Even as a kid at the time, I always thought the Star Destroyer toy was absolute rubbish. But I didn't know about the escape hatch, tanning booth light, or the hallucinogenic red filter that's supposed to be a hologram. Whoever it was at Kenner who designed this thing must have done it at five to five on a Friday. Maybe on a bank holiday weekend. Of all the many brilliant translations of scenes, vehicles and characters Kenner turned into toy form, this was their first real dud. And the video was hilarious.

I think you successfully packed as much into this Follies as Kenner attempted yet failed to do with the playset. The "48 Hours" nod was especially hilarious to me. Bravo!

I made the mistake of requesting this POS as a birthday present from my parents. It was brand new at the time, and the inclusion of Vader's meditation chamber in the commercial lured me in. The fact that it needed two huge C or D batteries just to power that dinky light was especially strange. What a waste of a birthday present!

"And just DON'T do it with the Leia Joke!" Bahaha! I felt so guilty. This video was so worth the wait. Bravo! Thank you for all the quality work you always do. It's so much appreciated.

This has "Bridge to Nowhere" vibes. Those "entry ports" are suicide jumps. Overall it looks kinda neat, if it were anything else besides a "Star Destroyer". Like a fun playset if they gutted the Vader Chamber, made it like "Star Destroyer Weapons Control Station" but as it is....yeah it's hard to defend. I really love the quarter turning platform just so Vader can yell SQUIRREL!

I remember seeing this displayed in a shop in London when I was about 5 and thinking it looked like the best thing ever.

My reaction to this… thing… was identical to Luke’s reaction when seeing the Millennium Falcon for the first time: “What a piece of junk!” But what’s not a piece of junk, is this video! Nice Work! Hysterical, insightful, and we even got a cat cameo! Can’t wait for the next one!

As I looked at it just now, great video by the way, I realized they needed to make it multiple pieces and sets that can be put together. Star Destroyer Bridge playset hooks to Darth Vader's inner sanctum playset which connects to the... well you could put anything there. There needs to be places for stormtroopers to guard and maybe a landing platform and places for heroes to run around in as they escape Vader's clutches. Two or three combined playsets would have saved this.

Ugh I can't wait to see this episodes - saw the tease in the 10 year Anniversary video. I always look forward to these Star Wars Follies - the best series to watch when it comes to Vintage Star Wars!

as an adult collector ihave never even considered it, as an extremely poor child i would have been thrilled to have had it. i had an amazing time as a child using rocks and sticks and boxes to make bases and so on, mt imagination was easy to fire up back then.

"Have you ever tried balancing a cat on your forearm?" That is the absolute last thing I ever thought I'd hear in a toy review. Man, that made laugh till my guts ached. I didn't have this play set as a kid and distinctly remember never wanting it. I guess it was because I had both the Millennium Falcon and the Death Star play set, so I was set for environments. If I had gotten the Star Destroyer as a gift, it would have been a great disappointment.

Fantastic work on this episode. I never had this as a kid and don't even remember seeing it in the stores. I maybe glossed over it as being all open like it is, wouldn't have been appealing as opposed to having removable panels that you could have closed it up with. Masses of effort was clearly put into this production and it's truly appreciated.

About three times bigger with three separate rooms - the Bridge, Vader's Chamber and either a crew quarters, brig or a combination of a few things for the 3rd room. The top would resemble the top of a Super Star Destroyer and rather than just being open, it would have panels you could remove to get inside.

I remember getting it for Christmas from my aunt and it was mostly used as a Cobra control room. The chamber was used as a special throne for either Destro or Cobra Commander. I never used it as a vehicle.

I thought this set was awesome back in the day, still puts a childish smile on my face at 50yrs old.

