| Concept Art for Darth Vader's Star Destroyer | |
| Darth Vader's Star Destroyer was one of the larger -- and odder -- toys in the Kenner Star Wars range. Was it a vehicle, a playset, or a really weird-looking gravy boat?
This piece of concept art pretty much speaks for itself. It probably dates from the earliest stages of the toy's development. I love that crazy cannon on the roof. It looks nothing like the one Kenner developed for the actual toy. Additionally, the positioning of the cannon was changed at some point during development. On the production toy, it's mounted at the very front. It's interesting that the painting shows Luke in shackles against the back wall. On the production toy the restraining feature was moved, somewhat nonsensically, to the ceiling, which featured a thin band of plastic into which the feet of action figures could be inserted. This image comes from a slide used in an internal Kenner presentation. Thanks to a good anonymous buddy for allowing us to showcase it. And special thanks to Mike Ritter and his brother Pete for scanning it. More soon. |
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| Description by: | Ron Salvatore |
| Photo: | Pete Ritter, Mike Ritter |
| From the collection of: | Anonymous |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | Empire Strikes Back |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1979 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Product Concepts |