Tell me about the first vehicles from the SW line

[Richard_H]

Ok, the first thread went ok so here's the next installment.

DV Tie - I found this before Christmas one year in my parents' wardrobe. I'm going to say Xmas 83. I was playing hide and seek or similar and my eyes jumped out of my skull. My mother told me it wasn't mine and for someone else. I was disappointed as we were poor and didn't think it could be for me. I was surprised come Xmas day! Can't remember the light action - probably because we could never afford batteries. I do remember loving the design of the hatch, and applying the stickers very carefully.

Imp Tie - I so wanted this. I always thought the white was cool. I remember asking for it but it was too expensive. I was very jealous of a friend down the road who had one.

Imp Troop Transporter - never saw this

Land Speeder - I think I had a diecast one? May be wrong on this. Don't think I had the regular plastic one

Millennium Falcon - got this the year before so guessing '82. Again no recollection of sounds as above. Can't remember the training ball. I do remember gripping the front strut and flying the falcon in my bedroom - happy days. For some reason I think I remember the inside of the falcon. Possible that mine got smashed up. Think I can recall the cockpit coming detached.
My Aunt told me last year that she (probably the person who bought it) and my mum looked everywhere for one and couldn't find one anywhere.

Sand crawler - again didn't have

X-Wing - not sure. I think I may have had this for a short time or it was early in my life.

 

[kieatky]

The standout memory I have of my first vehicle was the X-wing. I distinctly remember the Palitoy box (not bad seeing as I was about 5 or 6 at the time). I remember sitting on the stairs of my mams old council house ( again poor as a kid, single parent family etc) and playing with the toy, I wouldn't let anyone else touch it And now 30 odd years later I'm looking for another one. Vintage Star Wars toys are priceless, not for their apparent monetary worth these days but for the memories they bring back of a childhood a long time ago, far far away 8)

 

[TC-14]

The first vehicles I remember owning were the die-cast ones, as they were a heck of a lot cheaper back in 1978 than their 'scaled to fit 3 and 3/4 inch action figure' counterparts. A friend had the 'proper' X-Wing, and I was always fascinated by its chunky looks... it didn't quite match the sleekness of the vehicle in the film, but then neither did the figures themselves, and that's what made them captivating: both then, and now.

Of the big vehicles, I got the Imperial Troop Transporter first for my 9th birthday in '79, and drove my siblings insane with the constant playback of "R2-D2, where are you?". True to life sound effects. Loved it. And I only had one Stormtrooper and one Death Squad Commander... but the rest of the places were taken up by the Rebels, hitching a ride.

Christmas 1980's 'Big Present' was the Millennium Falcon. Prior to that years festive season, I can remember my mum and one of my elder sisters driving to Fenwicks department store in York as I had overheard they had tracked down something special and got it reserved. I was a lucky lad, no doubt about it- I would often walk in to the living room to be told to go straight back out, only to earwig behind the door to hear that my mum was trying to track down a Darth Vader Collectors Case... from a department store in the USA! If she had had the internet at her disposal back in the late 70s, then god only knows what she would have come up with each Christmas and birthday :lol:

Happy days, indeed. True to form, like most kids even nowadays, the box was just as important. This was where the Palitoy logo made its first impression in '78. From then on, if it didn't have that red and blue stamp of approval, then it wasn't 'real' Star Wars product. A child's ideology, I know... but even to this day, when I see Kenner, I can't help but feel a sense lip curling disdain. Juvenile? But of course... :wink:

I do enjoy your therapeutically posed questions, Richard. Perhaps you could provide the Sigmund Freud style couch in future, to aid the recollection?

 

[x-pack]

First ones were the three in my avatar -

First up was a die cast Snowspeeder. No recollection of buying or playing with it at all. Just have a feeling that it was there first. It is possible that someone bought it me along with the AtAt :?

Got the AtAt second for Christmas in '82. I've just managed to pick up another from Razziel and it brings back so many memories. One thing I remember well is that I could never get the damn thing to stand up properly in a pose that I liked without loads of clicky leg fiddling :lol: Still, I loved it then and love it now Has to be one of the best toys from the 1980's

Third one was the mini-rig that I seem to remember went inside the AtAt. Probably made that up but it's the dark grey one with the flip down wings. Regardless of whether or not it was supposed to go in the AtAt, it went in 8)

Not sure after that. Maybe A Falcon or Vader's Tie.

 

[TC-14]

Got the AtAt second for Christmas in '82. I've just managed to pick up another from Razziel and it brings back so many memories. One thing I remember well is that I could never get the damn thing to stand up properly in a pose that I liked without loads of clicky leg fiddling :lol: Still, I loved it then and love it now Has to be one of the best toys from the 1980's.

Quite clearly you haven't mastered the brusque nature of Palitoy employees regarding the AT-AT (at 0:15). Take the bull by the horns, Barry :wink:

[youtube]eFEX1jvSFDo[/youtube]

 

[x-pack]

That woman building the AtAt's is not to be crossed :lol:

Great vid Martin. No toy shop I ever went in had that array of Star Wars merchandise. There's not one person on this forum who wouldn't give their right nut to go back and do a super market sweep in a 1980's toyshop

 

[Richard_H]

AT-ATs?!?!

Not yet!!!

