The Royal Mail's new Star Wars stamps are out of this world

18 special stamps, illustrated by British artist Malcolm Tween, will be issued on 20th October to mark the release of the forthcoming Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

From Darth Vader to Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi to The Emperor, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, the stamps feature nine of the original trilogy's iconic characters, but also nod to the newest release: Daisy Ridley's Rey, John Boyega's Finn and Adam Driver's Kylo Ren also feature.

A miniature sheet of six stamps featuring illustrations of six iconic Star Wars vehicles, brought together against a backdrop of the dreaded Death Star, will also be available to buy.

All the stamps include intricately detailed miniature illustrations from the film franchise.

With much of filming for Episode VII based at the UK's Pinewood Studios – and a host of British faces among the cast of the original, prequel, and new trilogies – it's no wonder the UK is the third largest market in the world for the Star Wars films.

"The new stamps will reflect the passion of the British public for the movies, and celebrate the major British contribution to the film series", the Royal Mail said.

The stamps won't go on sale until October 20th but die-hard fans can pre-order them at www.royalmail.com/starwars