| Meccano Space scene poster offer kit | |
| This promotional offer kit for retailers is possibly among the best promotional material ever released among all 1980s licensees; it witnesses Meccano’s marketing team craftsmanship skills in the late years (1984 and 1985) of the Star Wars line. What you see here is the full kit from 1984; it was assembled over several years. The most commonly known items are the small ROTJ catalogs and Space Battle scene poster (designed from Kenner’s ROTJ header). This offer was advertised in youth publications, such as the famous PIF Gadget, in its November 1984 issue. Basically, the whole offer was an incentive to persuade kids to visit their usual toy retailing outlet. First, kids would get a small catalog for free, no need to buy anything. But the poster was offered for any Star Wars toys related purchase. In 2013, the black & white in-store promotional banner display was unveiled at a famous Star Wars related auction in Paris. It was clear that this banner was advertised the poster giveaway offer. In 2016, some posters and catalogs came out for sale from a former toy shop stock owner. I contacted the seller to buy a few of those posters and remains of a sealed pack of 200 ROTJ catalogs. When the seller told me he also had the original shipping envelope with cardboard insert, a large one, and a smaller one, I realized this was the full kit with insert for the white banner too. The icing on the cake was a large A2 format (23" x 17") leaflet which was especially designed to promote the offer and its marketing plan to retailers. This is a very rare document (only 2 known) and a particularly odd paper format for such material. It required (and still requires as of today) a specific offset printer which only few printers owns and it was quite expensive to produce. Unfortunately the leaflet had already been sold... but luckily to a friend of mine... so with time and patience we could work out a trade including, obviously Meccano stuff, and the leaflet came back to its original place in the mailer envelope. So now, for the first time in Star Wars toys collecting history, the entire kit is now assembled back together, and it’s certainly a gem in my collection since I’m particularly fond of promotional and retailer material. Look at specific entries on the archive for each item of the promotional kit. |
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| Description by: | Stephane Faucourt |
| Photo: | Stephane Faucourt |
| From the collection of: | Stephane Faucourt |
| Country: | France |
| Film: | Return of the Jedi |
| Licensee: | Meccano |
| Year: | 1984 |
| Category: | Catalogs / Retailer |