Bradford Exchange HO SCale Train Set

The Bradford Exchange is releasing Star Wars HO scale train cars at a rate of approximately 1 every three months. They're quite pricey for what they are ($75 each...). You can hop onto their 'easy payment plan' ($25 / month) and it's kind of fun to get the next mystery car every couple of months.

Each issue comes with other items which help to expand the set... whether it's the power transformer or additional track, etc.

I received my 4th car last week making it 1 year of collecting the set.

Issue 1 "Diesel Engine":
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From their website:
Gloriously showcasing the art of legendary Star Wars artist Steve Anderson - commissioned exclusively for this collection - this first-ever HO-scale Star Wars train collection celebrates these epic films like never before! Your dramatic collection begins with Issue One, a diesel locomotive. Soon, your collection continues with Issue Two, the coordinating Star Wars engine, which includes a FREE 14-piece HO gauge track, and Issue Three, a dome car, which includes a FREE power pack and speed controller. Additional train cars, each a separate issue, will follow.

Officially licensed by Lucasfilm Ltd. and available only from The Bradford Exchange, Hawthorne Village Division, each car in this real working electric train collection features scenes of dramatic movie moments and favorite Star Wars characters like Darth Vader, Storm Troopers and more. Plus, each powerful scene glows in the dark! Strong demand is expected for this unique Star Wars collectible, perfect for any Star Wars fan. Don't wait, order now!
 
Issue 4 "Dome Car - Luke Skywalker":
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I must confess some disspointment receiving two dome cars back-to-back. It kind of smacked me of a Hasbro-style repait-and-reissue early in the series. I have high hopes of seeing some creativity here like a Death Star crane car, or a Millennium Falcon tanker. (How about a Bothan Boxcar??) I guess I'll see in 90 days whether or not they will be redeeming the set with a more broad scope.
 

darthskellington

Dark Lord of the Typos
Neat. I like the use of painting on the cards, and the red glass on the Vader car looks pretty awesome. If these weren't so pricey, I would consider snagging them.
 
For Christmas we set up the Star Wars train set and I filled in the photos of the missing car, plus the new ones.

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Issue 2: Engine Car

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Issue 5: Yoda Dome Car

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Issue 6: Boba Fett Dome Car

I've pretty much made up my mind to cancel the subscription to this set. The Engine and Engine Car were cool. The dome cars are $75 each and really heavy for the little engine. If I put any more than 2 dome cars on the engine with engine car, the engine's wheels just spin on the track due to the weight. I could go and buy a larger engine from the hobby shop, but what would the point of a Star Wars train set be if I was forced to start using non-set parts to make it work??

I had imaged some more creative cars in the series. A complete Star Wars passenger train that won't run? Pass. I'm already regretting letting it go this far. Oh well. Had to try it! :)
 

darthskellington

Dark Lord of the Typos
That's too bad it won't be completed (at least in your set)...but that was extremely pricey. The fact that it won't pull all the cars is ridiculous. An HO engine should easily pull 10-15 cars.
 
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