To celebrate the movie's 30th anniversary here are 30 facts and figures related to the film which influenced a new generation of film-makers.

1. the first trailer for the film hit cinemas six months before it was to open - with tag lines such as "the story of a boy, a girl and a universe" and "a billion years in the making" - as executives hoped to drum up some interest in a film they had little faith in.

2. made on a budget of $11m (5.5m) it made $215m (108m) in the US during its original release, and $337m (170m) overseas. the final film in the franchise - Revenge of the Sith - cost about $113m (57m) to make.

3. it was originally called the Star Wars, but "the" was dropped fairly early on in the creative process.

4. the full title Star Wars: Episode IV: a New Hope first appeared when the film was re-released in 1981.

5. Director George Lucas originally had a contract with Fox for $150,000 (75,941) for writing and directing Star Wars. but he cannily insisted on total control and 40% of merchandising - something the studio agreed to because they had no idea of what a phenomenon Star Wars would become.

6. the famous - and often imitated - opening crawl for Star Wars was co-written by Brian De Palma, the director of Scarface. it begins "It is a period of civil war. Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire."

7. Sir Alec Guinness made a ton of money from the film having recognised its potential success and negotiating a deal for two per cent of box office takings. he also refused to do any promotional work for the film.

8. Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Kenny Baker, who played R2-D2, are the only actors credited with being in all six Star Wars films.

9. Harrison Ford was far from George Lucas' first choice to play Han Solo as the director had wanted completely new faces for Star Wars. Ford had already starred in Lucas' American Graffiti.

10. the original release date was set for Christmas 1976 but major delays in filming saw it pushed back. the Fox studio had threatened to close down production when filming over-ran by more than two weeks.

11. Ralph McQuarrie created the paintings which were used to illustrate how the Star Wars universe could look. he started out as a technical illustrator for Boeing.

12. the Wookiee Chewbacca was inspired by George Lucas' beloved dog Indiana - an Alaskan malamute.

13. Lucas once said that the shape of the Millennium Falcon was based on a hamburger.

14. George Lucas based the character of Han Solo on his friend Francis Ford Coppola.

15. the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO are said to be based on the 1958 Akira Kourosawa film Kakushi toride no san akunin (The Hidden Fortress). Other characters in Star Wars were also drawn from the film including Han Solo and Ben Kenobi.

16. Cinemas in the US were press-ganged into buying the film after few took up the option, with the threat that they wouldn't get the Other Side of Midnight - a widely-anticipated adaptation of a Sidney Sheldon novel. the Other Side of Midnight, starring Susan Sarandon, was a box office flop.

17. Publicity supervisor Charles Lippincott was aware of the power of the sci-fi fan, going along to conventions to talk about Star Wars and what audiences could expect. he was largely credited with bringing in huge opening day audiences.

18. The merchandise for the film was not in place to accommodate the demand for the first Christmas rush after the film's release. Lucas and merchandise company Kenner Toys hit upon a novel idea with the introduction of early bird certificate boxes.these were basically empty boxes that promised the receiver they would get the figures once they had been made. they sold for $16 at the time and the actual figures arrived two months later. Limited edition packs were re-released in 2005.

19. More than 250 million small action figures were shipped in the eight years after the first film, going to countries across the world. in the first year alone 42m were sold.

20. Composer John Williams won an Oscar for his score for Star Wars. the music was later named by the American Film Institute as the greatest film score of all time.

21. a New Hope was the only one of the six films in the franchise to be nominated in the Academy Awards best picture category. it lost out to Woody Allen's Annie Hall.

22. mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, was involved in a car accident following primary shooting. His face was damaged making reshoots impossible. Hamill later said he only broke his nose and reports that his face was reconstructed were wide of the mark.

23. Anthony Daniels was injured during his first outing as C-3PO when a leg piece fell off his gold-coloured costume and shattered - stabbing him in the foot.

24. on the first day of filming in the deserts of Tunisia, the country experienced its first major rainstorm in 50 years and a rest day had to be called.

25. when filming moved to Elstree it was hoped the earlier problems encountered in the desert would be finished. but a new problem arose in the shape of the strict British working conditions adhered to on set. Lucas says that filming had to close at 5.30pm on the dot, unless he was in the middle of a shot - when he could ask workers to stay for an extra 15 minutes.

