| Micro Collection Conceptual Luke Being Dragged by the Wampa | |
| Quite a few conceptual Micro Collection figures have turned up in a 1:1 scale, meaning they were not sculpted as 4-ups, but at the intened production size. Virtually every one of these pieces I've seen relate to one of two Micro Collection environments: Hoth and Dagobah. The Dagobah set, of course, was never produced, though some work was done on it towards the end of the line in 1983. It is believed that Kenner had these figures created, with the aid of RPG figure producer Ral Partha, at the outset of the Micro line. What this means is that, although Dagobah was among the first environments considered for Micro production, it was put off until the second or third wave of Micro Collection playsets. This figure was originally something of a mystery to me. I first referred to it as a "jumping Luke" because that's what it appears to be doing. My guess was that it was meant to represent Luke while training on Dagobah. However, upon studying some of the images published by Tomart in the hardcover edition of their Star Wars priceguide, I now believe it's meant to represent Luke while he's being dragged behind the Wampa. Among other things, Tomart published photos of conceptual "film strip" art, all of it relating to early versions of the Micro Dagobah and Hoth sets. It's likely that this art was created at the same time as the Partha figures, before work began on the mass-produced Micro sets. This theory is supported by the fact that most of the Partha figures that have surfaced resemble charater images included in the artwork. Now, the feet and legs of this Luke figure, which are rather strangely contorted, conform exactly to the feet of Luke as he's shown in the artwork being dragged by the Wampa: one foot is raised, in the grasp of the Wampa, the other is being dragged along the ground. Of course, the only problem with this theory is that this Luke figure is wearing not Hoth gear, but the fatigues he's seen in on Dagobah and Bespin. Since this is merely a conceptual piece, I think it's quite acceptable to assume that the sculptor merely made a mistake and depicted him in the incorrect outfit. To my mind, the position of the feet is just too similar to the artwork to ignore. |
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| Description by: | Ron Salvatore |
| Photo: | Ron Salvatore |
| From the collection of: | Ron Salvatore |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | Empire Strikes Back |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1980 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Micro Collection |