"Chewie, let's see what this piece of junk can do."
-Han Solo piloting the Tydirium Shuttle to Endor

The Imperial Shuttle Tydirium is a Lambda-class shuttle used by the Imperial Fleet to transport cargo and passengers. Many government officials prefer them because of their combat-worthy construction and large interior space. The shuttles are outfitted with weapons, which allow them to travel without the need for military escort, thus preventing Rebels from determining whether a shuttle is transporting mere cargo or important officials. Equipped with hyper drives, Lambda shuttles are capable of transporting passengers or material between different fleets or star systems.

Today I will be reviewing Hasbro's 2002 ROTJ release of the Imperial Shuttle. This particular release was an exclusive only available through F.A.O. Schwarz toy stores.

To start off with, the box is just plain huge! It is an almost a perfect 24" cube, give or take a few inches. The box has a great photo of the actual toy set in a diorama of the Death Star's landing bay. What really makes this diorama cool is all the 3 3/4" action figures lined up next to the ship with the Emperor and Darth Vader exiting the vessel.

The ship requires some minor assembly once removed from the box. The ship is made a precision fit high quality plastic making assembly a snap, taking only a few moments. Once the ship is assembled you are rewarded with a huge an imposing toy, towering at almost 22" tall with its landing gear down and wings up.

The Imperial Shuttle is highly armed with cannons located at both ends of the ship. Along with being armed to the teeth this ship features some truly realistic weathering. If the guns and weathering detail weren't enough, this toy also has a few surprises. Check out the landing gear, notice the front center looks like a trigger/handle? Well it is, and you need this handle to steadily hold this very heavy toy. The trigger, when pressed, lowers the side wings. Other features shown are the extendable boarding ramp and realistic rear thrusters. Just check out the next 4 photos to see what I mean.

The last 2 photos show the cozy detailed cockpit and the spacious passenger cabin. The cockpit is accessed by simply flipping forward the windshield hatch and the cabin is accessed via removing a side panel.

And so, it begins! I have the Star Wars bug......

I bit the bullet this summer and did something I promised myself I would not do. I bought my first Star Wars vehicle, The Legacy Collection Millennium Falcon. I have been trying to stay away from Star Wars because of the overwhelming amount of cool stuff that is out. I knew once I started, I could be hooked. I must confess, I am a total toy druggie and the easy access of Stars Wars goods at local stores is just so tempting. I actually thought that I came away from my purchase of the MF without a screaming habit, I was wrong!

Scene cuts to last week...I'm out with my wife killing time at a local Wal-Mart. Knowing that I have a problem, like a fool I decided to check out the toy aisle. At first I was not impressed, the usual generic fair of Americanized crap we give our kids for X-mas and birthdays. I was starting to think that I was OK and that my toy addiction was under control. I was sadly mistaken! I looked up and I saw the corner of a box just barely visible on the top shelve. All that I could make out was Star Wars and Legacy. Being that I loved The Legacy Collection MF, I just had to investigate.

Today I will be reviewing my findings: Star Wars A-Wing fighter with Green Leader Arvel Crynyd pilot figure. You may or may not remember Arvel Crynyd. If not, in ROTJ he was the guy that crashed into the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer Executor, resulting in the Executor crashing out of control into the second Death Star. Enough of the back story, on to the toy!

The toy is packed in a window box that looks very much like the packaging for the new Clone Wars toys. Note that this toy is a Wal-Mart exclusive.

The first thing I noticed about the A-wing is the detail of the paint job. I really like the shading and feel it adds to the realism of the toy. The toy is made of sturdy plastic and felt really light, but I'll get back to that later.

Some of the features of this toy are, a highly detailed opening cockpit, movable side cannons and retractable landing gear.

Cockpit canopy automatically opens when you slide back the lever located just behind the canopy on the fuselage.

The landing gear is manipulated using the gray lever near the rear left landing gear. Notice the cover next to the lever. It sorta looks like a battery cover, huh? My theory is that the original design of this ship may have included electronics. This may explain the lack of heft I mentioned earlier.

I’m ashamed to admit that this is my first Sideshow Star Wars 12” toy. What the hell was I thinking? This thing is awesome!

I’m ashamed to admit that this is my first Sideshow Star Wars 12” toy. What the hell was I thinking? This thing is awesome!

I’d seen a lot of the characters come and go, but none of them had really made me that excited. The Star Wars characters that I really enjoy are the Bounty Hunters, Droids and Aliens. The minute they make a 4-LOM, I am so there.

