The ToyTalk Fun Hundred Part 5
Over the past four days we have counted down from 100 to 2 in the ToyTalk Fun Hundred and we conclude today with the No.1 toy.
1 — LEGO Star Wars
LEGO’s Star Wars range is nothing short of magnificent. Over the years the selection of sets has built up until you can now recreate a huge number of scenes from the films and animated series.
The first licensed theme from LEGO, the range debuted in 1999 with sets from Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. The other films followed and a new selection of characters and vehicles became available in 2008 from the film and TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Today the selection of sets includes budget items like the Rebel Trooper Battle Pack, all the way up to the 3,803-piece Death Star. The simplest sets are suitable from the age of six, while the most complicated should only be tackled by experienced modellers of 16 and over.
Sets can be used for play or (especially in the case of the majestic Lambda-class Imperial Shuttle) display and often feature amazingly intricate detail. The use of ‘greebles’ — small pieces specially designed to enhance ‘realism’ — was pioneered on the 2004 Ultimate Collector Series Imperial Star Destroyer, opening the door to the tremendously detailed LEGO sets of today in this and other themes.
Many people would argue that the stars of the show are the minifigures, which have become collectibles in their own right. From Yoda, with legs that are short even by minifigure standards, to the oversized Hoth wampa, just about every character in the Star Wars galaxy is available in minifigure form.
Building these sets is often a complex and time-consuming process, but the end results are more than worth the effort. LEGO pieces from other sets can be drafted in to construct scenery, fortifications and even custom spaceships, letting children give free rein to their creativity.
It adds up, in our opinion, to the best toy range currently available in the UK and earns the LEGO Star Wars theme the No.1 position in the ToyTalk Fun Hundred.
Read the first part of the ToyTalk Fun Hundred here.
Read the second part of the ToyTalk Fun Hundred here.
I’d have to agree with this – me and my seven-year-old have enjoyed playing with Lego together for years. There’s something about the Star Wars range that is special, although I’d say the Clone Wars stuff is better than the originals.