26. One of the most famous bloopers from the film is when stormtroopers burst into a room and one of them hits his head on the door frame. Fans of Star Wars and the blooper have spotted hundreds of "mistakes" throughout the Star Wars franchise but many can only be spotted by the most eagle-eyed viewer.

27. Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca, worked as a hospital orderly in London before being cast as the Wookiee. he was said to have got into character by copying the mannerisms of animals he visited at the zoo.

28. David Prowse, the 6ft 7ins actor who plays Darth Vader, had problems filming lightsaber scenes as he kept breaking the poles that were used as stand-ins for the weapons. in the sequels, fight co-ordinator Bob Anderson stepped into the costume to film the lightsaber scenes.

29. George Lucas wanted his sets to look worn and scuffed but the studio cleaning service continually cleaned and tidied up after a day's filming - much to the director's dismay.

30. Lucas' stress levels reached such a height that he thought he was having a heart attack. he was diagnosed with hypertension and exhaustion and told to rest - something the punishing schedule would not allow.

30 pieces of trivia about Star Wars

30 pieces of trivia about Star Wars is a post from: Lego Sets and Gifts

Captain Han SoloThe Han Solo figure shows the influences of the WWII bomber pilots on the Han Solo character. the figure bares the likeness of actor Harrison Ford with the classic WWII pilot hat. the bomber jacket comes complete with fur collar and detailed bomber nose art on the back of the "Millennium Falcon". the figure comes with a gun, the German Mauser, which was actually the base for the prop used in the Star Wars movies.

ChewbaccaThe Chewbacca figure continues the look of the bomber crew. Chewbacca's uniforms shows the rebel insignia and his name on his chest. his machine gun is a modified Thompson made to be reminiscent of Chewie's crossbow.

Luke Skywalker (Rebel Pilot)The Luke Skywalker figure has a slightly more stylized look. the figure bares the resemblance of actor mark Hamill. his removable helmet displays the rebel logo and removable goggles that can be lowered and raised. the orange leather is reminiscent of the classic orange jumpsuit from the films. the figure comes with a parachute and chest pouch that is suggestive of the control panel on Luke's jumpsuit. Although not very accurate to the WWII era, you can not have Luke with out the lightsaber. the lightsaber looks like an older flashlight, has a removable blade and is connected to a battery worn on the belt.

Imperial SnowtrooperThe Imperial Snowtrooper is based on the look of WWII soldiers during the siege of Stalingrad. the troopers face still obscured, but by a scarf this time not by a face plate. the goggles have the look of the classic helmet's visor and the helmet has the classic Nazi flared edges. the long coat that juts out is suggestive of the skirt worn by the film's version and the hard ammo pouches are like those of the film as well.

Imperial Biker ScoutThe Imperial Biker Scout is a blend of a Nazi motorcycle soldier and the film's Biker Scout. the chest armor and pouches are suggestive of the classic look. He wears a German Luger on his boot, like his movie counterpart. the bike is of classic WWII design but has the same color scheme as the speederbike and the saddlebags which are suggestive of the rear of the speederbike.

Darth VaderThe main idea behind this figure was to 'devolve' the suit into something that resembles 40's technology. the helmet is basically a glorified gas mask, and the chest box is intended to look like an old-fashioned guage. the uniform isn't 100% Nazi, but I wanted to have the armband with an imperial symbol instead of a swastika. the base figure is a LOTR prologue elf.

StormtrooperThis was the first concept that solidified in my mind when Sillof approached me about this concept. this was perhaps the most literal fusion of Star Wars and WWII aesthetics, and I am quite pleased with the result. the base figure is a ML Longshot, with Gambit hands.

Boba FettI wanted Fett to look like he was wearing chunks of damaged, modified tank armor. the missing hand was an afterthought, but I thought it would be an extreme and amusing divergence from the character's usual appearance. He's the least successful in terms of capturing the intended period, but he makes for a menacing Mandalorian. Base figure is a ML Bullseye, with ML Punisher boots.

Created by Sillof & Glorbes (Sillof@Sillof.com).Web site: www.sillof.com

Back to the CustomCon19 main page

Back to Custom Central

[FAQs and Articles] [Custom Site Links][Custom Central Galleries] [Custom Talk]

Star Wars WWII Action Figures

Star Wars WWII Action Figures is a post from: Lego Sets and Gifts

Incoming search terms: