I don't recall there being much Battle Beyond the Stars merchandising back in 1980 (Man, I would have loved model kits of the spaceships, never mind action figures!), but apparently Corman's New World Pictures did license at least one toy - a View-Master set!
I stumbled upon this rarity over on the Temple of Schlock blog - where you can also see scans of the booklet that was included with the reels. Check it out!
Wow, that is surprising. I never would have imagined there was stuff like this for BBtS.
ReplyDeleteWhaaaaa? I actually casually collect View Masters and have NEVER seen this before...CRAZY!
ReplyDeleteMust get a hold off these!
True story, I saw BBTS in the theater only because Flash Gordon was sold out. I went with my babysitter and we were already at the mall, it was Sci Fi and the poster looked cool so she bought us tickets. It's always held a very special place in my heart.
I also remember thinking when V premiered that they recycled the Lizard mask form this production, I didn't look into it but is there any evidence or am I waaaay off base?
The Cayman make-up is similar, but not the same as the V lizards.
ReplyDeleteTotally cool. I knew there were View-Master sets for CE3K, Superman The Movie, Buck Rogers, Star Trek The Motion Picture and The Black Hole, but I don't remember one for Battle Beyond the Stars. Alas, I can only imagine what Sybil Danning's breasts look like in 3-D.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of fond memories of Battle Beyond The Stars. I remember the old commercial advertisements from 1980, and viewing it on NBC's Sunday Night and Friday Night at the movies.
ReplyDeleteIt may look like a television movie or something out of both Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rogers, but after thirty years, it is still entertaining to watch.
I've also started casually buying old viewmaster reels again recently. I've seen quite a few I missed first time round on Ebay (Moonraker, Dr Who etc) but nothing on Battle Beyond the Stars. If anyone comes across these, I'd love to hear about it. Enjoyable movie. Bit clunky but that's part of the charm
ReplyDeleteHas anybody actually got these? Chris? Has anyone even seen them? I collect Viewmaster reels and have never come across them. Keen to hear from anyone that has. Not convinced they exist
ReplyDeleteIf you follow the link in the post, you'll see scans of the package and booklet that was included in the set. I have no reason to believe that it's not genuine.
DeleteChris, thanks for that. I wonder if they produced some but never actually released them (much like the Star Trek TMP playset). Maybe they just received a very limited release. Either way, a shame. I'd love to get my hands on a set
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DeletePricey but available