SSG BATTLE OF THE MACHINES Round 1 - Fight 4!

[Tycho]

It's Alderaanian Graffiti!

Friday Night is Light Night this week as the SSG Battle of the Machines continues until you the voters pick the best modern Star Wars vehicle in the entire collection!

Following the Heavy Weight AT-AT's successful trounce of the Snowspeeder, we're offering a lightweight match that crosses trilogy lines as the Naboo Flash Speeder takes on Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder.

The Landspeeder seats 2 action figures in the front, while 2 more, including droids, can ride on the back behind the seats. Spring-loaded wheels help the Landspeeder look like it's floating as it rolls over hardfloors. But for fun spin-outs on the rug, shift the drive gear back and the wheels hide inside for the least resistance on carpeting. Pop open the hood to make engine repairs, or at least admire the decale that lets you pretend that's what you're doing. Luke's Landspeeder is also detailed with one engine panel removed, the turbine exposed for added realism.

The Naboo Flash Speeder seats 4 action figures inside its cabin area (supposedly), and you can position at least one more on the tail platform to man the missle firing cannon! Blast Battle Droids out of your way with this little speeder's pretty long-ranged ordinance, or run them over as the Flash Speeder also features wheels hidden underneath for fast traveling over hard surfaces. But though the speeder might be quick in a fight, it can suffer battle damage with a flip-over panel that lets your Flash Speeder take a hit, but then you can restore it to brand new.

Well which toy offered you the most bang for your buck? Only one of these cars will qualify for the " Quarterfinals in the Devaron 500!" Which one is your favorite of these?

[Beast]

Another tough one Tycho, but I finally had to back the E1 speeder due to the added play value and just the general coolness factor of it. Firing missle, secret battle damage, plus the cool color. Though, if the rumored 25th anniversay Landspeeder does comes out later this year I may have to vote for that.

I loved the flash speeder in the movie, looked really nice and I wish they would have produced the other speeder as well. Sadly the glut of over ordering by greedy toy stores doomed it as well as some decent figures from being produced.

But back to the vehicles, I dunno....I just like the Flash Speeder better, looks really good with figues around it in a diorama. But, I do like the fact that Hasbro atleast put some effort into re-sculpting the original landspeeder with the missing engine cover.

Plus the Flash Speeder could atleast hold the figures better then the Luke's Landspeeder. But thats more of a lack of a decent Obi-Wan with cloth lower robes and cloak so he can sit dressed properly in the Landspeeder. Hopefully the rumored 25th Anniversay Landspeeder will come with the POTJ Old Ben with cloth lower robes and cloak.

MTFBWY and HH!!

Jar Jar Binks

[neimoidian85]

The Gian Speeder......THEY NEED A GIAN SPEEDER!

[stillakid]

The landspeeder, hands down. It has a rugged quality that beats that wussy powder baby blue without question. Maybe if they added one of those flower holders like the one in the new Volkswagon Beetle, the Flash Speeder might have added value, but right now, it has little appeal.

[Mandalorian Candidat]

Wow Tycho! This is the hardest match-up to pick a winner for since the late 70's debate between "tastes great" and "less filling." I wish you had a tie option since this pairing is going to be closer than choosing which has more testosterone, the audience at Wrestlemania XXVII or the 1984 East German women's swimming team.

Let's look at both more in-depth...

Flash speeder
THE GOOD - That gun turret is a nice touch, especially since it was designed to turn synchronously between the figure and gun. The flip-over battle damage is also a nice tough. In addition we have the "extra" two seats in the back. The hover feature is fine and doesn't have a whole lot of friction when you glide it across the kitchen floor.

THE BAD - It's harder than hell to fit figures in this thing. I think the only ones I've had any success with being able to sit and look somewhat natural are the smaller ones like Anakin or the Queen, although Soft Goods OB1 isn't too bad. Also, there's no way in heck to fit any figure in the back set unless they sit up on the seat edge or sit sideways taking up the whole back seat. Definitely no room for any figure besides Ani, Watto, or Yoda to sit normally.

THE UGLY - That damn blue color!


Landspeeder
THE GOOD - That great wheel shifting feature, although I still can't figure out why anyone would want to shift the wheels up. The speeder doesn't play well that way. The suspension kicks the Flash speeder's butt; it's more realistic. Figures fit so much better in this one than the Flash one and it's cool to actually put the droids in the back like in the movie. The opening hood is also a nice touch, but you really can't put anything in there like guns without putting extra pressure on the hood's hinge.

THE BAD - I could never get my R2's foot to fit well in the peg behind the seat, although my C-3PO fits OK.

THE UGLY - The guy at the TRU where I bought it.


Well, after typing this up I suppose I have found a winner. I have to choose the landspeeder. Why? Both are decent and have their good and bad points but I have to give the older one the props since it not only cost me less ($2 at a TRU clearance sale) but stayed true to the original one from the 70's, but with an improved sculpt.

[2-1B]

I vote for the landspeeder It seems more "real" to me, as if it has seen a lot of use. I dislike the cannon on the flash speeder - Luke's middle engine piece gives it a much better look.

The landspeeder is just so much more fun. Speeding around the Jundland Wastes and Mos Eisley with an exiled Jedi Knight is way cooler than . . . the Naboo Royal Security.

[LusiferSam]

Not an easy one. But I have to go with the landspeeder. Its one of the few times I like the POTF2 version better then the vintage. Plus the fact you can't get most episode 1 figures in the flash speeder.

[LTBasker]

I went for the Flash Speeder because it's very fun to play with it when you've got a small squad of Security figures, they can sit in the Flash Speeder pretty well and reach the contols nicely plus you can have one on the back for the cannon or have him in the back giving some extra fire. The Landspeeder is kinda boring though, especially since the windshield is too small. Also the peg on the back of the seat is too small for 3PO and R2... I wish they would've made the Flash Speeder more accurate, like with a real back seat.

[Tycho]

Now here, I thought the battle damage feature on the Flash Speeder, as well as the ability to use it to fire a missle as an attack vehicle made it superior and a lot of fun.

I would have liked to see the Flash Speeder win, not that the Landspeeder isn't a great toy and I did vote for it later on, I believe.