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WonderCon Recap: Star Wars Puppet Craft Tutorial

April 14, 2011

words: Bonnie Burton
photos: Amanda Jean Camarillo

There’s something magical about kids crafting puppets out of paper bags, construction paper, googly eyes and glitter…especially if they happen to be Star Wars puppets!

For the first time ever at WonderCon, I hosted a Star Wars Craft Tutorial on how to make Star Wars bag puppets. I did a similar Star Wars puppet tutorial at last year’s Bay Area Maker Faire, but this was a packed room of kids and their parents!

Armed with construction paper, scissors, glue, colored markers, glitter and of course, googly eyes — kids and adults alike made some very creative bag puppets of their favorite Star Wars characters including Yoda, Chewbacca, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, R2-D2, Admiral Ackbar, Rancor, Tauntaun, Clone trooper, the Emperor, and more!

You can learn how to make your own Admiral Sackbar bag puppet here.

Below are some of our favorite puppets! May the Craft Be With You!

Princess Leia!

Tauntaun!

The Emperor!

R2-D2!

Clone trooper!

Yoda!

Check out the full set of photos on our Flickr:
WonderCon 2011: Star Wars Craft Tutorial

2 Comments » | WonderCon, crafts | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl

WonderCon 2011 Recap

April 8, 2011

The Rebel Legion group shot at WonderCon.

words & photos: Bonnie Burton

Death Trooper posing for photos? Pint-sized Ahsoka Tano and Clone Trooper hanging out? Jabba the Hutt lurking in the food court? Yup, it’s that time of year for WonderCon in San Francisco. Three full days of comics, movies, TV shows, costumes, celebrities, artists, droid builders and more!

Here’s a selection of some of the awesome things we spotted during the convention:

Utinni!

Aayla Secura, Dave Filoni, Ashley Eckstein & Ahsoka Tano strike a pose.

Arc Troopers show off their armor at WonderCon.

Ahsoka Tano is ready to have fun at WonderCon.

Well hello there, R2-D2…

Triple the Tano! Two fans dressed as Ahsoka pose with their namesake voice actor Ashley Eckstein.

Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew backstage at The Clone Wars panel.

Even Jabba the Hutt and Rotta made a rare appearance.

Run! It’s a Death Trooper!

Kids admire the kid-size trooper armor.

At the 501st and Rebel Legion dinner, this Steve Sansweet patch was a party favor — the ultimate collectible of the ultimate collector.

Watch out, Aayla Secura! Batman is right behind you and he has a lightsaber!

Star Wars fan Andrea shows off her Sith ink!

Check out even more photos from our WonderCon 2011 Flickr Photo Set.

18 Comments » | Clone Wars, The 501st Legion, WonderCon, costumes | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl

MythBusters Grant Imahara Inducted into the 501st

April 7, 2011

words & photos: Bonnie Burton

Amongst the cosplayers, droids, and comic book fans attending this year’s WonderCon in San Francisco, California, MythBusters Build Team member Grant Imahara was inducted as a 501st Legion Honorary Member by the Golden Gate Garrison (with special help from the Southern California Garrison.)

WATCH VIDEO: The 501st induct Grant Imahara at WonderCon

Grant is well-known on Discovery Channel’s hit show Mythbusters, but he started at THX then went on to make some amazing sets, droids and props at Industrial Light and Magic as a modelmaker. His robot-building skills are legendary — not only for his work on R2-D2 alongside ILM’s Don Bies, but for the lovable Energizer Bunny, his intimidating fighting robots, and his latest creation of first robotic talk show sidekick Geoff Petersen, for Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show.

I first met Grant way back in 2004, when I was sent down to Los Angeles for StarWars.com to cover Junkyard Mega-Wars: At The Movies which the ILM rock stars were asked to compete in. Grant and his ILM team made a gigantic, flame-throwing R2-D2, and of course won the competition.

You can see that awesome R2-D2 in action here:
WATCH VIDEO: Junkyard Mega-Wars: At the Movies

Grant has also been featured over the years on StarWars.com for Putting Star Wars to the MythBusters Test, for being a big fan of The Clone Wars and for his w00tstock spoken word performance about dressing up as C-3PO.

So it was a real treat to see my old friend and past co-worker Grant get inducted into one of the coolest Star Wars groups in the galaxy — The 501st Legion. I chatted with Grant about his induction and whether this means we can expect his droids to be moonlighting for the Empire…

Was it a complete surprise?
Actually yes! You kept hinting at a surprise during WonderCon, with a specific time and place that I needed to be. If you watch the video, I don’t actually realize what’s happening until they announce it! You know, I talk on camera all day long and I’ve done tons of public speaking, but I was so surprised and overwhelmed in that moment that I feel like I was a bit tongue-tied.

If you’re now in the 501st, does that mean all robots you build will be secretly working for Darth Vader?
Ha! I think all my robots secretly work for me! Think about it: the Energizer Bunny, Geoff Peterson (the robot skeleton sidekick from The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson), my combat robot Deadblow, and certain R2 units… that would be a pretty formidable army!

