Box Sides (click to enlarge)
Box Sides (click to enlarge)
| Catalog Entry | |
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Catalog Description:
Remember in RETURN OF THE JEDI when LUKE SKYWALKER and his band of REBELS fought off JABBA's henchmen in the desert? Well, now kids can recreate this scene with their very own TATOOINE SKIFF-- the vehicle from this scene that's perfectly adapted for desert battles. Kids can pretend to steer the vehicle over their own simulated desert by maneuvering the movable rear fins. This new TATOOINE SKIFF also features landing pods so the vehicle can stand unassisted. A movable gang plank--just like in the movie--sends LUKE SKYWALKER on his way towards the hungry SARLAAC monster! It also has a floor panel, which allows a STAR WARS figure (a bad guy, no doubt!) to be thrown overboard (as BOBA FETT was in RETURN OF THE JEDI). Break-away railings recreate the battle damage excitement. Action Figures sold separately. Ages 4 and up.
Image Source: 1985 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalog |
Description:
Long a collector favorite, the Tatooine Skiff was doomed by lagging interest in Star Wars. It was one of two larger vehicle toys in the Power of the Force line (the other being the Ewok Battle Wagon), and when that line failed to extend past 1985, the Skiff died with it. Although it was planned for release in Kenner's 1986 Droids line, the Skiff never made it to retail stores in Droids packaging. Apparently, not many of the toys were sold while they were available, as Skiffs have always been a tough find on the secondary collector market.
Part of the attraction collectors have to this item certainly stems from its rarity. But it's also just a really cool toy: Not only is its detailing very accurate with respect to the vehicle seen in the film, it's packed with neat action features. Each of the two levers located towards the back of the Skiff controls a different feature. One lowers the landing gear while the other activates the gang plank, which has a flap at its end, allowing figures to be convincingly dumped into an imaginary Sarlaac. Another cool feature of the toy was the "planetary map" that it came packaged with, a sort of catalog cum poster with attractive graphics.
Unfortunately, the Skiff is also quite fragile-- I seriously can't imagine it staying intact for long in the hands of enthusiastic youngsters. But, to collectors, its delicacy only serves to make it more attractive.
It should be noted that, in 2000, Hasbro re-issued the Skiff using the tooling developed for the original toy. However, the newer version differs from its vintage counterpart in obvious ways, including the presence of a newer copyright date.
First Issued: 1985 (POTF packaging)
Re-issues: None