Boushh was one of my favorite Star Wars action figures as a kid. I almost resented the fact that it was actually Princess Leia in disguise. I mean, the character just looked so cool, with the mask and the giant weapon. In my world, Boushh was a bad-ass bounty hunter just like Boba Fett.

Sideshow’s 12” Leia as Boushh is about a great of a Boushh toy as you are going to get. It features realistic clothing that uses the appropriate material to match the film. Included garments are:

• Jacket
• Undershirt
• Pants
• Waistband
• Belt
• Traditional Ubese Boots
• Ogygian Cloak
• Bandolier
• Impact Armor Mantle with canister pack

Accessories include

• Boushh helmet - interchangeable with Leia portrait
• Thermal Detonator
• Electrostaff
• Gloved hands with spike detail
• 12-Inch Figure Display Base with Star Wars logo

The toy comes in a fantastic box. It opens like a book when the magnetic flap is released. On one side is a tray with all the accessories, the other side has the figure. I like that you don’t have to do anything destructive to the packaging to get the figure out.

Leia as Boushh is a fully articulated action figure, not just a display piece. She can hold the Electrostaff in one or both hands.

The head can be swapped for an unmasked version. The likeness to Carrie Fisher is uncanny. The bandolier features removable cartridges, and included are additional cartridges that you can place where you like. The Canister Pack attaches to the back to complete the ensemble.

Boushh also comes with a thermal detonator!
So I really like the detail, the articulation and the accessories. However, there were a few things I didn’t care for:

1. The helmet looked too green on mine, it should have been more orange.
2. Leia’s head looks too big
3. The extra canisters – where do they go? What are they for?
4. I couldn’t get the bandolier to stay on the shoulder, it kept sliding off.
5. Grips on the hands are VERY tight, making holding the staff difficult.

These are nitpicks, I know, but that is what I am here for. I still think it is a great figure despite these flaws, and urge you to pick one up at Sideshow Collectables.

When it came time to review this figure, I couldn’t help myself. I took the AT-AT out into the woods and brought along a speeder bike. I was like a little kid in heaven.

While I don’t pick up each and every star wars figure, I am a sucker for the Star Wars vehicles, particularly the ones I had as kid.

The AT-AT toy has been reissued several times since its first release in 1981. Even back in those days, the AT-AT was an expensive toy, coming in at $47.99. My parents didn’t have a lot of money, but for Christmas 1981 they found a way to get it for me. I remember that Christmas morning, unwrapping the large box. Upon realizing what was inside, I pumped my fist in excitement. I LOVED THAT TOY.

Unfortunately, I don’t remember what happened to it. When the AT-AT release came out in 1997, the price had bumped up to $79.99. Not too bad considering it had been 16 years since the first one came out. Still, for me eighty dollars was a luxury I couldn’t afford in 1997. This version of the toy used the original molds, but added weathering, missile firing cannons, redesigned light up cannons, and a whole electronic sound module. I passed on it, and I regretted it.

Flash forward to 2007 and for Valentines Day, my Wife and kids got me the latest version of the AT-AT. This one is called the Endor AT-AT, and was available as a Toys R Us exclusive. It is essentially the same toy as the 1997 version, but this one has been changed subtly yet again. Ten years later and the cost only went up about Ten dollars.

The first noticeable difference is the paint. This AT-AT has been weathered to look as if it has been walking through the dense jungles of Endor. Dirt and smudges are all over the toy, and it looks really great. Inside the body is a control panel assembly with three buttons on it, as well as a screen image. Pressing the buttons gives you various sound effects, such as laser blasts and AT-AT walking noises. The sounds and screen image have been changed since the 1997 release.

The head of the AT-AT walker features 2 moveable cannons that shoot missiles. The cannons underneath the head move by sliding a lever on the right side. Sliding this lever back and forth activates a light and sound feature that is really awesome. A red glow appears from underneath and a “Pew! Pew!” sound alarms.

Included with the AT-AT are two figures. The AT_AT pilot is a really fine articulated figure, with all of the modern articulation you expect with newer Star Wars figures. He is a repack of The Saga Collection AT-AT Driver (SAGA-009).

When it came time to review this figure, I couldn’t help myself. I took the AT-AT out into the woods and brought along a speeder bike. I was like a little kid in heaven. I hope you like these shots, and I encourage you to go out and get your own AT-AT and recreate Endor in your backyard.