Star Wars for Toddlers (80's Fer Shur W/O)
Written: Oct 21 '02 (Updated Oct 20 '03)
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Pros: Fun Star Wars Figures for Toddlers!
Cons: Mommy and Daddy might like it more than the kids do
The Bottom Line: Fun, accurate Star Wars figures geared toward pre-schoolers. Adorable renditions of well-known characters! Even adult Star Wars fans would like these toys.
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| mizgnomer's Full Review: Star Wars Adventures - Fast Through the Forest |
Why we had to buy this toy:
My husband and were raised on Star Wars. I was only 7 years old when the first movie was released in 1977. After my little sister and I saw it in the theaters we lost all interest in Barbie and baby dolls -- we only wanted Star Wars action figures! I cannot tell you how many hours we spent, building elaborate stories and settings for our beloved figures. Even after I got older they were still special to me -- when I was in high school my buddies and I made our own stop-motion movie featuring my Star Wars action figures.
When my husband and I saw that Playskool was going to release action figures geared for the pre-school set, we knew that we were going to get them for our son (who is still a bit young for them at just over 1 year old). The pre-release pictures were adorable, and we were particularly taken with the TaunTaun from 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back", the Millennium Falcon Set, and the Speeder Bike Set from 1983's "Return of the Jedi".
Will Star Wars affect my child the way it did my husband and I? Probably not. Our son will probably think that the movie is silly, and that the special effects are lame. But maybe these toys will help him feel a special connection to his odd old Mom and Dad, who loved these movies when they were kids. But whether he likes the movies or not, I'm sure he will have a great time playing with these excellent toys.
So, what are the toys like?
The Star Wars Adventures: Fast Through The Forest set is from 1983's "Return of the Jedi", the final picture in the original Star Wars trilogy. It represents the speeder-bike chase between Luke Skywalker and one of the Imperial Biker Scouts in the forest on Planet Endor. Also included in the set is one of the adorable Ewoks, Wicket.
It is obvious that these toys were meant for pre-schoolers' hands. The figures are chunky and easy to grasp. All of the pieces are made from a just-barely-soft plastic. They don't have much articulation, but less movement also means less chance for them to break apart, again making them more suitable for little ones. The weapons are not removable -- they are part of the figure itself, meaning no small pieces to lose or choke upon.
The characters have big feet and a wide stance with a low center-of-gravity, so they are easy to stand up and do not fall over easily. Two of the characters in this set (Luke and the Biker Scout) are meant to stand alone or sit on the speeder-bikes, so they do have a slightly odd stance -- half standing, half-sitting -- but they still stand quite well.
Even with all the cutesy-ness and chunky-ness of the figures, they are impressively detailed and very accurate. I'm particularly impressed with the Biker Scout's armor -- who would have thought that it could be so accurate and yet cute at the same time?
Every Jedi in Playskool's Star Wars Adventures line comes with "Jedi Force Action" -- which basically means there is a magnet embedded in one of their hands. In the Fast Through the Forest set, there is also a magnet in the Biker Scout's chest, so if you hold Luke's hand close to the Scout's chest the Scout will fall over backward, as if knocked back by the force! It is a cool effect, but we've had a rather hard time getting it to work. You have to get Luke pretty darn close to the Scout for the magnets to oppose each other -- and with the figures' big feet it is hard to get them close enough. Initially we had to pick up Luke and hold him upside-down in front of the Scout just to get him close enough! We recently discovered that you can move the Scout's left arm out of the way, enabling Luke to get sufficiently close while still standing. The effect does work, and it is pretty cool to see in action.
Playskool recommends all of its Star Wars Adventures line for children ages 3 and up.
Low-Down on the Figures:
~~ Luke Skywalker: He is 2-inches tall and in that kinda-odd squatting/standing position. His only movable-joint is his right wrist (which holds his green lightsaber). His left hand is held out, open-palmed (and has a magnet hidden inside). He is wearing a helmet and a cloth poncho, neither of which is removable. He is a very cute, kid-ized version of Luke Skywalker.
~~ Biker Scout: Like Luke, he is also 2 inches tall and in that odd squatting stance. He is wearing a cutesty-but-accurate version of the speeder-bike trooper armor from "Return of the Jedi". He holds a blaster in his right hand. His waist as well as both arms are jointed. There is a magnet embedded in his chest.
~~ Wicket: Well, the Ewoks were already plenty-cute, and this one is no exception. He is a solid piece - no articulation. Wicket is an inch and a half tall. He holds a long spear (1 inch taller than he is) in his left hand -- the spear is not sharp and the long shaft is quite bendy, so I don't think a child could injure themselves with it.
~~ Speeder Bikes: Two identical speeder bikes are included with the figures. They too are pretty accurate. The only movable pieces are the handlebars. The front bit is a bit bendy, and might break off with excessive rough play (we bent ours pretty far though, and it held up just fine). Both the Luke and Biker Scout figures fit securely on the bike seats, and do not fall off easily (in fact you have to wrestle with them a bit to get them off).
Quickie Summary:
Pros:
+) Accurate and Well-detailed
+) Designed for pre-schoolers (chunky figures, no small parts, well balanced, etc)
+) Fun to play with!
+) They are absolutely adorable!
+) Great play set from "Return of the Jedi"
Cons:
-) Not much articulation
-) Jedi-force magnet does not work terribly well in this set
Final Thoughts:
My son does enjoy these toys already, even though he has no concept of Star Wars or what impact it had on the movie industry and on the youth of America in the 70's and 80's. The toys are adorable, and I'm impressed with the quality and the thought that went into making them safe for toddlers. I think that, even if we didn't have a toddler of our own, my husband and I would have purchased these figures anyway -- they're just that cute!
Related Reviews:
Playskool Star Wars Adventures Millennium Falcon Adventure
Playskool Star Wars Adventures - The Stompin' Wampa Set
Playskool Star Wars Adventures - X-Wing Adventure
R2-D2 Interactive Astromech Droid
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Like, you are reading a gnarly review for the 80's Fer Shur! W/O hosted by Lisa_J. So don't have a cow if you find the product cheesy! Recently celebrating her 36th birthday, she strolled back into 80's ville. Feel free to schmooze the hostess by crashing this awesome w/o.
Don?t be a major dweeb-o-rama; check out the totally awesome participants. The word to your mother is they're totally rad!
Lisa_J - Hostess (listing of reviews on profile page) | magenta321 | lyagushka | sblaydes | jo.com | lilscamp | Arthur.Rubin | mjfrombuffalo | bonniesayers | 2buzy | ned1 | dragonfire88 | cletta1201 | melissasrn | d_fienberg | lorendiac | kld718 | MizGnomer (that's me) | beecharmer | jenb123
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 14.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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Epinions.com ID:
mizgnomer
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Location: Tennessee
Reviews written: 306
Trusted by: 202 members
About Me:
Don't meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you're crunchy and taste good with ketchup
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