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By
Julian H. Betancourt |
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DISNEY'S STAR TOURS Like many out there, after hearing the news about the release of the Star Tours figures and vehicle, the new toy line based on characters shown at the Disney's Theme Park ride, I headed up north, taking the long 4 hour drive from Miami to Orlando. In my pocket a huge list of request from different collectors wanting the exclusives and in my wallet a credit card willing to take a big hit once I would find the "sacred plastic sculpts." There are two places in Orlando, Florida selling the nine droids and vehicle making up for this collection. Here is the whole scoop about these exclusives, the places where they are found, short reviews on them and a gallery of detailed pictures permitting the interested reader to have a close up view of the toys. Enjoy! DOWNTOWN DISNEY AND "ONCE UPON A TOY" Our first stop hunting for the exclusives would definitely be Downtown Disney. Nothing more than a huge shopping mall, Downtown Disney houses an incredible array of restaurants, such as Gloria Stefan's "Bongo's" and the famous "Planet Hollywood" where Sylvester Stallone and big Arnold are the CO-owners among other Hollywood celebrities. Downtown Disney has given birth as well to "Pleasure Island" a composition of five different nightclubs, practically linking to each other, offering a unique music style, going from country, to hip hop, to hard-heavy-alternative rock. There is free parking and plenty of it. There is no admission, no fees to pay to get into the shopping mall and stores.
The LEGO store, placed near the lake surrounding the mall is, for those of you into collecting Star Wars LEGOs, a dream come true at Downtown Disney. Unique and exclusive Ego sculptures such as Darth Maul's life-size head, can be purchased there. Pens and key chains created using LEGO pieces and dealing with Star Wars are in abundance as well as shirts and other related Star Wars "pleasures" The store even offers an open air playground area for kids to run and play while being enveloped by life-size LEGO sculptures and building tables were LEGO pieces are free to use. Almost half a block down from the LEGO store, on the East side of the mall, you will find "Once Upon a Toy" This newly developed toy paradise, operated by Hasbro, has been servicing customers for just about a year, opening its doors from 9:00am until 11:00pm. Those of you who liked the incredibly computer animated "Toy Story" motion picture, will be delighted seeing two life-size replicas of Mr. Potato Head and Buzz Lighter, greeting you at the entrance. Inside you will find the Potato Head factory, where you can build your own Mr. Potato using an amazing amount of different parts and styles available. Further in, towards the center of the store, the Star Wars section awaits you. Nicely set up with different display cases and carrying a series of stores exclusives, I thought they would not had. There, the exclusive Toys R. Us X-wing with R2-D2 is available and in big numbers, although retailing for $50.00, a total of $10.00 more than Toys R Us price. The Fan Club exclusive 12" Ki-Adi Mundi is also in stock, maintaining a steady supply daily of over 10 of them on the shelves and selling for $28.00. The FAO "exclusive" Imperial Shuttle makes its rounds also, and selling for $20.00 less than its original retail price of $120.00. A vast amount of 7" vinyl figures such as Jango Fett, Mace Windu, and Vader can also be purchased. Weapons and basic action figures and vehicles are everywhere and of course, the main reason for any Star Wars enthusiast to wonder in the place, the 3 3/4" Star Tours droids cover and entire peg wall with plenty to be had and yes!!! NO LIMIT ON THE AMOUNT OF DROIDS TO BE HAD! ... Buy the entire peg wall if you wish! DISNEY- MGM STUDIOS A day at the Disney- MGM Studios is like being part of a Comedy-Thriller-Action-Adventure. There you can ride rides, see shows, share 3-D guffaws and stunt awes. It is like the very best of showbiz. MGM becomes our second stop as we try to snag the Star Tours merchandise. Located only 10 minutes away from Downtown Disney, MGM studios will definitely cost you to get in. The admission fee is $50.00 for a one day pass. But if the amount is not a problem for you, surely you'll love what awaits inside. The Indiana Jones ride is, to say the least, incredible. You can even become an extra and be part of a series of three different action-packed scenes amazingly recreated right before your eyes in a three stage set. Once you have finished seeing the show, stop by the Indy store where you can purchase a variety of items from the famous Indy hat to the exclusive 3 3/4" figure of the character which includes his torch, gun, whip and sword. The price, just $8.00 for the figure. About half a block down from the Indiana Jones Spectacular, you will be in awe once you see the incredible life-size replica of the AT-AT and Snowspeeder vehicles guarding the entrance of the Star Tours ride. The AT-AT actually has moving cannons and fires some sort of mist. The Imperial March, Mos Eisley spaceport and other well known themes are constantly playing through loudspeakers while you wait in line for the tour, sort of getting you further in the mood of what you are going to experience. The building housing the tour is an exact representation of an Ewok Village. Even a real life size speeder bike is showcased, serving as a perfect picture spot... you can even ride it! STAR TOURS: THE RIDE George Lucas teamed up with the Disney Imagineers bringing the world of Star Wars to MGM-Studios. This was not the first collaboration between Lucas and Disney, as they also teamed up to bring Captain EO to the Magic Eye Theater and the Indiana Jones Adventure. Star Tours is fashioned after a high-tech spaceport, and it is the ultimate Star Wars thrill ride. There's a full scale replica of a StarSpeeder 3000 vehicle, droids repairing