| Kenner Spec Sheet - Droid Factory (early design) | |
| This exact photo was used on the second series (21 Back) Star Wars figure cardback and in the 1979 Kenner in-pack catalog. It differs greatly from the released toy and is quite a treat to see up close like this. The basic idea of the set was the same, but nearly everything shown in this photo was altered for production though some of the droid parts do resemble their production counterparts. This prototype base appears to have been made of white styrene and painted brown. It looks like the designers intended the parts to be grouped in several pockets rather than having a form-fitting spot for each piece. There is a crank on the support arm of the crane, but it's unclear if it was actually functional. Perhaps they intended this to control the back and forth motion of the hook.
This Kenner product sheet is part of a 3-ring notebook containing early photography and descriptions of roughly 30 Star Wars toys. Each sheet has the same format with typed information about the product and a pasted-on glossy photo. Most photos are representations of the toys but they often differed from their released counterparts which makes it quite unique to look at. These were generally mock-ups of sorts created because the toys weren't ready in time for photography and early marketing. This book came from an ex-Kenner model maker who was dilligently tracked down by a collector. Many thanks go out to that collector for helping turn up a piece of history like this. |
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| Description by: | Chris Georgoulias |
| Photo: | Chris Georgoulias |
| From the collection of: | Chris Georgoulias |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | A New Hope |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1977 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Product Concepts |