New Star Wars exhibition lets the toys be with you

A museum display behind glass of vintage Star Wars toys from 1983's Return of the Jedi film. They include orange, slug-like crime lord Jabba the Hutt who is placed on a toy throne, a brown Rancor monster with claws outstretched, and an alien musical group known as The Max Rebo Band, which features a blue elephant-like creature sitting inside a circular piano-like instrument. There are various other action figures and small vehicles on display, including opened original packaging which once contained such figures.

Go figure! The Toys Strike Back exhibition opens in Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday

Chloe Hughes
BBC News, West Midlands

An exhibition of one of the UK's largest collections of Star Wars collectibles is on show in a galaxy not so far away - Stoke-on-Trent, to be precise.

The Toys Strike Back includes vintage action figures and ships, along with mannequin displays of iconic characters such as Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Yoda, as well as a rare Stormtrooper helmet and blaster from the first film released in 1977, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

The exhibition will be at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley from 1 March to 1 June.

The museum said Lord Vader and a detachment of Stormtroopers would be on site as extra "security" from 11:00 until 14:00 GMT on Saturday.

Other items on display include dioramas of famous scenes, vintage board games, lunchboxes, flasks, and models of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy, the Millennium Falcon.

A mannequin sports a Boba Fett costume of grey overalls, with scuffed chest and shoulder armour in green, along with a wide, brown leather belt with multiple pockets, and a green cape worn to one side. A scuffed and dented helmet in green and red features a T-shaped visor in black. On the back of the mannequin is a jetpack with only a small rocket visible at its top end. The mannequin also features red guards on each wrist and are designed to look like they feature several gadgets and weapons.

The display runs at the museum until 1 June and features a life-sized Boba Fett

"It will be with us for three months and we expect this exhibition to be extremely popular with visitors from our city and beyond," said Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery is open Wednesday to Saturday 10:00 to 17:00 GMT, and between 11:00 and 16:00 GMT on Sundays.

Five helmets in a glass case. They include a white Stormtrooper mask and the gold mask of droid C3PO. There are also three variants of the Stormtrooper helmet as appearing in the films. They have curved bottom halves, and more angular tops around the forehead area. There are eyes in the shape of dark lenses, and in the centre of the helmets, around the mouth area of a wearer, there are grills in the shape of an arrow head, which makes it look like the helmets are frowning.

The Empire is well represented at the show

"The Toys Strike Back is a celebration of vintage toys and collectables which have captured our imaginations and will bring childhood memories back to life," said Sean Szmalc, exhibition director.

"Visitors are guaranteed to discover many rare treasures."

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