disneyland. Unfortunately, many charitable organizations are underfunded and stressed to the limits to help beneficiaries such as these and their funds are limited so the trip includes only travel, accommodations and entrance fees to the awarded locales. The Peter Mayhew Foundation would like to step in and provide items such as meals and refreshments for the people to allow for an even more memorable trip. Another example would be the 501st. The 501st is a volunteer group based on the "Darth Vader's Storm Troopers" from the "Star Wars" movie series. These people are often involved in community activities such as parades. Because of the recognition of the "Star Wars" aspect of this group, both adults and children are thrilled by their appearances in these activities. The people wearing these costumes come from all over the world to be a member of the "501st" and perform at these activities. The Peter Mayhew Foundation has determined that there is a need for additional support to assist with activities such as changing into and out of their costumes for performances by providing enclosed and secure facilities for their belongings.

Here is my latest video review, looking at The Phantom Menace himself, and the mastermind behind the downfall of the Jedi, Darth Sidious!