SW vehicles first guys

 

[x-pack]

Oh!! I completely misread the title

Thought it was 'your' first vehicles :lol: Just sort of got carried away. Sorry for messing up your thread

 

[TC-14]

Richard, just to clarify: will you be posting a "Tell me about the first Remote Controlled toys"?

If not, can I include my beloved R2 unit, here and now?

 

[Richard_H]

Great stories guys thanks for sharing

I do enjoy your therapeutically posed questions, Richard. Perhaps you could provide the Sigmund Freud style couch in future, to aid the recollection?

Yeah, by the next question I'll be charging.

 

[Richard_H]

If it's SW then it's fine Martin

No probs Barry keep them for later. We may have a few things to say about the AT-AT

 

[TC-14]

If it's SW then it's fine Martin

Back on track: my first vehicles, circa 1979

I'll bow out now, and let others have their input!

 

[db94]

1st SW vehicle was my Palitoy X Wing got it one xmas morning and obviously loved it, so chuffed I still have it and it's box. Both have pride of place in my collection, it's a bit yellow now but only because it's blown up so many Death Stars and took Luke on wild and crazy adventures

Then I got the Falcon - remember it came with a Han and Chewie. Both carded but French with the names cut out? Was really chuffed because I already had a Chewie so it was my first double. Was probably the greatest toy I ever got as a kid, sadly it was sold off when I was older but still have the instructions framed on my wall. Will replace it someday.

Never saw a Troop Transporter but was gobsmacked when my mate showed his off :mrgreen:
Never got a TIE but searched (well my folks did) high and low for a Landspeeder, finally got one years later after ROTJ had came out.

 

[TC-14]

Never saw a Troop Transporter but was gobsmacked when my mate showed his off :mrgreen:
Never got a TIE but searched (well my folks did) high and low for a Landspeeder, finally got one years later after ROTJ had came out.

I know, I know- I said I was going to bow out, but I felt compelled to comment on this:

Colin, our parents must have had a tough time of it, searching for our 'most wanted' on those Christmas lists. Obviously there was no World Wide Web back then, but from what I glimpsed in my formative years involved covert phone calls to department stores up and down the country, and all manner of dealings to get the desired ultimate Star Wars gift come Christmas time.

Hats off to all those long suffering parents, I (and no doubt others) salute you :wink:

 

[db94]

Martin I think you are a 100% right about the scale of the task involved to find the toys on the xmas list.
The cardbacks and posters did their job extremely well - making us want those figures and ships so bad and as you say with no internet to source the must have item I can only imagine the difficulty tracking something down. But even though it must have caused parents up and down the country real problems I actually have found memories of the whole traditional low tech hunt. I can remember Aunties and Uncles being asked to look out for figures, cardbacks with big biro circles round hard to find figures, lots of phone calls and being excited anytime we went somewhere new that might have a unexplored toy shop.
My two 2 happiest JR Hartley moments are ESB vehicles though

 

[rob71]

I never owned any SW vehicles as a kid, only the Palitoy Death Star (some great memories of playing with it and my figures though)

 

[x-pack]

Martin I think you are a 100% right about the scale of the task involved to find the toys on the xmas list.
The cardbacks and posters did their job extremely well - making us want those figures and ships so bad and as you say with no internet to source the must have item I can only imagine the difficulty tracking something down. But even though it must have caused parents up and down the country real problems I actually have found memories of the whole traditional low tech hunt. I can remember Aunties and Uncles being asked to look out for figures, cardbacks with big biro circles round hard to find figures, lots of phone calls and being excited anytime we went somewhere new that might have a unexplored toy shop.
My two 2 happiest JR Hartley moments are ESB vehicles though

And that's how the world of shopping changed. Just no fun in it anymore :roll: The only shop i go into these days when Christmas shopping is Boots, and that's for my mum's smelly stuff

 

[Stormtrooper37]

Martin I think you are a 100% right about the scale of the task involved to find the toys on the xmas list.
The cardbacks and posters did their job extremely well - making us want those figures and ships so bad and as you say with no internet to source the must have item I can only imagine the difficulty tracking something down. But even though it must have caused parents up and down the country real problems I actually have found memories of the whole traditional low tech hunt. I can remember Aunties and Uncles being asked to look out for figures, cardbacks with big biro circles round hard to find figures, lots of phone calls and being excited anytime we went somewhere new that might have a unexplored toy shop.
My two 2 happiest JR Hartley moments are ESB vehicles though

Same here.

Good old Yellow Pages was the 'internet' of shopping for toys back in the 70's and 80's and a land line telephone! Always asked permission to use the phone though. It was just as much as a challenge back then finding stuff you were after.

Back on topic

I had the Imperial Troop Transporter - loved the the different sounds it made, I think others got irritated after hearing 'There's one set for stun' for the umpteenth time :lol:

 

[TC-14]

I had the Imperial Troop Transporter - loved the the different sounds it made, I think others got irritated after hearing 'There's one set for stun' for the umpteenth time :lol:

That was another favourite of mine, too :lol: I've just read today over on Jedi News that the Imperial Troop Transporter is going to be featured in Star Wars Rebels- that'll be great to see the vehicle get a real part (so to speak) after all these years!

 

[Pomse2001]

Another great thread.

Sorry I can't write about them, because I did not have any of this vehicles when I was a child

But Today I have them all :lol: