A new range of giant 54cm action figures have shown up at KMart in New Zealand. This range of three characters has minimal branding other than Disney and Star Wars logos, and KMart contact details on the underside of the packaging. Nevertheless, at over half a metre tall, they are an imposing addition to a Star Wars display. They have minimal articulation, but come with removable weapons.

• Disney Star Wars Stormtrooper Figure, $39.00
• Disney Star Wars Darth Vader Figure, $39.00
• Disney Star Wars The Mandalorian & Grogu Figure, $39.00

It’s been a while since we’ve seen many new Hot Wheels Star Wars car releases in New Zealand, but KMart has just listed a new Mando & Grogu vehicle 2-pack. The Star Wars “Superstar Speeders” set includes The Mandalorian in the “RocketFire” car, and Grogu in the “Ollie Rocket”.

The Hot Wheels Superstar Speeders line replaces the previous Hot Wheels RacerVerse line of franchise-themed character cars.

• 2 Pack Hot Wheels Star Wars Superstar Speeders Playset, $29.00

The 5-character Attack of the Clones wave of The Vintage Collection 3.75″ action figures has started showing up at branches of The Warehouse, priced at approximately $32. They are not listed on their website. Confirmed at Sylvia Park, Auckland, but check your local branch – these may be appearing in small number of cases per branch, based on evidence so far, and it looks like VC414 Battle Droid Commander and VC415 Super Battle Droid may be the ones single-packed per case. The human heroes in the wave include VC416 Anakin Skywalker, VC417 Obi-Wan Kenobi, and VC418 Padmé Amidala.

This is a great wave to grab if you are waiting on your HasLab The Vintage Collection LAAT/i Gunship to arrive!

A new Star Wars Festive/Christmas item has shown up at Woolworths supermarkets – get the Millennium Falcon cookie set for $16.50 now. The range from Australian company Park Avenue also has a Disney Mickey and Friends gingerbread-style house for the same price. Both sets contain all components, do not require baking, and include cut-out character “scene setters”.

• Star Wars Space Ship Cookie DIY Kit 420g, $16.50

Armageddon Live!, presented in association with Armageddon Expo, brings a full orchestra to Holy Trinity Cathedral on Saturday 24 October for a night of the biggest soundtracks in film, television and gaming, including Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Studio Ghibli, Interstellar and Marvel.

Orchestra Auckland, conducted by John Mietus, performs inside the Cathedral with its own pipe organ joining the orchestra on the night.

The evening is hosted by New Zealand actor Bruce Hopkins, known for his role in The Lord of the Rings. Standard tickets are currently 50% off with code MARVEL.

Tickets and details at https://www.armageddonlive.co.nz/

A new Star Wars men’s t-shirt is now available at branches of The Warehouse. A simple, classic design features an Original Trilogy stormtrooper helmet with the Star Wars logo below in yellow. Listed in sizes small to 3XL.

Great for Father’s Day!

• Star Wars Men’s Tee, $20.00

Following on from the local releases of wave 1 and wave 2 of standard TBS 6″ figures from The Mandalorian and Grogu, the live-action version of Zeb in his blue New Republic flight suit has landed locally. It is in stock and ready to ship now from Mighty Ape.

• Star Wars: Black Series, Garazeb (Zeb) – Deluxe 6″ Figure, $62.99 (PriMate), $64.99 (Standard pricing)

Starting next Monday (13th July) Woolworths supermarkets will be running a Disney OOSHIES Collectibles promo that includes Star Wars characters (40 unique characters spread across Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars properties). Shoppers will get one blind-bagged Ooshies character for every $30 spent in store. Other collectible items will also be on sale, including a collector case with two exclusive glow-in-the-dark Star Wars Ooshies (The Mandalorian and Grogu).

This promotion runs from July 13th until August 23rd.

For two nights only, Auckland Philharmonia with conductor Stéphane Denève, will be performing The Magic of John Williams at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre. Book now for Friday 28th August or Saturday 29th August.

ICONIC MOVIE MUSIC WITH LIVE ORCHESTRA

From alien encounters and galaxies far, far away to man-eating monsters and the wizarding world this concert of movie magic showcases some of the greatest John Williams works, conducted by one of the world’s foremost John Williams experts.

John Williams is considered as one of the most important and influential film composers of all time. He revolutionised the movie music genre with his iconic and critically acclaimed scores for some of our most memorable and beloved blockbusters.

Join Auckland Phil and conductor Stéphane Denève, a close personal friend and collaborator of John Williams, as we present an electrifying programme of music celebrating a true legend of American cinema, interspersed with personal insights and anecdotes from the podium.

All your favourites will be there including music from ET, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and Star Wars – don’t miss it!

A new range of 20g Kinder Surprise eggs featuring Star Wars characters has started showing up at retailers around New Zealand, including New World supermarkets, BP petrol stations, and will likely follow and be available at other chains.

These 20g eggs are different from the 100g Maxi eggs that came out around Easter locally. They feature a random assortment of small character figures (10 in total), and are presented in 4 variants of their foil packaging.