Ishi Tib
New Recruit
<CENTER>IMPERIAL SHUTTLE TYDERIUM
DOES SIZE REALLY MATTER?</CENTER>
<CENTER> By Ishi Tib</CENTER>
First appearing in Return of the Jedi and briefly in The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition, the fantastically designed Lambda-class shuttle bears an elegant yet fearsome presence. Its huge wings, widen body and slenderly crafted cockpit makes this vehicle one of the most recognizable ones within the Star Wars Saga.
The Imperial Shuttle's first release took place around February of 1984, becoming part of the last line of vehicles that Kenner produced in ROJ packaging, along with other late releases, such as the B-wing and Tie Interceptor. The realistic design along with the scarcity of the toy, made the Shuttle one of the hardest and most highly priced vehicles in Star Wars collecting, present and past ... until now?
The new version of the vehicle certainly will make the older version compete with some new prices, but ... How new is the new version? How much improvement has the Shuttle accounted? and... Is the price of the new vehicle accordingly balanced to what it offers?
<CENTER>COMPARISON: OLD VS. NEW </CENTER>
Retailing for around $40.00 and including battle laser sounds the Vintage Shuttle version wins the comparison battle by a nose as far as price and electronics are concerned. The new version, being just the same mold as its vintage counterpart, triples it in price (despite the difference in years) and lacks the always welcoming sound effects.
As far as realistic appearance, FAO's new version is quite superior to the blunt look of the Vintage craft. Its newly weathered, washed off look and dark tinted glass on the canopy's windshield come much closer to what we've seen in the films, authenticating the sculpt even further.
One more credit to give to this new version is the advantage of pre-applied stickers already placed where they belong; a certain relief for shaky hands.
<CENTER>SIZE AND WINGS' OPERATION </CENTER>
The Imperial Shuttle maintains its cumbersome status as the tallest ship ever offered by Kenner/Hasbro, standing at about 22 inches high (about two inches taller than the At-At) and having a wingspan of three feet.
The wings on the Shuttle can be manually operated by a trigger conveniently placed on a handle located under the belly of the ship. This handle also serves as the vehicle's frontal landing gear, stabilizing it, if set to rest on a shelf.
LANDING POSE: If the vehicle has the wings unfolded, press on the handle's trigger and begin to raise the wings. Only one wing needs to be held; since they are connected through an internal ratchet system, the wings will move up simultaneously. Bring them up to a desired pose, release the trigger and they should remain locked in place.
FLYING POSE: While in the up position, press on the trigger again and lower the wings to a desired level. Release the trigger and the wings will lock in place. Keep doing this until the wings are completely unfolded.
The folding wings are a great advantage, mainly for those with limited amount of room. The ship can be displayed with minimal usage of space while still looking great.
A common problem found with the Vintage version was the independent movement of the wings which in turn made them drop down. This is due in great part to lowering and raising the wings incorrectly. My advice, keep the trigger pressed while executing these actions thus avoiding the problem.
<CENTER>RAMP</CENTER>
A retractable ramp, allowing to recreate the ominous arrival at the Death Star battle station is provided. Crafted out of two pieces, with the smaller one fitting into the larger one, the ramp can be lowered and extended. This process can be reversed and the ramp can be secured by making it slide under the small flap protruding at the edge of the ramp's opening beneath the ship.
<CENTER>CANOPY</CENTER>
The canopy flips open towards the nose of the ship, not towards the back as indicated by the yellow arrow on the box. Once opened, the cockpit offers a spacious sitting area with room for two figures. Although the seats are not ergonomically made for a figure's uncurled back, they provide enough room for the legs to go in the openings provided below the instruments panel. The figures can be accommodated in such way that the canopy can be closed without them being in the way.
As mentioned earlier the instrumentation sticker, depicting buttons and flight gadgetry, has been pre-applied covering the entire center console. There is an opening behind the two seats reveling some of the ship's interior as well as the opening for the ramp. The new tinted windshield glass of the canopy, certainly gives the vehicle more realism as well as character.
