When were your golden years?

[theforceuk]

For me my most fond memories were from 83' to 87'. I wasn't born until 1980 and some of my earliest memories are of an AT-AT battle display in my local toy shop window, it had Luke X-Wing hanging off the AT-AT and I think cotton wool as the snow. Also remember neighbors bringing an AT-AT around to the house, their boys seemed really old, but they were probably about 8 and it took two of them to carry it into the house! :lol:

Also remember what must have been my birthday in 84' and getting the MF, thinking wow this is amazing. Then shortly after that we moved all the way to Cornwall and I had my Star Wars toys in the car for the journey down, remember that very well.

Then in Cornwall I remember my Dad bringing me a figure home from the local toy shop every Monday after work, they were mostly Trilogo, still have many of the card backs with the price stickers on. Christmas 85' came along and I was still without an AT-AT and they were everywhere, seemed liked hundreds of them were lined up in Tesco's. I did get one that Christmas and it's easily the fondest memory of my childhood. My Dad being my Dad left getting one till the last minute and he ended up driving all over Cornwall to get one as Tesco's had sold out. Think the Christmas after I got a B-Wing and Rancor which was also cool, but with no new movies in the pipeline I sensed things were coming to an end.

I often think I should have been born 8 years earlier, as I never got to see any of the films at the cinema and it was all about the toys and missed out on most the toy lines as well, the films were an added bonus really! I remember going into my local toy shop round about 87' and the man in behind the counter saying sorry were not getting any more Star Wars toys in, from that moment on it was never the same.

I guess their are so many different ages, people that only collected the toys for the first film, people like me and some lucky people who were the right age to go through the entire line having an interest. Christmas time makes me think about it more!

 

[subzero]

Funnily enough I remember Star Wars toys as being very popular in the late 80's, all our SW toys that me and my bro's played with were mainly my older bro's toys but were considered the families toys as we all played with them in the garden. My best mate a few doors down had tons of them and a couple of my other neighbour friends had a good few SW toys too and they all actively played with and talked about them, so at least in that small circle around me it seemed like it was still popular, but maybe outside of that circle it wasn't that popular because I don't remember any other friends having any in the late 80's / early 90's.

I was born in 82 so ROTJ seemed like the most popular toy line around my golden years which was probably from around 85 - 92, there were other figures from the other films around too mixed in with toys but nowhere near as much as Jedi figures.

Also I never once thought about wanting to watch Star Wars in the cinema until I was old enough in the mid 90's, as a younger kid it just never passed my mind, watching it on telly on a crappy 16" screen was always magical enough for me :lol: .. I remember it was always on at xmas every year and I used to sit there with my toys waiting for it to come on, ( either xmas day or boxing day I can't remember now ) it was the best time I used to love it. I even have a strong memory of my dad calling me from the living room when I was about 3 or 4 because Star Wars was just starting on telly, and remember racing in there to watch it and seeing the opening crawl, I don't remember anything else though, just the crawl. :lol:

 

[Crumm]

I would say 82' to 87'/ 88' or so...

I would have been about 5 in 82' but have very few memories from that time really.

The main ones I have are from Christmas 83' when I got Slave 1 and Boba Fett, X-wing and Luke jedi Knight, Speeder Bike and Biker Scout and a few other figures. We never had much money growing up, but I always did ok at Christmas.

After 85' or so my other friends were getting into stuff like M.A.S.K./ Thundercats/ Action force (G.I. Joe for our American friends) and also He-man, Transformers and Ghostbusters toys were already hugely popular.

Toy wise, Star Wars unfortunately died a bit of a death in my circle of friends.

 

[Cardbackkid]

I wasn't born till 88 so I'd say 1992-95 was my golden years you could go to a carboot every week and come back with a boot load of Star Wars and for next to nothing ... good times

 

[StarWarsFan]

1997- was when I started collecting, for Xmas that year got tons of things, including the MF, Wing, tie fighter.

 

[Palifan]

1978 when SW hit the theater in Bristol, there was a point in my 20's when I looked away but I certainly never looked back.

