Box Back and Side (click to enlarge)
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Box Back and Side (click to enlarge)
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Catalog Description:
STAR WARS DROID COLLECTION It's the perfect vehicle for villains--especially those kids will see every week on the new DROID series. The IMPERIAL SIDE GUNNER vehicle is realistically detailed with a center-car cockpit that opens for placement of one action figure, and a sidecar that accomodates another. On the vehicle side, there's a disguised cannon that, when manipulated, causes the sidecar to swivel 180 degrees horizontally and 360 degrees vertically. This vehicle also emits clicking sounds and has laser cannons which add even more excitement to the adventure. Vehicle holds most STAR WARS DROIDS action figures. Ages 4 and up. Image Source: 1985 European POTF Catalog Description Source: 1985 Kenner Toy Fair Catalog |
Description:
The Droids Side Gunner was cool looking and it had a pretty neat action feature which allowed the sidecar to be spun around like an amusement park ride. It was one of three vehicle toys released in the Droids line, the other two being the ATL Interceptor and A-Wing Fighter. The Side Gunner's box is pretty nice, too. But I have no clue what its artwork is supposed to represent. That guy in the sidecar with the red hair and side burns looks more like the singer from Stone Temple Pilots than he does any character from the Droids cartoon series.
Since only about 4 people actually bought Droids toys when they were available at retail, plenty of unused examples of the product were thrown onto the secondary market when the line died out. Still, the mushrooming popularity of Droids stuff with collectors, as well as the relatively low amounts in which it was produced, has meant that the value of the Side Gunner has continued to rise. However, it remains a lot easier to find than the ATL Interceptor.
As the package front states, the Side Gunner also came with a "Planetary Map," a combination catalog-poster with a Power of the Force logo on its exterior panel. In Brazil, toy maker Glasslite issued its own version of the Side Gunner, which came in a nifty package with unique artwork.
First Issued: 1985 (Droids packaging)
Re-issues: None
