The LEGO Group has announced an Up-Scaled Blue Astronaut Minifigure building set (40921) inspired by the iconic LEGO astronaut minifigure first seen in 1984.
Growing up, LEGO Space was my jam! When the LEGO Group announced the Galaxy Explorer, based on the iconic 1979 spaceship I vividly remember building on Christmas Day, many brick fans (myself included) hoped there would be more nostalgic sets based on the fan-favourite theme. I'll be adding this set when it is available on 1st March.
Up-Scaled Blue Astronaut Minifigure is available from LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).
Will you be adding the Up-Scaled Blue Astronaut Minifigure to your collection? Let me know in the comments below.
Adam Savage (MythBusters) returned to the Propstore in London and talked to founder Stephen Lane about the construction of a Stormtrooper helmet from Star Wars.
Read the official synopsis:
"After seeing an original Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet at Propstore a year ago, Adam gets the opportunity to examine the same helmet design, created by the speciality costume makers at FBFX for a modern Star Wars production. It’s a fascinating look at how modern fabrication techniques are used to recreate an iconic design and retain all the aesthetic hallmarks of the original."
I remember holding an original Stormtrooper helmet from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi at The Elstree Star Wars Day in 1994. I regret not having a camera with me to capture the memories with college friends. However, there were film props, and I met David Prowse (Darth Vader) and Warwick Davis (Wicket). This was one of Davis' earliest appearances at a Star Wars-related event before the first Star Wars Celebration in 1999.
Entertainment Weekly (EW) has released an exclusive first look at the initial wave of Masters of the Universe Chronicles action figures based on the upcoming movie directed by Travis Knight (Bumblebee) and starring Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam/He-Man.
Mattel has pulled out all the stops for this collector-level toy line, with a movie-accurate design, which was first revealed at the Nuremberg Toy Fair. The sculpts are amazing for He-Man, Battle Cat, Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, Trap Jaw, Tri-Klops, Man-at-Arms and Teela.
Roberto Stanichi, Mattel's chief global brand officer, said there was a lot of nostalgia for a toy line that first came out in the 1980s. "So we've been waiting for the right moment to bring it back in a way that really delivers on the legacy", he said at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany.
He-Man and Battle Cat will make a perfect pairing on my desktop when the line launches on 25th April.
Masters of the Universe is released in cinemas on 5th June 2026.
Will you be collecting the Masters of the Universe Chronicles action figure toy line? Let me know in the comments below.
Actor Anthony Daniels, who brings C-3PO to life in the Star Wars galaxy, joined the LEGO Group live at the Nuremberg Toy Fair to showcase the next step in LEGO SMART Play within the Star Wars galaxy.
Daniels revealed a range of new LEGO SMART Play toys, including the first-ever C-3PO SMART Minifigure.
“Though he was never a fan of adventures himself, I have always loved C-3PO as a LEGO Star Wars minifigure but SMART Play takes it to a whole new level. Fans will get to experience my friend and other beloved characters in a thrilling new way. It makes me happy and proud that 3PO will now be part of endless SMART Play adventures,” said Anthony Daniels, Actor, C-3PO.
The new sets revealed include iconic builds like the Millennium Falcon, the Mos Eisley Cantina and Luke’s Landspeeder, as well as SMART Minifigures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Yoda, among others.
"LEGO SMART Play is opening up a whole new galaxy of play for fans to explore. We have been telling incredible stories through LEGO Star Wars for over 25 years and Lucasfilm has been a fantastic collaborator, so it's a thrill to embark on this new adventure with them. These five new sets showcase what our talented teams can create with the LEGO SMART Play platform. We can now bring fans all new experiences that react to how you move and play in real time and we can’t wait for builders to get their hands on these sets and explore a galaxy far, far, away like never before.” said Mike Ilacqua, Head of Product, LEGO Star Wars at the LEGO Group.
Powered by the innovative LEGO SMART Brick, which is packed with pioneering, world-first technologies, LEGO SMART Play is a groundbreaking new platform that brings LEGO creations to life like never before.
Discover LEGO Star Wars on LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).
Are you excited about LEGO SMART Play LEGO Star Wars sets? Let me know in the comments below.
Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws has arrived on Game Pass two years after its release.
The action-adventure game was initially met with a muted response due to bugs and gameplay mechanics that frustrated some players. However, those issues have been fixed in subsequent patches.
Over the weekend, I downloaded Star Wars Outlaws on Xbox Series S and soon found myself fully immersed in this single-player open-world adventure set between Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. In this galactic underworld of my choosing, Kay Vess is aligned with the Crimson Dawn, an organisation founded by former Sith Lord Darth Maul, and double-crossed the Hutts.
