I owned plenty of Star Wars toys as a kid in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. But, like most of the younger Star Wars fans of that era, I moved on once my pre-teen cool set in. After the summer of 1983 I didn’t cast a thought on Star Wars toys (or the films for that matter) for next 25 years. It was in mid-2008 that the Force within me awoke to my very real and very deep love for Star Wars. And more specifically for the original Kenner action figures.

Not long after I began re-acquiring my childhood figures, I began photographing them. The early set-ups were plain. No staged lighting. No intricate backgrounds. No dramatic angles. Just preserving in pictures my fondness for the action figures’ details.

That was fine.

But I quickly realized that there was more. With some experiments and a little creativity, I found that I could generate increasingly intriguing results. Pulling together cheap lighting tricks and otherwise mundane household items I began to challenge myself to find the most dramatic ways possible to present these legendary toys.

Blogging about it seemed a daring shade of nonsense at first. But the photos attracted an audience almost immediately. Within a year the blog reached it’s first 100 subscribers and was featured in the online sci-fi magazine io9. I also began a sister blog focusing on unusual Star Wars memorabilia on tumblr. See that blog’s posts here.

If it’s not abundantly clear, I’m using low end equipment. These photos were shot with either a dismal 2005 Olympus Stylus 710 or my wife’s Sony CyberShot from about the same era. For lighting it’s all about the clip-on reading lights, monitor glow, the odd flashlight, and good old sunshine.

Anyway, enjoy the photos. There’s plenty of ’em and with any luck more to come. I’ve added wordy commentary whenever possible. Feel free to add your own when you feel the urge. And if you’d like to get on the list to receive future updates straight into your inbox, please sign up here.

And most importantly, thank you.

ratherchildish@gmail.com