| Rebel Soldier Unpainted Hardcopy and Production Series | |
| What we have here is a Rebel Soldier hardcopy, though there is already a more complete version represented in the prototype section I felt the inclusion of a picture of the back and a production series made this a welcome addition. Empire Strikes Back hardcopies don’t turn up very often but the Rebel Soldier seems to turn up with a bit more frequency. As you can see the hardcopy is cast in a brownish urethane known as Carbalon, used through the Empire Strikes Back line of figures. Unfortunately, this hardcopy is only the head and torso. Many times, however, all that can be found are pieces and a collector must act as an archaeologist and spend time, sometimes many years, “digging” for the missing pieces.
The next piece we see is a Rebel Soldier first shot. This first shot differs from the final production version in two ways. First, it lacks the necessary copyright information. Second, the colors used are much lighter than the final production figure. You can also see that writing was placed under one of it's feets. It's hard to deiscern what the writing says, or even what it means, but it is most likely a number. Similar prototypes have surfaced and the number usually means there were others in a series of tests.
In this final shot you’ll see the series that Sandy has assembled. You’ll notice in the side by side shot just how much lighter in color the first shot really is. Subtle differences like these add an interesting look into the early stages of the production of a figure. |
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| Description by: | John J. Alvarez |
| Photo: | Sandy Rivers |
| From the collection of: | Sandy Rivers |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | Empire Strikes Back |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1980 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Action Figure Related |
