| C-3PO Removable Limbs First Shot | |
| This is an interesting prototype, representing a fairly early stage in the development of the "removable limbs" version of C-3PO. There are several interesting things to note about this figure. First of all, the head is removable. This was not the case with the final production version, which, though it had removable limbs, retained the fixed head of the original figure. This was likely intended to help prevent choking accidents, the head being small and easily-swallowed. Secondly, the gold finish of the figure is uneven; it is thinly-applied in certain places, revealing the tan-colored plastic underneath.
The back of the figure is just as interesting. First, notice the screw that is used to hold the torso together. On the production figure, an un-notched bolt was used, which prevented the figure from being taken apart.
Lastly, the date on the back of the figure's leg is not the 1982 date of the standard-release figure, but the 1977 date of the original Kenner C-3PO. What this indicates is that, like many first shots, this Removable Limbs C-3PO was made before final modifications were made in the steel molds used to produce the mass-released figure. But whereas most first shots simply lack dates entirely, since this example was made from pre-existing molds, it retains the 1977 date of the original C-3PO. |
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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 / Action Figure Related |
