pjrbugeja

Er, hate to say it but she's NOT attending, or even hoping to attend. I know Gigi personally from my previous job and had actually contacted her to arrange a meet up for when she was coming over. After I'd sent her the e-mail I read the blog and she confirmed later in her reply that she wouldn't be coming over due to her show taking priority and there being no time for any cons. Shame as always but she'll be back again I'm sure!

I just spoke to Gigi myself earlier today and she's confirmed 100% that she can't attend. It's a shame, but at the same time great for her that her show has been extended.

Err... If I'm not mistaken Gigi has cancelled Collectormania London due to filming commitments on her current show (Rescue Special Ops). She states on her site www.gigiedgley.com that the first con she'll be attending in the near future is elsewhere in 2011. Bummer...

Hi all, Right let's see if I can answer a few things here: Purple Vamp - No unfortunately I don't have a disabled badge for parking, it would help beyond belief, especially for the future when this starts to get worse, but for now I am not eligible due to not meeting some of the requirements. I am, for all intents and purposes, able to do everything an able bodied person can do in the eyes of the rules and regs. They obviously can't rate pain, even though they know the problems are there! Too Tall - Thanks, I'll consider that for future events. You've been a great help to me in the past, even when it's just a simple question I've asked, so I'll come to you if I can't cope. It's only been the last year or so that my problems have hit but at this event they took their toll. On the issue with Robert's queue: I completely understand that rules are there to be adhered to and that if you change them for one person, you have to change them for everyone else. Believe me, I worked in customer care for 13 years and I know. However I did try to explain my 'unique' request politely and got unceremoniously shot down for my trouble. I would have been better off just walking straight into the queue without asking. My fault for being so nice... As I said I look perfectly healthy, and the hair is a rebelious thing jokey thing, I'm not some dodgy geezer trying to bend the rules to get what I want. You can but only ask and see where it gets you. Sometimes that's nowhere. Lizzy - I've never needed anything from anyone in the past. I've paid my way and queued like everyone else for the past few years and I've just had to deal with how crap I ended up feeling on the trip home. This one was obviously just too much for me. Collectormainia 15 seemed fine, except the ice cold weather freezing my hips whilst standing on the stadium's concrete floors! As I said in the blog the information wasn't obtained by me first hand, but I had no reason to distrust these two people that told me. They were quite sincere and not shocked that Craig hadn't attended. I attended the event in question myself last month and Craig did not want to be there at all. He wasn't ill, he was depressed and morose. Who knows, and at this point who cares, it's all over and done with and my feelings have been vented one way or another! Scruffy - Regarding the Gold pass: I said it wasn't worth it for me. Remember I was only there for the autographs and to meet the guests and nothing else. I wasn't able to attend the included talks, parties or anything else that was offered in the package. I did the photoshoots as there was time in between each signing and the queues went relatively quickly. For anyone else who attended the entire event I'm sure they thought it was worth it. I've seen numerous complaints about Gold pass pricing in the past on here. But I pay the price to get what I need, simple as that. As I pointed out, my reasons for getting a Gold pass are different to everyone else, I just need a 'get in quick and go' pass, hence me mentioning the disability pass. Two years ago that wouldn't have been on my mind due to all this not being an issue for me. Jason - Actually it was 5 days both in 2007 and 2008 because of the Wednesday preview night. The first event I was manning our company stand and was sitting for a large portion of the time. I felt almost dead by the Sunday but my body wasn't at the problomatic level it is now. At last years con I was on holiday and didn't need to man the stall. I walked for almost 10 hours a day for 5 straight days, and you know from personal experience just how difficult it can be to get around the SDCC, especially on the Saturday. We UK based fans don't know how easy we have it over here at our modest sized events. It took me almost 15 - 20 minutes to get from one side to the other most of the time and Americans have no problem knocking you flying to get to what they want too either. I ended up having almost a week off work for jetlag/ exhaustion when I returned, hence me not going this year...

Thanks, I've amended that now. Still exhausted, brain's not functioning properly! Thanks TommyT. I'll look into doing that for future events. I really don't mean for it to come across as moaning, as I say in the post I'm an exception to the rule and had a unique experience compared to others. I still enjoy getting the autographs and meeting the guests. I just don't have a lot of luck at these things and it's difficult when you look all fine on the outside but are crumbling away on the inside and have to ask for special treatment. Like you say I suffer in silence most of the time. Not a lot I can do. I'll still go to events as long as I can!

Hey all, I haven't posted in a long old while but I did write a long review of my personal experience at Better than life this past weekend on my blog www.kryptonianwarrior.blogspot.com It's HERE if you want to read it. See you all at Collectormania London in November! Kryptonian Warrior (aka 'The Mohican Headed one')

Hi I should be coming hopefully, just depends on Money as I'm on Hols for 3 weeks just before the Con. I want to meet Michael and Chris and I have the Full SG1 kit with P90 and Beretta M92f but haven't decided to meet them dressed up or not dressed up. Not to put a dampner on your plans but you do realise there will be a countrywide ban on all replica weapons in effect from October don't you? Milton Keynes police already warned me in May not to carry any guns within the shopping center or in any public place, even for cosplaying at the Collectormania event. An armed police response unit can be called if some little old lady calls in not realising you're there for fun with harmless airsoft replicas! I think the USMC Aliens guys are fine as their weapons are pretty obvioulsy fake and they're walking around with a huge Xenomorph, but Stargate uniforms and P90's/ M92F's? No chance mate! I'm going in full black SG-1 gear the same as C11 but minus the realistic weapons. Don't fancy the hassle! Just FYI

Hmmmm... I signed up for SFX at Collectormania this year and haven't seen an issue of the mag through my door or heard anything from you guys since. A little worrying when my bank details were given over! I'm willing to try again but I hope it works this time round!

