In a minute or two, you have yourself a surprisingly excellent 3-D version of Chalmun’s Cantina. It unfolds very easily, and requires a few tabs to be put into corresponding slots. The diorama is nicely designed, where it folds flat and compact. But the diorama was re-released to the general public at retail, including the sandtrooper figure, which is the one I picked up for my collection. This mailaway version was just the cardboard diorama, and no figure. Since I missed it in real time, and I don’t precisely recall the circumstances, I’ll have to take Mr. Now this cardboard diorama was originally released as a mailaway offer, which apparently you could participate in via the Spirit of Obi-Wan figure promotion. As a famous Sandtrooper once said, “Move along…move along.” All that is well and good, but obviously the figure (and the droid) have been rendered obsolete by more modern interpretations. It “floats” via a clear arm, bent at 90 degrees, which plugs into the horizontal slot left by the absent backpack. The accessory is a pretty good approximation of the CGI droid shown on film. The backpack is nixed in exchange for a probe droid, which was created specifically for the Special Edition of Episode IV that was released in 1997. This version has less of an awkward lean, while also able to hold the included rifle accessory in a “ready” position. However, a closer look shows that the legs and forearms/hands seem to be positioned a little differently. I should have tossed him in the trash, but my OCD would not allow that to happen.Īt first glance, it looks like the same figure as the POTF2 carded Sandtrooper. The sandtrooper? Yeah, he was okay for about 5 minutes. It had the bar, the distillery, a couple of alcoves, and space for the band and other various scummy and villainous patrons. It was plenty large enough (at the time) to accommodate all of the available cantina figures, with room to spare. A super-inexpensive, but cleverly constructed, “replica” of one of the greatest scenes in film history. I soon grew to properly appreciate the Cantina at Mos Eisley for what it was. Fortunately, I merely tossed the cardboard aside, and not actually into the trash. I opened the box, and tossed the cardboard diorama aside like Ralphie and Randy would toss aside Christmas socks. I was excited to have that awesome Sand Trooper variant. I believe I won this set on Ebay (although it’s possible I did find it in a store). So when I found out that there was a white-pauldroned Sand Trooper, I had to get it. I wasn’t as interested in the other stuff at first (that also changed pretty rapidly). My goal, specifically, was to get all the figures. Now it looks like a pretty active spaceport where you don’t fear for your life at every moment.I started collecting in 1999, and within a short period of time, I decided I wanted to “collect them all.” While I was still able to score some product at Toys R Us and other places (aided by the Great Warehouse Blowout of 2000), I had missed out on a sizable chunk of POTF2 items when they were available in stores. Seeing so much activity doesn’t feel like villainy. Random references to other Star Wars ephemera takes you out of that moment. He’s going into the sketchy part of town with a nearby hermit to illegally hire someone to take them to another planet. Sure, he wanted to go adventuring, but not like this. The Mos Eisley entrance should be a scene where the audience feels with Luke just how alone and desperate he really is. The only real dread in this scene is that the ride in takes forever. This is a relatively small but pretty lively town, with maybe a slightly overbearing police presence in the form of the stormtroopers. This isn’t the bad neighborhood you don’t want to go into unless you have another choice. How bad can it be when so many people are wandering around? The animals in the background and foreground aren’t just distracting with their presence – they’re doing things that are kind of whimsical, lightening the mood. All of this adds up to a place that doesn’t match its reputation.
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