The Micro Collection was so cool. Too bad actual playsets of those would have been prohibiatly expensive. They exposed the other playsets in a way. A Few of the smaller Hoth micro collection pieces looked like the 3 3/4 figure sets. I am actually shocked an overpriced death star based on New Hope hasn't been put out there yet. Maybe for the 50th.
I remember calling the Sears mail order place over and over asking if the Cantina Adventure set came in. They would have blocked my number if the technology existed back then ! 😆
I had a giant TV Box that I painted white mountains on box, then used packing peanuts crumbled up for the snow, plus another box in there for the Wampa cave, then cut out decorations for computers.n wires,. and some guns from lost toys put up everywhere. I miss that thing
I didn't have those playsets but if I did I would absolutely link up the related scenes together (think cantina and the cardboard Mos Eisly backdrop) and have an immersive experience, setting up a little world. That is the draw of a playset. Lacking these, I did instead create my own space stations out of whatever was around the house. Boxes, paper, cardboard, odd bits of plastic and metal. cloth scraps. etc.
Yeah, I agree. Kenner should’ve made a cloud city play set the size of the Death Star, and the Ewok Village. You could’ve had the carbon freezing chamber, the ugnaught scrap yard, which you could’ve stuck a droid factory 2 play set within a play set if they wanted. You could have the cloud car/Slave one landing pad, and the dining room with a little sliding string mechanism to yank Han’s gun out of his hand. That would’ve been the fuckin’ nuts!
I remember wanting the star destroyer play set, really bad. I traded my two taun taunts to my buddy for it. Think I might have played with it once. Basically a playset where you could sit Vader down and have him do nothing. I didn’t learn until a couple years ago, that you were supposed to hang the Falcon off the back off it by it’s landing gear.
My parents and my favorite uncle each gave me a droid factory in 1979(?). Aside from reaching a level of nirvana from all of the parts available, I remember the torque on that crane. I think it could have held a Chevy 454 engine block up in place. Dagobah? That year I had a feeling the package under the tree from my brother was one. This smiley blind guy in our mall would hand out sign language alphabet cards for donations. I took the one he gave me into the Woolco in the mall and measured out a Dagobah playset box on a shelf using the card and went home to confirm that was indeed the gift. Exciting times.
That's funny, I looked at my gifts a few times. My parents got me a NES for my birthday. They went somewhere. I found it and hooked it up. They came home (I saw them in the driveway) and I had it boxed up and back in place before they walked in the door. I know not star wars, but you made me think of it 😂😂😂
You can tell a lot about a kid by where they stashed their Vienna sausages. Mine went in the pit under Jabba's throne, it could hold the juice too. He was a good figure/playset, a fine pipe that taught the benefits of smoking, his trusty monkey dog, S Crumb. The bones of those that crossed him under his seat, keeping my sausages warm.
Thanks for the great video about all of these play sets. I had have a handful of them, but would still love to track down the rest. I finally got my hands of the elusive Death Star for Father’s Day a few years back. Love that thing!
I had the tree stump place set with the quicksand that was actually a sponge with a couple of slits so Luke (or whoever) could go down into it. That was a great feature
Buried in a dump in Massachusetts, there is a trash bag with almost all of those playsets in it. The only ones that are missing are the Star Destroyer, Jabbas throne, and the Jabba's Dungeon. Yes even the Sears Cantina is in there along with the Blue Snaggletooth.
Kenner should have the word Playset in quotes with some of the "Playsets" they produced. Oh well, it was the 70's and Space Invaders on Atari was like 100 games according to the box .I Loved the Kenner Death Star. It really blew my mind as a little kid...and the perfect size for Shogun Warrior Godzilla to fight
Good video. My fave was the Death Star, followed by the Falcon. Yes, that was technically a ship, but it was more a playset than half of the things in this video. I didn't even know the Vader Star Destroyer existed until I saw it in a shop about the time of Episode I.
I'm not a wealthy man, but I think Junkman might be the first person I join as a paying member. Been watching him for so long now. Helps he's around my same age and I'm pretty sure he's a Georgian as well.