droids, wires, cables, dimmed lighting and mechanical sounds that wrap you up and make you part of the environment. If you have a watchful eye, you'll be able to spot, in full scale, all of the droids recently turned into plastic and exclusive to The Parks. While in line to board a designated Speeder, "travelers" will notice R2-D2 and C3P0 are working servicing the craft and they're having the usual back and forth banter the two are well known for. The moving C-3PO will greet you right before boarding the Star Speeder 3000, the vehicle which will take you on a light-speed trip to the Death Star Space Station. When the Spaceport doors open, you're then ready to board your ship. The tour is an incredible flight through space. Using flight simulator technology, "travelers" will experience a not too smooth of a ride, having quite a few obstacles on the way. Captain, "Rex," an inexperienced pilot, lets travelers know that this is his first flight. And after taking off, what was meant to be a pleasure tour turns into a nightmarish event once Captain Rex encounters comets, tie fighters, a Star Destroyer, and ends up going into battle against the Death Star itself. The sensation the flight simulator gives the "travelers" perfectly matches the action on the screen, with dips, shakes, turns and the feel of being pulled back at high speed. The ride guarantees to leave your heart pounding fast. Unfortunately If you suffer from back ailments or motion sickness, you're asked not to ride and children under three feet tall are not allowed. Once you exit the ride, the hallway will lead you right inside the Tatooine Traders, the Star Tours store where you will be surrounded with nothing more than Star Wars merchandise. The building's structure is that of a typical Tatooine moisture farm, even some moisture vaporators can be found outside of the premises. Shirts, mugs, pencils, posters, lightsabers, key chains, magnets and anything you can think of relating to the films fill the place up. There, against the wall, the exclusive figures of the droids and the Starspeeder 3000 vehicle can be found. Surprisingly they do not carry as many as Once Upon a Toy carries, but still you can grab them by the bunch.
THE DROIDS The twelve droids ship individually in solid cases to the parks. Each case brings a total of 24 figures. The figures have been so far released into four Waves with each wave containing three characters. The waves and street dates are as follows:
FIGURE OBSERVATION: ARTICULATION The smaller droids such as R3-D3, R4-M9 and R2-D5 present the usual astromech articulation found at the dome and shoulders. R4-M9 and R2-D5 have retracting center legs and center foot movement while R3-D3 feet do not have articulation and its third and center leg is not retractable. R3-D3's body is the same one as the one used for POTJ's R2, having wheels under its three legs and spoke-like pegs at the shoulders. Its dome is clear a see-through piece highlighted in red and blue, just like the droid at the Tours, resembling very much that of R3-T7 but with a more protruding eye and colorful "wires" inside. Captain Rex, the captain of the Star Speeder 3000, has been nicely sculpted and is very exact to the likeness of the original prop seen once aboard the action packed tour ride. Rex is the biggest one of the droids as far as width and amount of plastic used. Its rounded shape and flip up clear dark blue visor make the figure really stand out. Rex is also the most articulated of all the droids, having movement at the neck and lower and upper part of its torso. Its left and right arms move at the shoulders, while the one on its back, located at waist line level, moves at its point of entry in the body. WEG-1618 is he tallest of all the droids. Its copper like body is well rendered and at times, if hit properly by a light, it truly appears to be made out of metal. He also allows for a good few poses, presenting a ball jointed neck, articulation at the shoulders and hips. Despite is thin legs, the figure is made of a sturdy plastic, easily balancing and supporting the body. G2-4T and G2-9T are both the exact same mold but with different paint schemes. Both figures have been sculpted with grace, showing all sorts of details such as wires and writings the original life-size one props have. G2-4T's name is written in white letters and placed over red stripes found at each side of his head. Its wrists and feet also present highlighted blue accents. Just like G2-4T, its twin brother, G2-9T, is paint accented in the same areas but using blue highlights instead. Both droids present articulation at the neck, shoulders, waist line, hips and feet. The figures do not have any peg holes under their feet. This droids can be seen while you wait in line to board the Star Speeder. The first one seen is G2-9T, repairing another droid, R2-D5, moving its arms and head and taking while doing so. As you get closer to take the ride the G2-4T, the red version, stands behind some controls and recites a few phrases while his head and arms move. When it comes to poor articulation, DL-X2 is a clear example of a plastic triangular like shape and a moving arm. Only the elbow on the arm moves. Besides that, the figure offers no other play feature. It is sad to pay $10.00 for it but, I guess we need it if we want to have the entire line. The oversized SK-Z38, the bird looking droid, was the last of the droids to be offered. Intended for a May 2003 release, the figure was delayed due to the problem that its beak was too pointy and needed retooling, as it was a hazard for small children. Despite its recall, a few early samples made it to the street and sold on Ebay for ridiculous prices. The corrected mass produced version of the droid offers articulation at the beak, which opens and closes and has a rotating propeller on its top, making the entire sculpt look like a cross between a bird and a helicopter. Its legs are two weak, tilting the sculpt forward and making it rest on the beak.
