IT is often thought that Star Wars is special because of its fans.

Generations of children have grown up with the sci-fi spectacle since 1977 and, for many adults, the appeal of that galaxy far, far away has never worn off.

Companies like RS Prop Masters, who have made a living out of people's dedication to the films, is testament to that.

So are fans like the late Daniel Fleetwood whose wish to see The Force Awakens before he died was granted.

That special connection that people have to the Star Wars universe is what makes events like For The Love of the Force possible.

Around 21,000 fans gathered at Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester over three days for the unofficial convention and you could feel the excitement with many parents just as ecstatic as their lightsaber-waving kids.

Everyone was friendly too with those in costume willing to pose for pictures at any given moment.

But it also felt as if people's love of Star Wars was taken advantage of to make as much money as possible. This tainted almost every experience at the event.

It is easy to see and appreciate the time and investment that went into For The Love of the Force – it was half a year of work and planning in the making.

The full size X-Wing and the Mos Eisley cantina were particularly impressive.

But this was surely accounted for with the not insignificant £30 ticket price.

So to have all the photo ops at the event fenced off behind extra charges felt against the spirit of the event.

Many of the photo opportunities required a £5 'token'. Some were free like the chance to sit on the speeder bike from Return of the Jedi.

But you did not even get a photo to take home with the images simply added to the event's Facebook page and available to download on the website.

Fans who bought the £75 VIP pass must have felt particularly shortchanged.

The pass included most but not all of the photo ops. There were some cool extras like the chance to get a photo with one of the film's stars like David 'Darth Vader' Prowse.

But you still had to pay £5 on top of that for the likes of a picture with the full-sized AT-ST walker.

And although the pass offered a queue jump on entry you still had to queue for attractions like the Ewok village.

They said 'village' but it was more like a few planks and a little hut that you had to wait around 30 or 40 minutes to see at busy times.

Add to that confusion about where to park and whether fans were going to be charged for a space right up until the event and it just left a bit of a bad taste.

It was a shame because – organisation and cost issues aside – there was a lot to admire at the event.

You could hang out at the cantina where Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi met Han Solo and Chewbacca.

Its grimy, dimly lit 'stone' interior matched the film set version and you could even sip a 'blue milk' while listening to the cantina band.

The convention's recreation of Jabba's Palace was also excellent but it was difficult for fans to appreciate it as it was right next to the entrance and always crowded.

Most of fans' attention was focused on the full scale 39ft by 8ft X-Wing fighter, based on Luke Skywalker's Red 5, which looked incredible in the centre of the main exhibition hall.

Iconic Star Wars songs played by the full Piccadilly Symphony Orchestra were also very impressive.

Fans could explore miniature scenes from the films such as the battle of Hoth and the Millennium Falcon being pursued by TIE Fighters. The attention to detail was remarkable.

Darth Vader was also striding around, generally intimidating people, and no Star Wars convention would be the same without Yoda.

You could find the Jedi Master in a dome which recreated the misty, swamp-like conditions of Dagobah.

But otherwise this attraction was limited and disappointing as it only featured a model of Yoda himself and none of his planet's surroundings made famous in The Empire Strikes Back.

As the name of the convention suggests, there did seem to be a lot of love put into For The Love of the Force but with each fan's experience dictated by how much they forked out it lost some of its magic.

DAVID MORGAN