What do you think of the new Sandcrawler?

[Trooper Jon]

By now, many of us have received the new Sandcrawler, and I was wondering what do you think of it?

Here's my two cents...

I don't have a vintage Sandcrawler, so I can't make any comparisons of the quality of plastic, ect. I can only compare based on pictures. In comparing pitcures of the new toy to pictures of the model used in ANH, the new Sandcrawler's scupt is very close in detail in the production model. (I do realize, the credit actually is due to the people who made the original toy since basically the old mold is re-used.) Nice job Hasbro. The paint is also very close to the production model. Again nice job.

How about RA-7? You might think his paint is the wrong color, but I think that you would be only partly correct. I was a little irritated when I saw the pictures of the figure because I thought that the paint was all wrong. However; I have large and detailed pictures of the RA-7 droid from ANH, and if you hold the figure up to the pictures and compare, the paint really isn't far off. The paint is not perfect, but it is actually close. Really, I'm serious.

No wheels! I can go either way on this. Initially, I wasn't happy that I was unable to race the Sandcrawler across the floor. I think that the Sandcrawler is more of a playset than a vehicle. If it had wheels, it would be harder to use as a playset anyway. Plus, I think most of us are just going to display it with a bunch of Jawas anyway, so does it really need wheels? Maybe. Maybe not. I do worry for the Jawas though because they won't be able to get away from the Stormtroopers. It will be an even bigger slaughter than in ANH. They should at least have a fighting chance to escape. How sad.

Electronics. Yes, electronics, sounds, and a remote would be awesome. Heck, if it had those features, I would pay twice (maybe three times) as much for it without batting an eye. C'est la vie.

Stickers. I would like to see some stickers in the cockpit. This actually did get me a little peeved. I guess I'll have to find some repros on the net. Anyone have recommendations on who to contact?

Price. I got mine for $40. It is overpriced, but so are many of the Star Wars toys. The longer I have the thing sitting on my desk with a bunch of Jawas and stolen droids though, the more I like it and the more I think that it was worth the cash. For $40, they should be able to escape from the Stromtroopers though, or at least have some electronic sound effects to signal for help. Poor Jawas just can't win.  

[habs98]

Got mine for $40, but was very disappointed when I seen the size of it.  It's the same size as the Y-Wing only more expensive.  I'm not an opener so I think I can deal with it displayed in it's box.

[Boba Binks]

The vintage Sandcrawler is so much better. At least it has wheels to roll around on.

The new version was not made for kids but for the collector who keeps his toys in package. If it were made for kids it would be made out of sturdier plastic and have wheels for it to roll around on. I bought it because I am a completest. I have to have one of everything.

Overall I like the Vintage version.

[Desert Rat]

Here are my thoughts on the Sandcrawler as part of my Review and Detailed pictures soon to be posted:

With so many things missing, one is to wonder whether this was a good reason for retailers not to want to carry this toy. After all, What's the play value on a vehicle that cannot roll and how attractive could it be to others besides collectors? Hasbro certainly took great advantage of existing tools for this second generation Sandcrawler, and sure enough they could've done lots to improve the mold. Instead we got a vehicle with very poor collectible value, being nothing like the toys from the past where mechanical features and moving parts created neat toys serving as the roots of toy collecting.

Honestly I feel we are paying quite too much for a product that has seen minimal improvement and to which most of its noticeable features have been stripped down. There's no remote action, no rolling mechanism, no stickers to be applied, soft plastic construction, rehashed and badly painted figures, error figures with two rigt or left arms. When looked at it this way the $60.00 tag feels as a monumental task to our already suffering wallets.

So what makes this vehicle sell? Two reasons. One, the fact the vehicle was offered so many years ago, made it a scarce, tough sculpt to find. Collectors have been wanting it for years, whether to complete dioramas, create some new ones or simply to have it displayed as what it is, an iconic piece in the Star Wars universe. Although the price is above what it should be, we are willing to pay it and Hasbro knows it.

And reason number two. Despite the lack of active features and poor materials used for its design, the vehicle does sport a realistic appearance and works well as a display piece thanks to the superb paint job and weathering effect. This is a plus among collectors always seeking for authentic looking pieces.

My advice to you is this: If you have some extra cash laying around and want to spend it on it, Go for it! You'll be happy with its new look. But expect it to be just what it has turned out to be,

a CHEAP TOY with a HIGH PRICE TAG.

[Desert Rat]

Trooper Jon Wrote:

Stickers. I would like to see some stickers in the cockpit. This actually did get me a little peeved. I guess I'll have to find some repros on the net. Anyone have recommendations on who to contact?

I mentioned this in my review as well. A great place to obtain repro stickers would be right here:

http://www.erikstormtrooper.com/vehiclestickers.htm#vintage  

I hope this helps

[stormtripper]

I saw one sitting in a store, looked small and crappy. I am hoping that lego gets off their butts and puts one out, I would rather spend $100 cnd on a lego version then spen $80 cnd on one, I think that they are selling for $60 in a more civilized part of Canada. I think that if you wait patiently that they will be all over the boards at $20 by the time EP3 rolls around.

[DARTHVADER176]

i bought min for 32 pound from my local comic book shop

[dustrho]

Check out the new Sandcrawler guide that Julian (aka Desert Rat) has put together.  Great work (again) Julian!

Click on the image/link below to check it out.

[ChewiesYourDaddy]

Here's a funny Sandcrawler video review.
Definitely a comedy review, so don't take it too seriously. Quite fun though.

[Darth Spice]

Straight HILARIOUS at the end there, I love it!  I liked the toy too, both versions. I still have the one from a kid and a couple of the OTC version. THIS is one that really deserves the super-size treatment when Hasbro gets around to making good SW TOYS again.

[jkno]

Indeed a very cool review there