| Gamorrean Guard Bench Shot (without foot holes) | |
| This unique fellow is a more specific kind of prototype known as a bench shot and in short it was molded at the facility that made the molds rather than at the factory that would ultimately produce the toys. Because it was created at a mold shop the material was a color and type that was on hand but all parts were molded in the same material. In this case the figure appears to be made of polypropylene.
Typically prototypes from the production factory are known as first shots and are molded in materials similar to their production counterparts, at least in type and not necessarily color. However, sometimes first shots are run at the place where the molds are created, in production plastics, and technically would be bench shots but only discernible through history, not their physical traits. You can see that the gaps in the arm joints is pretty large which could be due to the shrinkage difference between polyproylene and PVC which is what the production parts would ultimately be made of. Although another possible explanation for the loose arms could be that the mold still needed more tweaks in order to get the fit correct. It's difficult to say either way. The torso has been hand-glued together and another defining characteristic of this piece is that it has no holes in the feet indicating that it was molded before this feature was added to the mold. Compare this to a similar Gamorrean Guard figure with foot holes This type of prototype is difficult to identify and generally requires a solid provenance to ensure that it was made at a mold shop rather than the production factory. |
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| Description by: | Chris Georgoulias |
| Photo: | Oli Sudweeks |
| From the collection of: | Oli Sudweeks |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | Return of the Jedi |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1983 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Action Figure Related |