Fun Fact. Lucasfilm also tried to sue a guy over here in England who designed the Stormtrooper because he was selling replica cosplay suits. But UK and USA copyright law are different and the English guy won. So there is a company here you can buy replica Star Wars props from which is not "official" Lucasfilm.
Those of us who were kids in 1977 can tell you, even if we already knew we were getting bootlegs and knockoffs, we just wanted more aliens to fill out our toy armies. It was the same reasoning we went bugs for the Holiday Special at the time. There wasn't quite enough SW material out there yet, so we took what we could get right then.
I was a 10 year old kid, back in '77, who could only get a 'Knight of Darkness' action figure because all the popular Star Wars action figures were all sold out. While I no longer have my original Knight of Darkness toy, I do have one, new-in-box, on my book shelf; though, he's missing his gun. That action figure gave me, and my Big Jim 'wolf P.A.C.K.' Warpath character & Honda motorbike countless hours of fun and imagination. However, I never had any of the other S.T.A.R. Team action figures; I didn't think much of them. But I did enjoy the Knight of Darkness action figure a lot. I remember that I got mine in Flagstaff, AZ at a Yellow Front store; a kind of '5 and Dime' discount store at the time, and now all gone today.
Thank you! I got the star hawk/ Vader Knick off in Germany in ‘79 before we moved back to the states. Loved that figure couldn’t never remember the name!! Thank you so much, such great memories!!
A Star Wars fan since the very beginning, I remember getting my very first Star Wars toy, the 3 3/4" Luke Skywalker action figure, that I still have. I've always liked knock-offs and have several in my collection. The most blatant knock-off is the Star World action figure case. They weren't even trying to be subtle. The Space Case looks more like a Micronauts knock-off. I have both. I also have the Star Team figures and one of the Starroid Raiders.
Knight of darkness. Fearsome enemy from outer space! I love these knock off toys. Really great episode full of awesomeness. Big thumbs up from Finland!
@@EdsRetroGeekOut Sucklord may have started out customizing a 12 inch Boba Fett as an art piece. His later product/work falls under bootleg with a large helping of sarcasm. I felt it was worth a mention because it started a large custom/bootleg movement.
Kids don't care much about copyrights as long as toys are resembling their favourite characters they are happy with them . Guys from big companies know that very well .
I remember summer holidays walking around market places and seeing some of those tacky knock offs. I was never tempted. I couldn’t wait to get back home and buy the real deal.
Good stuff Ed! Some of those knock offs were impressive. The most impressive bit of knowledge was that George Lucas sued President Regan. He wasn't afraid to go after anyone it seems.
Oh my god i remember the "Galaxy Empire" Line 😅 Here in Germany they sold these Figures on Flea-Markets and even in some 1 Dollar (1 DM ) Stores. I was really heavy in the POTF2 Line at the time. Thanks for the Video!!
I Gotta admit... "Knight of Darkness" really does have his own Charm. actually the whole line did. id love to own them, but Holy Jesus are they Expensive!
Great stuff Ed, always love the Toy History videos! 😎👍🏼 Funny how many of these bootlegs are now more valuable & sought after than the legit vintage figures 😅
one of the childs from my neighborhood use a no name plastic Lightsaber on playing in mid 90s. This sword use this "crossguard" design like Kylos sword... my first intention: Its look so stupid.. poor Kids XD
Had power rangers knock off figures at my local shop when I was a kid. The where made out the hardest plastic ever so they broke immediately and their gimmick the they had a full body suit armor you fit on through clip on. It broke fast also!
Great video Ed! I had the inflatable sabers growing up, they were pretty unimpressive. My sister and I would spend hours trying as hard as we could to hurt each other with them. Hint: the hard plastic handle was the best way.
Me and my brothers had those 'light swoeds'with the blue handles at 7:10 . They hurt like hell if you took a hit to the knuckles. Haven't seen the packaging since the 70s ! Thanx Ed.
