'STAR WARS' MEMORIES: A BRITISH TOY LEGEND BEGINS...

Star Wars Weekly advert for the newly arrived figures of 1978.

With all the incredible advances in today's toys creation, the Original Trilogy run of action figures from the UK's Palitoy, from 1978 onwards, may seem pretty basic to modern fans eyes, but they'd ultimately give fuel to so much incredible and imaginative playtime for so many children, which in turn would deservedly inspire generations of affectionate tribute and nostalgia by the time they reached their adult years...

CLASSIC IMAGE: SALUTING THE NINE BY '79!

Image: via the KENNER TOYS TWITTER page.

Their original line up of twelve characters may have been pretty darn late in arriving in toy stores (and I remember being disappointed at the time that there was no original Governor Tarkin figure!), but KENNER US and PALITOY UK's second line-up of nine STAR WARS action figures, featuring some of the more unusual and intriguing background aliens and droid characters from the first movie, certainly arrived with impeccable timing when the need for new STAR WARS products had, nay demanded, to be satiated during the long wait for the eventual STAR WARS II (as it was then being known). The Boba Fett figurine (a mysterious and weapons packed bounty hunter no less, to soon challenge our heroes!) and green Greedo (shot first by Han- now and forever more!) proved particularly welcome in my household afternoon playtimes!

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CLASSIC ART: A TIME FOR 'REVENGE'!

A terrific B/W art competition ad by PALITOY, artist unknown, inside one of the UK STAR WARS Monthly magazines of 1981, offering the incredible opportunity for winners to visit Elstree Studios for the then upcoming filming of REVENGE OF THE JEDI! I'm assuming that the set visit took place either in February or in April 1982, as child visitors can be seen in some behind the scenes photos of filming on the Rebel Briefing Room and in the Home One hangar bay.

If anyone out there reading this was one of the lucky set visit winners at the time, please get in touch and tell us what you remember! 

AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW: 'THE PALITOY ADVERT ARCHIVE' DVD

PALITOY ADVERT ARCHIVE-THE DVD

Reviewed by Ian Trussler

July 2007 saw Celebration Europe come to London and with it many great guests and exhibits.

Among the hustle and bustle of this fan gathering, sadly hidden away in a room upstairs, away from the main hall, was one of the best exhibits of the whole event, the Palitoy Archiveroom.

Palitoy were the UK company that had the license to distribute the Kenner Star Wars toys during the classic era of 1978 - Mid 80's. The exhibit had lovingly gathered together a collection of almost every Star Wars related Palitoy item, from the carded figures to the vehicles, spaceships and playsets. What made this even better was that the room was also plastered with blow ups of the unique print advertising used by Palitoy, often featuring superb artwork and comic strip style stories, helping to draw the young (and old) fans into the Lucas universe.

Since that exhibit, Dave Tree, the man behind it, together with a little help from partner Chloe and DVD technical support from Brian Cleckner, has been working on his next project thePalitoy Advert Archive DVD.

Dave has spent the last year painstakingly trawling through hundreds of hours of videotape footage, from numerous sources to compile a collection of television commercials and slideshows featuring print adverts, toy catalogues and the best of UK Star Wars related licensed material, plus a few "unofficial" bonuses.

At the recent JEDI CON event in Dusseldorf Germany, Dave cheekily blagged a slot on stage to give a short preview of the DVD, of which the response was overwhelmingly positive so, alongside STAR WARS AFICIONADO Editor Scott Weller, I tracked him down and obtained the full DVD.

What you get on the DVD is an awesome collection of vintage material, put together in an innovative way, nicely packaged in an attractive box featuring Palitoy’s striking Boba Fett logo, together with a superb 24 page colour booklet produced in the style of a Kenner Star Wars toy catalogue, like the ones that came packaged with the boxed toys.

On the DVD you get 15 UK TV commercials for Palitoy Star Wars products, ranging from the first ever UK spot for the much prized cardboard Death Star playset, through the Empireera, on to the Jedi phase (were they started to use actual film footage) and ending with those dreaded Ewoks.

The quality on the whole is excellent, considering this material has been sourced from thirty year old, mostly Betamax recordings (at that time, the picture quality of that format was far superior to VHS and has lasted the test of the ages well). You have to appreciate the time and effort it took to put this together.