He is! And yes, Junkman has that certain entertainment value to him that is enjoyable. He should have more subs tho. I think TH-cam killed his algorithms? I assume
Id i had these right now... Id literally play with them! Yeah, my life hasn't gone well lately. Lol But id be making back drops, 3D printing, etc etc .
That gun on the Star Destroyer breaks veey easily! If you're flying the ship around as a kid, and just bump the gun on a wallor door or friend's shoulder etc, itll snap quick! I had to keep gluing it on, eventually i just strapped it down with string. Cheap!
I still have my Land Of The Jawas playset and the Hot Ice Planet playset. I liked that both came with an extra toy (the escape pod & the radar/canon thing). Kenner could have reused that base plate one more time for ROTJ for an Endor Shield Generator playset and/or a return to Tatooine with Jabba's Palace backdrop and entrance. Kuja wanki mitby cosa. The Death Star playset could have been re-issued for ESB as a Cloud City playset. For ROTJ, it could have been an updated Death Star and/or Endor Shield Generator playset. The ROTJ Dungeon should have at least included a cardboard backdrop scene to give it more character, with some cell doors and droid torture scenes on it. Very little effort was put into this one.
I’m collecting all of these now. I have most of them but still got some work to do. My fave of all time is the Death Star. It was also my first. I recently bought it again as my childhood one is long gone. Second fave is difficult but probably Dagobah. And I did like the probot playset! Another one of my faves but I guess not so much for you! Please do one on the vehicles next! - Ron Scott
I had the turret and probot, degobah, ewok village, and Jabba the hutt. I still displayed all my figures, along with Jabba and the rancor, back in the mid to late 90s. I didn't even know about bespin and the Star destroyer as a kid. Sounds like you like those Vienna sausages 😂😂😂 You crack me up, junkman 😁
The Ewok Village (with Omega Supreme a shining jewel of my childhood collection), Jabba, and Rancor (my brother's) were awesome. RothJ toys were a big step up (especially from the 70s ones, though I wish I had the Dewback). We also had the shuttle (brother's) and speeder bike. We didn't have many of the vehicles. I had the cantina, but I was disappointed in it. I also had the turret and probe droid and the first dungeon. (I think some of these were from shady lawsuit money.)
The Ewok village was awesome! I'm pleased to say I had it. My Ewoks defended it (with my old Chewbacca) against Jawa invaders, Boba Fett who escaped the pit, and leftover Biker Scouts. My brother's Jabba also was awesome. I had the turret and probe droid which wasn't great except for the droid. Many of these aren't great. I had the first dungeon which I got for the figures. I had the cantina. I remember it well, but it was kind of lame. They should have made a real Bespin set.
The true diversity of JM's content is to go from reviewing crappy kids swings from the 60s to this 😂 Fun fact, Elliott in E.T had the Darth Vaders Star Destroyer and Turret and Probot set in his bedroom - worst parents ever 😂 I've just recently bought a boxed Kenner Creature Cantina that is complete in amazing condition and I couldn't be happier. It's now my favourite piece in my SW collection, but it was a little before my time, I was a ROTJ kid.
Mom bought me the death star when we were at service merchandise not Xmas or bday, just bought it. Was the best playset of any before or after. Maybe the only thing close was my Wayne foundation . Thanks for the video...
The best thing about these playsets was that you could PLAY with them, they had action features! The clues in the word "play" Kenner; I just can't see any play value in a frickin' static corridor, that's just a Diorama! Give us a proper Bespin playset featuring a working Carbon Freeze chamber with an electro-torture chamber attached! Burn Han, burn! Freeze Han, freeze! 😂
I had most of them as a kid. I have all of them now. Yeah, it was obvious to me also as a kid when Kenner was being cheap and reusing bases or concepts. I mean it was only a year between Land of the Jawas and Hoth Ice Planet! Did they think we wouldn't notice? 8 year old me was smart enough to see it for f's sake! I do think the Sears playsets get too much hate nowadays. People forget that their purpose wasn't to be an awesome playset but to get 3 or 4 of next year's figures early! I remember being at Sears with my dad, and buying the Rebel Command Center because it was the same price or cheaper than buying the three figures separatley (if you could even find them: AT-AT Commander was a pegwarmer, but Luke Hoth and R2 sensorscope were hard to find). Oh, and yeah, my fav - by far - is of course the Death Star. They never outdid that one. Its vintage Kenner's masterpiece!