As long as you're not looking for a spiritual successor to the cancelled Star Wars 1313, there's a lot of fun to be had here. It's Assassin's Creed in a galaxy far, far away...
A prequel book, Star Wars Outlaws: Low Red Moon, is available for pre-order from Amazon (affiliate link).
Are you playing Star Wars Outlaws on Game Pass? What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
On Thursday, Lucasfilm dropped a teaser trailer for Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord on Disney+.
Read the official synopsis:
"Chains can be broken. Empires can be shattered."
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord is created by Dave Filoni, based on Star Wars and characters created by George Lucas. The series is developed by Dave Filoni and Matt Michnovetz. Brad Rau is the supervising director.
The executive producers are Dave Filoni, Athena Yvette Portillo, Matt Michnovetz, Brad Rau, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rimes. Alex Spotswood is the co-executive producer.
The voice cast includes Sam Witwer as Maul, Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara, Oscar nominee Wagner Moura as Brander Lawson, Richard Ayoade as Two-Boots, Dennis Haysbert as Master Eeko-Dio-Daki, Chris Diamantopoulos as Looti Vario, Charlie Bushnell as Rylee Lawson, Vanessa Marshall as Rook Kast, David C. Collins as Spybot, A.J. LoCascio as Marrok, and Steve Blum as Icarus.
“Cinematography Lighting & VFX Director Joel Aron really took it up a notch with going back to the practical ways of capturing brush strokes by painting them on glass, shooting them then strategically placing them in shots,” says Executive Producer and Vice President of Lucasfilm Animation Athena Portillo. "He even went back to establishing matte paintings on canvas. There's always different challenges with every show that we do, but this one in particular raised the bar. We also wanted the animation body mechanics and the facial to be more fluid from our previous work and animation director Keith Kellogg worked closely with CGCG and our internal animation team to upgrade the performances of our main characters."
Set after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Maul plots to rebuild his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire. There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan, who could be the apprentice he is seeking, that will aid him in his relentless pursuit for revenge.
“And it’s a super fast-paced series,” adds Executive Producer Matt Michnovetz. “We wanted to create an action-packed thrill ride, something that had the rush of a roller coaster, so we do a lot of homages to the classic serials of the day, which gave George Lucas the inspiration for Star Wars. And we've got the perfect character to drive us through this in Maul.”
The two-episode premiere of Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord streams on 6th April only on Disney+.
Are you looking forward to Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.
Mattel Films and Amazon MGM Studios have dropped an official teaser trailer for Masters of the Universe.
Read the official synopsis:
"After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia, where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe."
Masters of the Universe is directed by Travis Knight (Bumblebee) from a script by Chris Butler. It stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam/He-Man, alongside Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Malcolm/Fisto, and Jared Leto as Skeletor.
On the eve of my birthday, watching the Masters of the Universe teaser trailer, I was transported back to childhood and my late mum surprising me with He-Man and Skeletor action figures!
Masters of the Universe is scheduled to be released in cinemas on 5th June 2026.
Are you looking forward to Masters of the Universe? Let me know in the comments below.
Blake's 7 fans (myself included) have been here before.
The adventures of a band of freedom fighters battling a corrupt Earth Federation and stumbling upon an ultramodern alien starship, the Liberator, Blake’s 7 was the brainchild of Terry Nation. He was already fêted for creating the Daleks for Doctor Who and the post-apocalyptic series Survivors. The latter made for chilling viewing in lockdown.
Despite a restrictive budget and starting within a week of the original UK cinema release of Star Wars, Blake’s 7 was rarely short of ambition and quickly became a hit, averaging 9.22 million viewers for its first series. Nation had planned for the Daleks to appear in the second series, but this was blocked.
Talk of reboots has percolated for years. Back in 2013, Microsoft planned to bring the beloved sci-fi series to Xbox LIVE! However, Deadline reports a reboot is in the works from Doctor Who and The Last of Us director Peter Hoar.
“The Blake’s 7 story is legendary because they were given the [British police show] Softly, Softly slot that was intended for police drama with a budget intended for one big set and a few location shoots,” said double-BAFTA winner Hoar, whose credits include It’s a Sin and Umbrella Academy. “At the time it felt like it meant something. Those shows got into my veins. I could tell they didn’t have money but I was able to compartmentalize and enjoy the ride knowing that the sets wobbled.”
Hoar compares Blake’s 7 to Disney+ hit Star Wars: Andor, which he thinks is a success not because of its circa-$25 million per hour budget but “because of the integrity, wit and sophistication.”
