| Jann Tosh: The Phases of Development | |
| A series like this is a rare glimpse into the various iterations in design and process that Kenner went through back in the mid-1980's. The pieces shown here were accumulated over a period of several years from different sources. Each has it's own part in the creation of the Jann Tosh action figure.
This first figure is a very early conceptual hardcopy. Many of the features evolved into the final figure, but some features were changed or abandoned. The trademark headband and general stance of the figure was carried throught the development. This unpainted hardcopy is a non-articulated statuette.
I'm missing some steps inbetween, but this piece is a painted hardcopy of the standard shape of the figure. What is unique about this one is the coloring. Although it does not match the final action figure it does, however, match some early Kenner photography from the 1985 Toy Fair catalog as well as the Droids cardback.
The colors have been corrected and now this hardcopy is an accurate representation of the action figure to be offered for sale to the public. As with all figure hardcopies, the appendages are pinned in place and removable. The figure is totally handmade and hand painted.The colors have been corrected and now this hardcopy is an accurate representation of the action figure to be offered for sale to the public. As with all figure hardcopies, the appendages are pinned in place and removable. The figure is totally handmade and hand painted.
These pieces are paint swatches or paint chips that accompany some of the painted hardcopy figures. They are simply small plastic pieces that are painted on one side with the appropriate color. Each is roughly the size of two postage stamps. These swatches were sent to the vendors for production so that they could more easily match the colors of the accompanying hardcopy. The name of the figure is written on the back of each sample.
Once the tooling is created, injection molded figures can then be produced. Here is a first shot molded in the normal colors. It is obviously unpainted. This figure has no dates on it's legs, but is otherwise like a normal action figure.
And the final result of all this work is the production action figure you see above. After the final approval stages the copyright dates, which generally show up on the legs, are added into the molds. This is what the figure looked like when it was sold at retail outlets. |
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| Description by: | Chris Georgoulias |
| Photo: | Chris Georgoulias |
| From the collection of: | Chris Georgoulias |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | Droids Cartoon |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1985 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Action Figure Related |
