So cool seeing this. I had this playset at 6 years old. Things I remember: -Struts breaking and Dad fixing with super glue. -Blasting the cannon off with my Xwing. -Dropping figures in the hatch with the foam trash and having the door pop from the pressure. -Trying to swing Luke and Leia -Trying to swing Han and Chewie -Swinging any figure over the gap. -X-wing blowing the lid, literally, off the top of the Death Star. -Bringing cantina figures into Death Star to reek havoc. -wishing... freaking wishing I had more then one damn stormtrooper!!!!
Your Star Wars toy restoration videos are really interesting, even though I wasn't into Star Wars and its toys as a kid. Maybe because I was too young to really appreciate them. I was five when Return of the Jedi hit the theatres.
***** Well, maybe it had other reasons. And thinking about it, I really can't remember me watching a lot of live action movies at that time. I was more of a cartoon kid, I guess. When I got my first Masters of the Universe figure for christmas, my interest in action figures started. Then came Transformers, M.A.S.K., Starcom, Battle Beasts, Bravestarr and so on.
Back in the day, I never believed friends who said they had cousins or other pals with one. This is the first time I've seen one. Excellent harmonica usage, by the way. Good videos all around.
Awesome Dark Crystal references! What a great, classic Jim Henson film. I never had the Death Star as a kid. Only one of my friends did. His family had a lot of money and he had almost every large Star Wars set. I would go over to his house and he had so many toys, it was like walking into a Toys R Us. The one play feature from the Death Star set I remember was the Trash Compactor with all of the foam "trash" pieces. As a kid I thought the foam was a really lame substitute for trash.
I had the Death Star Space Station as a kid (I'm 43 now) and completely destroyed it (no pun intended) with all of my playtime. All of the issues you showed happened to my Space Station, but I loved that toy. Which is all you can hope from any toy. I wound up throwing it out because it was just beyond all hope, but I had many fond memories of that toy. I would imagine the hardest part to find is the "rope/grappling hook" that Luke & Leia used? Love your posts! Greg K.
I had this toy as a kid and STILL have it. Yes, many broken bits here and there, but I can't tell you how many hours were spent building, destroying and rebuilding that treasure!
Thank you for these great videos! I restored my Death Star Playstation. It looks like's it's new again! I never knew plastic would clean up so well. Your videos are very much appreciated!
Wanted one of these and a Falcon as a kid but never had either sadly back then. It's going to be great to see the finally product when all the repair and replacement is done. : )
At the time I wrote this, my grandparents brought me the parts to my fathers vintage Death Star playset, snowspeeder and Millennium Falcon Most of the original parts were presented to me, and for the most part they weren't broken. I was able to reconstruct the Death Star set, though it's missing a support leg, the cardboard panels and the trash monster.
Oh goodness, those Death Star Space Station struts might as well be made of paper. I inherited my Star Wars stuff from my uncle when he died. I was a kid at the time and so I was kept away from the collection until I was older and wouldn't open everything or lose it. The plan was to sell it to help pay for my college, but I was still really into having the collection so I didn't sell it during my first couple years. Now though I have reached a point where (though I love all the stuff) I really have no designs on expanding the collection, and would rather it go to a collector who could use it all. So I went through and catalogued everything just a few days ago and made an ebay listing for it. It kinda got me back into Star Wars toys though and led to me doing some youtube surfing, where I found you guys. Love the vids!! Anyhow, sorry for rambing, the point I was getting to is the Death Star Space Station being made of what is essentially tissue paper. Which is a shame, because it's my favorite set in my collection. The one that I have was used by my dad and uncle when they were kids (like the majority of the vintage kenners in my collection. Speaking of which, I have an old x-wing and millennium falcon with soot marks from a lighter where they tried to make it look more "realistic and battle scarred" but I'm keeping those for memory's sake) and miraculously they have the cardboard backdrops intact still and fairly nice looking. The trash compactor has the pipe, trash monster, and all the foam trash bits. The problem arises in the support struts, and the death star laser. About half of them are broken off into the slot on top of each one. Probably a fairly easy temp fix with some glue, but I didn't bother, as I just assembled it for the pictures for the listing and I also didn't wanna damage it by accident. The laser has seen better days, as it no longer does the rotate/fall apart function. Otherwise it's a very neat set though! Probably not as hard to get a full set of as a Droid Factory haha
Another great video! Ah, the Death Star, truly a beauty of pure simple playset making, something I wish Hasbro still continued this trend today but alas, the last playset we got was the Mustafar duel from Ep. III. I anxiously look forward to Pt. 2!