Very cool video, as usual. Just a quick note: The HOMBRE ESPACIAL Vader is a custom job made by an Argentinian guy, not an actual bootleg. Cheers and keep the good work up! 👍🏼
I love Starroid Raiders. I had a sizeable Starroid Raiders collection, including the super-rare Coky but had to sell them out of necessity. Nowadays I'm looking for a Toko that isn't expensive as hell since he was the first one I had when I was a larva.
I had one of the flashlights with inflatable rubber "Lightsabers" and played it to shreds. It'd be a collector's item if I'd stored it, but I'd have to have been a sick reptile to do so. One thing I missed out on are Sears's own 'bootlegs': I heard/read they did some of their own - allegedly to fill things up - notably "Bar Creatures" - they even made the Cantina playset but there were no creatures out of all the cool characters. So Sears filled in the gaps and as a multiple pack of decent quality ones "Bar Creatures" that resembled the ugly meanies Ben Kenobi had to keep off of Luke's arse... Later Lucas made the 'real' bar creatures and they re-did them much better in Phantom Menace era. But I bet the originals are good collectables and Lucas probably had some ... discussion ... with Sears...
@Ed's Retro Geek Out I remember when I saw Return of the Jedi - I had missed out on Empire Strikes Back sadly and didn't get to see that until long after... I becomae OBSESSED with Boba Fett! I started Drawing Boba, and other chgarcaters designed around him as Heroes called "Star Hawks" - And yeah... Being form the UK, I had no idea there was a SILVERHAWKS back then! LMAO!
Actually, I would create a line of action figures of characters from Battle Beyond The Stars. While the movie was clearly trying to ride the wave of Star Wars' success, the characters had some pretty cool designs. As did the ships. I could totally see myself as a kid playing with my Shad action figure, loading him into the cockpit of Nel, and have him engage in a dogfight with Sandor's mutants. Or Space Cowboy and his Intergalactic Rig. Gelt and his fighter. The possibilities are mind blowing. And if the figures and ships happen to be Star Wars compatible? Even better!
I distinctly remember having these generic "space marine" toys they used to sell at Dollar Tree/ General. I loved those toys and I was for sure using them to play Star Wars haha
14:47 The Regular Aliens are the Original Mold of this which are stolen from the main chracter design of the Video game Destroy all Humans.Which had no offical figure when these was created though I have a carded version of it with the Name Bob the Alien Warrior. The star wars themed ones are modified molds that came out around same time Ep7.
After the ep 1 toys killed collecting sw for a bit, i started collecting bootlegs and knockoffs only. I have several of the 90s-2000 ones. They are awesome
I got 2 of those universal war figures just recently the storm trooper and the grey alien with red eyes, and I’m always on the look out for Dennis and What though 😂 cool video 👏🏼
I'd name my toyline _SPATIAL DISPUTES_ . The gimmick would be that all of my characters legs would fold into caterpillar treads and their crotches would be cannons and they would comunicate via radiowaves from their eyepatches. The good guys would be _The Repudied_ . Their leader Don Landmower and would drive the P-Wing and eventually become a Jethro master. Jethro Masters who would use three pointed lightsabers, would gather cataplasm through the nose and do stuff like randomize minds and sink objects. His team mates would be Archduchess Edith (secretly Don's estranged cousin), Ben Commando a drunkard pilot, Bittoracka his trusty bald alien partner, histroinic mandroid POBOXLV501 and NO2XXX the allways buzzing chromed domed pet robot. They would face _The Conglomerate_ and their main enemies would be the MYSQL the Hunch, Hekuba Fester and Tartar Invader and they would have to destroy the seemingly untouchable (and pizza shaped) _"Mortuary Orb"_ and its terrible lazor of dying.
I know the best kind of bootlegs those wrestlers figures that come with those TNA 6-sided rings and they were in the reject stores (trust me I’ve seen then they are total bootleg) where they are the worst impression of the smaller figures you would normally see
To be fair, Corman's Battle Beyond The Stars is a knock off of The Magnificent Seven, which is a remake/knock off/homage to The Seven Samurai They all have the exact same plot
25th of may 77 is the original USA release date, I mentioned the Belgium release date sorry about that 😅
It's ok. 30 years later would be the day I got married. Glad something substantial happened on that day.
