I don’t make it to garage sales very often. It seems like every time I try to hit them up, I just run into old clothes, worthless household goods, and baby stuff. I get so jealous of my blogger buddies when they find awesome stuff, but I never have any luck. Anyway, the wife and I hit up a few community-wide yard sales this past weekend, and I actually ended up finding a few cool things.

At one house, underneath a pile of Show n’ Tell Picturesound Programs was an unused Empire Strikes Back coloring book from 1982. I couldn’t believe it. I collect 80s/90s coloring books and I’ve never come across a Star Wars book. It wasn’t priced, so I grabbed the Show n’ Tell records and the book and asked how much. I got all six items for $5 and got the hell out before she could realize how giddy I was about the coloring book.
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As toy fans, there’s something magical about constructing dioramas. We arrange our precious collectibles in such a way to tell a story or simply showcase them. Often they’re done for our own enjoyment but all fans can appreciate the really elaborate creations. I used to think I had a knack for building such scenes. After stumbling upon the work of artist Bobby Sussman, I can easily say he’s a master at this toy-based specialty.

For almost a full year Bobby has been recreating the 1980 Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back with action figures and handmade sets. He then captures the scenes with his trusty iPhone 4s and posts the photo collages to Instagram. I caught up with Bobby via email for an interview about his process and the inspiration behind this project.

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