Rescue Plan, Step 3
(Vintage Gamorrean Guard, Vintage Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight Outfit)
Last night my two year old daughter pointed to a vintage action figure and asked “Dada, this one?”
I said, “That’s Gamorrean Guard”.
She paused and replied in her best sing-song voice: “HI ‘GOOD MORNING’ GUARD!!”.
This one’s for you, kiddo.
This Little Artoo Unit
(Vintage R2-D2 (Artoo Detoo) with Sensor Scope Action Figure, Vintage X-Wing Fighter)
The Trouble Below. (Vintage AT-AT, Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot)
This is second in a series dedicated to capturing the immense pleasure that is the vintage AT-AT. And this time it’s all about the feet.
Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.
Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot was a toy sold by Kenner from 1978 to about 1985. So there were (and still are) great numbers in circulation, and a fair number of these are still in excellent shape. But keep a few things in mind when tracking one down on eBay.
The Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot action figure probably had more paint applied to it in the production process than any other vintage Star Wars action figure. Face color, facial features, helmet details, vest, chest panel, hands, leg straps, boots. The guy has paint details everywhere. Be sure to see plenty of photos showing that the paint all looks good.
This was an action figure in the true sense of the word. Luke Skwyalker X-Wing Pilot was played with extensively by little kids in the 70s and 80s. If the seller hasn’t already declared that the joints are tight in the auction description, you definitely want to ask before bidding.
Lastly, the figure’s weapon is the Han Solo pistol type of Kenner blaster. Don’t forget: repro accessories suck. Make certain that it’s authentic if possible. You can check out the Imperial Gunnery for some excellent reference on the topic.
Feel free to add any more thoughts on this in the comments section and drop me a line if you get into trouble!
Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.
Power Droid. (Vintage R5-D4, Vintage Stormtroopers, Vintage Power Droid)
Strange coincidence: it’s three years almost to the day since I last snapped a photo of the celebrated Power (or ‘Gonk’) Droid. Glad to see him back!
The X-Wing Pilot. (Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot, Vintage Rancor Monster)
I’m afraid not every day ends with booze and prostitutes for an X-Wing Pilot.
Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.
Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot was a toy sold by Kenner from 1978 to about 1985. So there were (and still are) great numbers in circulation, and a fair number of these are still in excellent shape. But keep a few things in mind when tracking one down on eBay.
The Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot action figure probably had more paint applied to it in the production process than any other vintage Star Wars action figure. Face color, facial features, helmet details, vest, chest panel, hands, leg straps, boots. The guy has paint details everywhere. Be sure to see plenty of photos showing that the paint all looks good.
This was an action figure in the true sense of the word. Luke Skwyalker X-Wing Pilot was played with extensively by little kids in the 70s and 80s. If the seller hasn’t already declared that the joints are tight in the auction description, you definitely want to ask before bidding.
Lastly, the figure’s weapon is the Han Solo pistol type of Kenner blaster. Don’t forget: repro accessories suck. Make certain that it’s authentic if possible. You can check out the Imperial Gunnery for some excellent reference on the topic.
Feel free to add any more thoughts on this in the comments section and drop me a line if you get into trouble!
Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.
E is for Easy Target
(Vintage AT-ST, Vintage AT-ST Driver, Vintage Biker Scouts, Vintage Wicket W. Warrick, Vintage Chief Chirpa, Vintage Paploo, Vintage Romba)
Nothing spells fun like watching Ewoks blow off steam at the expense of some Imperial flunkies!
Let’s call this shot a sequel to an old favorite from a couple years back.
Vintage AT-AT Driver.
Vintage Lobot.
In the sometimes-treacherous waters of nostalgia, nothing beats going home. And not like the ‘Honey I’m home!’ home. I’m talking about the ‘Back to that place you left long ago when you finally found you had the wings to fly the coupe’ home.
And that, my friends, is exactly where you find me for a long week’s stay. Back home at my parents’ house to enjoy some family time and celebrate my dad’s birthday.
I’m lucky that my parents are both still alive, still married to each other, and still living in the house where I was raised. This is of course the same house that from 1977 to 1983 was ground zero of my love affair with Star Wars action figures.
