Random Toy Pic :: Derth's Visor

For all those of you still on the fence about how badly you need this new Playmobil Fi?ures Series 2 Sith wannabe (I'm lookin' at YOU Reis!), check out this simple customization job which consisted of a piece of red construction paper taped on the inside of his helmet.

Space Case

I am absolutely loving these Playmobil Fi?ures! So much silly simple fun in a small blind bagged package!

In order not to go crazy and buy them all, I have set myself a limit: only collect ones wearing helmets or masks. What can I say, it's a fetish.

So far that philosophy has worked out well for me through Series 1 (Zorro and the Executioner) and with other Playmobil figures outside the 'Fi?ures' theme (Witch Doctor); and now with this guy in Series 2 (Elvis doesn't count - he was for the Mrs.)

But I do need to rethink that philosophy for the girl figures, because I had to have two from Series 2 and neither are wearing a mask or helmet. Both are deadly (a Vampire and Lara Croft) so maybe that's my female Playmobil collecting philosophy: she must be deadly.

I'll work on that.

In the meantime, let's check out my number-one must have from Series 2.

Most of us in the toy collecting world who grew up in the late seventies/early eighties have an ingrained love for Star Wars toys. We played with them, collected them, and quite possibly had bootlegs, knock-offs or just 'inspired by' toys that we squeezed right into our adventures either out of necessity (someone needs to fill the vacant C3PO role) or just because we had imaginations and knew how to have fun with our toys.

This Space Alien baddie reminds me so much of those 'Galaxy Insurgence' or 'Space Combat' or 'Nebula Armed Disagreement' toys of those bygone days. I simply had to have him!

But let's get one thing straight: This guy is not Darth Vader. He's quite far from Darth Vader in most aspects, really. Yet he 'seems' like Darth Vader. He's like a pale shadow of Darth Vader's greatness (kind of like Hayden Christiansen - ZING!)

He's wearing (almost) all black - yet silver boots add to the seventies-space-opera mystique. He's got some wiring on his chest. He's wearing a full length black cape. He's wearing a full face helmet with what appears to be a vent for breathing. His belt buckle has some sort of galactic affiliation symbol on it...

Nope, he isn't Darth Vader at all!

See! Remove his helmet and he's just a happy-go-lucky green alien with yellow hair, who probably needs a drink every now and then and gets his refreshments with his Hammerheaded and Snaggletoothed pals. 

Oh yeah, if it was 1980 I would so be adding this guy to my Star Wars battles. He'd make a great Darth Vader decoy!

'Luke, I am the neighbor of your third cousin twice removed on your uncle Larry's side. Join me and together we shall work together in middle management as neighbor of a third cousin twice removed on a guy's uncle Larry's side and some other guy too!'

Darth Vader Knock-off Code:
35511  0561
003988
5157  01

No, seriously, this is NOT the droid you are looking for...

I'm a toy manufacturer in the late seventies, and I'm about to rip off the most successful summer sci-fi flick ever right as a sequel, which is almost certainly destined to be as successful if not moreso, is about to hit theatres. I'm going to be real sly about it though. I'm going to call my toy 'Star-2!' No one will see through that thin veil unless they are a Jedi, I mean a Jed-eye, and wield the awesome power of the force, I mean the powre of the foress!

This is 'Star-2, the Lovable Teaching Robot.' Star-2 was manufactured in 1980 as far as I can tell, I see no specifics detailing his time of origin on the toy or box, but the cards he comes with are all copyright 1980. Yeah, I get the irony.

And exactly how is a dome with lights on it so 'loveable?' Well it isn't unless you know about R2-D2, who is very lovable in the movie Star Wars. But this isn't an R2 rip off. No sirree.

Okay, so the base is orange, and the dome is white with black details painted on. And the lights are red, yellow and blue. None of those colors are very R2-D2ish, right?

U Mad, George?

The toy is actually pretty neat. You place some learning cards on the panel and answer the questions with a metal tipped probe. Similar to how the old Operation game works, if you get a right answer, the dome lights up and Star-2 makes some noise which is similar to an old electronic phone of some sort.

I iz smart!

There are cards for all sorts of subjects and age ranges, and all are equally seventies-ish in their art and details. Ironically, none of them are space themed. I have 74 cards, so I plan on being pretty learned by the time I'm through!

Here's the box. Man I hated that stupid bob haircut people gave their sons back then. Thank God my mom never put me through such torment. You look like Dorothy Hamill, boy!

Star-2 was manufactured by Educational Insights Inc. of Compton CA. Yup, Star-2 is straight outta Compton. I don't remember NWA ever singing about the Lovable Teaching Robot though.

I did some quick research online and it appears a later version was called 'Charlie the Lovable Teaching Robot,' so clearly Lucas got wind of this thing pretty quick and was at least able to get them to stop using the name 'Star-2,' which seems fair enough.

"I got it bad got it bad got it bad, I'm hot for teacher!"