Star Wars Day, a moment when the Force binds those allied with the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance, the First Order or the Resistance together for one common purpose – to utter May the Fourth be with you.
The Force is also utterly strong with Star Wars toys. So strong it'll warm even the hearts of the coldest Sith lords. The challenge is sussing out the good ones from a sea of Star Wars merchandise. Don’t worry, we’ve got that sorted out. From the latest toys, to the practical and perhaps just-for-show items, here are ten Star Wars toys you’ll need to break the piggy bank for.
Forgive us if we seem a tad too excited over this recommendation. Because we’ve flown one and it’s exactly what Air Hogs promised, it’s the ultimate Millennium Falcon quad-copter on this side of the galaxy. This replica of the famous ship piloted by Han Solo is slightly bigger than our palms and flies like a dream. Its foam structure keeps it safe from the many crashes while we were learning to fly it. The remote control comes with sound effects, ranging from blasting lasers to the roaring of the hyperspace engine.
Even though there aren’t any official retailers selling the quad-copter here and Amazon doesn’t ship this item to Singapore, you can still get it from the online retailer. You’ll just need to sign up for a forwarding service that’ll send the parcel from the US to your home address. Shipping won’t be cheap, but at least you can see the awe and amazement in your friends’ eyes while you fly the Millennium Falcon in front of them.
This is definitely the droid you’re looking for. As far as geek toys go, this BB-8 droid made by Spheros is one of the must-have items, if you have the cash. You might think its ball-shaped body looks unimpressive but rest assured, this droid can do more than roll around. It even has a Patrol mode to roam the premises. How about recording a hologram message that you can watch via the app, or yelling “It’s a trap!” at BB-8 and watch it scurry away?
Come on, you’ve got to admit, placing a Millennium Falcon on your desk will raise your cool factor. And it’ll go up a notch if it’s also a Bluetooth speaker, allowing you to hear Han Solo saying “Chewie, we’re home,” and the Wookie grunting in agreement. This Bluetooth speaker also acts as your hands-free device, so you can take calls when your smartphone is linked to it. Oh, did we mention the Millennium Falcon also lights up when it’s streaming music?
Show this to your friends. Tell them it’s no moon, it’s a freaking Bluetooth speaker. Just like the Millennium Falcon Bluetooth speaker, this audio peripheral connects easily to your smartphone or laptop. And it helps that the spherical Death Star shape makes it look more legit as a speaker. If wireless connectivity isn’t your cup of tea, the speaker also has a 3.5mm audio jack that connects to the same port on your phone, tablet or laptop.
Disclaimer: the Concave Dish Composite Beam Superlaser that destroyed Alderaan is not included. You’ll have to source that on your own.
We knew that thingamajig on Darth Vader’s chest had some use to it. In this case, it’s a four-port USB hub. This makes sense if you’re about to run out of USB ports on your laptop. Plus, this is Darth Vader we’re talking about. Ominous red light emitting from his eyes. That signature asthmatic breathing sound. You’ll feel as though the Sith Lord is looking at you, ready to Force choke the living daylights out of you if you disappoint him.
If there’s one droid you can trust with your life, it’s R2-D2. The astromech droid will serve you well, as it did with its previous masters Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. Plug this droid into the cigarette lighter and press down on its dome. Once R2-D2 rotates its head, whistles and beeps, you know it’s transferring power via the two 2.1A USB ports on its body. That’s enough juice to bring even your power-hungry tablets back to life.
Being trapped in a slab of carbonite ain’t fun. Ask Han Solo. But it’s definitely fun if you have a Han Solo carbonite iPhone case in your pocket. What’s more, it’ll protect your new iPhone 6s from nasty scratches. At the very least, you’ll feel like a total badass, holding Han hostage in your pocket. And showing your prized bounty to the other Star Wars fans out there.
You’re never too old for a night light. Not when it’s a lightsaber. Even if you don’t believe in the boogieman, get this night light for the cool factor. What’s more, you get to build this from scratch, just like a Jedi (or Sith Lord if you prefer the Dark Side). Once you’ve done that, wall-mount it and use the remote control to toggle between eight colours. Complete with sound effects, might we add, to immerse yourself in a galaxy far, far away.
Again, this is no moon. But neither is it the Death Star. Well, sort of, because it’s still related to stars in the sense that it’s a planetarium that displays known stars in the Star Wars universe. From the swamps of Dagobah to where Anakin and Padme met on Naboo, you should have no trouble recognising even the Outer Rim territories. Oh, don’t worry, there’s also another dome that displays the real stars in our universe. But really, who’s to say Tatooine doesn’t exist? In our minds, it does.
Get this 3D deco light, you must. Place it on the wall, you shall. That’s what you can imagine Master Yoda saying when you stare at this deco light, complete with a skin to depict a broken wall. These battery-powered LED lights add more geek cred to your living room setup. And if you’re not the green sort of guy, go for the ominous Darth Vader light. We can’t guarantee you won’t get Force choked just from staring into the dark abyss of the Sith Lord’s mask.
This story originally appeared on Stuff Singapore, bringing you what's next in the world of tech and gadgets, with a twist.