Vandor-1 Heist - SW [S] - Playsets (Exclusive)

A frontier world hardly touched by technology, Vandor-1 is a breathtaking, beautiful world marked by jagged snow-capped mountains and lush plains. It is home to the rough-and-tumble trading port of Fort Ypso, as well as site of an Imperial vault.

We’re conflicted. We complain about Hasbro not making playsets in the modern era. We beg them profusely that they’ll make them. Then they do make them, and we’re don’t know if we’re happy or not about it. Admittedly, it’s great to see them test the waters of the market out again with the TARGET exclusive Vandor-1 Heist card stock playset. But for us, the problem lies in the products description. Why is this a “card stock” playset with plastic elements instead of the other way around? Visually, the Vandor-1 Heist playset is rather stunning. There are multiple levels of play, and from what we tested, the thick cardboard parts do a fantastic job of holding up multiple figures’ weights so you can recreate impressive scenes from Solo: A Star Wars Story. But we wonder if the many working parts of this trial playset will hold up over time, especially when it comes to breaking it down and rebuilding it over and over again. From a collector’s point of view, the Vandor-1 Heist “screams” “Palitoy Death Star” to us. But it also has many limitations. There is only so much you can do with the Vandor-1 Heist playset. And did Solo: A Star Wars Story garner enough interest where Hasbro should be using precious slots making products based on a movie that didn’t perform up to expectations at the box office? Disney needs to realize who is buying and supporting the merchandising, and they only have this audience for a limited time. Hasbro keeps making products that, while beautiful in many ways, aren’t for the current audience buying their products. It’s not fair to collectors. And it certainly isn’t fair to retailers. Still, the Vandor-1 Heist playset is an item that interests us as much as it disinterests us, so hence our conflict.

There are two sides of the Vandor-1 Heist playset. One side recreates the “train scene” while the other, well, honestly we’re not so sure where this side is inspired. (Surely someone out there will know.) Parts of it look like it could be the planet they visited near the Kessel Run where Wookies were enslaved. Essentially we have a snow-covered first side and a purple mountain majesty second side. And there is a doorway in which your action figures can go through to enter one “world” or the other. Let’s talk about the snowy side first. Let’s say for a moment we’re completely contented with the thick card stock walls that bring this set together. Sadly, Hasbro utilized a MUCH THINNER cardstock for the train parts. What’s more, this thinner cardstock wraps around the plastic frame of the train and locks into place with tabs. It is slightly reinforced with some smaller plastic parts that give it its finishing touches. But we have to be honest and state that we wish that cardboard parts were thicker. We damaged portions of it attempting to recreate the bodies of the train cars and once you bend cardboard, there is no returning from that. We understand why Hasbro used thinner cardstock here, but we don’t think it was a wise decision in the long run. Kids won’t be as kind as collectors, and it will ultimately spell certain doom for how long they hold up for younger fans. However, once everything is assembled, admittedly the Vandor-1 Heist playset looks rather striking. If you don’t think so, well, we’d have to say nothing will make you happy.

In addition to a brilliant card stock construction of Vandor-1, Hasbro added important plastic components and elements that help take the playset to new levels while incorporating additional play value where young fans can be a little more rugged with it. There is a gate with a sliding door. And above it are lighting fixtures which look like something you’d see at a train station. It’s not revolutionary, but it does add a sense of realism to the playset and who doesn’t love a gate that your action figures can go through multiple times? There is also a post with another light fixture piece that attaches to the top of it. Our sample didn’t stay firmly in place as we’d like to see, but it does serve a purpose to help recreate multiple moments from Solo: A Star Wars Story. Clear action figure stands plug into holes on the train car. And the purpose of this is to create the effect of the “magnetic” boots of the Range Troopers. We suppose it works, but there is something about the aesthetic that looks a tad too contrived. Still, it’s extra play value for the kids, and they should find it entertaining (that’s if kids are even interested in a playset like this in the modern era we live). The included Chewbacca figure is the same as the Star Wars [Solo] basic figure but this time comes with goggles. He still has the blaster rifle and the removable bandolier. For us, it’s a terrible action figure, but at least Hasbro added a pack-in figure here to keep things interesting. We’re still on the fence with the Vandor-1 Heist playset. We’re not sure if this is the correct direction for playsets or not, but if it sells well then we’ll have the definitive answer on that.