For anyone not from the area, Milton Keynes is a surprising place. Its American-like grid structure to the city centre gives the place a surreal impression upon arrival. I’ve been here a few times over the years and it’s still a slightly unusual experience.
Here’s a favourite YouTuber of mine, Chris Spargo with one of his trademark low-key yet informative videos all about the area if you’re so inclined to go down a rabbit hole.
I frame this post with such an introduction because the same bewilderment carries through to the next stop on our Collector Road Trip, the National Film and Sci-Fi Museum.
My curiosity was piqued when it opened towards the end of the pandemic in August 2021. Despite some initial talk about the museum among the channels I follow related to our hobby, there wasn’t much post-opening and it fell off my radar for a while.
A couple of years went by and I still hadn’t really seen any coverage of what was housed inside the museum. All I had to go on was the attraction’s own website that has very few images, but lists franchises such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, James Bond, Ghostbusters and Marvel. I was keen to visit, but also a little dubious, so we didn’t make a detour into ‘the grid’ until 2024.
Fellow collector Becky Bazooka (check out her new page ‘The Overlook Vault’) had posted some photos that spurred me to ask the question, is this worth the trip? I was reassured by Becky’s response and we worked this into our routing during a week away (sorry if this spoils the illusion that the Collector Road Trip is happening/happened back to back).
The National Film and Sci-Fi Museum is based on the first floor of the Lloyds Court Shopping Village, a building adjacent to the gargantuan Centre:MK shopping mall (since we’re leaning into American things). The sight of Jar Jar Binks waving down at us from above was the confirmation that we had arrived.
This site is now four attractions under one roof, the original museum, a vintage toy shop, a retro arcade called Pixel Bunker and the Lego based museum ‘Brickz’, which has opened since our visit but was “under construction” at that time. You can purchase a ticket for the National Film and Sci-Fi exhibit and shop, or a combo ticket that includes Pixel Bunker and Brickz also.
The explanation for limited coverage, becomes clear when you enter and are advised not to take any photos, other than at designated points. Ah.
In truth, I didn’t mind this. I visit these places as a fan first and content creator (née documentarian?) second. I was happy to respect the rules and it was probably a welcome opportunity to focus on what I was seeing rather than endeavouring to get a shot of everything I wanted a recorded memory of.
What this does of course mean is, I don’t have many photos to share here. What I can tell you is that the museum does live up to the stall it sets out online. I was taken back by how many ‘screen used’ Star Wars items were on display, as well as a wall of vintage memorabilia that honestly floored me to see all in one place.
I also read a page of an original draft script for Empire Strikes Back that had an alternative take on the closing scene which I was unfamiliar with. It blew my mind a little and left me relieved that we didn’t get that version.
I’m sure fans of the other franchises would be equally impressed with the respective displays across this 25,000ft2 site. If you’re a Red Dwarf fan (I am, and we’d recently completed a rewatch of the series) some of the pieces they have from the show are mad.
Museum curator, Jason Joiner is also Managing Director of the Showmasters company who host London Film and Comic Con as well as other similar events around the country throughout the year (we’ve been to LFCC a few times). In an interview with the BBC (below) that gives a rare, official look inside the museum, Jason reveals the much of the collection is his own and before establishing the museum, these items sat “in warehouses“ which he believed that to be “criminal really, it shouldn’t be in warehouses, it needs to be on display”.
We probably spent around an hour or so walking around, continuing in our disbelief at the entire collection in this fairly unassuming building. I would say the ticket price (currently around £16 for an adult ticket) is worth the admission and we would go back again in time for another look around and to see Pixel Bunker and Brickz.
I had a good browse in the toy shop and rooted through some Star Wars figures optimistically, but alas, there were no additions to my own collection this time around. Sam would’ve been quite keen to purchase Marvin (see below) if available though.
The National Film and Sci-Fi Museum is open 10:30am til 6pm every Friday and Saturday, 10:30am til 4:30pm on Sunday. During school holidays the attraction is also open from Monday to Thursday, 11am til 5pm each day.
If you’re travelling from further afield, or going back for a second visit, an ideal time to visit could be when the Showmasters event ‘Collectormania’ is taking place across at Centre:MK.
For further information and breakdown of ticket options, plus booking please visit nationalfilmandscifimuseum.com
Liam Toms 