Why are you proud to be part of the 501st Legion?
It’s a real honor to be inducted into a group that not only strives for accuracy in representing these characters from a saga that I love, but also does volunteer community service and is considered a part of Lucasfilm’s “extended family.”

Be sure to follow both Grant Imahara and The 501st Legion on Twitter.

19 Comments » | Celebrities, ILM, The 501st Legion, WonderCon, events | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl

R2-D2 Builders at WonderCon

April 19, 2010

Words/Photos/Video: Bonnie Burton

Everyone wants R2-D2 as a co-pilot but very few fans have the time and commitment to build one from scratch. It takes a very special breed of fan to not only put in the time, but the money, blood, sweat and tears it takes to make a bunch of parts into an astromech worth showing off.

WATCH OUR VIDEOS OF R2-D2 IN ACTION:

R2-D2 greets fans at WonderCon

R2-D2 does his thing

R2-D2 Low-Fi Hologram

At this year’s WonderCon in San Francisco the R2 Builders Club gathered for their annual panel to discuss not only what it takes to build an astromech, but also the tricks of the trade for would-be Anakins and Jawas in the audience.

(more…)

4 Comments » | R2 Builders, WonderCon, crafts, events, robots | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl

WonderCon Day 2: The Clone Wars Panel

April 7, 2010

Words & Photos: Bonnie Burton

Fans attending “Inside Star Wars: The Clone Wars” at WonderCon on Saturday were treated not only to a sneak peek at Season 2 of The Clone Wars season finale but also a panel discussion with Supervising Director Dave Filoni, Clone Wars actors Jaime King and Daniel Logan, moderated by Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo.

Here are a few highlights from the panel:

Many of the fans watching the panel are ready for action.

Geektastic power couple Fanboys director and actress Jaime King are all smiles before the panel.

The logo for the 30th anniversary of the release of The Empire Strikes Back welcomes fans before the panel began.

Lucasfilm Director of Fan Relations Steve Sansweet says hello from JediCon in Germany.

Starwars.com Managing Editor Pablo Hidalgo chats with Supervising Director Dave Filoni who says to stay tuned to for special Godzilla shout-outs during the upcoming Zillo Beast episode of The Clone Wars

Excited to be back, actor Daniel Logan talks about reprising his role as young Boba Fett in The Clone Wars.

Actress Jaime King chats about her role as bounty hunter Aurra Sing, and young Boba Fett’s mentor, in The Clone Wars.

5 Comments » | Clone Wars, WonderCon, costumes | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl

WonderCon Day 1: Ackbar, Troopers & Dr. Jones

April 3, 2010

(Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin gets a hug from Admiral Ackbar)

Words & Photos: Bonnie Burton

Admiral Ackbar cereal Robot Chicken Cosplay? Rebel cheerleaders? Stormtroopers galore? Yup, it’s that time of year for WonderCon in San Francisco. Three full days of comics, movies, TV shows, costumes, celebrities, artists, droid builders and more!

Here’s a selection of some of the awesome things we spotted on the first day:

The 501st Legion booth at WonderCon is well-guarded.

2-4-6-8 Who do we appreciate? Rebels! Rebels! Go Rebels!

Rotta the Hutt gets a lift from a fan.

Dr. Jones, I presume?

This is the droid you’re looking for!

(more…)

3 Comments » | Celebrities, The 501st Legion, WonderCon, costumes, events, fan fun | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl

WonderCon 2009: R2-D2 Builders

March 5, 2009

Words/Photos: Bonnie Burton

R2-D2 goes where the action is, so it shouldn’t be surprised that he and his droid pals invaded this year’s WonderCon as usual. Fans ran up and hugged, kissed, patted and posed with everyone’s favorite astromech droid. Those lucky attendees who wanted the ins and outs of droid building got a special treat with the “R2-D2 Droid Building Basics” panel on Saturday.

R2-D2 builders Chris James, Ryan Goff, Steve Simmons, and David Calkins shared their experiences and demonstrated working droids. They chatted about materials, tools needed, basic electronics, and radio control information to make your own Artoo beep, move and save the day.

Special guest Don Bies, former ILM model maker and Star Wars Episodes II and III droid wrangler also showed up to encourage fans to channel their inner Anakin (the good one, not the baddie).

Starwars.com chatted with R2-D2 builder Chris James about what it feels like to be daddy to his own R2-D2.

Can you describe what the R2-D2 Builders group is all about?

We’re a loosely organized international group of fans who love to build droids and share them with the world. Founded in 1999, the club has continually striven to develop resources to allow others to accurately reproduce their own astromech droids. We know have almost 8,000 members, but I would say there’s closer to 500 active builders at any one time. We make all sort of astromechs, not just R2-D2, but that’s were our roots are. Some of you may have also seen R2-KT (R2KT.com); she was build by members of the club.