PACKAGING WAVES 1 and 2 The first two waves of these figures (first 6 figures) were packed using a POTJ cardback, minus the "Power of the Jedi" text. No Force File was included and no description of the characters were given, other than their names. The lower left corner of the front of the card shows a green Mickey mouse icon with the words "ages 4+" inside printed in yellow. The blister's bottom has an indented triangular shape and within it, a black sticker is affixed with the Star Tours logo. The back of the card shows at the top left corner, a green Mickey icon with the words "ages 4+" printed on it. The top right corner of the card has the Star Tours logo placed in front of the known yellow and green starburst design. The lower left corner of the card shows a gold icon of the Disney castle and below it, a black and white price sticker is placed reflecting the price of the figure and showing a black shape of Mickey's head. At the center of the card, a faded picture of the Star Speeder 3000 has been placed. An R2 unit can be seen coming up from the top of the vehicle. To the left of the picture, C-3PO stands behind some controls. There is writing to the right center of the card which reads:
PACKAGING WAVE 3
For the
release of Wave 3 the cardback was updated. To better match the
color and design of the basic line at the time, Wave 3 cardbacks
were offered in the same blue tones as the Saga Line, having just
some minor details added to its overall look such as to the card's
front where the top right corner was enhanced with the Star Tours
logo and beneath it, a black silhouette of Mickey's ears with white
letters that read "Age 4+" Everything else on the front of the card
remained loyal to the Saga packaging presentation, including the
description liner inside the blister showing the picture and name of
the character. A price sticker with Mickey's ears was affixed to the
liner's proof of purchase area, below the blister, reflecting its
$10.00 value. Towards the right edge of the card, the official Fan Club and Disney's golden castle Theme Park Edition logos were added. Right under the J peg hook, in the center of the card, there is an oversized Star Tours logo, serving as a header for the descriptive Star Tours paragraph which is written now in English and French. The paragraph suffered some minor alterations towards its end, when compare to previous waves. Waves 1 and 2 read:
Wave 3 shows the same writing for the paragraph but the last sentence was taken out as well as its second paragraph. Now the card reads:
Following the English writing the paragraph gets translated into French:
The warning description, following the aforementioned writing is written in several languages and there is no picture of the Starspeeder 3000 as previous waves had it.
WAVE 4 Scheduled to be released sometime in 2004, Wave 4 the latest set of droids from the 19 year old motion simulator ride, was pushed back and long delayed, actually showing up first at MGM Disney Studios in Orlando, Florida in mid 2005, a year after loose painted shots of the odd trio of droids first appeared on the web. Although rumors had it this Wave was going to be sold at Disney Florida only, it was later on found at the Star Trader shop outside of the Star Tours attraction in Anaheim, California. The figures within this Wave: 3T-RNE, G3-5LE, and MSE-1T were originally scheduled to ship as part of the Saga Line apparently sporting the older blue Saga theme cardbacks. While some samples made it to Ebay packed this way(please see pictures), ultimately the figures were officially released to the public in Original Trilogy Collection-styled black and silver starfield cardbacks.
Those in the States need to keep in mind that, while one of the figures (MSE-1T) is from the ride at the MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida the other two droids are from rides overseas. So don't strain your eyes trying to find them when visiting the Parks here. Here are some highlights about these droids... 3T-RNE: This droid is found plugging in a power cable in the depths of the droidnostics center in Sector 2 at the Star Tour's waiting line. The sculpt received four points of articulation: legs (at the hips) and arms (at he shoulders). The figure also presents a moveable tiny microphone on the right side of its head. Unfortunately its neck and waist line do not move. The colorful yellow and black wires coming out from what appears to be the droid's backpack are nicely rendered and they are separate pieces, not molded unto the sculpt, giving a realistic wire feel to the touch. The paint application however, is horrible. It seems Hasbro was in a rush, leaving buttons and wires unpainted.