Along with the Palitoy commercials, you get slide shows ofPalitoy print adverts, most of which are unique in style and content, slides of UK toy retailer material and other UK related products from this classic era, along with some DVD Easter Eggs.

The print ads are wonderful, when I was at school my brother and I, together with friends, always referred to Greedo as "Green Greedo". Decades later this always stuck in my mind but I couldn't remember why we did that. All was revealed when I found the comic ad for the second wave of Palitoy Star Wars figures in which our favourite Rodian was indeed given the moniker of Green Greedo.

The Easter Eggs vary in difficulty to find, from easy to frustrating, just remember to explore every possible area, but it adds to the fun and when you find them you won't be disappointed.

There are a few additional Star Wars TV commercials to find, one of which is the wonderful Signal toothpaste advert featuring a blonde Leia look-a-like being rescued by Luke Toothbrusher-you gotta see it to believe it. This alone bought the memories flooding back as I remember the advert from back in the day.

Other hidden gems are commercials for Star Wars yogurts and biscuits and the ATARI Jedi Arena video game.

Dave really has done a superb job here and I personally can't thank him enough, I love this sort of preservation work and people don't realize who much effort and money it takes to put something like this together. I highly recommend that if you get the chance you support Dave’s work and buy this DVD, one to help him cover the cost of production and two because you will not be disappointed.

Congratulations, Dave, on a job well done and let's hope that in a few years you will have unearthed some more televisual gems and you can release a Special Edition of the PalitoyAdvert Archive. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information on the DVD, contact Dave Tree at his email: baronvontree@aol.com

CLASSIC ART: THE (PALITOY) STORY SO FAR...

Here's a terrific UK toy advertisement for the PALITOY STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK range from 1980/81. I think the art is by popular visualist Ron Smith, who did a lot of work on the 2000AD sci-fi comic magazine of the time (notably Judge Dredd), but I can't confirm it.

AFICIONADO REVIEW: 'STAR WARS: THE ULTIMATE ACTION FIGURE COLLECTION'

STAR WARS: THE ULTIMATE ACTION FIGURE COLLECTION

By Stephen J. Sansweet

Out now from TITAN BOOKS

Reviewed by Scott Weller

You never forget your first STAR WARS action figures: mine were back in the days of the original and unaltered Classic Trilogy: See-Threepio and a non-cloth Jawa, brought by my enthusiastic mum from the once fruitful British Home Stores shopping chain one rainy Saturday in 1978. From there, holding these two glorious characters in my hands, part of the original twelve figures in three and three quarters inch frames, a love affair soon began with the ultimate form of play acting- as my collection of plastic characters grew over three years, so did my imagination in staging their epic adventures. And in those long days between films- three painful years at a time- they were a lifeline to mine and I’m sure many other millions STAR WARS universes: played with, and played with, and played with. Mine were particularly kept safe for reuse-and new adventures galore- within my soon Xmas gift Darth Vader Collectors Case and easy access metal lunch box.

Flash forward to 2012, and its gotten to the point now where I sadly have no room or a big enough wallet to buy the incredible range of HASBRO based figures available to fellow STAR WARS aficionados, which have so admirably succeeded that original range of colourful KENNER/PALITOY characters from so long ago, but I can at least enjoy seeing the old and new diversity in printed form with this wonderful guide of nostalgia witnessed within the pages of long time STAR WARS collector en masse, archivist and ex-LUCASFILM Fan Relations expert Stephen J. Sansweet’s exciting and packed to the brim new volume dedicated to the toy phenomenon, the author happily far beyond his original analysing the commercial enterprise figures of Wall Street to now charting the more emotionally rewarding plastic figure universe of the classic and modern Trilogies collectible range.

Led into with a nice potted history of the line and the birth of their incredible success for KENNER toys in the 1978 market onwards (Oh, ho that Early Bird campaign would ultimately prove a genius idea!), to the equally incredible and enduring success inherited by HASBRO from the nineties onwards, and which remains one of the top five toy brands every year for both children and their kidult parents!, STAR WARS: THE ULTIMATE ACTION FIGURE COLLECTION is indeed an impressive and superior work to his previous, and now highly rare vintage figure archive from 1999, THE ACTION FIGURE ARCHIVE, once again using his highly knowledgeable and accessible writing style to take us on a fine journey of celebration, alongside still-life images of the various action figures-2,300 across 29 major product lines from 1978 up to early 2012- and their accessories, better showcased here than before, especially the modern figures of the last few years, what with their impressive attention to detail and increased body frame maneuverability.

