well, palitoy had the deal now. work out how they were going to make those toys. but kenner‘s design template for the star wars range, which they had to follow, wasn't perhaps quite what they were expecting. the problem we had was it was a very small action figure, a three—and—a—quarter—inch action figure. it had to be because of the scale of the vehicles. and usually action figures were in the 9— to 12—inch range. action man was a 12—inch action figure. so the trade looked at us and said, "here you are trying to launch a space—themed action figure line tied to a movie with an action figure size that's not common. we don't want to know." but we knew from our sister company in the usa that lucas was already planning a trilogy of films. so we knew there was a longevity to the concept. but we also knew that the toys themselves, with the movie backing, were tremendous. but the trade buyers didn't share our enthusiasm. we had nothing to sell. we actually had resin models of some of the key product, photographs... and of

look for the new palitoy star wars models in toy shops now. ominous voice: but hurry! the 1970s.george lucas is about to launch a visionary new film that will revolutionise cinema. this is not that story. this story is actually about this place. i'm david whiteley and i'm a massive star wars fan. and growing up, the toys were as much a part of my childhood as the films. they became the must—have toys of a generation, and what was once bought with pocket money now sells for thousands of pounds. but it almost didn't happen. back in the day, as the name suggests, coalville was a coal mining town, but also, a toy town, home to palitoy, makers of tiny tears, mainline and action man. # action man! # and his transport command.