Being one of your Olde Pharte subscribers, I got my Death Star playset when it was first released. Oddly, I never had any breakage problems with mine, and we PLAYED with it. Maybe mine was an early one and the bums got cheap later on in the production run? GREAT episode as always, and looking forward to Part 2. Tex (who found his intact Death Star laser cannon, compactor screw, and Dianoga in the ruins after Katrina)
Excellent. This may prove useful for the future. I did not hear about the Death Star Playset either until later and it is a piece I've rarely seen to this day. Looking forward to the full series! :-)
In Kindergarten I went to my best friends house to play with the HUGE and at that time mythical Death Star toy. A few weeks ago I become the proud owner of that same Death Star. The same one that was the first one I ever saw, the one that blew my 5 year old mind. In the middle of replacing a few broken parts, but it is mostly all there in good shape. It is a time machine.
Haha, I gathered that much though don't feel ashamed to toot your own horn sometimes, your guys' vids are of excellent quality. And yes it does make quite a lot of sense and I can't wait until Pt. 2!
Really enjoyed Guys, I wonder by definition it makes it rarer because time isn't as kind to it as other Kenner Classics? That said the UK version of the DeathStar was beyond fragile from new let alone some 30 years later, look forward to the journey my friend. Cheers Fuzz.
Yes it was cheap plastic. I remember that by the end of its life, my Death Star had several broken struts and the paper walls had some tears in them. However, it would still hold together and I could yet manage to slip the walls through the tracks. I can't ever remember the rope Luke would swing by so that got lost early. It wasn't a bad set to have.
You read my mind! I was planning on Fixing up my Death Star soon. Mine does not need much. Just a couple of the elevator control decals and the top floor needs to be replaced. The gun does not stay in its socket any more. Do you have a way to remedy that?
Hmmm... My toy Death Star came with ONE EXTRA strut. I thought every kid who got a Death Star for Xmas got lucky and got an extra strut.... I used my extra strut in the trash compactor - perfect for the girders and beams that Chewie and Han were using as a last ditch method to stop the walls from encroaching in. [But in my trash compactor, Chewie and Han used it to “pop” the blue pressure hatch open. Didn’t even need to call 3PO and have R2 assist...]
I wonder why Kenner did not bring back the death star playset for return of the Jedi since the Death Star was in that movie? They could’ve made some changes like putting incomplete panels on the side and adding the emperor’s throne on it. Or was the fact that the Jedi line sales was in decline they did not want to spend the time and money making it? 🤔🤔
+chuuska1972 I was born Dec. 1972. I had this playset, but I wish so bad that I had the U.S.S. Flagg (G.I. Joe) Aircraft Carrier. So I know how you feel.
You could most likely order the parts from "shapeways.com", you might have to design and measure them yourself, but I think it would be possible for them to make all sorts of parts!
You can't restore the Death Star. You can only build another one. And keep the Emperor away from it.... I got this when I was a kid, and still have it and the box. Mine was pretty sturdy, as I recall nothing ever broke on it
It's Ironic that there is no Core, given in the film, destroying the core is what destroyed the station. Then again this thing looks like because it has no core, a stiff breeze would do it in.
So cool seeing this. I had this playset at 6 years old. Things I remember:
-Struts breaking and Dad fixing with super glue.
-Blasting the cannon off with my Xwing.
-Dropping figures in the hatch with the foam trash and having the door pop from the pressure.
-Trying to swing Luke and Leia
-Trying to swing Han and Chewie
-Swinging any figure over the gap.
-X-wing blowing the lid, literally, off the top of the Death Star.
-Bringing cantina figures into Death Star to reek havoc.
-wishing... freaking wishing I had more then one damn stormtrooper!!!!
I got this for Christmas, and it sat on the floor next to my bed for years. My absolute favorite Star Wars playset.
Got mine off craigslist 2 years ago for 30 bucks, including the dianoga and the swing rope. Soo happy I have it lol.
Lucky!
Your Star Wars toy restoration videos are really interesting, even though I wasn't into Star Wars and its toys as a kid. Maybe because I was too young to really appreciate them. I was five when Return of the Jedi hit the theatres.
*****
Well, maybe it had other reasons. And thinking about it, I really can't remember me watching a lot of live action movies at that time. I was more of a cartoon kid, I guess.
When I got my first Masters of the Universe figure for christmas, my interest in action figures started. Then came Transformers, M.A.S.K., Starcom, Battle Beasts, Bravestarr and so on.
