| Star Wars C-3PO 12-Back Quality Control Sample with 32-Back Sticker | |
| There are a fair number of action figure QC samples floating around out there. Many derive from a single find made back in the early 2000s. Some of the figures from this find feature a signature on applied stickers; others were signed directly onto the card. To be completely honest, I've never found them all that interesting. While looking at them I often find myself thinking: "It's just a carded figure with some writing on it."
This one, however, tells a bit of a story. It's obviously a 12-back C-3PO, yet it's a 12-back of a very specific sort: a "12d" using the naming system devised by John Kellerman, though it's identified as a "SW32" using the system employed here. As experienced carded figure collectors know, the 12ds featured a sticker on the lower portions of their reverse sides advertising the 20 figures released after the initial wave of 12. The assumption has always been that Kenner did this in the early '80s in order to get rid of excess 12-back stock. As this is likely the sample used to review and approve this specific packaging revision, it allows us to give it a definitive date: the 12ds must have been released to stores sometime in the fall of 1980. Plus, it's just cool that the sticker makes it clear that all examples of this product "MUST CONTAIN THE LABEL ON BACK."
Here's the reverse, which looks just like you'd expect it to. It should be noted that collectors need to be wary when thinking of buying signed samples. They're very easy to fake. |
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| Description by: | Ron Salvatore |
| Photo: | Ron Salvatore |
| From the collection of: | Ron Salvatore |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | A New Hope |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1980 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Action Figure Related |
