Gasgano
If you or your child are Star Wars fanatics, you have probably heard about Star Wars LEGOS. LEGO Star War sets were first introduced in 1999 with the release of Star Wars, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. More than a decade later they are still going strong. Star Wars LEGOS are extremely popular, not only with children, but amongst collectors as well.
When LucasFilms teamed up with the LEGOS company back in 1999, they could hardly dream of what a huge success their joint venture would wind up being. Since the release of The Phantom Menace LEGO sets, they have released a variety of individual figures and LEGO Star Wars sets, spanning the entire movie series. Star Wars, Episode 1 LEGOS are considered ìfirst generationî sets, as they were the first to be produced and initially kick-started the mass production of subsequent LEGO Star Wars sets. The Phantom Menace mini figures and LEGO sets are now highly collectable, as many of the characters were unique to that particular film and have not been released in any subsequent sets. A good example of this is the character Gasgano, who Episode 1 fanatics will remember as one of the pod-racers, from the infamous and exciting pod-racing scene.
Gasgano is a multi-piece mini figure with a white head, body, arms and legs, and has a gray helmet. He was originally included in the 7171 Mos Espa Podrace set, released in 1999. This particular setís original retail price was $89.99. It consisted of 894 pieces, including the mini figures of Anakin Skywalker and his pod racer, Gasgano, Sebulba R2-D2, Jar Jar Binks, Padme` Naberrie, Qui-Gon Jinn and three Pit Droids. A unique fact about this set: not only was it the only LEGO Star Wars set to include Gasgano, it was also one of the only sets to feature the character Padme`.
The character Gasgano, for those who may not remember, was among Anakin Skywalkerís competition during the Boonta Eve Classic pod race. He was a male Xexto originating from the planet of Troiken, and ranked as one of the most famous pod racing pilots in the galaxy. Unlike the character Sebulba (Anakinís other competitor,) Gasgano didnít resort to sabotaging and destroying other pilotís pod racers to guarantee he finished first; he raced for the thrill of racing, and preferred an honest win over cheating. He piloted an Ord Pedrovia, a type of pod racer which he customized himself.
If you are looking to add Gasgano to your LEGO Star Wars set collection, a good place to look is online, since most physical retailers no longer carry the sets from Episode 1. Simply type the character (or set he came in) in your preferred search engine, and a multitude of results should come up. There are many online retailers that offer this character and the set he came in- shop around and look for the best price. If youíre not opposed to buying used, you can probably find the set at a cheaper price, although then you run the risk of buying a set with pieces missing. Prices tend to range from around $10-20 for the mini figure itself, up toward $100 or more for the entire set. Only you can determine what your budget will allow.