What tips did you give would-be builders at your WonderCon panel?

It’s hard to cover much in an hour, but we try and give an overview of what can be done, demo our droids, and cover the tools, different materials and skills needed to get started.

The four top tips are always — planning, patients, do lots of research, and know your limitations. Without following these basic tips you can quickly make some expensive mistakes. Oh! And the fifth tip — Don’t try stuffing the electronics from a Hasbro Interactive Droid in a life-size Artoo. You don’t want a 200 lb droid running you over.

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No Comments » | R2 Builders, WonderCon | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl

WonderCon 2009: Celebrities

March 5, 2009

(Matthew Wood and his inner Grievous)

Words/Photos: Bonnie Burton

You don’t have to head to Los Angeles or New York to see your favorite comic book, movie and TV celebs. Thanks to conventions like WonderCon, they come to you. In fact, they sit at a table and wait for you to come by with things to sign. Sometimes they’ll even pose for photos or make small talk with you about their Twitter.

Here’s a selection of some of the famous folks you might have spotted at this year’s WonderCon.

Carrie Fisher:
(photo by Dennis VonGalle)
Princess Leia herself met fans and signed posters, prints, photos and more. In the photo above, Fisher signs a Nagel-inspired print called “The Princess” presented by the artist himself Craig Drake.

Mark Hamill:
Luke Skywalker (or the voice of the Joker, depending on your fandom) signed everything from Star Wars posters to rare Corvette Summer memorabilia. Mark Hamill didn’t sing any verses of “Luke, Be a Jedi Tonight” but this rare appearance at WonderCon did make fans giddy with the Force.

Dave Filoni:
As the Supervising Director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show, fans follow around Dave Filoni around like the Jedi Pied Piper. Filoni was one of the coolest interviews at the Star Wars presentation on Saturday as he talked about Cad Bane and the bounty hunters who will be invading the series soon. Another highlight for us included watching the 501st Legion induct Filoni as an Honorary Member at their annual WonderCon dinner. He was presented with the coveted badge, as well as one-of-a-kind art from Cynthia Cummens. Here he is posing with Ahsoka’s lightsaber that he signed for a special fan.

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2 Comments » | Celebrities, WonderCon | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl

WonderCon 2009: Best Costumes

March 5, 2009

Words/Photos: Bonnie Burton

Half the fun of going to WonderCon every year in San Francisco is seeing all the costumed fans who dress up as superheroes, pirates, steampunkers, movie and video game characters and even Muppets!

We’ve already profiled our favorite Star Wars costumes this year, but here’s a list of some of the other costumes we couldn’t get enough of.

Superheroes:
It’s just not a comic book conventions without fans dressing like characters in actual comic books. Little kids and growups alike don masks and capes to wander through the convention floor looking for crime and photos ops. As an added bonus, Batman actor Adam West attended WonderCon this year and got to see all variations of the masked man he made so famous.

Watchmen:
Just in time for the March release of the Watchmen movie, fans dressed up as their favorite characters like Rorschach, Silk Spectre and Sally Jupiter. No Doctor Manhattans were spotted, but then again it takes dedication to show up to WonderCon blue and naked.

Yip Yip Martians:
If you grew up watching Sesame Street, you’ll recognize the interplanetary visitors called the Yip-Yips — nicknamed for their yip yip language. They seemed right at home yipping around WonderCon.

(more…)

1 Comment » | WonderCon, conventions, costumes | Permalink
Posted by bonniegrrl

WonderCon 2009: Best Star Wars Costumes

March 4, 2009

Words/Photos: Bonnie Burton

Even though San Francisco’s WonderCon is much smaller than the epic San Diego Comic-Con International, you literally can’t walk past a booth without bumping into a costumed fan.

Each year WonderCon gets a little bit bigger which means more and more fans dressed as superheroes, video game characters, horror film icons, steampunkers, vampires, dragons, pirates, manga and anime favorites, and of course, Star Wars characters.

As usual members of the 501st and Rebel Legion were out in full Force. Here’s a recap of some of the best Star Wars costumes we spotted at WonderCon 2009.

What a Trooper!
It just isn’t a convention without spotting 501st Legion members dressed as clone troopers and stormtroopers. The 501st always impress with their custom-made body armor, but it’s their patience with hundreds of people who want their photos taken with them every five steps that make them real troopers. If you want to learn more about the 501st Legion, check out: Inside the Fighting 501st.

Rebel, Rebel!
Next up, the Rebel Legion. These fans dress as Jedi, Rebel Pilots, Princess Leias and more. At this year’s WonderCon they could be seen hanging out with the 501st or I suppose infiltrating the Empire depending on how you look at it. If you’d like to find out more about them, visit the Official Rebel Legion site here.

Darth Vader
While The Clone Wars may be taking fandom my storm, Darth Vader still dominates all the photo ops at WonderCon. He’s not called a Sith Lord for nothing.