I’ve been wanting to buy these for a long time, and decided to pull the trigger when I saw a nice package deal around the Thanksgiving holiday.  I had discovered Galactic Trading Post on Instagram, where a lot of the toy photographers use these as diorama backgrounds.

GTP Toys manufactures “Space Walls” which are totally not Death Star panels, but nevertheless magically partner well with Star Wars figures.  They make them in 3 different scales: for 12” figures (1:6 scale), for 6” figures (1:12 scale), and for the one true scale, 3.75” figures (“Classic” scale).  There are several different options available, with items sold separately, or often as package deals.

This particular set is a combo of 2 x 7 piece walls sets and a pair of wall struts, which was on sale for $72.  They can be assembled in many different configurations.  Each part of the set (which are also sold individually) comes with clips, which can be used to connect the walls together in a straight line, at a 45 degree angle, or at a 90 degree angle.  The clips are very sturdy, but fall short of being permanent.  Something even less permanent for more flexible displays can be used, like those mini binder clips, or even some tape. 

GTP has given names to the 4 different panel styles, which come in sets of 7 in the classic scale: 

2x LED (Light emitting Display) panels
2x ORS (Oxygen Return System) panels
1x ACS (Atmospheric Control System) panel
2x MCS (Maintenance Control System) panels

It is important to know that the “LED” sections do not actually contain internal lighting capability, but the white “ovals” are translucent, so the your own light source will help make an effective display.  There are some indications that GTP plans on offering panels that do light up in the future.

The quality of the walls is tremendous.  They are manufactured to high precision,  with very few nubs at the edges, or imperfections on any of the surfaces. They connect to each other solidly, and stand straight and true. 

The walls are definitely not inexpensive, which is one of the reasons I waited for a deal that met my price target.  The 6” scale has a few more options, including some cool looking doors.  Hopefully GTP makes more stuff available for the one true scale.  It also remains to be seen if GTP will branch out into any other motifs besides “space walls”.  These seem to be pretty popular among photographers on Instagram.

Check out the Galactic Trading Post website for prices and options.

This is one of those times where a third party entrepreneur decided to step into a void in the market, and provide a product that might be coveted by the collecting community.  The Hasbro Brand team is aware of the existence of this product, which came up briefly in our round table discussion at NYCC this past October.  The Space Walls might be a little pricey, because GTP isn’t a huge corporation that can leverage their way to a less expensive option.  I think it’s an awesome product, but price could be a barrier.