Ian

 

[pizzathehutt]

I can remember in 1986 buying Leia boussh, Luke Jedi and lando skiff from my local toy shop and I still remember it just like it was yesterday

That was pure magic for me and still puts a smile on my face when I think about it now

 

[Cardbackkid]

I can remember in 1986 buying Leia boussh, Luke Jedi and lando skiff from my local toy shop and I still remember it just like it was yesterday

That was pure magic for me and still puts a smile on my face when I think about it now

Three of the best figures made in the entire run imo

 

[Snaketibe]

Being an old codger who was born in 1972, I'm lucky enough to remember buying the Palitoy figures and toys straight off the shelves from 1978 onwards. My most vivid childhood memories usually revolve around Star Wars (and usually the toys!), but one in particular was paying £9.99 for a Palitoy Death Star and carrying it home from the local Toy Shop :-D. I wrote a memory piece for this Forum from my childhood which pretty much sums up my own golden years, if anyone's interested (http://starwarsforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=29935).

 

[db94]

1972 - Great year to be born

Have so many magical memories of SW and SW toys growing up but the best are 1980 - I was 8 years old my world revolved around SW action figures. ESB in the pictures, catalogues full of figures, ships and playsets and I just loved bounty hunters (that's why I have the capture log as a profile pic) and sending away nameplates for figures and accessories was just the coolest thing in my mind - especially the survival kit!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved getting Bantha Tracks and membership pictures from America (honestly for a wee loon from Scotland getting stuff from the States was just pure magic) and reading articles in magazines - way better than internet.

Great topic - great memories

 

[robpmarsh]

Was there from the beginning in '77.....lots of Palitoy goodness on store shelves and my 1st fig was a Vader. Didn't get too many SW stuff bought for me as i had loads of LEGO and built my own Facon/X-Wing from that......fun times

 

[bosk70]

Going through the racks of figs in 80 /81 with my birthday money trying to get the full run and crossing them off on the back and picking up the odd stormy or snow trooper for the army with any spare money , think it was Christmas 82 when I got the ultimate the at at, (it was so cool back then) and as below could not wait to set those dioramas up in the summer golden days indeed

 

[edd_jedi]

85-86 as a kid as I was too young to see the films in the cinema, but I also really enjoyed my first 'collecting years' from 94-97, rediscovering Star Wars was really special.

 

[Mr. Tie]

Born in the late seventies I remember watching ANH around the beginning of the eighties. I remember the toys from ANH, TESB and ROTJ all along. Watching the movies again and again on VHS and never got tired of them. That's why these first impressions are still so good to me and can't be beaten by modern stuff. Put's a smile on my face thinking of those early days. Went to cinema with my older brother, but he wanted to watch f***ing Flash Gordon instead of TESB :roll: Well, he was a big Queen fan at that time and I never forgive him for making this tasteless choice Fond memories about my years ago deceased mother buying me original SW toys at that time, spending a lot of her money on me made by sidejobs. Guess she knew how important fantasy was to me. Loving her for that and many more things...

 

[Crumm]

I can remember in 1986 buying Leia boussh, Luke Jedi and lando skiff from my local toy shop and I still remember it just like it was yesterday

That was pure magic for me and still puts a smile on my face when I think about it now

I very clearly remember being on family holiday in Blackpool (must have been around 1986 or 1987) and a guy had a pop-up stall on the front, or should I say "flogging stuff from off of a pasting table and a suitcase". He was selling the last 17 at £1 for three figures. I bought Han Carbonite, Luke Poncho and Anakin (I still have the Anakin).

 

[xbomber]

83-86. unravelled in 87. Discount weequays and ree yees piled up in garages and rotj magazine getting cancelled by the publishers.

 

[grinchy]

I was born in 73, and saw star wars in the cinema, I remember being blown away by the movie and coming home and drawing tiefighters and x wings, very vivid memories
Christmas I got a load of figures, first figure I ever got was a luke x wing, and one day I will own a carded example, still my favourite figure
every saturday i'd go to the local shopping centre and my nan would buy me a figure, happy times looking at the large rack of figures and picking one, or on birthdays getting a minirig and a figure.

 

[x-pack]

Probably 1983. Jedi toys were crazy. My parents must have been spoiling me for some reason. The only Jedi release ship I remember not having was the B wing. Star Wars toys everywhere