SO LONG, PETER MAYHEW...

You stood tall, strong and furry as the mighty and lovable Chewbacca, accentuating the "Star Wars" franchise during its heyday and greeting appreciative fans along the decades-spanning way.

That appreciation was reciprocal and visited varied venues, such as "The Muppet Show"; "Slice of SciFi"; "Donny and Marie"; "Dark Towers"; "The Kenny Everett Television Show"; "Identity"; and "Glee".  

You also found your way into the '78 horror film, "Terror" and the offbeat fantasy, "Yesterday Was a Lie"; and shared your talents with "Dragon Ball G.T." and Mark Hamill's wry mockumentary, "Comic Book: the Movie". However, to Ray Harryhausen fans, you're best and most admired for your stand-in work as the illustrious Minoton in "Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger".

With that said, it wasn't only on the screen where you excelled, Mr. Mayhew. Your children's books, "Growing Up Giant" and "My Favorite Giant", have taught young readers to hold their heads high and relish the fact that being unique is a pretty darn neat. 

You'll always be as a giant of pop-cultural and galactic stature: a historic, iconic figure whose aura will continue to inspire, even though your noble spirit has moved on...

Collectible TIme #11: Chewbacca 20"; Darth Maul 18"; and Stormtrooper 31" action figures

Practically on the heels of obtaining my 18" Jakks Tie Fighter Pilot figure (see Collectible Time #9; Sept '14), I've purchased from a local Target, a 20" Chewbacca figure. 

This particular representation sports an honorable 7 points of articulation, but perhaps more significantly, it has a swell finish, creating the illusion of shaded fur. 

The size, of course, also adds to the piece's presence, ranking it up there with Kenner's '70s large version of Chewy (the refurbished Bionic Bigfoot, as many of you may recall), as well as the excellent Screamin' '90s model kit.  

For a mere $20, I just couldn't pass him up! Trust me: though the pics adequately capture his overall look, he's even more impressive in person!

For the same price, I also stumbled upon an very impressive 18" Jakks Darth Maul at Walgreens! Like Chewy, he also sports 7 points of articulation.

With his trademark black and red markings, he invokes the character's necessary menace, and at this striking size, it comes across all the more powerfully. This version also comes with an attachable dual-beamed light saber, as is featured in the photos.

Anyway, I've always fancied Maul; too bad he didn't extend beyond "Phantom Menace"; there was so much more villainy he could have implemented within the saga's cinematic stretch.

On another spectacular Jakks note, I learned of a 31" classic-styled Stormtrooper figure from my friend, Steve Goodrich (who you may recall illustrated my "Magical Elixirs" volumes years ago); couldn't so easily locate one of these beauties, so ended up ordering it from Amazon, and whoa, yeah, it's sure a spiffy one and a swell addition to the 31" Darth Vader and Clone Troopers I purchased a while back.

I sure would like to see Jakks do more of these 31" figures, maybe even an all-the-larger scale Chewy, C3PO, Greedo and/or Boba/Jango Fett. Supposedly Maul's jumbo version is scheduled for release in the UK, but why oh, why not here? Oh, well, no one can fault a guy for complain', let alone dreamin'. Guess I'll just keep my eyes peeled and be grateful for whatever falls my way.