This was hilarious! Thank you again, RetroBlasting crew for a job well done. Hilarious, but informative is what you folks do best. My son and I both cracked up on the part where someone tried to use Darth Vader's meditation chamber as a restroom. Nice job, folks!👍👏👏👏

Funny that you mention the toy could be an Imperial outpost. I had this toy as a child and that is exactly how we used it; it became a fixed defensive position on the ground, like a glorified machinegun nest, and Vader's meditation room was just the commander's station. And yeah, I'll admit it, I was gonna make the Princess Leia joke before you stopped me. :)

Truthfully, I have very fond memories of this playset because ESB was a cool enough movie to overlook it's shortcomings. Also, I was 4yrs old.

Another continuity problem is that the Millenium Falcon never attached itself to the Executor, but rather the Star Destroyer Avenger.

I remember seeing this toy and thinking it was the first part of some Build-a-ship gimmick they were going for. Like each part was supposed to represent a different deck and if you got them all you had a USS Flagg sized playset or something

10/10 video… and t-shirt

"They're the same picture." Fantastic.

Man, waited for this for yrs! And it didn’t disappoint! And the humour was absolutely fantastic, the way this was put together was brilliant. I remember trading my slave one for this in the street with my friend in 1983 ish. Instant regret! Still bothers me!

All Star Wars Follies deserve multiple thumbs ups!!!

I remember getting this for christmas 1980. One night, the moon shone through my window, and for some odd reason, it made me think of the Cygnus from the Black Hole, of all things! From that point, it became my de facto "Cygnus" for playtime scenarios.

That "Grand Vizier" hologram thing is so fascinating! Was it a precursor to the Emperor, or someone else entirely? I'm pretty sure Lucas always had an "Emperor of the universe" in his drafts tho...

This toy sure looks silly...and yet it has stuck with me for 40 years. I never had it but would dream about having it back in the 80s. Looking forward to this one.

Michael, this was fantastic! I loved that the TIE pilot was given a Mark Wahlberg voice, and that one of the Imperials used the word “codswallop” before biting the dust. Thank you for so many laughs!

I LOVE this channel so much. Thank you Michael!

"They're the same picture." 🤣 SUPERB Follies!! You had me effin' giggling the whole vid! Thanks Michael n Melinda!

Excellent video Michael. This is my favorite of all the Star Wars follies. And they are all works of art for sure. Also an inspiration for us content creators to achive such an edit.

Thank you for taking the time to do the skits they were really funny!

That’s hilarious, man! Thank you so much. I needed that!

I just love the Kylie Minogue t-shirt! She can be my Jedi Queen anytime! Loved the video!

You managed to make me feel happy for not having that akward piece of nothingburger. And I appreciate that. It saves space and money.

Rebel transport had removable cannons & worked double duty to carry your figures. I asked for a milinium falcon that Christmas & got the transport. @ first I was disappointed but loved it after play8ng with it.

Thanks for the upload Mike.

I've been back at your channel, enjoying stuff I hadn't seen. I'm just now catching up on most of your new content. Over the years I've been following, I've come to love your productions, editing and content. Glad to leave a comment here and there and with this one, I only want to encourage you to keep at it. These videos are fun to watch and I really wish you the best.

Superb work, really enjoyed this thank you!

I don’t know if you read these comments or not. But i can’t tell you how much I laughed watching this video. I’m a collector, but my wife could care less. Unless I told her you put out a new video. Her only question… oh my god is his darth Vader figure talking in the video??? She’s obsessed. Priceless.

This is peak Retroblasting. The perfect blend of informative and funny 🙌

Fantastic Star Wars Follies video! All the humor was spot on. I lost it at "Next time take me with you."

Fun fact of my life - as a kid, this was the first time I had ever encountered the word hologram. No one in my family knew what it meant as it wasn't a frequently used term at the time.

Lol......this cracked me up as well as informed me about this particular star wars toy's history. I love retroblasting!

Excellent video Retroblasting as always I loved it

Dude that cat is huge and quite tolerant. Thanks for this one.