Back in the day, I never believed friends who said they had cousins or other pals with one. This is the first time I've seen one.
Excellent harmonica usage, by the way.
Good videos all around.
Awesome Dark Crystal references! What a great, classic Jim Henson film.
I never had the Death Star as a kid. Only one of my friends did. His family had a lot of money and he had almost every large Star Wars set. I would go over to his house and he had so many toys, it was like walking into a Toys R Us.
The one play feature from the Death Star set I remember was the Trash Compactor with all of the foam "trash" pieces. As a kid I thought the foam was a really lame substitute for trash.
I had the Death Star Space Station as a kid (I'm 43 now) and completely destroyed it (no pun intended) with all of my playtime. All of the issues you showed happened to my Space Station, but I loved that toy. Which is all you can hope from any toy. I wound up throwing it out because it was just beyond all hope, but I had many fond memories of that toy. I would imagine the hardest part to find is the "rope/grappling hook" that Luke & Leia used? Love your posts! Greg K.
I had this toy as a kid and STILL have it. Yes, many broken bits here and there, but I can't tell you how many hours were spent building, destroying and rebuilding that treasure!
I loved this toy. This was my Xmas of ‘79
Thank you for these great videos! I restored my Death Star Playstation. It looks like's it's new again! I never knew plastic would clean up so well. Your videos are very much appreciated!
Wanted one of these and a Falcon as a kid but never had either sadly back then. It's going to be great to see the finally product when all the repair and replacement is done. : )
The Death Star was my first playset. We got it, along with a bunch of other Star Wars toys, Christmas Day 1979.
You cracked me up when you played the harmonica to reveal the "true shard " !😂😂😂! Way to go "Jen"!😂😜
Sweet. I still have my original. The Canon doesn't snap into place anymore. They did a really nice job designing this.
At the time I wrote this, my grandparents brought me the parts to my fathers vintage Death Star playset, snowspeeder and Millennium Falcon Most of the original parts were presented to me, and for the most part they weren't broken. I was able to reconstruct the Death Star set, though it's missing a support leg, the cardboard panels and the trash monster.
Oh goodness, those Death Star Space Station struts might as well be made of paper. I inherited my Star Wars stuff from my uncle when he died. I was a kid at the time and so I was kept away from the collection until I was older and wouldn't open everything or lose it. The plan was to sell it to help pay for my college, but I was still really into having the collection so I didn't sell it during my first couple years. Now though I have reached a point where (though I love all the stuff) I really have no designs on expanding the collection, and would rather it go to a collector who could use it all. So I went through and catalogued everything just a few days ago and made an ebay listing for it. It kinda got me back into Star Wars toys though and led to me doing some youtube surfing, where I found you guys. Love the vids!!
Anyhow, sorry for rambing, the point I was getting to is the Death Star Space Station being made of what is essentially tissue paper. Which is a shame, because it's my favorite set in my collection. The one that I have was used by my dad and uncle when they were kids (like the majority of the vintage kenners in my collection. Speaking of which, I have an old x-wing and millennium falcon with soot marks from a lighter where they tried to make it look more "realistic and battle scarred" but I'm keeping those for memory's sake) and miraculously they have the cardboard backdrops intact still and fairly nice looking. The trash compactor has the pipe, trash monster, and all the foam trash bits. The problem arises in the support struts, and the death star laser. About half of them are broken off into the slot on top of each one. Probably a fairly easy temp fix with some glue, but I didn't bother, as I just assembled it for the pictures for the listing and I also didn't wanna damage it by accident. The laser has seen better days, as it no longer does the rotate/fall apart function. Otherwise it's a very neat set though! Probably not as hard to get a full set of as a Droid Factory haha
Another great video! Ah, the Death Star, truly a beauty of pure simple playset making, something I wish Hasbro still continued this trend today but alas, the last playset we got was the Mustafar duel from Ep. III. I anxiously look forward to Pt. 2!
Great vid so far, I loved the Falcon restoration and can"t wait to see the rest of this series.
Being one of your Olde Pharte subscribers, I got my Death Star playset when it was first released. Oddly, I never had any breakage problems with mine, and we PLAYED with it.
Maybe mine was an early one and the bums got cheap later on in the production run?
GREAT episode as always, and looking forward to Part 2.
Tex
(who found his intact Death Star laser cannon, compactor screw, and Dianoga in the ruins after Katrina)
my favourite toy of all time right here....
