Monday, May 16, 2005 | 8:14 a.m.
Ask most "Star Wars" fans about their "first time," and they tend to get rather excited as they spill the details.
It usually begins in the summer of 1977, in a crowded theater with their parents.
Memories of the famous "Star Wars" opening crawl, which introduces the film's plot, as well as the jaw-dropping space battle sequence above the desert planet Tatooine, are uniformly mentioned in their first breath, followed closely by the first appearance of villainous man in black, Darth Vader.
The reminiscing then turns to other-worldly creatures, a princess in distress and her eager savior, and a roguish pirate-turned-hero. Spaceships, laser swords and a planet-destroying space station also figure prominently into the conversation. Quite simply, seeing "Star Wars" for the first time was a life-changing experience to many fans of those movies.
"It's probably the best thing I ever saw," said Jim Crampton, a 39-year-old Las Vegas resident. "And I've seen a lot of sci-fi between then and now."
The saga draws to a conclusion Thursday with the opening of "Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith." Millions of filmgoers are expected to pack theaters opening weekend.
While "Sith" may mark the end of the film series, for some local fans the saga lives on in their bedrooms, living rooms, offices and even storage facilities with figures, ships and just about any "Star Wars" toy you can imagine.
More than any film in history, "Star Wars" is a movie collector's and fanboy's dream.
From the original action figure set and spaceships in the late '70s to the limited-edition mini-busts and replica lightsabers available today, there's something for just about every fan of that galaxy far, far away.
Las Vegas resident Steve Ceragioli has collected "Star Wars" merchandise from the beginning Christmas 1977.
"As soon as they hit the store, that's when it started," he said. And Ceragioli's collecting has never stopped.
The 35-year-old former video game designer's two-story home is nondescript until you walk up a flight of stairs and into a sitting area. The 8-foot-high room features six shelves -- housing thousands of action figures and ships -- that wrap along three mirrored walls.
Even knowing what's at the top of the stairs, upon first sight of his collection your breath escapes you as you elicit exclamations of "WOW!" and "OH MY GOD!"
Though Ceragioli's assemblage of action figures -- one of the largest in the nation -- includes superheroes and their villainous counterparts, Transformers, Godzilla and Speed Racer, he remains partial to his "Star Wars" collection.
From ships and figures to playsets and hand-crafted models, the assortment of "Star Wars" toys can best be described as a museum exhibit.
Not that Ceragioli, who pens a column on "Star Wars" collectibles for the Website Action Figure Times (www.aftimes.com) as ???Man, would ever consider selling his hoard of toys.
"No, I really wouldn't," he said. "I don't want to say it defines me, but it has been my passion for so long, I can't imagine selling myself.
"Besides, you would need a U-Haul to come and take my collection away."
Long time ago ...
Kenner introduced the world to "Star Wars" merchandise in late 1977.
The toymaker signed an exclusive deal with "Star Wars" creator George Lucas to manufacture "Star Wars" toys, including a novel line of 3 3/4-inch plastic replicas of "Star Wars" heroes and villains called "action figures."
It was a then-risky move for Kenner and for Lucas, who gave up his director's fee from the first film to maintain ownership of the franchise as well as the merchandising rights.
Prior to "Star Wars," film studios were only just beginning to tap into the potential revenue from licensing movie products with such films as "Planet of the Apes" and "Jaws."
But the Force was clearly with Kenner and Lucas. Licensed toys, games and books from the "Star Wars" films have earned more than $9 billion, according to a recent USA Today article.
Just as "Star Wars" helped give birth to the summer blockbuster, so did the film introduce the potential of movie merchandising to Hollywood.
" 'Star Wars' is one of the most phenomenal brands," said Eric Nyman, director of marketing for the "Star Wars" line of toys for Hasbro, which acquired Kenner in 1991. "It's taken on a life of its own."
Las Vegas collector Crampton still recalls his first "Star Wars" toy, an X-wing Starfighter his grandmother bought him for Christmas.
He also had the infamous "Early Bird" toy gimmick, which included a box and cardboard stand for a figure, along with a certificate that buyers mailed to Kenner in exchange for one of four action figures: Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, R2-D2 or Chewbacca.
While many parents no doubt balked at the idea of paying for a toy only to receive it months later, Crampton said it didn't take much persuasion to convince his family to make the purchase.
"Back then I didn't have to talk them into buying anything" "Star Wars"-related, he said. "Nowadays, I do."
Crampton, who assembles and disassembles booths for Las Vegas conventions, never stopped buying the toys or other Lucasfilm-licensed products including: posters, figures, glassware, novels, comic books, video games, trading cards, Pez dispensers, miniature busts, clocks, lamps, CDs, and even food items, such as cereal and candy, with the perishables removed.
Crampton also makes frequent trips to Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us and Target, including recent "Midnight Madness" sales of new, store-exclusive items such as the Lava Reflective Darth Vader and the holographic Yoda figures.
"My collection leans more toward limited editions and numbered items," he said.
Limited to Crampton's bedroom and a rented room in a storage facility, his collection is big enough "that I could probably fill the house I'm living in now."
The trouble is, Crampton lives with a friend who's not nearly as big a "Star Wars" fan as he.
"He likes 'Star Wars,' but not as much as I do," Crampton said of his roommate. "He thinks (my collecting) is a sickness."
Space toys
When Pat Wahlquist, a 34-year-old corrections sergeant from Metro, searched for a new Las Vegas home, one of his major concerns was having enough storage space to house his collection of "Star Wars" action figures and ships.
He finally settled on a home with a particularly large closet -- about 30 square feet -- with plenty of space for shelves.
Even that space wasn't enough.
With recent additions from the new "Revenge of the Sith" line of merchandise, Wahlquist has spread out his collection further into the closet, as well as into several large boxes in the garage.
"My girlfriend is very tolerant of that," he said. "I'm slowly taking away her shoe space for more figures."
Despite what non-"Star Wars" fans may think, Wahlquist doesn't consider himself an extreme collector, such as a friend who recently purchased eight figures of the same character, all of which featured subtle variations.
"I don't go to that extent because it's not that important to me," he said. "I just want the representation of the figure or the ship."
As with most older collectors, Wahlquist began his massive accumulation after buying the toys as a child.
"I would drag my parents, grandparents -- anybody who would take me -- to a K-Mart or a store called Union Hall, which was like a Target," he said. "I would go there three-four times a week if I had my way."
Love of "Star Wars" as a child prompted Wahlquist to buy the toys. Nearly three decades later it's the connection to his childhood that drives him to keep them.
"My fondest memories growing up were playing with 'Star Wars' figures with a friend of mine I still have today," he said. "It's a comforting feeling to know that this stuff is still out there and I have a link to my childhood."
Rick Riolo, a 33-year-old CCSN student and part-time waiter, associates similar fond memories from his youth with "Star Wars" and its toys.
"My brother died when I was a kid. He was 14 years older and he took me to 'Star Wars,' " Riolo said. "When he died, 'Star Wars' has always been my connection with my brother.
"It's not just that I'm a crazed fan, I have memories of my brother and 'Star Wars.' "
Riolo's collection of figures and vehicles is a mix of vintage and new. He does have a sense of humor about his collection, though, as evident from a custom-made figure he created, "Pimp Lando," featuring the Billy Dee Williams character's action figure in a pink coat with white fur-trim, matching cap with red feather, blue bellbottoms, red shirt, gold medallion, walking cane and a bottle of gin.
"That's when there's a dry spell and there's no good figures coming out," he said. "You make a figure you wish they would make, like Pimp Lando."
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