On this 40th anniversary of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, here’s a look back on five of the iconic vehicles that captured the imaginations of kids everywhere.
No. 5: TIE Bomber
The chase through the asteroid field still exhilarates me, even though I know it was just a bunch of potatoes shot against a bluescreen.
The TIE Bomber made its debut in that scene, carpet-bombing the asteroid that the Millennium Falcon dove into after deftly evading a squad of TIE fighters.
I never got the diecast metal TIE Bomber as a kid. It wasn’t until 2002, when I was the ripe old age of never mind, that I got my first TIE Bomber toy, produced by Hasbro.
What’s even more embarrassing? I didn’t even open the box until 2019. As in last year.
No. 4: Twin Pod Cloud Car
I know. It wasn’t a prominent vehicle in the movie. It wasn’t flown by any of the main characters.
But it was from Bespin, the wondrous city in the clouds that mesmerized nine-year-old me. How could a city float in the clouds? And why do the police there fly orange, Jules-Verne, steampunk submarines?
I got my first Twin Pod Cloud Car toy, by Kenner, in 1980. My dad had brought me along to get something at a department store, and on our way to the register, he asked me if I wanted any toys.
I saw a boxed cloud car on a shelf with a sticker price of $7.99—that’s about $25 today—and thought it’d be too expensive, but he really wanted to buy me something that day. So he did.
Maybe that’s why the Twin Pod Cloud Car holds such a special place in my heart. I still have that original 1980 Kenner version, with all the pieces intact. The one pictured above is the 2010 version by Hasbro.
No. 3: Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer Playset
Okay, so this is technically a playset. But it’s based on a vehicle—the Star Destroyer Executor.
I absolutely loved this toy. Got it for Christmas in 1980 and still have most of the pieces. (I’m only missing the battery cover and the red plastic hologram of the Emperor.)
Why did I love this toy so much?
Let’s start with Vader’s meditation chamber, which used to glow with an ominous, Sith-powered red light. There was a pit for the working stiffs to operate computer consoles (which were just stickers on the sides), just like in the movie. Basically cubicles for imperial officers.
And most importantly, the ship had a bridge where Vader could brief all the cool bounty hunters.
Boba Fett. Bossk. IG-88. And later, Dengar, Zuckuss, and 4-LOM.
I loved this toy because it was a base for the bad guys to hang out. They couldn’t use the Death Star anymore because Luke Skywalker blew it up.
Vader needed a new place to sit back and hang his helmet. A base that could also fly and chase the Millennium Falcon.
No. 2: Snowspeeder
Probably my favorite ship design of all. And it wasn’t even a spaceship. It was a speeder that stayed close to the ground.
I still have the original Kenner version of this toy from 1980—the one with that screeching electronic noise when you pressed the button—but it’s missing its cockpit door, one of the rear turbines, and the harpoon cable.
In 1997, I bought the re-release, which was almost identical but had a new color scheme and upgraded electronic sounds.
The version above is an all-new version that Hasbro released in 2010. It was made to scale with the 3.75″ figures, making it noticeably smaller than the old Kenner version.
The 2010 version had incredible detail both outside and inside the cockpit. You could fit a gunner figure in the back seat and make them clutch the controls.
This was a great piece that was displayed at my office for many years, until I sold it off to raise funds for an overseas assignment.
Sadly, these two grainy photos are all that I have to remember it by.
No. 1: The All-Terrain Armored Transport (AT-AT)
I still remember the first time I saw the TV spot for The Empire Strikes Back. It was on a little 13″ color TV with rabbit ear antennas, in our kitchen.
My eyes gorged on every second of it. So much to look at. But one visual stood out to me: the shot of these giant dinosaur-shaped monsters marching across the icy plains.
What were they? My friend Louis insisted they were “stone creatures.” What a maroon. You could easily tell that these things were mechanical, not magical rock trolls.
My jaw dropped when I finallly saw these things in action, in the greatest battle scene I had ever seen in my nine years on earth. I could watch The Battle of Hoth over and over and over again. And I do.
Kenner released an AT-AT toy that retailed for $59.99—that’s almost $187 in 2020 dollars! It was so expensive, I dared not ask my parents for it. But I coveted it. I envied those who had it. I was a sinful little kid.
Again, my dad took me to a store and asked me if I wanted anything. I saw the AT-AT toy on display. I played with it. I wanted it badly, but I saw the price tag and held back from asking for it.
The following year, my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I mustered up the courage to say, “an AT-AT toy.” They agreed, but guess what? They were sold out. Everywhere.
We hit every store in our area, but no one had any. They had apparently sold out during the Christmas season.
Scoring in Japan
Fast forward to 2014. My family was living in Japan when we went to a “recycle store,” or a used-goods shop. I was browsing the toy section when I saw this AT-AT micro kit in a bag, selling for around $3!
These micro-kits are the kind of model kits that you buy in the candy section of a Japanese supermarket. They come in boxes and are usually pre-painted. You just snap them together.
This is possibly the best version of an AT-AT toy I have ever laid eyes on. So much detail, and it only stands about 5″ high.
In 40 years of collecting merch from The Empire Strikes Back, this $3 used AT-AT from Japan is at the top of my list of favorite vehicles.
What’s your favorite vehicle from the movie? Let me know in the comments!
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