| Chewbacca Action Figure Blueprint | |
| The blueprint you see here was part of an incredible find of pre-production material relating to the design of the first Kenner Star Wars figures. The were made by one of the original designers of the line, a man who had a hand in the creation of every Star Wars action figure made prior to the debut of Boba Fett in 1979. Following his departure from Kenner, this designer took all the bluprints he saved--16 in all--and bound them in a portfolio with an attractive Star Wars cover. I don't think I have to resort to a lot of fancy adjectives to drive home how significant this stuff is-- it's representative of the design process behind one of the most popular toy lines in history. 'Nuf said.
Here you see the Chewbacca blueprint. As you can see, it's not incredibly precise in terms of proportions and details. This is likely because these blueprints weren't used to set exact sculpting/prototyping specifications as were some other blueprints; rather, they probably allowed the designer to work out his ideas on paper and present his concepts to other members of the Kenner staff. The image sort of vacillates between representing the character as seen in the movie and taking into account the features necessary on any mass produced toy. Thus, while Chewie seems to have realistic rather than molded plastic "fur," thin lines have been carefully rendered around the shoulders and crotch area in order to indicate the nature and location of the figure's joints.
Here's a closeup. The text you see at the top of the image, right below the heading reading "painted," indicates what colors are to be used when painting various parts of the figure (the eyes, the pupils, the teeth, etc.) On the lower part of the blueprint are located height specifications and the date (mid 1977).
This is the cover of the porfolio in which all of these blueprints are stored. Make no mistake, this is neat stuff. The fact that it comes from so early in the history of the Star Wars toy line only makes it sweeter. |
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| Description by: | Ron Salvatore |
| Photo: | Ron Salvatore |
| From the collection of: | Jordan Hembrough |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | A New Hope |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1977 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Action Figure Related |
