Customer Reviews

Irwin Toys: The Canadian Star Wars Connection

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just got a copy of this book, and since it hasn't been reviewed in a while, I thought potential buyers might appreciate another (more recent) opinion. Overall, I was quite impressed with the CONTENT of this book. It does a very nice job covering vintage Star Wars figures, vehicles, and playsets (as well as several other items) that were released in Canada from 1977 to 1985. One of the best aspects of this book is the presentation of different items (and especially the different packaging) that were released exclusively in Canada (for example, did you know that the AT-AT Commander was actually released as General Veers in Canada?). The author's commentary is largely interesting and helpful, especially the excerpts from his interview with the former head of Kenner Canada/Irwin (really provides a great behind the scenes history of Star Wars toys).

On the down side (and so you know exactly what you are getting), the production quality of this book is only fair at best. For example, the pages are printed on newsprint, and many of the photos are poor to moderate in quality. The publisher was clearly trying to save money, but I still commend them for publishing such an eclectic/niche book in the first place.

In sum, I give the production quality two stars, and the content five stars (since the latter is far more important, I rounded up to four stars overall). I think this book is definitely worth getting (especially if the price is right), as it contains some interesting and valuable information that is not available elsewhere. Thus, I'll bet even the most experienced collectors will see several vintage Star Wars items that they have never seen or heard of before.

Though this book does present a variety of different Star Wars collectables, the manner in which it does so is somewhat boring. Even as a huge Star Wars fan, I found the book hard to read, but it is still useful as a checklist.

I finished reading through James' book this weekend, and I am very impressed with it. The information is displayed in an easy to follow manner, and it works great as a resource guide. It definitely belongs among the reference materials of any vintage Star Wars collector. As a Kenner collector, I also found the book to be full of history about the company. This was a pleasant, and educational surprise.

Dan W. Flarida

KennerToys.com

Attention collectors: There is finally a book which focuses only on the vintage Star Wars line released in Canada. There are many rare and highly sought after toys which came out only in Canada. This book successfully organizes and pictures these Canadian Star Wars toys in order to inform the serious Star Wars collector about these rare and often elusive items. There are hundreds of pictures and a lot of useful information. I would recommend this book to any serious Star Wars collector.

A very informative book which focuses only on Canadian Star Wars Toys. The amount of information and pictures contained relating only to toys released in Canada is staggering. It was not until this point that anyone had attempted to list and document all these rare Star Wars toys that the average collector would have never even had a chance to hear about, much less view. I would recommend this book to any avid Star Wars collector.

Ever wonder what vintage Star Wars toys were released in Canada and in what packaging? Well wonder no longer! This book is a great read and a handy reference to the novice Star Wars collector as well as super collector. I learned quite a few things and Jim does more than just show pictures of the toys, he also explains why certain items were released, whether they were multi packs or why extra figures were included in play sets.

I'm glad I bought it and would recommend this to people even slightly interested in Star Wars toys from the Great White North.

I think anyone interested in Canadian SW toys will find this book useful. Contains some great pictures and catalogue pages. What I liked most were the insights offered by Mac Irwin, the president of Kenner Canada during the vintage toy years.He makes it a little more clear why certain toys were packaged and released in the way that they were. This is a good addition to any collectors library of reference material.

This is the kind of in-depth thorough Star Wars collecting book that many in the hobby are craving. The author isn't scared to take on an esoteric, yet fascinating slice of Star Wars collectibles (namely the Canadian Star Wars toy line) and cover everything about it in detail, from common items, to variations, to hard-to-find rarities. Some of the rarest pieces pictured in this book appear nowhere else in print.

This is not the book for the beginning Star Wars collector, however I do not know a single longtime Star Wars collector who does not own this resource. The photography could be a little better, but still captures all the essentials.

... The book has an excellent layout, with an easy on the eyescolour scheme and very thoughtful planning, which is easily seen.

The book is an excellent resource for collectors and should be highly appreciated to any Canadian Star Wars enthusiast. END

I recently designed Jim's webpage (www.kennercanada.com) and received a copy of the book. The book has a very interesting layout, with nice picture placement and colour schemes so your eyes never get bored.

The quality of the book was amazing, and I received a pre-print version, with slightly blurred pictures but the printed version is much better. This book is an excellent resource for collectors and hobbiests everywhere.