Lemmy the Luggabeast

Tal'ama Parqual! If you're a fan of The Force Awakens, then you may remember a very special scene when Rey finds and rescues BB-8 from his captor, Teedo. In this scene, Teedo is riding a peculiar organic and mechanical creature called a Luggabeast. The folks at Pizzazz Scenic Contractors, the same company that made Roxy the Rancor, turned this creature into an 8-foot tall, 13-foot long life size prop and debuted him at MegaCon. Fans of Roxy the Rancor's Facebook page were asked to vote for her new little brother's name. The Luggabeast's name, Lemmy, was announced on Saturday night. MegaCon attendees were welcome to take photos with Roxy and Lemmy during the show while some special attendees, including myself, were even invited to sit on Lemmy for a photo opportunity. 

Cosplayers 

There was no shortage of Star Wars costumes at MegaCon. It was my personal mission to snap photos of every Star Wars costume I saw, which quickly turned into an impossible task due to the abundance of cosplayers everywhere. One of my favorite moments was seeing a group of women that dressed as General Leia Organa, Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron, Rey, and Padme Amidala. There were tons of ladies cosplaying as Rey with different versions of her costume including her debut scene with the head wraps and googles as well as her final costume in The Force Awakens with her vest and Luke's lightsaber. Several men were even cosplaying as Rey, which really goes to show that her character is loved by all genders. Couples were dressed together as Han and Leia, Hera and Kanan, and of course, Anakin and Padme. 

Celebrities

While MegaCon had a plethora of non-Star Wars related celebrities at the show to meet and greet with fans, they also had a few well-known guests from a galaxy far, far away. Anthony Daniels who played C-3PO in all seven films, Jeremy Bulloch who portrayed Boba Fett in the original trilogy, Daniel Logan who played young Boba Fett in Episode II and voiced him in The Clone Wars, and James Arnold Taylor who voiced Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Clone Wars were all in attendance. They signed autographs for fans and participated in panels for MegaCon visitors to hear stories about their experiences working on Star Wars. 

Merchandise

The exhibit hall of MegaCon was covered with vendors selling all forms of Star Wars merchandise. ANOVOS was showing off their latest products including the replica Captain Phasma helmet, Rey costume, and Kylo Ren costume. I spotted Black Series action figures left and right- even a few Ahsoka Tano figures which have been difficult to find in stores. Artist Alley featured some stunning pieces from artists of all ages. I snagged a one-of-a-kind Star Wars comic with Rey sketched on the cover by Danny Haas and a vibrant Ponda Baba print from Mike Maydak. While these pieces of artwork were absolutely beautiful, my favorite purchase at MegaCon was a gold necklace from It's a Steel featuring the Jedi emblem and two sparkly crystals on each side. 

If you are a Star Wars fan, you would have loved MegaCon 2016. I highly recommend this convention to all fans of sci-fi and pop culture. MegaCon will return to Florida in the city of Tampa soon so keep an eye on www.megaconvention.com for more details.