One of the most exciting sequences from RETURN OF THE JEDI is the Speeder Bike chase.
I have a memory, prior to JEDI’s release, of sitting in a theater with my family, watching ads, waiting for a show to begin. I don’t remember what movie we were there for.
(Checking a list of films that were released in the months leading up to JEDI at boxofficemojo.com, I suspect we were there for the ’83 re-release of Disney’s THE SWORD IN THE STONE. It came out two months before JEDI and I definitely remember seeing it in the theater when I was a kid.)
I sat there enduring ads for upcoming movies I couldn’t have cared less about, and suddenly the RETURN OF THE JEDI trailer exploded onto the screen, obliterating my mind. Dozens of moments flashed so quickly I was unable to take it all in, but a glimpse of Speeder Bikes racing through a forest stayed with me. I called them “space motorcycles” until I came across the proper term – probably from a Kenner ad.
From then on, the Speeder Bike has been one of my favorite SW vehicles and Kenner did an outstanding job bringing it off the screen and into our action figure adventures.
Here it is, out of the box, and let’s check out the instruction sheet.
What a beauty!
There’s a push-button feature that explodes the bike into three pieces which greatly adds to the play value. And when it explodes, IT EXPLODES, the seat-piece popping high, the figure sailing off, headed for a crash.
For being so small and low-cost, Kenner’s Speeder Bike added more than its fair share of fun and excitement to any play session.
And it looks great on display!