The Land of the Jawas DID have a lever that knocked over figures. Look to the left of the base and see the lever. The Jawa is standing on the plate that knocks him over. There is also a cave behind the Jawa that Jawas could hide in while they waited for Artoo to roll by.
Playsets never really sold all that well in Star Wars when compared to the ships because the method of play was based around the starships. Masters of the Universe sold Castle Grayskulls like hot cakes because the method of play and overall toyline centered around that castle. GI Joe also being army based needed forts to defend against the Cobra enemy. With Star Wars the fun playsets seemed to be centered around a gimmick that was affordable but for the most part a lot of the play was imaginative based. We took our AT ATs and Snowspeeders outside in winter and that was Hoth or a white sheet towel or blanket bunched up was the Wampa cave. Our Kitchens was Cloud City. Big playsets also never really saw big sales numbers for Kenner like the Death Star or the Star Destroyer.
The Imperial Attack Base had a great name and maybe that's what sold it to kids... but Kenner frustrated me because it makes no sense. As Junkman says, the Empire had no base on Hoth. So really, what kids bought should have been THE REBEL DEFENSE BASE. (I guess "attack" tested better than "defense.") Put the rebels on the inside and the imperials on the outside and you've got a great imaginary recreation of the film.
Oh wow there are other buttons for stuff 🧐 good thing my CNC machine isn’t this complicated but it’s from the 80’s sooooo it has real buttons nots Star treky screen buttons.
@@ThatJunkman Then I guess you will also neither confirm or deny that Bea Arthur did the voice for Snaggletooth in the movie. It's how she landed the role in the Xmas Special.
I love The micro play sets they don’t get the love they should
The Micro Collection was so cool. Too bad actual playsets of those would have been prohibiatly expensive. They exposed the other playsets in a way. A Few of the smaller Hoth micro collection pieces looked like the 3 3/4 figure sets. I am actually shocked an overpriced death star based on New Hope hasn't been put out there yet. Maybe for the 50th.
They were awesome.
The swinging doors worked with a rubber band! Perfect! Great playset! Nice post, Junk!
I loved the degobah playset. Still have it on display with the usual figures. Jabba was iconic and a great playset.
Jabba and the village were very awesome! We had them.
The cool thing about toys of this era is YOU HAD TO PUT THEM TOGETHER and that’s how you learned to work with your hands.
Kids today couldn't put together a 25 piece Scooby Doo puzzle. Lol. I had the Scooby Doo puzzle
So true! I used always take them apart and reassemble them!
I remember putting together the probe droid.
The droid factory isn't the best, but it's my favorite due to sentimental value.
Star Wars oh beautiful Star Wars
I remember calling the Sears mail order place over and over asking if the Cantina Adventure set came in. They would have blocked my number if the technology existed back then ! 😆
Always used my Imperial Attack Base as a rebel base. With my Taun Tauns and Snow Speeder that was the home of the rebels.
I had a giant TV Box that I painted white mountains on box, then used packing peanuts crumbled up for the snow, plus another box in there for the Wampa cave, then cut out decorations for computers.n wires,. and some guns from lost toys put up everywhere. I miss that thing
@@Sammy_Boy_Smith that’s awesome yeah I understand was prob an awesome homemade play set!
i had nearly forgotten about the Droid Factory - not sure i ever asked for it, or even wanted it, but somehow i GOT it
I grew up in the 90s and always wanted some of these old playsets. All we got were freaking hallways.
I can't wait for the bathrooms now
And roided versions of characters. I hated the 90s SW toys. I think I had a few like Fett.
