Rebel Forces FTW.
(Vintage Snowspeeder, Vintage Tauntaun, Vintage Rebel Soldier, Vintage Princess Leia Hoth Outfit, Vintage Han Solo Bespin Outfit, Vintage 2-1B, Vintage Rebel Commander, Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot, Vintage Luke Skywalker Hoth Battle Gear, Vintage R5-D4, Vintage Chewbacca, Vintage C-3PO)
When a big box padded with white styrofoam comes into the house it can mean only one thing: Hoth diorama! And yes, I’ll own up to it straight away unless it’s not already completely obvious: unlike most of the shots presented on this site, what you’re looking at is not just one photo but a composite of several.
Buying Notes on the Vintage Luke Skywalker 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!
Buying Notes on the Vintage Snowspeeder
Check out the current vintage Snowspeeder listings here.
If you’re a collector of loose Kenner vehicles from the vintage Star Wars run and you don’t own the vintage Snowspeeder yet, it’s time to turn that ship around. Ounce for ounce, this is my favorite vehicle for the whole ’78 to ’85 period.
For overall look the Snowspeeder’s got it where it counts. Add on the awesome lights and sound and you can see why we’ve got gold medal material. The harpoon and cool kickstand are icing on the cake.
Ready to climb aboard? Just keep in mind this checklist before going off half cocked on eBay:
1. The Snowspeeder’s lights and sounds are integral to your enjoyment factor. Make sure they both work before bidding. Sure you could take it apart and horse around with fixing the electronics, but that’s something to avoid unless you’ve really got the feel for it.
2. This vehicle has a ton of stickers applied to it. Something like 27 to be exact. Try to get a good feel that they’re all there and not peeling up. For this reason you might want to focus on the Snowspeeders that have clearly been kept over the years with their original box. I’ve seen a strong correlation between a present original box and nice looking stickers.
3. The rear harpoon with its black tether are a MUST. Make sure its there!
Best of luck, and if you have any other thoughts feel free to add them in the comments below.
Nice one! I used to use styrofoam to make Hoth scenes when I was a kid in the 80s. Double-hit of nostalgia!
Styrofoam was my number one building material when it can to my action figures. Hoth Base? Done. Need a cave or rocks? Break it up, light coat of grey or brown spary paint and your in business. Battle damage? Take some chunks out grab a back marker, color the area in then smear before the ink dries for that blaster burn effect.
Awesome Pete. Styrofoam was also my main action figure building blocks when I was a kid. Love how you combined the two pics. Neat trick.
Thanks guys. I actually didn’t use much styrofoam as a kid. I had a lot of wooden blocks as well as legos leftover from my older brothers. Those all seemed to get the most mileage in the set-building department.
And I have to say I’m really enjoying this photo but I wish I’d have spent a little more time on the compositing. With just a little more patience I think I could’ve given it a more convincing feel — like it’s really one diorama. Also I can’t believe I didn’t put a guy on the back of that Tauntaun!
Oh well, next time I’ll aim for a multi-level Death Star or something like that. I’ll carry over the lessons learned here and with any luck the results will be that much better.
We were building a house the summer of 1980 and used to blow the you-know-what out of the styrofoam! (trying to relive the excitement of the last days of the Empire overrunning the Rebel Base on Hoth!) I’m not sure how we found it exactly, but we did some form of alcoholic mixture for plants and used fire-works and matces! (all while parents were away). I had a huge piece of plywood, 5′ / 11′, painted white and augmented with styrofoam pieces representing the rebel base and changed colour schemes regularly (the idea being that the rebels were always on the run and moved from planet to planet between Empire and Jedi)
I’ve been following your photo blog for a while now … and this is one of the best photo setups/composites you’ve ever posted! It’s full of great fun. More! More! Please.
Thanks! I had some fun making this one. I’ll come up w/ some more multi-tier situations like this for sure.
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