I remember fishing this out of a childhood friend's garbage as a kid. When said friend found out what I had done, they immediately wanted it back in spite. Kids can be weird sometimes.

I used to have one of those, i got it one Christmas… i could never figure out what it was until many many years later but I was just happy to have something Star Wars. In retrospective, I appreciate my mom buying me something star wars because she knew I loved it. She made the effort at least.

Epic! Epic video!!!! My fav was Luke's Yellow light saber!!!!

This is excellent to watch on a Sunday morning. BV is truly the MVP once again.

This was pretty funny Michael. The escape hatch bit... You definitely read my mind. I love it. Another great Follies entry. It was worth the wait!

Love that cameo of 2 cent toys!

Despite it's limitations I wanted this SO BAD as a kid and I never got it, lol. I'm still pining away for it.

My guilty pleasure playset. Every point you make is... spot on. Dammit. A fantastic follies! Dammit... thanks for that Michael.

That was a great review. Thanks, gang.

Great as always, Michael. Love the cat cameo. I imagine Kenner was just trying to capture scenes from the movie like some of the other playsets, but it just didn't work as well this time... I agree that calling this a vehicle is beyond silly. I never had this, but made my own meditation chamber with some washed out plastic butter containers cut out like a jack-o-lantern smile. :-D

This was fantastic! I had some legit laugh out loud moments.

Another top notch follies, thank you Michael 👍🏻

thanks.. you always manage to make it entertaining.. 🙂

Broken Vader and a kitty! Plus Sal from Two Cents Toys. It's like you tailor made this video for me. 😀

On a positive side, there's so many other uses for this set: - A stage for light entertainment, with orchestra pit(s). - A catwalk for galactic fashion shows. - A bird-watching hideaway (add some camo patterned cloth to the sides). - A laboratory with a nuclear reactor where superpowers can be gained. - An armoured tank that's been stripped and sitting on cinder blocks. - A playset that examines the inevitable budget cuts in a space-faring military's ongoing campaigns. And so much more!

This is a stan solo product waiting to happen . Love the cat😀

Oh I've been eagerly waiting for this Follies.

I always wanted this as a kid. It was where the bounty hunters hung out. It was one of the few ones i never had.😊

Do... do we still drink if Michael walks off camera on a prerecorded video?

Loved it ! Then the kitty

Hilariously good. Loved the Destroyer Arm Kitty 😺

oh my god you had so much fun doing this one XD

Very funny and well done!

😂😂😂 Thanks! This gave me great joy!

This was fun, I missed these.

The weather is pretty cruddy where I live today. This video helped brighten my day. Thank you! As for the Star Destroyer, it really feels like it was intended to be much larger than it ended up. Some of the features aren't that terrible, but they lack space to breathe. Even being at least the same size as the Falcon would've been a step in the right direction.

As good of a Star Wars Follies as there has ever been! Better than ever!

Great review! I had one of these back in the day. Unfortunately, the little tabs holding the orange "force light" filter broke, and it was the only thing holding the bulb in place. My Mom sent away to Kenner for a replacement part, which promptly did the same thing. The weight of those D or C cell batteries was constantly bearing down on the tabs, and the pressure only increased when the light button was pushed down. After the replacement part broke, Kenner had us send it to them for a replacement playset, but all that came back to us was a dang KOOPIN for other stuff since they didn't have any more Star Destroyers. I would have kept it, functional bulb or not had I known this would be the result. NEVER let your parents send a toy back for replacement. The same thing happened with my vintage Cylon Raider, only instead of a KOOPIN, Mattel sent us a sadly neutered Raider with glued-in missiles.

This is the awsomest channel ever!!!

I never had one, but I absolutely adore this set.

So entertaining, thanks!

Dude love the videos, super funny.

Sweet! More Follies! Can't wait to see the Kenner Star Destroyer get what for (and to see someone else do it but better later on)!

just wanted to say respect for the Jedi Knight Select Sound Effect. Well placed.