On the subject of Doctor Who on Disney+.
“I don’t think anybody would doubt the skills at the front line of that show but something went wrong,” he added. “I think there were lots of areas you could point fingers at but ultimately it wasn’t a better show with more money. And that’s a good thing, because we haven’t got the money anymore, nobody has.”
Hoar has opened a "genre-based" production company, Multitude Productions, and has acquired the intellectual property (IP) for the iconic 1970s and 1980s cult sci-fi hit, along with executive Matthew Bouch and producer Jason Haigh-Ellery.
Bouch said: “We’re driven by our passions but also seeing that there is a gap in the market in the UK – particularly with the well-publicized dropping off of Doctor Who – for genre-based British IP.
“We look back at when we were young with a degree of nostalgia but also thinking about the 70s and 80s as we were growing up and the amount of genre material that was available, whether it was Blake’s 7 or the Narnia adaptation. We are looking to the international market and seeing if there is a way of dovetailing that British low-budget sensibility with international markets. We know in the U.S. there’s a big contraction and we all need to think about finding ways to make things more economical.”
Buy the original Blake's 7 series on Amazon (affiliate link).
Until a reboot is down and safe, what are your thoughts on Blake's 7? Let me know in the comments below.
On Thursday, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiered with two episodes exclusively on Paramount+.
However, for a limited time, fans can watch the feature-length pilot episode, introducing USS Athena captain Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) and her team of fresh-faced cadets, for free on YouTube. If you're outside the US, you can use a VPN such as NordVPN (affiliate link).
Read the official synopsis:
"Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces viewers to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself."
The latest Star Trek spin-off series is set after The Burn. If you haven't watched Star Trek: Discovery, you may not know what The Burn is.
Here's a brief explanation:
"The Burn was a galaxy-wide cataclysmic event that occurred circa 3069, in which most dilithium mysteriously went inert, causing the detonation of every active warp core. The event caused widespread death and destruction, making dilithium an even more sought-after resource, and led to the near-collapse of the United Federation of Planets."
The kids are alright!
Kids These Days is an effects-heavy opener, while Beta Test is a character-driven Earthbound episode. In my teens, I had a crush on Betazoid empath Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis)! The chemistry between Caleb Mir (Sandro Rosta) and Tarima Sadal (Zoë Steiner), the Betazed president’s daughter, is palpable. It's an emotive episode that looks to a future free of the toxic trammels we all face in 2026. A philosophical study worthy of Gene Roddenberry's 60-year creation.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy the latest Star Trek spin-off series as much as I have! From Jeff Russo's opening theme, which pays homage to Jerry Goldsmith, to a shiny San Fransico and flying robots, it's the most fun and inclusive Star Trek has been since the first season of Star Trek: Discovery.
Here's an overview of the Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season one release schedule, so you can mark your calendars for when each episode drops on Paramount+:
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 1 – Thursday 15th January (out now)
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 2 – Thursday 15th January (out now)
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 3 – Thursday 22nd January
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 4 – Thursday 29th January
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 5 – Thursday 5th February
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 6 – Thursday 12th February
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 7 – Thursday 19th February
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 8 – Thursday 26th February
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 9 – Thursday 5th March
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy episode 10 – Thursday 12th March
Have you watched Star Trek: Starfleet Academy? Let me know in the comments below.
As per Puck News, Lucasfilm has announced that after 14 years of leading the studio, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down, with Dave Filoni leading the studio as President and Chief Creative Officer alongside Lynwen Brennan as Co-President.
“My love of storytelling was shaped by the films of Kathleen Kennedy and George Lucas. I never dreamed I would be privileged to learn the craft of filmmaking from both of them,” said Filoni. “From Rey to Grogu, Kathy has overseen the greatest expansion in Star Wars storytelling onscreen that we have ever seen. I am incredibly grateful to Kathy, George, Bob Iger and Alan Bergman for their trust and the opportunity to lead Lucasfilm in this new role, doing a job I truly love. May the Force be with you.”
Kennedy will return to full-time producing, including the studio’s upcoming feature films The Mandalorian and Grogu and Star Wars: Starfighter.
“When George Lucas asked me to take over Lucasfilm upon his retirement, I couldn’t have imagined what lay ahead,” said Kennedy. “It has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm. Their creativity and dedication have been an inspiration, and I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together. I’m excited to continue developing films and television with both longtime collaborators and fresh voices who represent the future of storytelling.”
What are your thoughts on Kathleen Kennedy's legacy, including working with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg? Let me know in the comments below.
