| Micro Collection Dagobah Unproduced Playset | |
| Dagobah is one of the most interesting of the unproduced Micro Collection environments. On the one hand, it seems to have been one of the first two playset options explored for the line (the other being Hoth) in late 1980 or 1981. The existence of two filmstrip-like pieces of conceptual artwork concerning the Dagobah playset, as well as a few "Partha" conceptual figures (which are based on this artwork) attest to this.
But, on the other hand, substantial evidence (namely, production-quality 4-up hardcopies) exists which suggests that Dagobah was on the drawing board for a release late in 1983. What all of this means is that, although the playset was among the first considered for production in the Micro line, it was delayed throughout 1982 (the only year in which the Micro line was fully available at retail) and ultimately never reached production. Where exactly the Dagobah playset you see here fits into this developmental progression is difficult to ascertain. It's obviously a mocked-up, primarily conceptual piece. Likewise, the figures shown posed on it appear to be rather rough in nature. However, each of these figures closely corresponds to a figure known to have been in development for the Dagobah set when the Micro line was officially shut down. The Yoda, R2-D2, Luke with Yoda on his back and Luke standing on his hands all exist in the form of either hardcopies or sculptings. In contrast, none of the figures really corresponds to the earlier Partha pieces that exist for the Micro Dagobah environment. For instance, there is no Ben Kenobi figure, nor are there figures representing Luke and Vader with lightsabers. Therefore, it is my opinion that this playset comes from the later phase of development on the Dagobah set. It was most likely created after Kenner had decided on what they wanted this module of the Dagobah set to encompass and figured out exactly what figures they wanted to make. Tomart's Action Figure Digest has published photos of yet another Dagobah playset. This one appears to be made of plastic, which would mean it is a still later version. As it also focuses on Yoda's hovel and features some movable log parts, I think it's probably a more refined version of the rough model you see here. Had the Dagobah environment reached production in the Micro line, it's likely it would have had at least one extension playset. Conceptual artwork exists (this has also been published by Tomart's Action Figure Digest) showing a larger bog attached to this playset, in which an X-Wing Fighter is partially submerged. It's possible that this was meant to represent another Dagobah playset module. Another possibility for an additional Dagobah playset is the spooky cave in which Luke faces off against an apparition of Darth Vader. Although no playset prototypes of this module are known to exist, sculptings and 4-ups were made which represent Luke and Vader in the process of dueling on Dagobah. Then again, it's possible that all the known Dagobah 4-ups and sculptings were to be included in this one playset, or even that some of these figures were going to be dropped entirely. |
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| Description by: | Ron Salvatore |
| Photo: | John Wooten |
| From the collection of: | Anonymous |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | Empire Strikes Back |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Micro Collection |