Kit-Bash

Kit-Bash
This is a model-maker's term, used to refer to anything that's been built using parts culled from other sources. Where toys are concerned, the technique is frequently used during the conceptual stages of development, to help flesh out the idea of a toy in three dimensions. For instance, someone in the art department might take a conceptual drawing he's done to someone in the model shop and ask him to build him a model of his artwork. The model maker might then take apart some pre-existing toys, cannibalize some old model kits, or simply root through his tool box, looking for appropriate-looking parts with which to build his model. It's important to remember here that this is a purely conceptual process, which is frequently resorted to in place of costlier processes, in order to quickly represent an idea. Still, under certain circumstances, kit-bashed prototypes have made it into sanctioned promotional material. The most famous example of this is Kenner's early kit-bashed prototype of the Boba Fett character, which was composed of parts of the Stormtrooper, Death Squad Commander and C-3PO figures, as well as several Japanese toys, and which was featured on a 20-Back blister card.

Description: Ron Salvatore