All-Fours. (Vintage AT-AT, Vintage Tie Fighter Pilot)
Let’s circle back to the AT-AT’s feet for a minute. I realized after the fact that the earlier shot with the two X-Wing Pilots fell a bit short in only showing two of the AT-AT’s feet instead of all four. This little piece of drama goes the distance.
Driven to Destruction, Pt. 2. (Vintage AT-AT, Vintage AT-AT Drivers)
Voila! As promised, the AT-AT head exterior in all its glory. And of course I’ll own up straight away – the background on this one’s a fake. Sometimes I can’t resist the temptation.
This is fourth in the now burgeoning AT-AT Marathon of Summer 2012! When will it end!?
Driven to Destruction, Pt. 1. (Vintage AT-AT, Vintage AT-AT Drivers)
This is one of two shots necessary to give the vintage AT-AT’s cockpit/head the attention that it deserves. Let’s call this one the interior shot. I’ll post the one focused more on exterior tomorrow.
Third photo in the AT-AT series.
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.
On Board for Anything (Vintage AT-AT, Vintage Imperial Stormtroopers in Hoth Battle Gear)
The vintage AT-AT is so huge and so wonderful a toy, it would be impossible to capture its essence all in one photo. Better to capture details in the macro (like the personnel bay door on the AT-AT’s lee side shown above) and work up to something that’s greater than the sum of its parts. I think what I’m trying to say is this is the first in a series of vintage AT-AT shots. Enjoy!
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.