And its not just the films that are so dutifully covered by the figure range-there are the many characters brought to life from the multitude of spin offs, too, like the sagas legendary deleted scenes, spin-off TV series, animation, computer games (like The Force Unleashed), and even comics and book icons from such notable entries as the early nineties Shadows of the Empire series and MARVEL/DARK HORSE series. Plus iconic conceptual and behind the scenes art work from the likes of Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston (most notably in release during the saga’s Thirtieth Anniversary). Even George Lucas made it to plastic and card backing reality in 2002! I could only dream of such diversity of characters back in the day as a child with those original PALITOY/KENNER figures and their eight year duration up to 1985. STAR WARS fans really are well and truly spoiled for choice these days. And good for them!

Rarities, special purchase figures, limited editions, etc., are all fascinatingly documented and photographed as part of the KENNER/HASBRO legacy. A lot of them revealing fascinating behind the scenes origins and development stories, with clear enjoyment and some occasional wry humour by Sansweet, as he also charts the joys and perils of being such a dedicated collector. Changes and additions-both deliberate and accidental- to the range over thirty years, which have made some of the figures worth a small fortune to collectors, are also keenly highlighted. Once again, alongside the figure images, Sansweet does a fine job assembling hundreds of movie representative photos and artwork, including some very rare and previously unseen shots. It must have been quite a hunt through the archives looking for so many match-up images. Stephen, if you ever need help on that front, I’m your man!

One of the best aspects of the book is seeing the timeline of the figures and how so many of the characters have changed, or become more or less a part of the range over time. There are the main heroes like Luke, Han and Leia that are the essentials, of course, but there have been other characters beyond them that have equally made their important mark in STAR WARS collectormania. For a start, with the Prequel Trilogy, I couldn’t believe just how many Clone Trooper variations there have been in the last five or six years. And who knew there were so many Jar Jar Binks figures out there? For an unpopular character he obviously sells well enough for them to carry on making them. And talking of treading a tightrope of a different kind, only the STAR WARS toy line could get away with realising some of the more gruesome aspects of the filmed saga, like Luke Skywalker with decapitated arm and bloody stump from EMPIRE, or Anakin Skywalker legless and lava burned body remains from SITH! If Hans Christian Anderson were alive today, he’d surely be pitching to HASBRO!

Picking up this first class, 350-page tome tribute to the diverse, continuing action figure range (of which Carrie Fisher may finally discover in its pages a Leia figure that doesn't look like Eddie Munster!), which has become such a joyous and fascinating obsession to so many millions of dedicated fans worldwide, you’ll soon discover what a must-have purchase it is in the way it recognises and charts such an amazing and enduring aspect of STAR WARS history. Available in a nicely priced large format paperback, it’s not just an invaluable research tool and aid for collectors of the range to enjoy and use as the ultimate checklist, it’s also a helluva lot of fun in general for readers and fans of all ages as we are whisked off once more into our imaginations by George Lucas’s enduring and colourful character packed saga.

AFICIONADO RATING: An essential purchase, a box of delights, and an obvious labour of love for Sansweet. 4 out of 5

Get STAR WARS: THE ULTIMATE ACTION FIGURE COLLECTION here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1781161399/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d6_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=17WJESY07A7QKKBXG6EM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=317820867&pf_rd_i=468294

CLASSIC IMAGE: PALITOY POSSESSIONS!

Here's some great vintage ads, often found on UK teen comics and magazine back covers of the time, linked to the PALITOY range of STAR WARS figures and accessories from 1980-1983, for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and RETURN OF THE JEDI. Also included is a Capture Log featuring old "Bucket Face" himself, Boba Fett!

For more on classic STAR WARS PALITOY figures, and how to get hold of them, don't forget the excellent website: All The Cool Stuff

CLASSIC IMAGE: THE WAR OF THE STARS!

Today's kids and kid-ults have never had it so good with regards to what they can get STAR WARS toys and accessories-wise, but things weren't so bad in 1978, either, with the release of the first of many waves of KENNER/PALITOY figures and the AMC/MECCANO model kits worldwide.  I loved that early classic set of 12 figures-some of which can be seen in these French toy adverts- and my childhood was absolutely packed with incredible STAR WARS adventures that tried to match the epic visions seen in the first movie.