I saw it at the drive in. I was 6 years old at the time.
GL went after an sued the table top war game battle droids so they changed there name to battletech.
Belgium has far better chocolate than the US personally I forgive you 😂
Fun Fact. Lucasfilm also tried to sue a guy over here in England who designed the Stormtrooper because he was selling replica cosplay suits. But UK and USA copyright law are different and the English guy won. So there is a company here you can buy replica Star Wars props from which is not "official" Lucasfilm.
That’s awesome 🤩
We need a company name!
@@DoDaDaDaDaCaDa think it Shepperton Design Studios. But the only props you can buy are the one he designed
Those of us who were kids in 1977 can tell you, even if we already knew we were getting bootlegs and knockoffs, we just wanted more aliens to fill out our toy armies.
It was the same reasoning we went bugs for the Holiday Special at the time. There wasn't quite enough SW material out there yet, so we took what we could get right then.
"Battle Beyond the Stars" is "The Magnificent Seven" meets "Star Wars".
It's actually a very entertaining movie. Definitely could've used a good Toyline.
I loved Battle Beyond the Stars. Even as a kid, I knew it was a Star Wars rip off, but I loved it because it fed the need.
I was a 10 year old kid, back in '77, who could only get a 'Knight of Darkness' action figure because all the popular Star Wars action figures were all sold out. While I no longer have my original Knight of Darkness toy, I do have one, new-in-box, on my book shelf; though, he's missing his gun. That action figure gave me, and my Big Jim 'wolf P.A.C.K.' Warpath character & Honda motorbike countless hours of fun and imagination. However, I never had any of the other S.T.A.R. Team action figures; I didn't think much of them. But I did enjoy the Knight of Darkness action figure a lot. I remember that I got mine in Flagstaff, AZ at a Yellow Front store; a kind of '5 and Dime' discount store at the time, and now all gone today.
That Darth Vader on a Motorcycle is probably the only "Star Wars" collectible I would want in my collection.
@ 12:00 'Darth Poncherello' is fantastic!
Now come on greco your just gonna pop that crime fighter on ebay right??
Cmon, R2-3P0’s right there...!
No stranger than the unicycle riding Darth Vader seen around Portland Oregon
You will respect his authoritaaa
*goes to get popcorn*
One of my favorite toys as a kid was a lightsaber from the circus. It had embossed on the handle fake Luke and Darth. Ahhhh the 80's
I like the "right mold, wrong color" bootlegs best. I remember seeing the brown Galaxy Empire Darth Vader in Toyfare a long time ago.
As a kid I always referred to him as Chocolate Vader
Thank you! I got the star hawk/ Vader Knick off in Germany in ‘79 before we moved back to the states. Loved that figure couldn’t never remember the name!! Thank you so much, such great memories!!
If I made a knockoff Star Wars line, I would call it “The Force Awakens”
A Star Wars fan since the very beginning, I remember getting my very first Star Wars toy, the 3 3/4" Luke Skywalker action figure, that I still have.
I've always liked knock-offs and have several in my collection. The most blatant knock-off is the Star World action figure case. They weren't even trying to be subtle. The Space Case looks more like a Micronauts knock-off. I have both. I also have the Star Team figures and one of the Starroid Raiders.
Maybe he just came from a galaxy really... really far away.
Like the corner where God sweeps the leftovers in.
🤣🤣🤣
Like when you finish building your Ikea schoovnar and there are 17 pieces left
The imperial gunner with a calculator is hilarious!
🤣 indeed
The plastic light sabers found at most stores in the 80’s, they were everywhere.
Knight of darkness. Fearsome enemy from outer space! I love these knock off toys. Really great episode full of awesomeness. Big thumbs up from Finland!
Thanks 🤓🙌
Its so weird they also ripped off Thunderbirds, considering that it's not really a thing in America
But it looked like space vehicles 🤓
Space Swords are still available in Walmart in America! The box art changed from knock off Star Wars to bootleg Master Chief from the video game Halo.
