Unused Artwork for 12 Figure Display Stand: Virtually every collector is familiar with the imagery used for the cardboard backdrop to the 12 figure Action Display Stand, Kenner's first Star Wars mail-away premium. The piece you see here is a taste of what that item might have looked like had decisions regarding the toy been made slightly differently. According to the source, a former Kenner designer, this is a rejected design for the backdrop. Made by a non-Kenner design firm, the piece is entirely painted and is done at 1:1, meaning it's the same size as the production backdrop.

The imagery on the backdrop is slightly odd. As you can see, there is a lot of spacey-looking terrain in the foreground. In the background is a representation of the Death Star, which has some X-Wings flying around it. While I do not know why exactly this design was rejected, I think it's reasonable to assume that it was deemed too generic in its outerspace references. It just dosen't look a whole lot like Star Wars.

Here's a detail shot showing the Death Star and X-Wings. Those green lines are supposed to represent lasers, which are issuing from the space station.

Description: Ron Salvatore
Photo: Ron Salvatore
From the collection of Hollywood Heroes