DOES SIZE REALLY MATTER?</CENTER>
<CENTER> By Ishi Tib</CENTER>
First appearing in Return of the Jedi and briefly in The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition, the fantastically designed Lambda-class shuttle bears an elegant yet fearsome presence. Its huge wings, widen body and slenderly crafted cockpit makes this vehicle one of the most recognizable ones within the Star Wars Saga.
The Imperial Shuttle's first release took place around February of 1984, becoming part of the last line of vehicles that Kenner produced in ROJ packaging, along with other late releases, such as the B-wing and Tie Interceptor. The realistic design along with the scarcity of the toy, made the Shuttle one of the hardest and most highly priced vehicles in Star Wars collecting, present and past ... until now?
The new version of the vehicle certainly will make the older version compete with some new prices, but ... How new is the new version? How much improvement has the Shuttle accounted? and... Is the price of the new vehicle accordingly balanced to what it offers?
<CENTER>COMPARISON: OLD VS. NEW </CENTER>
Retailing for around $40.00 and including battle laser sounds the Vintage Shuttle version wins the comparison battle by a nose as far as price and electronics are concerned. The new version, being just the same mold as its vintage counterpart, triples it in price (despite the difference in years) and lacks the always welcoming sound effects.
As far as realistic appearance, FAO's new version is quite superior to the blunt look of the Vintage craft. Its newly weathered, washed off look and dark tinted glass on the canopy's windshield come much closer to what we've seen in the films, authenticating the sculpt even further.
One more credit to give to this new version is the advantage of pre-applied stickers already placed where they belong; a certain relief for shaky hands.
<CENTER>SIZE AND WINGS' OPERATION </CENTER>
The Imperial Shuttle maintains its cumbersome status as the tallest ship ever offered by Kenner/Hasbro, standing at about 22 inches high (about two inches taller than the At-At) and having a wingspan of three feet.
The wings on the Shuttle can be manually operated by a trigger conveniently placed on a handle located under the belly of the ship. This handle also serves as the vehicle's frontal landing gear, stabilizing it, if set to rest on a shelf.
LANDING POSE: If the vehicle has the wings unfolded, press on the handle's trigger and begin to raise the wings. Only one wing needs to be held; since they are connected through an internal ratchet system, the wings will move up simultaneously. Bring them up to a desired pose, release the trigger and they should remain locked in place.
FLYING POSE: While in the up position, press on the trigger again and lower the wings to a desired level. Release the trigger and the wings will lock in place. Keep doing this until the wings are completely unfolded.
The folding wings are a great advantage, mainly for those with limited amount of room. The ship can be displayed with minimal usage of space while still looking great.
A common problem found with the Vintage version was the independent movement of the wings which in turn made them drop down. This is due in great part to lowering and raising the wings incorrectly. My advice, keep the trigger pressed while executing these actions thus avoiding the problem.
<CENTER>RAMP</CENTER>
A retractable ramp, allowing to recreate the ominous arrival at the Death Star battle station is provided. Crafted out of two pieces, with the smaller one fitting into the larger one, the ramp can be lowered and extended. This process can be reversed and the ramp can be secured by making it slide under the small flap protruding at the edge of the ramp's opening beneath the ship.
<CENTER>CANOPY</CENTER>
The canopy flips open towards the nose of the ship, not towards the back as indicated by the yellow arrow on the box. Once opened, the cockpit offers a spacious sitting area with room for two figures. Although the seats are not ergonomically made for a figure's uncurled back, they provide enough room for the legs to go in the openings provided below the instruments panel. The figures can be accommodated in such way that the canopy can be closed without them being in the way.
As mentioned earlier the instrumentation sticker, depicting buttons and flight gadgetry, has been pre-applied covering the entire center console. There is an opening behind the two seats reveling some of the ship's interior as well as the opening for the ramp. The new tinted windshield glass of the canopy, certainly gives the vehicle more realism as well as character.
I cant afford it 