Hey Andie it's Paul again Looking forward to seeing you and your work again mate, I'll be there both days (not geared up this time!) so see you at the weekend!

Let's not forget "The Cowboy" from Innerspace... A huge favourite of mine when I was younger! Plus the voice of Johnnycab in Total Recall and "Forster" in Gremlins two. The guy's a legend!

Hey, I looked for you for ages on Saturday to get a pic after you walked passed me and my mate at the start of Saturday morning! I was the skinhead guy dressed in the Stargate black military outfit. I think you said something like "nice outfits..." or something to that effect as you passed. If my little grey cells had been charged up enough (having woken at 3:30am and travelled an hour and a half for 85 miles to queue for a further 2!) I would have replied "You too"... But alas I was indeed totally knackered and I hadn't even started the day Good to see you here "Illyria"! Paul

That was from Season 10's episode "200". They take the mickey out of varius sci-fi shows including Ben Browder and Claudia Blacks old show "Farscape". Teal'c = Kar D'Argo Sam = Chianna.

Count me in... I'll be fully kitted up as a season 9-10 SG-1 member (Cam Mitchell style) for all the events this year. Everything as accurate as money can get you. Obviously won't be bringing the rather accurate guns! And if it gets to hot (as I'm sure it will) then the last picture is how I'll end up... No jacket. Teal'c styleeeeee!

If they have specific permission from the MK police then they're not gonna have a problem, but when I spoke to them they said "NO GUNS OF ANY SORT, INCLUDING TOYS, REPLICAS AND AIRSOFT". This would cover the colonial marines and technically the 501st Stormtroopers... Although that would seem silly to me. We'll have to see! C11 is held in a public place however LFCC maybe classed as private as you have to have a ticket to enter and the general public won't be around. Anyone paying to get into something like LFCC expects to see that kind of thing! I'm just going by what the police told me. As far as I'm concerned I have a Showmasters e-mail telling me yes, albeit before the law was changed... C.Parkers-Girl got to the point before me! lol

This will be of no improtance to anyone who isn't intending on bringing a fake/toy/airsoft gun as part of their costume. For those of you that are: a word of warning. I'm coming to C11 this year dressed as a member of Strargate SG-1. (Black offworld gear including the boots, tac vest, jacket etc etc). And to finish off the illusion of being a perfect representaion of this member I was going to bring an toy/airsoft weapon to carry. I e-mailed Showmasters last year who confirmed this was fine, as long as the weapon was of course not loaded, battery removed, didn't look real (metal) etc and that I would not be waving it around in everyone's face and making people uncomforatable. So I was happy... Until I found out recently that UK law has changed and any fake guns of pretty much any sort cannot be carried around in public (obvious really but you'd think C11 or LFCC might be different). So I decided to call the MK police station to get permission to bring it anyway. After the female officer went off to find the information she returned to tell me that unfortunately the answer was NO... I was asked to relay this to all of the potential attendees via this forum: The reason being that no matter how resposible you act, if a member of the public decides to call the police because they are intimidated or uneasy with seeing a fake gun/ bloke dressed as a soldier carrying a weapon (Centre:MK is a public shopping centre in full view of shoppers), then the rapid response tactical armed unit would be despatched and I'd most likely be arrested, banged up for 6 months or shot in the worst case scenario! (Again I'd have to be doing something pretty stupid for the last two to happen) This is the information I found realting to the law: "... under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, which was introduced in January this year, it is an arrestable offence to carry an imitation firearm in a public place without permission, whether or not it is capable of discharging a shot or a bullet. Carrying an air weapon in public, loaded or not, is also an offence. The maximum penalty is six months imprisonment." It is an offence to possess an airgun in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse It is an offence for people aged 14-17 to carry an airgun or airgun ammunition in a public place, even if it is in a secure cover, unless accompanied by an adult aged 21 or over. "There is no law relating to the posession of toy guns, including BB guns, in public but if someone carrying one puts other people in fear or causes distress in any way or degree, then that person is committing a criminal offence. They also run the risk of injuring themselves or anyone around. If the police are called, they have to react as if the firearm is real - and anyone brandishing any type of gun (real or not, loaded or not) is putting themselves in danger. So in the case of anyone dressing in Manga costumes, Game character costumes, military costumes of any sort that need guns of some description to be part of the kit, be aware that (and this may never happen) you may have someone complain about you and end up having to answer some hearty questions to the police at best. Also remember that even if the gun you bring is made of papermache or obviously fake looking to you (plastic, orange tip, over sized Manga version etc) a little old lady walking past doing some weekend shopping might think she's doing her civic duty by reporting a gun in her lovely shopping centre! As it happens I've now managed to sort myself a couple of resin model alien weapons instead which could not be mistaken for any human type weapon (I hope!)... And the last point, anyone going to a London con in the future? Don't carry fake weapons on the trains or underground! Or any other public transport for that matter. It may seem unbelievably obvious but it's worth a mention! Have fun!