Comments
The Landspeeder was one of the first vehicles Kenner sold for its Star Wars line in 1978. With its low price point and prominence in the film, it was also one of their best-sellers, remaining in production until the line ended in 1984. For this reason, even in its original 1978 packaging, the Landspeeder is among the easiest Kenner vehicles to acquire. Loose samples seldom fetch more than a $50 asking price, while mint-in-box samples sell for a few hundred. However, bidding on this Kenner Landspeeder being auctioned through Hakes has already climbed well above $2k – and Hakes expects it to go for even more.
Two poly-bagged figures and a sticker on the Land Speeder’s box make the difference: this release is the rare 1978 “Special Offer” Land Speeder. Packaged with C-3PO and R2-D2 action figures, the “Special Offer” Land Speeder was only sold in 1978 at select retailers and is among the most elusive items Kenner released.
It’s no surprise one found its way into the collection of Jeff Jacob. Jacob’s Kenner Star Wars collection was formerly the most extensive and valuable in the world, it is lately the centerpiece of a years-long, record-smashing series of Hakes’ auctions. Hakes is auctioning the last of the Jacob collection this week, and of the hundreds of lots up for bidding, the “Special Offer” Land Speeder has attracted significant attention.
The History of Kenner’s “Special Offer” Sets
Kenner designed exclusive figures sets and vehicles for several of its larger retail partners (Sears, J.C. Penney) in 1978, while the “Special Offer” bundles were intended for smaller or regional department store chains. They also served as a means for Kenner to offload overstock of their initial, massive 1978 production run. The “Special Offer” Landspeeder was one of several bundled figure and vehicle sets Kenner offered. Others included a TIE Fighter packaged with Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper, and an X-Wing packaged with Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.
Taken out of its box, the “Special Offer” Landspeeder is identical to the standard release. It boasts the same opening hood action feature, as well as a suspension system that gives the toy the illusion of “floating” like its on-screen counterpart. The included C-3PO and R2-D2 also bore no distinguishing features that set them apart from the standard release. This holds for all “Special Offer” vehicle and figures, and is part of what makes them such a challenge to collect.
Another contributing factor is that there was minimal documentation of a “Special Offer” set’s release. Outside of the cardboard backdrop and the sticker advertising the bonus, these “Special Offer” sets required no dedicated packaging or tooling. A blurry photograph from a catalog might be the only evidence of a set’s existence. For sets that have survived, only a single-digit number of each is estimated to exist.
Understanding How Rare The “Special Offer” Landspeeder Is
The AFA (Action Figure Authority) lists only five known, graded Special Offer Land Speeders. An unknown number exists in ungraded condition, exemplified by this Reddit post from a collector who stumbled across one last year. The ungraded sample is complete, but the R2-D2 and C-3PO figures have been removed from their plastic bag packaging. Before this discovery, the last sale was through Hakes in 2021, with a final price of $17,523.00.
Hakes estimates the sample for sale this week to sell for $5-10k. It is graded at an 80, and includes the C-3PO and R2-D2 still mint in bag. With the Jeff Jacob collection auctions routinely breaking records, there’s a possibility the Special Offer Land Speeder could sell for even more, especially given that it is the literal rarest item up for auction.
Did you know about Kenner’s Special Offer vehicle sets? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the Forum!
The Price Of This Vintage Boba Fett Ship Has Ballooned Thanks To A Sticker On The Box
