| 1977 Product List Including Unproduced Toys | |
| People have been speculating about a vintage Grand Moff Tarkin action figure since I first started collecting. But evidence that the character was even considered for release as an action figure has always been scant. Aside from this late, post-POTF item, I've never seen anything to indicate that Kenner seriously considered or worked on a Tarkin toy -- until now.
This list of proposed products from 1977 surfaced with a host of other pieces of Kenner paperwork in a find you can read about here. It references a few Star Wars items that were actually made, like the X-Wing Pilot figure (later marketed as a Luke Skywalker toy), Droid Factory playset, and the rather obscure double van set. However, several of the referenced toys never saw the light of day. Presumably, the Rebel Ground Support Crew figure would have represented those guys seen milling around the rebel hangar near the end of the movie. I have no idea what a Shocking Death Star Game is; it doesn't sound like any of the electronic or traditional games released by Kenner in the late '70s. And nothing utilizing Kenner's TTP devices was ever released with a Star Wars product. But the most interesting reference by far is the one to a Tarkin action figure, a toy many a kid yearned for back in the day, even if the character doesn't do much aside from look old and trade insults with Princess Leia. I doubt development progressed beyond the pen scrawl you see on this page. This seems to be more a record of brainstorming than of action. Yet it's somehow comforting to see that name there. So, there you have it -- proof that a Grand Moff Tarkin figure was seriously considered for the vintage Star Wars action figure line. Are you happy, nerdlingers? |
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| Description by: | Ron Salvatore |
| Photo: | Ross Cuddie |
| From the collection of: | Ross Cuddie |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | A New Hope |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1977 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Product Concepts |