Back in the 1970s there was a rare Kenner Star Wars X-Wing Aces Target Game that had a limited run at retailers during the launch of the original Star Wars movie. Well, one of the original owners is selling an unopened version of the game for $10,000.
Game Informer took note of the miniature arcade cabinet that features players using a real-life toy gun to shoot down Tie Fighters floating across a 2D Death Star backdrop. You can get a glimpse of what the toy looks like in action with the original TV commercial that YouTuber 12Back uploaded.
The commercial may be as cheesy as most people would expect from a commercial made back in 1977, but it does a fine job of showing exactly what the arcade machine is all about. Players will sit in front of the device and use the World War II toy rifle to shoot at the light-up Tie Fighters.
Various gamers pointed out that the gun isn't quite a sci-fi weapon and that the cockpit design of the machine is not representative of the X-Wing and was likely re-purposed from another dogfighting game. It's true, actually. The gun is based on the Russian Ruchnoy Pulemyot DP that was commissioned during World War II, with its strange circular magazine that sat atop the rifle instead of underneath it. Stranger yet is that the cockpit appears to be mirrored after the World War I Albatross DIII bi-plane.
It's not surprising that the arcade machine for Star Wars would have a cobbled together collage of weaponry and designs from the previous two World Wars. A lot of other Star Wars weaponry is based on or modified from other real-life guns, such as Han Solo's iconic DL-44 Blaster being nothing more than a German-made M1896 Mauser pistol with a custom scope and an extended muzzle brake.
Now according to the eBay page, the owner of the original unopened device has had it in his possession for 38 years. The box is said to have some discoloration and wear due to age but otherwise it's in mint condition.
The device measures at 12 inches in height and nearly two feet in length. The swiveling, plastic turret gun atop the score wheel and cockpit measures around a foot and a half in length.
As the commercial above demonstrates, the object of the game is to shoot the Tie Fighter as quickly as possible after pulling the knob on the cockpit. It's supposed to be like the turret sequence in the first Star Wars movie where Han and Luke fend off the Millennium Falcon from several waves of Tie Fighters.
The eBay page for the retro arcade machine has been viewed regularly since it's made its way into the gaming news sphere. So far 25 people have added the collector's item to their watch list. Being listed for around $10,000 means that whoever actually bids on it will likely be a serious die-hard Star Wars fan. As of the writing of this article, there are only three days left before the bidding for the listing expires.
