| Conceptual Prototype for Micro Millennium Falcon | |
| These photos--all of which are actual Kenner file photographs--show what I believe to be an early hand-made prototype of the Micro Collection Millennium Falcon. Though it's hard to tell it without comparing the photos closely with the production version of the toy, the detail on this prototype is fairly preliminary in nature. It differs considerably from that found on the toy that was eventually released to stores.
The first photo shows the model with its lid removed. As you can see, the interior is largely lacking in detail. Most interesting are the two figures accompanying the model: neither is a production figure; rather, they are early prototypes made prior to the creation of the tooling used to mass-produce the line. The one posed on the ground is the rather familiar original production-scale prototype, while the other (seen in the inset) is a plastic or resin figure that I have encountered only in some early photos of the unproduced Dagobah playset prototype. It should also be noeted that the ramp seen in this photo is totally different from the one featured on the finalized toy.
Here's a shot of the front. Note the lack of detailing around the central portion.
Here you see the top. That's a lot of detailing to apply by hand.
A detail shot. It's worth mentioning that the gun is of a design that is fairly simple in comparsion with the production version.
Another detail shot.
This last photo shows the model in a disassembled state. Its bottom is almost completely lacking in small details, but you can clearly see the landing gear, which are folded up into their housings. Also note the removed top portion. The circular window located just below the spot where the gun would normally fit is made of clear plastic. It's opaque on the production toy. |
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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: | 1980 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Micro Collection |