I didn't have those playsets but if I did I would absolutely link up the related scenes together (think cantina and the cardboard Mos Eisly backdrop) and have an immersive experience, setting up a little world. That is the draw of a playset. Lacking these, I did instead create my own space stations out of whatever was around the house. Boxes, paper, cardboard, odd bits of plastic and metal. cloth scraps. etc.
Yeah, I agree. Kenner should’ve made a cloud city play set the size of the Death Star, and the Ewok Village. You could’ve had the carbon freezing chamber, the ugnaught scrap yard, which you could’ve stuck a droid factory 2 play set within a play set if they wanted. You could have the cloud car/Slave one landing pad, and the dining room with a little sliding string mechanism to yank Han’s gun out of his hand. That would’ve been the fuckin’ nuts!
I want the Droid Factory. I own the Dagobah Playset. Dagobah rocks!
I remember wanting the star destroyer play set, really bad. I traded my two taun taunts to my buddy for it. Think I might have played with it once. Basically a playset where you could sit Vader down and have him do nothing. I didn’t learn until a couple years ago, that you were supposed to hang the Falcon off the back off it by it’s landing gear.
My parents and my favorite uncle each gave me a droid factory in 1979(?).
Aside from reaching a level of nirvana from all of the parts available, I remember the torque on that crane.
I think it could have held a Chevy 454 engine block up in place.
Dagobah? That year I had a feeling the package under the tree from my brother was one. This smiley blind guy in our mall would hand out sign language alphabet cards for donations. I took the one he gave me into the Woolco in the mall and measured out a Dagobah playset box on a shelf using the card and went home to confirm that was indeed the gift.
Exciting times.
That's funny, I looked at my gifts a few times. My parents got me a NES for my birthday. They went somewhere. I found it and hooked it up. They came home (I saw them in the driveway) and I had it boxed up and back in place before they walked in the door. I know not star wars, but you made me think of it 😂😂😂
@@michaelrussom6463 Good times. Thanks for the memory.
You can tell a lot about a kid by where they stashed their Vienna sausages.
Mine went in the pit under Jabba's throne, it could hold the juice too. He was a good figure/playset, a fine pipe that taught the benefits of smoking, his trusty monkey dog, S Crumb. The bones of those that crossed him under his seat, keeping my sausages warm.
nice hiding spot
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Thanks for the great video about all of these play sets. I had have a handful of them, but would still love to track down the rest. I finally got my hands of the elusive Death Star for Father’s Day a few years back. Love that thing!
Just got the jawa playset for Christmas. Think I just played with the escape pod.
I had the tree stump place set with the quicksand that was actually a sponge with a couple of slits so Luke (or whoever) could go down into it. That was a great feature
Buried in a dump in Massachusetts, there is a trash bag with almost all of those playsets in it. The only ones that are missing are the Star Destroyer, Jabbas throne, and the Jabba's Dungeon. Yes even the Sears Cantina is in there along with the Blue Snaggletooth.
I don't want to think about what happened to ours! :(
Kenner should have the word Playset in quotes with some of the "Playsets" they produced. Oh well, it was the 70's and Space Invaders on Atari was like 100 games according to the box .I Loved the Kenner Death Star. It really blew my mind as a little kid...and the perfect size for Shogun Warrior Godzilla to fight
Good video. My fave was the Death Star, followed by the Falcon. Yes, that was technically a ship, but it was more a playset than half of the things in this video.
I didn't even know the Vader Star Destroyer existed until I saw it in a shop about the time of Episode I.
I'm not a wealthy man, but I think Junkman might be the first person I join as a paying member. Been watching him for so long now. Helps he's around my same age and I'm pretty sure he's a Georgian as well.
Thanks for the support!
He is! And yes, Junkman has that certain entertainment value to him that is enjoyable. He should have more subs tho. I think TH-cam killed his algorithms? I assume
Cool video playsets were cool back then I remember a friend of mine had the death star boy we had fun putting the figs in the trash compactor
Id i had these right now... Id literally play with them! Yeah, my life hasn't gone well lately. Lol
But id be making back drops, 3D printing, etc etc .
