Review – 1998 Star Wars: Expanded Universe Speeder Bike

At 7.75-inches long the 1998 Kenner Star Wars: Expanded Universe Speeder Bike* makes a great companion piece to the 1996 Swoop vehicle that I reviewed last week (review here). Inspired by Return of the Jedi concept art, this bulky Speeder Bike is close — but not exactly — like a design that came close to being created for the movies. So does this fall into the realm of the Mini-Rigs of the eighties? Kinda, but only in that it’s a small vehicle that never appeared in any of the films.

Outriggers Flip Forward!

Very similar to the design of the steering vanes on the Speeder Bike from the film, the two maneuvering fins — identified as “outriggers” on the Star Wars: Expanded Universe Speeder Bike* box — can be pivoted to face the rear of the vehicle for a “parked” position. Click a button on the rear of the toy and the two vanes then swing instantly forward; the below photo shows the toy with the vanes in both the “parked” and “flight” positions.

More Stable Than it Looks

A landing pad on the bottom of the vehicle allows it to “hover” just above whatever surface you place the toy on, and what is surprising to me is how well the toy sits without any risk of falling over. The balance is fantastic, making me think that the Kenner designers spent a lot of time prototyping this to get everything just right.

Missile Away!

On the right side of the vehicle is a small, spring-loaded missile launcher that works as well as any other Kenner Star Wars toy’s launcher from the same era. A button underneath the vehicle is a little too ready to launch the missile for my tastes; it’s very easy to accidentally fire the missile when you pick up the toy to play with it or move it. But a lot of that’s my own fat fingers and not a fault of the toy. I suspect kids with smaller hands wouldn’t have the same problem I do.

Rebel Speeder Bike Pilot Action Figure

One real advantage that the Mini-Rig-like toys of the nineties had over Kenner’s classic Mini-Rigs is that these toys came with action figures; back in the old days Kenner didn’t include figures with vehicles so a kid had to chase down the necessary pilot. This Rebel Speeder Bike Pilot has a fairly generic costume design and is almost articulated like a vintage Star Wars action figure . . . except this guy also has a swivel waist! I wish that Kenner had made it look a tad more like an Endor Rebel Soldier, but the figure is functional and looks just fine.

Closing Thoughts

I love that Kenner looked to the Return of the Jedi concept artwork to create this Star Wars: Expanded Universe Speeder Bike* and the $10 price tag on the toy when it was released in 1998 was a great price. It’s a fairly hefty “small” vehicle and a figure for only twice the price of the Star Wars action figures of the time so how could any kids of the day complain?

The detailing and design is fun and the paint apps, while minimal, are just fine. It’s not the best of the nineties Star Wars vehicles, but if you can find one for the original price it’s worth adding to your collection of Star Wars Mini-Rigs. You do have a Mini-Rig collection, right?