From Tatooine to the Death Star, Mustafar, Naboo, and Hoth in between, there are countless iconic locations within the Star Wars universe. However, there's one location that stands out for many fans.
Mos Eisley Cantina has been a recurring location since it first appeared in Star Wars: A New Hope, and Hasbro has likely dropped the most accurate and impressive set depicting the iconic spot. Like previous Star Wars sets – including the Ghost Ship from Star Wars Rebels and Ahsoka – The Vintage Collection Mos Eisley Cantina is a HasLab piece on Hasbro Pulse. Star War fans can back it right now, and if it gets enough supporters, it will be produced.
Right now, after being available since June 7, 2024, it’s nearly at 7,300 backers and needs a full 8,000 before 11:59pm ET on July 8, 2024. There are two versions of the set: the standard, which costs $399.99 / £399.99 (about AU$600), and the Deluxe, which costs $499.99 / £499.99 (about AU$750).
Considering how detailed the set is – you get over 100 cups, the iconic bar, and three booths with the standard version alone – I wanted to learn more about how a piece like this comes to life. So I chatted with Chris Reiff, a Manager of Product Design for Star Wars at Hasbro, to unpack The Vintage Collection Mos Eisley Cantina.
At more than 32 inches long and 19 inches wide, this Mos Eisley Cantina aims to punch above the rest, and the level of detail here is a laundry list. It’s designed at a 3.75-inch scale, and compatible with other Star Wars Vintage Collection figures. As for where Reiff and the rest of the team started, it’s all about going back to the source.
“A rewatch – actually, a LOT of rewatches– is key,” he told me – but that’s merely the beginning for getting the senses and starting to sketch. “We dug through behind-the-scenes references and original set blueprints, watched unused footage from the original production, and even looked at years of fan community research.”
All of this comes together to form a baseline of sorts, and needs to be weighed against what is possible, in the sense that it needs to work at a 3.75-inch scale and be recreated in plastic. It also takes time, and while this went up for backing in June, the Hasbro team formally began working on the set in December 2023.
Whether you know the Cantina from A New Hope or The Mandalorian, you’ll recognize the elements here. There are Sabbac tables to get your game on, the iconic bar, and booths where friends can me or, more than likely, see what their adversaries are up to or see a deal going down. Three figures are included, either the standard or deluxe: a barkeep named Wuher, and two characters you might recognize, Brea and Senni Tonnika. You also get various other elements here, including stickers from wanted posters to 'No Jawas', to graffiti art – you can really put your own spin on Mos Eisley Cantina.
Reiff shared that it was a full team effort to get a “reveal-worthy model for the Cantina and associated figures in six months,” noting that it was only doable thanks to “a lot of great energy and effort from all the team members.” That includes folks at HasLab from design, engineering, and marketing departments, who worked with both Disney and LucasFilm, and with sculptors, model makers, photographers, graphic designers, and more.
With Mos Eisley Cantina specifically, Reiff shared that HasLab integrated “subtle differences of set-dressing details seen between the original set built in the UK for principal photography and the details seen in the alcoves built for additional shots that were filmed in the US”, with the latter including elements like alien shots and the Cantina Band – and fans of the band specifically will likely find joy in one Easter egg that Reiff shared:
“We included a rare Cantina Band instrument in the set. It’s the small piece that looks a little like a bucket with a pipe sticking out.” He noted that it’s barely seen in the original Star Wars film, but it was used in the Star Wars Holiday Special, and was even repurposed in the Ewok movies with a slight change.
“I've included that piece as it exists today in the archives with the top detail piece, but we've made that top detail removable on our version to recreate the original look of the band instrument if you want,” Reiff noted, which ultimately lets you decide which is accurate from your point of view.
There are other Easter eggs included – you might even spot some in the so-far-released images, particularly if you take a close look at the sticker sheet – and Reiff did share that fans will have much to discover. He’s been working on Star Wars projects for nearly 30 years, and upon joining Hasbro in 2020 he got right to work with the HasLab Razo Crest. I have no doubt that he’s working on the next big Star Wars set, but considering it’s nearing the deadline for this to be backed, we also asked Reiff about HasLab.
He shared, “Big dream items like this are really great for the Pulse platform via a HasLab, as the system allows us to be a little more elaborate and do things like tiers and very unique figures.” Considering that this boasts “The Vintage Collection,” which echoes the original Kenner Star Wars toys, this is definitely one for fans and collectors.
You can check out the Star Wars The Vintage Collection Mos Eisley Cantina on HasLab via Hasbro Pulse here – and to recap, it’s up for backing at $399.99 / £399.99 for the standard set or $499.99 / £499.99 for the deluxe, and has until July 8, 2024, to reach 8,000 backers.
