Star Wars Van Racing Set

The Star Wars Van Racing Set was the deluxe form of Kenner's wonderfully period-specific SSP Star Wars experiment. The company sold the white Heroes Van and the Darth Vader Van individually, but it also boxed the pair together with plastic oil drums and pylons so children could stage an actual race. That makes this a third retail product configuration rather than an umbrella term for the vans. Kenner had already proven the SSP flywheel system, so the Star Wars program did not need screen accuracy to justify itself; it needed recognizable graphics, speed and something to crash into. The Racing Set delivered all three. Collector completeness requires both correct vans plus the set-specific obstacles and launching/power components, while wear to the flywheel mechanisms and graphics belongs in condition grading. Its late-1970s custom-van styling is now part of the charm. Few Kenner products This is the documented first commercial issue for this territory and anchors descendant packaging, variant and reissue records.