Awesome 🤩
5:26 Like a face only a mother could love
🤣🤣
Missed the boat on Sucklord. But some good history there, so thank you for making this.
Wasn’t sucklord more of an art toy by like a customizer? Thanks for watching
@@EdsRetroGeekOut Sucklord may have started out customizing a 12 inch Boba Fett as an art piece. His later product/work falls under bootleg with a large helping of sarcasm. I felt it was worth a mention because it started a large custom/bootleg movement.
Kids don't care much about copyrights as long as toys are resembling their favourite characters they are happy with them . Guys from big companies know that very well .
I remember summer holidays walking around market places and seeing some of those tacky knock offs. I was never tempted. I couldn’t wait to get back home and buy the real deal.
The Uzays are so good that a lot of collectors consider them part of the original vintage line. My personal holy grail is a carded Blue Star.
I think I had a knock off set called galaxy Force
Holy crap! I think I owned a Star Tank! Man, you keep bringing up toys I used to own...
Star Tank: The Artillery Strikes Back
I completely dig your toy history series Ed. It's what brought me to your channel and what keeps me coming back. Cheers!
Thanks 🤓
Hmm, yes, "3BE3OHblE BONHbl," everyone's favorite toy line.
Gracias for another awesome video! 😀✌🎈
Thanks for watching 🤓
Good stuff Ed! Some of those knock offs were impressive. The most impressive bit of knowledge was that George Lucas sued President Regan. He wasn't afraid to go after anyone it seems.
Yeah for the name 😅 the administration must have been like check out this looney tune
Oh my god i remember the "Galaxy Empire" Line 😅 Here in Germany they sold these Figures on Flea-Markets and even in some 1 Dollar (1 DM ) Stores.
I was really heavy in the POTF2 Line at the time. Thanks for the Video!!
Awesome 🤩🚀
I want all those Knock-offs & Bootlegs. 😁 Great video as always Ed. 👍
Thanks buddy 🤓
Appreciate the effort you put into these videos Ed. Loved this one especially! Peace from Perth Downunder.
Thanks 🤓🙏
Ice pirates is my personal favourite sci fi film
Set in space
It's got the lot
Man , I used to have some of the Star Wars bootleg back in Mexico ♥️
Awesome 🤩
@@EdsRetroGeekOut *awesome 🤩*
10:16 now living rent free in my head haunting my dreams.
🤣🤣🤣
Star Command...is there a Buzz Lightyear? Lol
I hope so 🤩
I wouldn’t watch these videos if it wasn’t for Ed. Ed you make the videos by being you!! Thanks
Thanks for watching buddy 🤓
There’s also a Gawd awful Turkish StarWars movie knockoff
I Gotta admit... "Knight of Darkness" really does have his own Charm. actually the whole line did. id love to own them, but Holy Jesus are they Expensive!
Loving these bootleg/toy history videos,Ed!keep up the quality content dude!👍❤️💯👏
Thanks 🤓
Great stuff Ed, always love the Toy History videos! 😎👍🏼 Funny how many of these bootlegs are now more valuable & sought after than the legit vintage figures 😅
Oh yeah bootlegs are knocking it off of the ball park right now price wise 😅
one of the childs from my neighborhood use a no name plastic Lightsaber on playing in mid 90s. This sword use this "crossguard" design like Kylos sword... my first intention: Its look so stupid.. poor Kids XD
That bootleg Yoda figure is pretty fricking awesome looking, I really dig it...🤘🏼💯✔
🤣 oh yes!
Had power rangers knock off figures at my local shop when I was a kid. The where made out the hardest plastic ever so they broke immediately and their gimmick the they had a full body suit armor you fit on through clip on. It broke fast also!
Great video Ed! I had the inflatable sabers growing up, they were pretty unimpressive. My sister and I would spend hours trying as hard as we could to hurt each other with them. Hint: the hard plastic handle was the best way.