The crystal bit was fuuuny! 😆
Awesome video can't wait to see how this one turns out!! Always wanted a Death Star!!
Excellent. This may prove useful for the future. I did not hear about the Death Star Playset either until later and it is a piece I've rarely seen to this day. Looking forward to the full series! :-)
In Kindergarten I went to my best friends house to play with the HUGE and at that time mythical Death Star toy. A few weeks ago I become the proud owner of that same Death Star. The same one that was the first one I ever saw, the one that blew my 5 year old mind. In the middle of replacing a few broken parts, but it is mostly all there in good shape. It is a time machine.
Congrats and good luck!
@@retroblasting Thanks!
@@retroblasting And thanks for your great videos that help in so many ways.
Sick Dark Crystal reference bro...
I love this playset
Haha, I gathered that much though don't feel ashamed to toot your own horn sometimes, your guys' vids are of excellent quality. And yes it does make quite a lot of sense and I can't wait until Pt. 2!
Another great video guys . bravo !!
Yah, I'm going to have to replace the entire level. But that's ok! I have some repro decals somewhere. I hope you come across some good decals.
My dad's Death Star made it to me with most of its pieces. Luckily, I had enough to get the structure sound.
Really enjoyed Guys, I wonder by definition it makes it rarer because time isn't as kind to it as other Kenner Classics? That said the UK version of the DeathStar was beyond fragile from new let alone some 30 years later, look forward to the journey my friend. Cheers Fuzz.
Yes it was cheap plastic. I remember that by the end of its life, my Death Star had several broken struts and the paper walls had some tears in them. However, it would still hold together and I could yet manage to slip the walls through the tracks. I can't ever remember the rope Luke would swing by so that got lost early. It wasn't a bad set to have.
Great shirt! I love igrewupstarwars!!!!
You read my mind! I was planning on Fixing up my Death Star soon. Mine does not need much. Just a couple of the elevator control decals and the top floor needs to be replaced. The gun does not stay in its socket any more. Do you have a way to remedy that?
Awesome
this seems like it will definatlly be a pain but will make a fun series of vids.
Hmmm... My toy Death Star came with ONE EXTRA strut.
I thought every kid who got a Death Star for Xmas got lucky and got an extra strut....
I used my extra strut in the trash compactor - perfect for the girders and beams that Chewie and Han were using as a last ditch method to stop the walls from encroaching in. [But in my trash compactor, Chewie and Han used it to “pop” the blue pressure hatch open. Didn’t even need to call 3PO and have R2 assist...]
Nice video
I had this as a kid, it was simultaneously the coolest and worst toy I had at the time..so much fun and cool stuff but so insanely fragile
I have a question. Would it be more or less expensive restoring one or buying a untouched out of box one
I wonder why Kenner did not bring back the death star playset for return of the Jedi since the Death Star was in that movie? They could’ve made some changes like putting incomplete panels on the side and adding the emperor’s throne on it. Or was the fact that the Jedi line sales was in decline they did not want to spend the time and money making it? 🤔🤔
I wish i had this playset... i really wish i did :(
+chuuska1972 I was born Dec. 1972. I had this playset, but I wish so bad that I had the U.S.S. Flagg (G.I. Joe) Aircraft Carrier. So I know how you feel.
+Soterion Coil Oh, I forgot...I never had the Millennium Falcon!!! That's just sad wrong. :(
Soterion Coil Pff, all I have is a GI Joe,
Conquest X-30. It doesn't even have most of the pieces.
Ditto... oh well... anyhow I like this channel, it brings those memories back...
I wonder why Kenner never re-release The Death Star playset when Return of the Jedi came out since the Death Star was in the movie.
You could most likely order the parts from "shapeways.com", you might have to design and measure them yourself, but I think it would be possible for them to make all sorts of parts!
You can't restore the Death Star. You can only build another one. And keep the Emperor away from it.... I got this when I was a kid, and still have it and the box. Mine was pretty sturdy, as I recall nothing ever broke on it
hey wazent there a card bord death star
Yes, it was the Palitoy death star. This one is the Kenner version.
Well...that's a very cramped Death Star...
It's Ironic that there is no Core, given in the film, destroying the core is what destroyed the station. Then again this thing looks like because it has no core, a stiff breeze would do it in.
"or buy a complete and un-molested one"-Michael October 2013.
So guess what .... I showed up and bought it for 2.00 Hahahaha 😂😂
I loved "The Dark Crystal" reference...lol. Yet another informative and fun video. Thanks!!