I was busting a guy when you were trying to hold the cat! Lol awesome follies!!

Genius! So funny and on the spot! Broken Vader needs his own series! 👍

The "STARFISH" is staring you right in the face. Bravo Sir! Chef's kiss on the writing.

This is one of my favorite Star Wars follies ever!

This playset. Oh man this was so hilarious. Thank you. Considering the coolness of the Deathstar playset, you would have thought more time and well, real estate could have found it's way to a real toy.

One of the best Follies to date!

The skits were top notch hahaha

My favourite bit was the Wahlberg. Oh, how I've missed him of late. Great video Michael 👍

Love this channel

Starting off my summer with Star Wars Follies, awesome! To me Star Wars Follies is something I associate with Summer As Star Wars Follies were my first introduction to the channel several years ago 😄

Excellent video Michael!!! I love broken DV. Lol!! Very funny scenes. Great review of the toy. I am a couple years older and had the Deathstar. I had a friend I'd visit that had the SSD, I only saw it useful for the bounty hunter scene or DV in his tanning booth. LOL! You are spot on with your description of it. I love Follies!!! Great content!!!! Also, thanks for explaining the weird clamp decals on the back. Always wondered about those.

Sith tanning booth!! Ha ha. The Star Destroyer Playset is perhaps the only vintage Kenner toy I used to own but don't regret selling. Great video Michael

I remember owning this playset and not knowing what it exactly was when playing with it. It was later in life, after my toy playing phase, that I realized what it was supposed to be. That's probably it's biggest shortfall. I can stretch my imagination but if I didn't even realize what the toy reference was to the movie vehicles, that's a fail for Kenner.

Absolutely brilliant! And your poor (but glorious) cat! The fact I can relate to the analogy scares me. They really could not pull this off even approximately without approaching something closer to at least the Palitoy Death Star size and settled for the Star Destroyer bridge plus a couple of annexes (Vader's private chamber and communications, for example). Thank you for the insightful look and the laughs. Someone else probably pointed them out already, or perhaps you already knew anyway, but (1) Kenner seems to have gotten a hold of an early script for Empire, in which Vader communicates with the Emperor's Grand Vizier instead of the Emperor himself, and was not told otherwise before production, and (2) the naval guard (Kenner's Death Squad/Death Star commander/trooper) is technically accurate to a single individual seen in the original Star Wars movie, atop the raised control station in the Death Star control room (behind Tarkin, Vader, Leia, etc.). Apparently he was supposed to have a slightly larger role in the original film, but the footage was cut. Once again, Kenner was apparently mislead by what turned out to be outdated information. He was wearing the gray (actually olive) tunic (we can't see the pants), the glossy black samurai helmet, and a headset with a mic and coiled cord. In fact, he was pictured on the card, based on footage not used in the final version of the film, although on the card photograph, the colors are so dark as to make it difficult to distinguish the tunic's color. Kenner confounded this presumably high ranking commanding officer (in communications or navigation or whatever) with the regular naval guards who did not wear the same uniform. Everyone else wearing this helmet, wore either a black tunic and pants or a black jumpsuit with imperial crests at the shoulders. The hideous second Power of the Force line and more modern lines tend to portray the black tunic appearance, although they usually mess up by putting the crests (or a single crest) on the tunic (they go only on the jumpsuit).

I must say the amount of Empire jokes might make this my favorite SWFs.

I loved my Star Destroyer playset. Lol

For a doorstop, that play set has a lot of features. 😮 Great video Retroblasting 👍

Best comedic video ever, Michael. Even better than the "Cloud Car" joke. I never really liked this toy much, but I still use it for a great display for the bounty hunters. A massive letdown that Kenner should have done a better job of doing. We didn't get a Cloud City playset but got this????

I cracked up so hard at the Roxanne part 😂

The Follies Strike Back! YAY! I especially like the part where Leia floated out into space and - No. No. NO! Awesome!