Rocket Firing Boba Fett - Carded Toy Fair Sample: If the loose RocketFett first shot is the holy grail of Star Wars collecting, then what is the carded RocketFett? It's hard to believe that an actual carded version of this legendary prototype was displayed at Toy Fair 1979 by Kenner,and that this sample has managed to survive all these years.

The card is actually a photostat image that was glued to a cardboard backer. Upon careful inspection, you will notice that the image of Boba Fett and fireball are shown at a slightly different scale than they are on the regular carded version. But perhaps more importantly, the fireball on this early mock-up is a totally different piece of airbrushed artwork than the one shown on the production blister card. Also, note that there is no text on the fireball, and that certain portions of the Boba Fett image, which are not visible on the production card, are here unobscured.

You might also be able to tell that this card is the product of a type of mock-up procedure, in which graphic elements were cut out and pasted carefully onto some kind of ground (yes, sometimes the folks at Kenner used the same techniques as custom figure makers when creating these prototypes). Then, the entire thing was photographed to make it appear more unified, and the resulting photostat was applied to a cardboard backer. You can actually see a remnant of this cut-and-paste technique in the "Ages 4 and Up" text at the top of the card, which actually retains the rectangular border marking where it was cut out.

Here you see the back of the card. No effort whatsoever was made to dress it up. At the top you can see some residue, which was left by double-sided tape used to attach this to the Toy Fair display.

After years of storage the bubble began loosening a little. When the original owner read about the legendary RocketFett in Steve Sansweet's "From Concept to Screen to Collectible" book he wanted to see if his specimen was rocket-firing. Since the bubble was open at the top, he simply slid it out and saw that the figure was indeed the coveted prototoype. Although the figure has been removed from the card, this piece retains its original clear plastic bubble. The contoured plastic piece visible inside the bubble was made to hold the figure in place. It fits perfectly around the backpack.

And finally, here's the figure. Its of the later "J-Slot" type, which makes sense, as the J-Slot is known to be the version of RocketFett that made it closest to being released. As everyone and their uncles should by this point know, RocketFett was never commercially available in stores or as a mailaway, carded or loose.

Notice that the small tab on the slot is broken. It's quite possible that this was once a test specimen since similar figures have turned up before. Kenner testing technicians broke many of the tabs as they tested the figure for safety. Since the thin plastic broke so easily it was a safety hazzard and further added to the figure's ultimate downfall.

Notice also in this photo the residue of glue on both the gun and the hand. This assured that the gun stayed in place during that hectic week at Toy Fair. The missile seems to have stayed in place in the backpack since it was constrained by that plastic insert in the bubble.

The original owner actually managed to snag this piece from the Toy Fair display, but when he first brought it to the attention of collectors he had no way to verify his story. All that could be verified was that he once worked for a company that had good reason to send him to Toy Fair in the first place. As these things happen, word spread among collectors and the owner of some old Toy Fair slides was able to supply the proof needed to confirm the story. The slide turned up about 2 years ago from an ex-Kenner model maker who had ties to Toy Fair. Nobody really noticed the Fett in the photo until recently though. Amazingly, this image from the 1979 Toy Fair shows this very same carded RocketFett sitting happily on the display floor. It should be stressed here that this isn't a similar carded RocketFett visible in the picture, its the same exact figure as the one we're showcasing here on the Archive. To have it turn up now, some 20 years later, is simply one of the most amazing things to happen in the vintage Star Wars hobby in quite some time.

I don't think I have to plead this thing's case any further--its simply one of the most significant Star Wars prototypes ever to surface.