That gun on the Star Destroyer breaks veey easily! If you're flying the ship around as a kid, and just bump the gun on a wallor door or friend's shoulder etc, itll snap quick! I had to keep gluing it on, eventually i just strapped it down with string. Cheap!
I still have my Land Of The Jawas playset and the Hot Ice Planet playset. I liked that both came with an extra toy (the escape pod & the radar/canon thing). Kenner could have reused that base plate one more time for ROTJ for an Endor Shield Generator playset and/or a return to Tatooine with Jabba's Palace backdrop and entrance. Kuja wanki mitby cosa.
The Death Star playset could have been re-issued for ESB as a Cloud City playset. For ROTJ, it could have been an updated Death Star and/or Endor Shield Generator playset.
The ROTJ Dungeon should have at least included a cardboard backdrop scene to give it more character, with some cell doors and droid torture scenes on it. Very little effort was put into this one.
I’m collecting all of these now. I have most of them but still got some work to do. My fave of all time is the Death Star. It was also my first. I recently bought it again as my childhood one is long gone. Second fave is difficult but probably Dagobah. And I did like the probot playset! Another one of my faves but I guess not so much for you!
Please do one on the vehicles next! - Ron Scott
I had the turret and probot, degobah, ewok village, and Jabba the hutt. I still displayed all my figures, along with Jabba and the rancor, back in the mid to late 90s. I didn't even know about bespin and the Star destroyer as a kid. Sounds like you like those Vienna sausages 😂😂😂 You crack me up, junkman 😁
The Ewok Village (with Omega Supreme a shining jewel of my childhood collection), Jabba, and Rancor (my brother's) were awesome. RothJ toys were a big step up (especially from the 70s ones, though I wish I had the Dewback).
We also had the shuttle (brother's) and speeder bike. We didn't have many of the vehicles. I had the cantina, but I was disappointed in it. I also had the turret and probe droid and the first dungeon. (I think some of these were from shady lawsuit money.)
The Ewok village was awesome! I'm pleased to say I had it. My Ewoks defended it (with my old Chewbacca) against Jawa invaders, Boba Fett who escaped the pit, and leftover Biker Scouts. My brother's Jabba also was awesome.
I had the turret and probe droid which wasn't great except for the droid. Many of these aren't great. I had the first dungeon which I got for the figures. I had the cantina. I remember it well, but it was kind of lame. They should have made a real Bespin set.
I loved playing star wars as a kid😛
And if you ever find an escape pod that smells like Vienna sausage... Now you know the rest of the story.
If I had to choose my favorites, they’d probably be the Cantina and the Death Star playsets.
Thanks j Junkman Great video
I didn't have any playsets.
The true diversity of JM's content is to go from reviewing crappy kids swings from the 60s to this 😂
Fun fact, Elliott in E.T had the Darth Vaders Star Destroyer and Turret and Probot set in his bedroom - worst parents ever 😂
I've just recently bought a boxed Kenner Creature Cantina that is complete in amazing condition and I couldn't be happier. It's now my favourite piece in my SW collection, but it was a little before my time, I was a ROTJ kid.
Mom bought me the death star when we were at service merchandise not Xmas or bday, just bought it. Was the best playset of any before or after. Maybe the only thing close was my Wayne foundation . Thanks for the video...
Best mom ever
The best thing about these playsets was that you could PLAY with them, they had action features! The clues in the word "play" Kenner; I just can't see any play value in a frickin' static corridor, that's just a Diorama!
Give us a proper Bespin playset featuring a working Carbon Freeze chamber with an electro-torture chamber attached!
Burn Han, burn! Freeze Han, freeze! 😂
A Bespin set would be awesome!
I just recently restored an original Jabba playset, but I added a POTF slave girl Leia because of her hotness.
You forgot Darth Vader’s tie backdrop.
