For those who loved star wars back in the 70's 80's....

[chipsteak]

I remember the lot when it comes to Christmas and SW.

From my first in 1980 until my last in 1985 when I was growing a little too old but still got some smaller items with 49p stickers on them.

Am I right in thinking the ATAT never came out in the UK until 1982 then?

 

[grinchy]

This is a cool old thread! i remember getting a bunch of figures for one christmas vivid memorys of opening luke x wing and a few others, then a couple of years later i rememberr getting my At At, not sure what christmas, maybe 83,

 

[CRAZYHAZY]

My memories of xmas days are quite vague...they seem to roll in to one!

However i remember the toys i had .....and i do remember getting the land of the jawas and the land speeder. My birthday is close to christmas and i know i got a palitoy death star...i loved it. I had years of fun with that thing. I know my first figure was R2 and i still have him today. No decals and no click.

 

[rob71]

Christmas 1978/79. Palitoy Death Star with the box behind the couch, and my beloved Luke Xwing and Greedo figures in the death star itself. Happy days...

 

[chazb73]

Great pic Rob

My Gran had those couch protectors (is that what they are called?)

 

[Robstyley]

I've got some great memories of getting Star Wars toys for christmas and Star Wars as a kid in general. Must've been 81, 82, 83 that were big ones for me.

In 81 or 82 I got an ESB Falcon and it was the best present I ever remember getting. It was massive and the excitement seeing it wrapped up and realising exactly what that huge present is before you open it! Priceless. My cousins would always be around christmas time and my cuz got the AT-AT so we played with them both together. Got a snowspeeder that year too and loved it because the noise and light up cannons, running round in the dark with it.

I remember 83 very well. We used to open presents from Santa in the morning (obviously) and everything else after christmas dinner. I remember sitting on the lounge floor and opening a Scout Walker, Battle Damage X-Wing(from my Nan), a Speeder Bike, an Ewok catapult, some mini rigs and several figures, but I don't remember what the figures were. A lot of people don't seem to remember much about the figures they got, goes to show when you're a kid it's about the big stuff, ships, playsets.

One of my best memories is actually of a toy shop and it makes me feel quite nostalgic thinking about it. It was in Rayleigh in Essex and it was called Peter Jones. Downstairs it was like Martins/W H Smith - books, stationary etc but upstairs was a big toy shop. I remember climbing up the stairs and as you got to the top there was this huge wall of Star Wars on the left. I used to stand there goggle-eyed looking at it! It obviously seems bigger when you're a kid but there was **** loads of stock in this shop. All the figures hanging on the metal sticks and the ships stacked up at the top. I would winge like **** to get one(a figure) but usually it would be..no not today! Occasionally you could get one and you'd root through to find a good un'. Best memories ever and prob the sole reason I collect now

 

[chipsteak]

The decals on most of my bigger items were arse-about-face due to having stuck them on at daft'o'clock in the morning after no sleep.

 

[tronprogram]

I've got memories of getting an AT-AT and Snowspeeder one Christmas and a B-Wing Fighter, a Tie Fighter and a Tie Interceptor on another Christmas. Most vivid is the Y-Wing Fighter and the Max Rebo Band set I got for a birthday from my aunt as I was off school that day and couldn't stop playing with the Y-Wing.

Great days

 

[x-pack]

Great pic Rob

My Gran had those couch protectors (is that what they are called?)

I think they are just called arm covers .. :? My Gran's sofa was brown and had wooden arm protectors, bit like on a Geography teachers' sleeves

But Christmas as a kid - It was mostly Star Wars until about 1985 and then again in the early 90's when I started collecting with my brother

I have a vivid memory of receiving a Y Wing one Christmas only for the tail bits to have gone missing by lunch time :x Also remember my beloved At-At which must have been Christmas 1981. God I loved Christmas as a kid. Still do, but it's always a pain in the arse stress with family. Just once It would be nice to have a quiet one with the Mrs and kids.

 

[peekaygee73]

I asked my Dad if he had any pictures of us with our SW toys as kid. He came up with a few and this is the best one.

I'm pretty sure there's a mixture of new stuff AND things we already had. The cloud car, snowspeeder and DV tie fighter are mine - the other vehicles are my brother's. I definitely had the tie fighter already, and the picture has reminded me that one of the struts on the wings had broken and was been held in place with an elastic band! The 8" R2 was mine (awesome figure), and Chewie and Boba are my brother's. You can even see the 'Land of the Jawas' box in the background under the quality street tin! That box would've been in the same condition when we boxed everything up and sold it all around 1986 :shock: :evil:

I can even remember which figures were mine and which were my brothers!

And let's not even get started on the 70s fixtures & furnishings - or the NHS specs! :lol:

 

[chipsteak]

Is that the box for Land Of The Jawas hiding under a tin of Quality Street?

 

[peekaygee73]

Is that the box for Land Of The Jawas hiding under a tin of Quality Street?

It is! Wish we still had the box - knowing my Mum she'll still have the QS tin!

 

[x-pack]

Brill photo

 

[chipsteak]

I love these photos almost as much for the vintage confectionery. Nothing says Christmas more than new SW toys and larger than normal sweets.

 

[Robstyley]

I asked my Dad if he had any pictures of us with our SW toys as kid. He came up with a few and this is the best one.

Great photo mate! Love it. Nice mixture of stuff there. Look at the condition of that R2! Reminds me of me and my cousin, we used to always get different Star Wars toys. I don't think it was coinsidence, there must have been some pre christmas phone chat between our mothers

 

[peekaygee73]

I asked my Dad if he had any pictures of us with our SW toys as kid. He came up with a few and this is the best one.

Great photo mate! Love it. Nice mixture of stuff there. Look at the condition of that R2! Reminds me of me and my cousin, we used to always get different Star Wars toys. I don't think it was coinsidence, there must have been some pre christmas phone chat between our mothers

Cheers! The R2 looks stunning doesn't it. I really looked after my toys (I kept all the boxes and inserts and used to box them up when I'd finished playing with them!!), my brother slightly less so His 12" chewie bandolier strap lost some of the magazines pretty quickly then went AWOL completely; the Boba figure gradually lost various accessories. His SW Leia has already lost her cloak on the picture and it looks like his R2 has lost its stickers too. Careless sod! :lol:

We generally got different figures, I don't know if there was any method behind who got which figure. As you can see in the picture we both had Luke Bespin, not sure why. Bizarrely one of the legs broke at the peg on both of them - I remember the plastic being really soft for some reason.