Thanks 🤓
Ur videos are so interterning i watch them all the time 😁🙂
Star Walker, Texas Space ranger
Dennis is still the best
great video ed
Thank you 🤓
I often look for knock off Star Wars figures and vehicles to customize. Sometimes I take other movies ships and give them a Star Wars makeover.
Hell yeah! I had the Knight of Darkness! What a great figure!!
Looks like something naughty is happening on the shelf.
🤣🤣 whaat
Space Power Warriors Darth Vader knockoff is so funny looking in its black blue and silver outfit you should check it out.
I’ll look him up 🤓
My bootleg line name is Undead pilots from the galaxy zone.
🤣 awesome
Great Video.
Excellent video and details about these Star Wars clones.
Thanks 🤓
That was fun
Thanks for watching 🤓
love the knock off videos.
Thanks 🤓
Me and my brothers had those 'light swoeds'with the blue handles at 7:10 . They hurt like hell if you took a hit to the knuckles. Haven't seen the packaging since the 70s ! Thanx Ed.
Thanks for watching 🤓
I really enjoyed this, it was well researched. Was that a fat wreck t shirt? Awesome
Thanks for watching and yes punkrock!
Star Knight sure why not lol
Excellent video @Ed's Retro Geek Out ! :)
Thanks buddy 🙏
Constellation Battles
Very cool video, as usual. Just a quick note: The HOMBRE ESPACIAL Vader is a custom job made by an Argentinian guy, not an actual bootleg. Cheers and keep the good work up! 👍🏼
I didn't know that! thanks for explaining :-D
Toy history
Woo-Hoo!
Your toy history vids are great! LOVE that you did knockoffs!
Thanks 🤓
Well I had that knock off figure case.
That is my pick up line at bars "wana do some mystery bump and go-go action?" :P
The universal war alien are from a game call Destroy All Human! So it a Knock off of Star Wars and Destroy All Humans! 14:58
I love Starroid Raiders. I had a sizeable Starroid Raiders collection, including the super-rare Coky but had to sell them out of necessity. Nowadays I'm looking for a Toko that isn't expensive as hell since he was the first one I had when I was a larva.
These are trippy!. Good video thanks for sharing!.
I had one of the flashlights with inflatable rubber "Lightsabers" and played it to shreds.
It'd be a collector's item if I'd stored it, but I'd have to have been a sick reptile to do so.
One thing I missed out on are Sears's own 'bootlegs':
I heard/read they did some of their own - allegedly to fill things up - notably "Bar Creatures" - they even made the Cantina playset but there were no creatures out of all the cool characters. So Sears filled in the gaps and as a multiple pack of decent quality ones "Bar Creatures" that resembled the ugly meanies Ben Kenobi had to keep off of Luke's arse... Later Lucas made the 'real' bar creatures and they re-did them much better in Phantom Menace era. But I bet the originals are good collectables and Lucas probably had some ... discussion ... with Sears...
Sounds awesome ill have to look into that
Big Jim was my jam. And before him, Major Matt Mason. I’d love to see a video on one or both of them.
Dude this is awesome
Thanks for watching
I actually have some knock off shadow of the Empire called star war I o's
Awesome 🤩
@Ed's Retro Geek Out I remember when I saw Return of the Jedi - I had missed out on Empire Strikes Back sadly and didn't get to see that until long after... I becomae OBSESSED with Boba Fett!
I started Drawing Boba, and other chgarcaters designed around him as Heroes called "Star Hawks" - And yeah... Being form the UK, I had no idea there was a SILVERHAWKS back then! LMAO!
Awesome 🤩
Those are some wacky bootlegs.
Great video sir I'll be 49 years old in July and a big star wars and transformers fan any video on that thanks
Thanks for watching 🤓
Actually, I would create a line of action figures of characters from Battle Beyond The Stars. While the movie was clearly trying to ride the wave of Star Wars' success, the characters had some pretty cool designs. As did the ships. I could totally see myself as a kid playing with my Shad action figure, loading him into the cockpit of Nel, and have him engage in a dogfight with Sandor's mutants. Or Space Cowboy and his Intergalactic Rig. Gelt and his fighter. The possibilities are mind blowing. And if the figures and ships happen to be Star Wars compatible? Even better!