That is not a Playset
@@ThatJunkman have you seen my latest video?
@@ThatJunkman you can also look it up.
@@ThatJunkman theswca.com/index.php?action=disp_item&item_id=51225
@@ThatJunkman theswca.com/index.php?action=disp_item&item_id=51225
Never put a jawa or yoda down the rancors mouth. It will be in there forever.
I had most of them as a kid. I have all of them now. Yeah, it was obvious to me also as a kid when Kenner was being cheap and reusing bases or concepts. I mean it was only a year between Land of the Jawas and Hoth Ice Planet! Did they think we wouldn't notice? 8 year old me was smart enough to see it for f's sake! I do think the Sears playsets get too much hate nowadays. People forget that their purpose wasn't to be an awesome playset but to get 3 or 4 of next year's figures early! I remember being at Sears with my dad, and buying the Rebel Command Center because it was the same price or cheaper than buying the three figures separatley (if you could even find them: AT-AT Commander was a pegwarmer, but Luke Hoth and R2 sensorscope were hard to find). Oh, and yeah, my fav - by far - is of course the Death Star. They never outdid that one. Its vintage Kenner's masterpiece!
Veers got two figures but Vader only one!
…’bout time Junkman made a decent Star Wars video!
Brilliant fun vid’. 👌 A lot of these sets I didn’t even know existed.
A Junkman original! 👊🏼
Pretty sure Retro Blasting has a video detailing what is wrong with every one of these playsets.
I’m sure he does and 2 hours long
The Ewok Village and Jabba were perfect. The others not so much.
I had the Land of the Jawas, Creature Cantina, and the Jabba the Hutt playsets.
The Death Star Playset is the greatest playset ever created by mere humans. This is known fact.
Excellent video!!
Death Star is my favorite playset ever. Had the Cloud City Sears Exclusive playset too, just wanted that for Bespin Han Solo.
the imperial attack baee is a nice solid playset. only had 1 friend who had one. went well with other playsets from Hoth
The Land of the Jawas DID have a lever that knocked over figures. Look to the left of the base and see the lever. The Jawa is standing on the plate that knocks him over. There is also a cave behind the Jawa that Jawas could hide in while they waited for Artoo to roll by.
I would iike to see a user-submitted top 30 homemade Star Wars playsets. i made one in art class for Jabbas Palace that was pretty awesome.
Playsets never really sold all that well in Star Wars when compared to the ships because the method of play was based around the starships. Masters of the Universe sold Castle Grayskulls like hot cakes because the method of play and overall toyline centered around that castle. GI Joe also being army based needed forts to defend against the Cobra enemy. With Star Wars the fun playsets seemed to be centered around a gimmick that was affordable but for the most part a lot of the play was imaginative based. We took our AT ATs and Snowspeeders outside in winter and that was Hoth or a white sheet towel or blanket bunched up was the Wampa cave. Our Kitchens was Cloud City. Big playsets also never really saw big sales numbers for Kenner like the Death Star or the Star Destroyer.
The Imperial Attack Base had a great name and maybe that's what sold it to kids... but Kenner frustrated me because it makes no sense. As Junkman says, the Empire had no base on Hoth. So really, what kids bought should have been THE REBEL DEFENSE BASE. (I guess "attack" tested better than "defense.") Put the rebels on the inside and the imperials on the outside and you've got a great imaginary recreation of the film.
No nooner 2 days in a row ??? Did you get a job where they make you do work???
Have you checked the community tab this week? ;)
Oh wow there are other buttons for stuff 🧐 good thing my CNC machine isn’t this complicated but it’s from the 80’s sooooo it has real buttons nots Star treky screen buttons.
But yea your right all kinds oh stuff over there.
Did he say that's Rue McClanahans hand on the cantina playset? From The Golden Girls? Is that a real rumor or are you just trying to start it now?
I can’t comment at this time
@@ThatJunkman Then I guess you will also neither confirm or deny that Bea Arthur did the voice for Snaggletooth in the movie. It's how she landed the role in the Xmas Special.