Star Wars Toys

By Cal Macleod

Star Wars not only revolutionised the movie and special effects industry but also the movie toy industry. When George Lucas made the first Star Wars movie he managed to secure himself the rights to any toy merchandise which up to that point was not seen as a lucrative business.

Star Wars changed all of that. They changed the size of action figures to the 3.85 inch size that we have today. This was done so that vehicles like spaceships could be sold that could fit the figures inside. It makes sense as the first thing a kid will want to do with a spaceship other than flying it around is pop some action figures in it.

When the first film was a huge success back in 1997 the demand for toys based on the film was massive and came as a surprise to toy makers Hasbro. There was just one problem. The toys weren't ready for the big Christmas season. So what did they do? They sold empty boxes. That might sound like a cruel thing to do especially at Christmas but it was all part of a clever plan. The toy pack was called the Early Bird Certificate Package. It came with a cardboard display of Star Wars characters, some stickers, a Star Wars club card and a certificate. The certificate was to be filled in by kids and mailed off. Once the figures were ready four star wars figures would be shipped out. The Earlybird Certificate was a big success and was the start of a huge toy empire that has made George Lucas millions.

The movies lend themselves very well to producing toys. It has a wide array of spaceships, vehicles and characters. The iconic spaceships from sold well then and continue to do so now.

1.) The Millenium Falcon is the coolest spaceship in A New Hope and the 1977 toy is pretty cool too. It's not proportionally accurate to the spaceship from the films because the action figures needed to fit inside the cockpit. If the toy had been made to the correct proportions to match the cockpit with figures in it the toy would have been massive and far too expensive.

2.) The AT-AT from the Empire Strikes Back is a brilliant toy. It's size is correctly proportionate to action figures which sees it standing at about 2 feet in height. There has recently been a re-release of the toy but the original is good enough as it captures the look of the AT-AT just right.

3) Clone Wars Vulture Droid
In the Phantom Menace we were introduced to the Trade Federations' army of droids. The Vulture droids are ships that can transform so that they walk on their wings. The Vulture Bomber droids are featured in the Clone Wars TV series.

4) The FX Lightsabre is a toy that kids in the eighties would never have dreamed possible. It looks sounds and feels like a real lightsabre. It's labelled as a collectors' item but trust me, it's a toy. You can't pick one up without swinging it and hitting things with it to hear the humming noises.

5) Character helmets are fantastic fun and can be bought for Darth Vader, Stortroopers and Boba Fett amongst others. The Stormtrooper helmets don't fit very snugly and are akin to wearing a bucket with a visor installed but the Vader and Fett helmets sit a lot more snugly.

To read blogs about Star Wars or to buy Star Wars Clone Wars Toys visit BangZapToys.co.uk

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