| Han Solo in Carbonite Play-Doh Silicone Mold | |
| The Han Carbonite silicone mold shown above served
during the production process of the plastic Play-Doh mold found in the Return of the Jedi
Jabba the Hutt playset.
For collectors familiar with the nuiances of silicone molds, this piece's construction
may seem abnormal, however it the major differing characteristic, a lack of gates, is entirely
explainable.
Silicone molds typically exhibit channel-like areas, referred to as gates, where liquid urethane enters
the mold cavity. All Play-Doh plastic toy molds for this set yield Play-doh figures with detail
found on only one side. As a result, a one-sided hardcopy represents all that was necessary and all
that needed to come from the silicone mold. Since the hardcopy produced by this mold was one-sided,
urethane could easily be poured directly into the single mold half's cavity, as opposed to
running through a gate cut into the silicone mold to reach the cavity.
The two photos above show the left and right sides of the mold. The construction of silicone molds for the earlier Play-Doh sets mimics what pre-production collectors are most often exposed to; a gated two-piece mold with detailed cavities on both halves. The Play-Doh Yoda Silicone Mold featured on the Archive provides a nice contrast in silicone mold construction compared to the Luke Jedi, Leia Boussh, Squid Head, Bib Fortuna, and Jabba the Hutt silicone molds.
The final image affords a view of the smooth, rear face of the mold. |
 | |
| Description by: | Michael G. Mensinger |
| Photo: | Michael G. Mensinger |
| From the collection of: | Michael G. Mensinger |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | Return of the Jedi |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Miscellaneous Toys |