G3-5LE: This is the shorter droid on threaded wheels-base like feet, found standing near R3-D3 in Sector 2 at the ride. It would had been nice if Hasbro had included some sort of rolling feature such as small wheels under the base but, that is not the case. The figure received articulation at the shoulders, neck (a plus), and at the hips (waist joints) which allows the droid to lean backward or forward. But just as the 3T-RNE figure, paint application is aweful with this droid. A series of buttons on the head were left unpainted as well as joints and bolts throughtout its body. One can easily tell the paint application on these toys pales in comparisson to that found on a fast food restaurant toy.
MSE-1T: This all silver droid with small green and red "buttons" on the sides, long neck and bulky eyes an red pupils has the appearance of giant mouse-vacuum cleaner. The droid is found running around a track through the droid parts near the entrance to board the Starspeeder 3000 vehicle. The sculpt offers absolutely no moving parts. While the shape of the droid itself doesn't necessarily allow for much articulation, adding at least wheels underneath it as a play feature, or allowing the neck to rotate a bit would had been a plus .Again, the toy maker went the cheap way and opted to give zero to the sculpt. On a last note, the paint application is innacuate as the droid at the ride is mostly black.
NOTE: Just like the three previous Waves, none of the figures making up Wave 4 come with accessories.
PACKAGING WAVE 4 As previously mentioned Hasbro released Star Tours Wave 4 in OTC black starfield cardbacks, apparently in an effort to match up the recently finished line.Some minor changes were given to the cardback in order to to make them look more Disney-like. The STAR TOURS logo was added to the front top left corner of the card, while the front top right corner (right below the choking hazard warning) the black silhouette of Mickey's ears with white letters saying "Age 4+" was added. While a backdrop image showing the droid in the ride (As seen in the OTC line) would had been nice to add to the front of the cards, these have none. Instead all we get is a black starfield background picture. within the square blister with rounded corners is the description liner. This one was done very much like the ones used for the OTC line having a picture of the character surrounded by a white frame and the Line's logo next to it. The left side of the insert has a smaller Star Tours logo and the right side shows the name of the character. The back of the card mimics that of the OTC line as well. The top left corner sports a white rebel symbol while the top right corner has the words Star Wars writen in white letters. A colorful picture of the actual character surrounded by a white frame is found towards the upper half of the card. Next to the picture is the STAR TOURS logo and below it is the bilingual writing, written in English and French, found in Wave 3. Here is some of it as a reminder:
The lower part of the back of the card, below the H hyperspace fan club logo, shows an extensive multi lingual choking hazard warning (12 lines) written in English, German, Spanish, Portuguese and so forth. The left bottom corner has Disney's golden castle Theme Park Edition logo, while the right bottom corner shows the Hasbro logo. The back of the card now differs completely from the previous two waves. For starters, now there's a blended blue picture of the character located towards its upper right corner while the upper left corner shows the Saga Jedi hands holding the ignited lightsaber and the Star Wars font. Below it, is the name of the character. Placed on the center of the back of the every card is the price tag reflecting the $10.00 price. This can be easily removed.
STARSPEEDER 3000 Aside from the figures offered, yet as part of the Star Tours line, Hasbro and Disney gives us the Starspeeder 3000. This is the one intergalactic vehicle "travelers" get into to experience the Star Tours ride. There are plenty of Starspeeder 3000 shuttles at Downtown Disney's store as well as inside MGM. These are just a bit bigger in scale than an Action Fleet vehicle yet smaller than a regular ship for the 3 3/4" scale and they are offered in a nicely blue Saga window box with opening right over the R2 unit provided, allowing the buyer to activate the electronics without taking out of its package. Despite its small size and practically "unknown" status, the vehicle is well constructed, packed with features such as lights and sounds and it even includes a small figure (removable) of Captain Rex. This tiny droid can be attached to a peg provided, inside the ship. The roof of the vehicle can be taken out, revealing three rows of orange seats. Here are the specifications:
R2-D2 Sound Effects (pressing down on R2) Upon its initial release the Starspeeder 3000 was present in such an abundance that boxes were piled up almost as high as the ceiling and it was being sold outside of the store right next to the Star Tours ride.
FINAL THOUGHT:
The
Star Tours figures and toys have proven to be a big hit among
visitors to the Parks, and while some collectors seem to have a
certain apathy for them because of their Theme Park - non film
related origin and similarities to droids seen in non Star Wars
films, for the most part, they are welcoming pieces into their
collections. The line is indeed a Lucasfilm attachment, an appendix
to the visionary mind of George Lucas. ERRORS
WANT MORE? If you enjoyed Julian's Star Tours visual guide here, then you won't want to miss out on our coverage of the Star Tours ride located at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida!
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