May the 4th Be With You!

Happy Star Wars Day!

To me May the 4th is so much more about sharing Star Wars with people than hunting down the latest and greatest Star Wars deal online or at an event. I like to make my own events. Usually we bake some Star Wars themed cookies and talk about the movies, or we might put up the movie screen and watch Star Wars in the back yard, almost like being at a drive in. For the record I still call A New Hope, Star Wars, always will.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't go out and pick up the latest Darth Vader or Yoda, but also just enjoy the day with people, family, and friends!

So to you our faithful readers and my fellow ASWB bloggers, May the 4th Be With You and STAR WARS!!!

1978 Kenner Death Star Space Station

In the beginning, there were 12 figures, 3 vehicles, and THIS tower of fun… Kenner's Star Wars Death Star Playset!  Today, I'm taking a look at Kenner's flagship playset from early (1978) in Kenner's Star Wars toy line.

Many kids wanted this playset and many got one.  I wasn't one of the lucky ones (my brother was) but I yearned to have one for myself (yes, yearned).  I had seen one in commercials and in the promotional booklets that came with Star Wars vehicles.  As an adult, I ended up adopting my brother's set, though, and I've repaired and replaced pieces to have a complete, working set.  

This is a great playset that features many scenes from the film.

Starting with the top floor, the Death Star features a turning, movable gun cannon turret with a chair for an operator to sit and blast those stinking Rebels out of the sky.  The entire gun is spring-loaded and jumps off it's base to simulate being "hit" by laser fire when you push the lever on the floor in front of it.  Bang!  It leaps from it's base and falls on it's side.  Take that Empire!

Behind the cannon is the top-floor elevator that can transport figures to any level of the playset.  The outside of the elevator is designed to mimic the platform and tractor beam controls that Ben Kenobi had to inch himself around to disable.  

The next floor down simulates the portion of the Death Star where Luke and Leia get trapped on one side of a broken drawbridge over a deep Death Star cavern.  A "rope" is included for Luke and Leia to use to swing to safety.  The drawbridge extends and retracts manually for the times when your figures don't feel like swinging.  The manual elevator also stops at this and every other floor.

The next floor down (second from the bottom) houses two Death Star control decks for figures to stand at and operate the going-ons of the Death Star.  The cardboard panel behind the decks shows a view screen that shows the intense X-wing and Tie Fighter battle that is raging just outside the cardboard (You'd think the Emperor would have a bigger budget for bullding these things).

This room also features a trap door that leads down to the Death Star's bottom level…

The Trash Compactor!  This is the feature that probably excited kids the most.  The bottom level houses a removable trash compactor complete with foam garbage and the green, tentacled trash monster.  He's made out of rubber and doesn't sport any articulation but he's a very cool addition to this set.  

The compactor features a crank on the outside that, when turned, pushes the outside wall closer and closer to the magnetically-sealed (not really) front door.  When enough pressure builds up, the door usually pops open and allows our heroes to escape!  Who needs 3PO when you've got pressure and foam chunks?!

 As neat as this set is, it was made a bit cheaply.  Playsets produced for action figure lines in later years were of, generally, higher quality. The plastic used for the Death Star is somewhat thin and brittle and it incorporates thin cardboard panels for the outside walls.  Nonetheless, this set was a blast and kept many kids entertained for hours and hours.  Despite it's fragility, this is an iconic Star Wars toy that is remembered through the warm haze of nostalgia by many, many former children.  I can hardly believe that this toy was introduced 35 years ago! 

 If you can find one of these in complete or near complete condition, I'd recommend picking it up.  It makes a great display for your vintage figures and even looks great packed with Hasbro's current figures.

Star Wars!!!!!!

Darth Vader 1977

While Brian A gets the Death Star out of dry dock and Brain B finds his Jedi robe I thought I would take this chance to sneak in a post and keep this Bantha Party rolling along! So, I give you non other than your's truly as Darth Vader (or Vadar) 1977!

Yes it was Halloween, and I was more than excited to don the cape and mask of the Dark Lord of the Sith. You have to note that the only part of the costume that is original is the mask. I wasn't too happy with the actual costume part of the costume. I mean would Darth Vader really walk around with a picture of himself on his chest?

I had to talk my mother into coming up with the rest of the costume from sketches, spy photos, newspaper clippings, and cloth swatches of my choosing. Many Bothans died to get all that reference.

Now Vader would not be complete without his lightsaber, so I am going to introduce to you a feat of Dad Engineering, a marvel if you will, non other than the first lightsaber to ever exist outside of a Star Wars movie... ever.

What we have here is a signal flashlight, complete with some D Cells, and a translucent golf bag tube, some elbow grease and a little tape and voila, a lightsaber! Funny part is no one to our knowledge had released any type of lightsaber, light sword, or light stick to cash in on the Star Wars juggernaut. Kenner certainly hadn't, I would have been on that faster than a flea on a Wookiee.

A little side story on the birth of the lightsaber. We were in a store and next to the golf tubes was the signal flash lights, my dad picked both up, sort of smiled and placed then in the shopping cart, I had no clue what he was up to, I mean he didn't golf and as far as I know we were not expecting to signal any aircraft in for a landing.

The damsel in distress in the photo is my mother, dad is on the camera, an uncle in the background, if I had to guess we were all going out to eat. A little pre Halloween celebration, and I was hoping that I could wear the Vader costume. I am sure I was disappointed and had to change... parents, jeez! 

Finally the big night, decorations... check, homemade coffin with ice cold hand hanging out... check, slightly intimidating Dark Lord of the Sith... um, check. Looking at this picture I look so small, but having been in that costume I felt like I was as big and tall as Vader himself.

This to me is what Star Wars was all about, creativity, imagination, fun. It still pretty much is.