So its an auspicious experience for me to come back now to the exact places that I played with my Star Wars toys decades ago. Here I was a kid; lazy and… well, really just lazy. Nothing to do but create 4″ plastic adventures all the live-long summer days.
So what I’m driving at is this: these pictures in their own way document the earliest origins of this blog.
The first image is from the basement of my parents’ house, the ideal spot to escape the punishing temperatures of a Milwaukee heat wave. It was also a place where I could set up my toy dominion wherever and however I wanted, without fear of competing interests from siblings or parents. This was my subterranean paradise.
The second image is from a neighborhood creek. On a typical summer day my pals and I would be there from about 9am to 5pm racing action figures down the water current on makeshift rafts of sticks and reeds. We took it for granted that everyone had it that good.
My only regret is not planning this a little better. Had I sparked the idea earlier I’d have brought a larger array of vintage figures with me. Lobot and the AT-AT Driver just happened to be in my bag only as backup distractions for my 2-year old daughter in the event of a mid-flight meltdown. I’m happy to say it never came to that. She’s growing up.
The Lando System Revisited.
(Vintage Lobot, Vintage Bespin Security Guards, Vintage Lando Calrissian)
“Lando’s not a sytem (baby), he’s a man.”
This is a quick re-boot of an older shot that never quite tripped my trigger. This one’s an improvement but still not quite the elusive champ I’m after. For Cloud City action figures, ‘At the Gates of Bespin‘ (the one with the duo of Twin-Pod Cloud Cars) is still my runaway favorite.
Bringing the Rebel Heat.
(Vintage Millennium Falcon, Vintage X-Wing Fighters)
HAPPY THIRTY FIVE YEARS STAR WARS! You’ve managed to keep me fueled with awe, inspiration, and the joys of youth well beyond what you, I, or anyone could’ve expected. Incredible that here in 2012 I find myself handing you down to my children. I expect that they will do the same for their children one day as well. Thanks for all the memories. Keep the fire burning.
(This shot’s one I’ve been thinking about for a while. Finally had time to put it all together today. A lot like the Hoth scene I did a while back, this is not one photo but several. Consider it my small tribute to the spectacular effects compositing that made the original Star Wars trilogy so exciting so long ago.)
Rebels on Ice.
(Vintage Snowspeeder, Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot,
Vintage R2-D2, Vintage Han Solo (in Hoth Battle Gear))
The vintage Snowspeeder easily makes it among my top three vehicles that Kenner made for its 1977-1985 vintage line of Star Wars toys.
The Snowspeeder picks up points over it’s hottest competition (Millennium Falcon and the X-Wing Fighter) in its winning light & sound action. When you press the secret button beneath the Snowspeeder’s chassis, the long front cannons pulse with what appears to be moving light bursts, advancing from base to tip. And the accompanying sound is spot on with its own gyrating rhythm.
It’s a charming truth that the instructions included with the long-ago Kenner Star Wars toys boasted in large, bold, all-caps type this motto: WE REALLY DO CARE. And you know something? Judging by their Snowspeeder’s awesome design and construction, I really believe they did.
Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.
Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot was a toy sold by Kenner from 1978 to about 1985. So there were (and still are) great numbers in circulation, and a fair number of these are still in excellent shape. But keep a few things in mind when tracking one down on eBay.
The Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot action figure probably had more paint applied to it in the production process than any other vintage Star Wars action figure. Face color, facial features, helmet details, vest, chest panel, hands, leg straps, boots. The guy has paint details everywhere. Be sure to see plenty of photos showing that the paint all looks good.
This was an action figure in the true sense of the word. Luke Skwyalker X-Wing Pilot was played with extensively by little kids in the 70s and 80s. If the seller hasn’t already declared that the joints are tight in the auction description, you definitely want to ask before bidding.
Lastly, the figure’s weapon is the Han Solo pistol type of Kenner blaster. Don’t forget: repro accessories suck. Make certain that it’s authentic if possible. You can check out the Imperial Gunnery for some excellent reference on the topic.
Feel free to add any more thoughts on this in the comments section and drop me a line if you get into trouble!
Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.