Sunday, July 13, 2008

Death Star Space Station (SW)






You thought getting an AT-AT was cool (okay, technically that came after this one)? Well IN-YOUR-FACE! I’ve got a Death Star! Can I tell you how cool this is? I can, but you really have to experience it for the coolness to settle into your pores and take hold. Tell me Ben, what does this marvelous (dare I say, rad?) playset have to offer us? Let us count the ways, from the bottom to the top:

1. The bottom level has a trash compacter that really compacts with:

1a. “Garbage” (collapsible foam squares)

1b. A dianoga (one-eyed trash compacter monster)!

2. The second level has a trap door into the trash compactor and…

2a. Monitors and control panels.

3. Third level has a walkway and collapsible bridge for Luke and Leia to swing across with a rope!

4. Fourth level: a turbolaser to blast those pesky rebel fighters out of the sky!

5. Last, but not least, a working elevator to all floors – with a tractor beam control tower at the top! The elevator door even works! Okay, okay, must breathe. Too…much…excitement.

If you were in England, Europe, or Australia, you could suck it because your Death Star playsets were entirely different and made of cardboard. USA! USA! Seriously, though, I always feel bad when I hear about things like this. Why not give them the same quality product I had? I’ve seen those cardboard Death Stars – they are not pretty.

Why should you own this set? I just gave you a TON of frickin’ reasons!

Backstory:

The concept for the Death Star began with an idea for an expeditionary moon, but when told to Tarkin, it eventually formed into a weapons platform. Plans for it were seen as far back as Episode II, when they were moved to prevent the Jedi from getting them. The final design work was done in the Maw Installation, an isolated Imperial laboratory, by a brain trust. The first Death Star was 160 km in diameter, and had countless turbolasers and tractor beams for defense, as well as its main weapon, the super laser. When Luke blew it up, there were an estimated 1,000,000 Imperials crewing it. Heavy.

Want more? Wookieepedia article on the first Death Star

Wookieepedia article on the dianoga

43rd in alphabetical order

3 comments:

Yak said...

Hey don't knock the cardboard death star, while I would have much preferred the Kenner one when I was a kid, few toys touch the cardboard versions kitsch appeal! Plus it's bigger, you can can fit a good few vehicles (mostly) in the docking bays! I even knew of one kid who had two and stuck them together to make a complete sphere! I can't imagine that was very successful however :-/

Anonymous said...

Is it me or does the 2nd kid playing with the "Death Star" look like a young Luke Skywalker? :P

Ben said...

No, that's Jimmy Lars. Owen and beru never talk about him because all he does is eat sand.