Yes! 🤩🤩🤩
@@EdsRetroGeekOut Glad you like my idea!
Space Valkyrie was my favorite character. Definitely would love to get a figure of her.
I distinctly remember having these generic "space marine" toys they used to sell at Dollar Tree/ General. I loved those toys and I was for sure using them to play Star Wars haha
No Star Warsiors? With Door Ladder, Wise Puppet, and Karate Farmer? Yes these are real.
🤣 awesome ill look those up
the star wars episode 1 knock offs names are super funny
Why does Luke look more like the South Park version of Michael Jackson .... got your nose :P
14:47 The Regular Aliens are the Original Mold of this which are stolen from the main chracter design of the Video game Destroy all Humans.Which had no offical figure when these was created though I have a carded version of it with the Name Bob the Alien Warrior. The star wars themed ones are modified molds that came out around same time Ep7.
I thought i recognized those heads 🤩 indeed they’re fit that games characters
After the ep 1 toys killed collecting sw for a bit, i started collecting bootlegs and knockoffs only. I have several of the 90s-2000 ones. They are awesome
R3-PO aka CYBORG from DC on weight watchers :P
I got 2 of those universal war figures just recently the storm trooper and the grey alien with red eyes, and I’m always on the look out for Dennis and What though 😂 cool video 👏🏼
The dennis also gives me a dennis rodman feel 🤔
That is DARK MATER the wife of dark vader :P
I'd name my toyline _SPATIAL DISPUTES_ .
The gimmick would be that all of my characters legs would fold into caterpillar treads and their crotches would be cannons and they would comunicate via radiowaves from their eyepatches.
The good guys would be _The Repudied_ .
Their leader Don Landmower and would drive the P-Wing and eventually become a Jethro master. Jethro Masters who would use three pointed lightsabers, would gather cataplasm through the nose and do stuff like randomize minds and sink objects.
His team mates would be Archduchess Edith (secretly Don's estranged cousin), Ben Commando a drunkard pilot, Bittoracka his trusty bald alien partner, histroinic mandroid POBOXLV501 and NO2XXX the allways buzzing chromed domed pet robot.
They would face _The Conglomerate_ and their main enemies would be the MYSQL the Hunch, Hekuba Fester and Tartar Invader and they would have to destroy the seemingly untouchable (and pizza shaped) _"Mortuary Orb"_ and its terrible lazor of dying.
🤩 pizza shaped
I have one in these flashlights / lightsabers, they came with different colored balloons (so you could determine the color of the lightsaber)
Epic 🤘
Comet Battles. Ohhh Gona have to trademark that. Bring it Lucas
🤣🤣🚀🙌 yes!
I know the best kind of bootlegs those wrestlers figures that come with those TNA 6-sided rings and they were in the reject stores (trust me I’ve seen then they are total bootleg) where they are the worst impression of the smaller figures you would normally see
Awesome 🤓
Just awesome!
Was there any toys for Battle Beyond the Stars? I loved that movie
Not that i know of back in the day but i have seen a toy in the works of sybil danning character by neco or mezco
oh damn, what a journey that this is gonna be.
The Zeroid kinda looks like a Dalek.
Oh yeah! 🤩 it does
To be fair, Corman's Battle Beyond The Stars is a knock off of The Magnificent Seven, which is a remake/knock off/homage to The Seven Samurai
They all have the exact same plot
Peaceful Planet and/or Village is attacked by Evil Space Marauders and/or Bandits and must hire Heroic Mercenaries in order to protect them.
Battle Beyond the Stars more a rip-off of a western called The Magnificent Seven more than Star Wars and I'll be on the stars brilliant
Still some cool looking toys. I like these @ grocery stores. Vs. kB toys. More bang for your buck. Plus toy store visits were rare...
Space Balls it’s parody of all Space Movies