'Star Wars' Sneak Peek: Your First Look at 'The Force Awakens' Toys (Exclusive)
Aside from May the 4th and Life Day, no date is more anticipated by the Star Wars faithful than Force Friday. The fake holiday, which takes place tomorrow, has been orchestrated with Vader-esque precision by Disney and Lucasfilm, who will release the initial salvo of merchandise for The Force Awakens en masse. And mass is the key word: Walmart, for instance, boasts that 500 new Star Wars-related items will be stocked in stores, with another 1,000 available online.
But you don’t have to wait until midnight to see the highlights. While there have been low-res leaks and sketchy information trickling out over the past few weeks, Yahoo Movies has the official sneak peek at the Dark Side of the toy aisle.
Sit back, put on a little mood music, and prepare to peruse the first wave of First Order goods. (And come back tomorrow for a gallery of the best Force Awakens offerings in stores.)
Word of warning: there might be some mild spoilers lurking below.
First Order Snowspeeder/Kylo Ren’s Command Shuttle (Lego)
The brickmasters have seven new building sets hitting stores, including this 444-piece First Order snowspeeder ($40), which features hidden wheels for simulated hovering action. The vehicle comes with three minifigs: two snowtroopers and a snowtrooper officer. As we’ve seen in the trailers, the First Order assembles a massive base on a snowy planet, where General Hux, Captain Phasma, and their new-look stormtroopers plot their big comeback.
Meanwhile, Kylo Ren’s 1,005-piece command shuttle set ($120), unveiled overnight during the “great unboxing” on the Star Wars YouTube channel, features a revamped version of the familiar folding-wing Imperial shuttle of the earlier films and comes with Kylo Ren, General Hux, First Order officer, two First Order crew, and a First Order stormtrooper officer figures.
Among the other new sets from Lego: the rebuilt Millennium Falcon (with Han, Chewie, Rey, Finn, BB-8, and two newly revealed characters: Tasu Leech and a Kanjiklub gang member); Poe Dameron’s X-wing fighter; First Order Special Forces TIE fighter; First Order transporter; and Rey’s speeder.
Micro Machines First Order Star Destroyer (Hasbro)
The blurb for this set ($40) provides some hints to the plot of The Force Awakens, portending a key combat scene. “What appears to be Kylo Ren’s flagship, the First Order Star Destroyer, opens to become a battleground playset as Poe Dameron’s X-wing fighter faces off with a battle-damaged First Order TIE fighter, while Finn battles Kylo Ren.” This ship appears larger than your old-school Star Destroyers, more like Vader’s Executor-class dreadnought.
The Micro Machine line will also feature Millennium Falcon, R2-D2, and stormtrooper “battle sets,” as well as multi-packs of various vehicles from the film, including various speeders, fighters, and a new First Order walker.
Star Wars 6-Inch Action Black Series Figures (Hasbro)
Hasbro has two main lines of action figures coming out. The standard-issue 3.75-inch — a more articulated version of the classic Kenner line, which Hasbro acquired years ago — features all the main characters we’ve seen in the trailers and promotional materials, as well as a mysterious new figure: Constable Zuvio. There will also be new vehicles to accommodate those figures. But Hasbro also has the higher-end, finely detailed “Black Series” featuring 6-inch figures ($20 each). Above is Kylo Ren, wielding his crossguard saber; below, the First Order stormtrooper armed with blaster rifle and pistol.
Captain Phasma and a First Order snowtrooper will also get the high-end treatment, along with several of the new heroes, including Rey and Finn.
Big Figs Captain Phasma (Jakks)
The biggest, baddest, shiniest stormtrooper in the galaxy is now the biggest, baddest toy on the shelf. This 20-inch figure features the First Order’s chromed-out, caped captain with removable rifle and is one of several new ginormous Force Awakens figures from Jakks, each retailing for $20 (cute kid not included).
Hot Wheels Kylo Ren Character Car (Mattel)
Mattel’s preeminent toy-vehicle line has been cranking out “character cars” for years, incorporating details of iconic villains (and heroes) into the design of the Hot Wheels machine. This one, retailing for $3.50, features the villain’s mask as the cockpit, while his cloak forms the rear, and his tri-bladed lightsaber functions as side trim.
Other new models include First Order stormtrooper-, Captain Phasma-, and BB-8-styled rides.
Kylo Ren Role-Play Costume (Disney Store)
Cloak? Check. Hooded cape? Check. Freaky-looking mask? Check. Now you can raise a Sith of your own with this outfit, available in Disney Stores for $60. All that’s missing is a crossguard lightsaber, which — as you probably guessed — will also be available in stores on Force Friday (sold separately from Hasbro for $13).
May the commerce be with you.
Check out Yahoo Tech’s demo of the new remote-controlled BB-8: