I am not a diorama builder. I wouldn’t even know where to start. But GTP Toys just made it easy to backdrop your 1:12 scale Star Wars figures with the release of their Space Walls, which are essentially Death Star panels. And they are fantastic! We also have a sneak peek of their accessory set.
As soon as I saw these posted on the Fwoosh forums, I knew I had to have a set. I’m in full-on “take over my toy collection” Star Wars mode. I’ve forsaken everything else for the time being, even Marvel Legends. It’s insane. It’s like it’s 1995 again. So being able to purchase something like these Space Walls came at a perfect time for me. I take a lot of pictures. I have a lot of plain shelves. I thought these would complement both.
And they do. Perfectly.
Everyone knows I’m not much of a packaging person. It gets my stuff to me unscathed and then it’s tossed. The Space Walls arrive in a cardboard box with a few graphics. And you know what? I love it.
Simple, beautiful. And I don’t know why. It’s just practical and that strikes a chord with me for some reason. Box. Open. Here’s your stuff. Done. Wam bam, thank you, box.
I didn’t get a shot of the box when I opened it, but it’s just a foam piece and an insert, and then some foam cut to the shape of the walls to keep them from moving inside. Works like a charm. I do unbox them in my video review, if you want to check that out.
Out of the box you get nine beautifully sculpted Death Star panels cast in gray. There is no paint, but they don’t need any. The plastic has no swirls or marks in it, just an even, consistent color throughout.
With the set you get three MCS (Maintenance Control System) panels:
Two ORS (Oxygen Return System) panels:
Two OIS (Oxygen Intake System) Panels:
And two LED (Light Emitting Display) panels:
The sculpt on these is nice and crisp. It’s off-putting how sharp they are, really. Every little detail is captured.
The back of the MCS, OIS, and ORS panels have a crosshatch sculpt in them. This keeps the walls rigid. You won’t get any warpage or bending in these; it strengthens them nicely.
The back of the LED wall has an inset white translucent piece of plastic. This is to allow light to pass through and it works great. I tested it with a crap flashlight I have and it works.
GTP has already announced an LED lighting kit that will illuminate this wall from behind. In fact, they already had it planned, as you can see the threaded holes in the back to mount the kit. I need that badly, it will be ordered as soon as they go up.
The set also contains a sticker set to keep the walls together and down on a surface, even though these are free standing. I plan on changing these around a lot and using them for review picture purposes, so I wanted something a little more removable and functional. I was afraid the stickers would wear out. So I went to Walmart and got the smallest binder clips they had. Like these, but I believe mine is an off-brand and cheaper. Cheaper than $2. But they work. Just clip the two walls together and it’s pretty solid.
They also work as a kickstand if you put them low enough and angle them down to touch the surface. Clip up top, clip at the bottom, done. I was able to clip six walls together and pick up the whole assembly in the middle.
The only piece that gives me trouble is the LED panel. Because of the white insert, it makes the sidewall thicker and the clips are too small to stay securely on it. You have to clip just the gray part, not all the way over the white. The clips have a tendency to slip and shoot off if you try to slightly adjust the walls or the clip. You can see the clip shooting off and hitting my camera lens in my video review, along with me picking up the six walls all together.
With the Space Walls pre-ordered, I knew I’d need to have a floor of some kind. I’ve seen VeeBee and canonball use a black mirror finish base for their pics, but I also assumed it was some expensive, magical material. Nope, it was a piece of glass spray painted gloss black on one side. So that’s what I did with an old glass shelf I had sitting in the closet.
It’s a bear to keep clean, but it totally works.
With all of those elements in place, add the Space Walls, and you get your pics ramped up to 11.
And you don’t have to keep them in a straight line either. You can do hallways . . .
Inside and outside corners . . .
I have my flashlight behind the LED in the above shot, and you can see that it’s uneven, but the light shines through fine, even with my desk lights on. Turn down your photo lighting and you get a little mood added to your shot.
Or just do the LED by itself for maximum effect.
Along with the walls, GTP sent along the prototypes for their upcoming accessory set. This includes a barrel, two ammo boxes, and the iconic Star Wars crate.
They tell me that the finished product will most likely be made from the same material as the walls, but at this stage they are a soft, rubbery-type material. It’s the material itself that makes the surfaces look textured, and I doubt that will be present in the final stage. But even with that, the sculpt on these is sharp. If the quality of the walls are any indication, these are going to be just as durable and clean.
If you don’t remember the small boxes from the movie, don’t worry, neither did I. But they were there.
If you’re diorama building or just want to add to your Death Star pictures, these will fit the bill.
As for more future product, the insert also includes a sneak peak at blast doors.
In. Sane. I wonder if will have the actual doors inside so you can close the blast doors. Close the blast doors. Open the blast doors, open the blast doors.
Really, the possibilities are endless here. Cloud City. Emperor’s throne room. Carbon freezing chamber. Sure, some may be harder than others, but with as many sets as there is to pull from the Star Wars universe, GTP could be busy for a long, long time.
The set of nine walls will run you $95 plus shipping at GTP-toys.com, which works out to a little over $10 a wall. A little pricey, but I feel it is completely worth it. This a third-party Star Wars product that has superb quality and functionality. It’s works for your review space, your dioramas, your shelf. GTP has said they will sell two packs in the future, so you may wait and see. Especially if you feel you don’t need nine walls, which spans nearly three feet when placed side by side. Either way, if you need a Death Star background, get these. You will not be disappointed.
Additional pics by Matt K:
