A regularly updated blog about my vintage Kenner Star Wars toy collection. Some stuff that I've recently acquired; some stuff that I've had since I was a kid. Some rare, some common, but all sharing the warmth, charm and character of the "first generation" of Star Wars toys - the ones we played with as kids in the late '70s and early '80s.

Sunday, April 21, 2019

Tri-Pod Laser Cannon

The second "Action Figure Accessory" I'll cover on the blog is the coolest one - the Tri-Pod Laser Cannon. First issued in 1982 in Empire Strikes Back packaging, the version packaged in the Return of the Jedi box is considered one of the most common vintage toys. This means that they are readily available at a reasonable price, which is great because it's an awesome piece! 



Of course, a lot of the coolness is due to the fact that the prop on which the toy is based enjoyed some significant screen time in Empire, being featured prominently in the Hoth battle scenes.

A pretty simple box tableau here - just a lone Hoth snowtrooper and his trusty laser cannon. To be honest I'm a bit surprised that the box art didn't include a couple more troopers or maybe even an AT-AT Commander. Originally I'd thought that Kenner was the dictating force behind what ancillary toys were used in the box art, but after asking Kim "The Man Who Shot Luke Skywalker" Simmons this question at Star Wars Celebration Chicago, I have come to a different view... but that's for another blog post :-)




Here's the second tableau - a close-up of the snowtrooper with the "energizer unit" and hose. As shown below, the hose neatly stores away inside the unit.

Original instructions came with the toy, showing in detail how to assemble and disassemble the cannon from its component parts.

The cannon rotates and elevates of course, and makes "machine-gun" clicking sounds (why lasers in the Star Wars toy universe always sound like machine-guns, I have no idea)…

All in all, a very cool little toy. I can see why so many were made - the low-ish price point combined with the significance of the subject must have made it a hot commodity back in the day.

3 comments:

  1. Awesome addition to the Hoth battlefield.

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  2. I loved my Tri Pod cannon! Such a cool piece. I lost one of the legs so my cannon was out of action for years. I remember the hose was nice tasting (I used to suck and slightly chew on certain Star Wars toys as a child). Great post thanks!

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  3. Thanks for the comments fellas! Does this mean that my slightly-chewed R2-D2 pop-up lightsaber may once have been part of MP4F's childhood collection??? The mind boggles! ;-)

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