The Phantom Menace
These action figures were brilliant because they could talk, an innovation which was made possible by a battery operated device called a ‘Commtalk Reader’ which resembled a mobile phone. This gadget cost caround £20 and came with a demonstration chip plus a chain to hold extra chips as they were acquired. Each four inch tall action figure was packaged with a transparent oblong chip containing several phrases from the film. The chip had a small peg onto which the figure fitted, and when the chip was placed over the reader it was activated, making it sound as though the figure was speaking. Several chip messages could be stored, so that characters could interact and each chip had a hologram of the character it featured. Two buttons on the reader made lightsaber and blaster sounds. Continue reading »
Filed under Science Fiction | Tags: , Anakin Skywalker, Darth Maul, Darth Vader, Jar Jar Binks, Jedi Knight, lightsaber, Obi Wan Kenobi, Power of the Force, Queen Amidala, Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars, The Phantom Menace | Comment (0)Star Wars
Star Wars action figures (and Return of the Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back) were packaged on a colourful card measuring nine inches by six inches, with the figure enclosed in an oblong transparent blister to the left of the card, and a movie still of the character to the right. The reverse of the card had illustrations of all the characters so far available, plus a check list. Often, adverts for various new items of Star Wars merchandise were shown at the bottom. Collectors refer to the cards by the number of characters listed; the earliest (and hardest to find) is a 12-back. Next came the 20-pack, another desirable card. The adverts on these early cards are interesting, the 20-back, for example, lists such goodies as the Land of the Jawas Sand Crawler, the Patrol Dewback, the Droid Factory and the Creature Cantina, all of which are now fairly rare models. The Cantina was made from cardboard and is now very difficult to find in good condition. Continue reading »
Filed under Science Fiction | Tags: Darth Vader, Jedi Knight, Kenner, Palitoy, Power of the Force, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, The Phantom Menace, The Return of the Jedi | Comment (0)