Star Wars Blasters - toys and replicas
In the other sections of this site, I already talked about all different kinds of lightsabers being by far the most popular Star Wars toys among the fans and collectors (kids or adults) and even among the people who were not so much impressed with the movie saga itself.
However, there are many other kinds of cool stuff related to Star Wars, and the Star Wars blasters are just one good example. These are the weapons used both by civilians and soldiers in the movies, which are firing cohesive bursts of light-based energy called bolts. The design of these weapons was inspired by real machine guns and pistols, but given a more futuristic look for the purpose of using them in the movies.
If you are interested in having your own clone trooper blaster, Star Wars blaster rifle or the classic Han Solo blaster pistol, there are multiple categories and price ranges to choose from.
Basic Star Wars blaster toys ($10 ~ $20)
The basic plastic toy versions of the blasters can be purchased from $10 in one of many online stores. They usually claim to be officially licensed ,100% realistic and making real movie sounds, but I would recommend not to take these claims too seriously (unless you believe that the real colors of Han Solo's blaster are bright blue and orange). Nevertheless, most of them will work just fine as a toy or as an accessory to your kid's Star Wars Halloween costume, which is their main purpose, anyway. If you want to avoid disappointment, stick with reliable merchants with good reputation and look for brand names e.g. Hasbro, Rubies etc.
Advanced Star Wars toy blasters ($25 ~ $50)
In this price range, you can purchase high quality blaster toys with quite authentic look and many advanced features. Apart from electronic movie sounds, light up barrels, foam darts and targeting lights, some of these toys (e.g. Hasbro Clone Commander Blaster) consist of several unique parts which can be assembled in many different ways, allowing you to build a fully customized blaster up to 2½ feet long.
Blaster pistol and blaster rifle replicas & scaled replicas ($50 ~ $700)
For serious collectors, there are plenty of options to buy exact replicas of the blaster weapons used in the movies. Depending on your budget, you can either select the 1:1 version, or a scaled replica which will look great on your desk or shelf. Both types of Star Wars blaster replicas are usually made of solid die-cast metal with injection molded plastic parts. They are usually sold with additional accessories like custom display stands or cases, official certificates of authenticity etc. Although the top products in this category can cost you hundreds of dollars, their 100% authenticity fully justifies the price. Well, at least for a true Star Wars maniac like me.
