Star Wars: Prototypes and Production

Are you looking to collect vintage Kenner action figures? Want to explore the exciting (and expensive) world of Star Wars prototypes? Have you ever wondered: “What should I collect next?” Join host David Quinn as he offers answers and advice on these important questions and more, for both new and experienced collectors. David also shares some of the invaluable, collector-created resources that wil...

Looking for a sealed Return of the Jedi Imperial Shuttle? After a long winter, toy show season is officially here! And Zolocon is a wonderful way to kick off the year. Held in a former NASA training centrifuge in Warminster, Pennsylvania, Zolocon offers a healthy mix of vintage and modern toys, with some wonderful surprises for Star Wars collectors. Join host David Quinn as he returns to Zolocon:...

Did you ever wonder where the Star Wars collectibles in a Hake’s auction come from? In the latest auction, one-third of the vintage Star Wars items - an amazing assortment of carded action figures - came from one collector, curated over the span of 25 years. From seeing an X-Wing in a shop in New York City, leading to a wild hunt for the highest quality carded figure examples available, to the hea...

The insanity continues. The “Clear” winners of the second half of the auction? Clear bubble carded figures from Return of the Jedi brought in almost $50,000 in sales. And on average, they shockingly sold for an incredible 40% over the high end of their estimates. Hake’s auction 234 brought in $72,000 in revenge proofs, $60,000 in Power of the Force figures, and a total of $1.2 million dollars in s...

Insanity. Star Wars collectors simply have never seen prices like this. A record-setting six-figure Boba Fett prototype, a carded Vinyl Cape Jawa topping $36,000, an Early Bird Certificate selling for $21,000, and 20- and 21-back Star Wars figures reaching values in the thousands - prices usually reserved for the desirable 12-back first releases. And would you believe that Empire Strikes Back item...

Over the past year, the carded 1985 DROIDS Boba Fett has been one of the most in-demand figures for vintage Star Wars collectors. The value for this rare figure has soared, and an AFA 75 recently sold for $16,000 on eBay. 1985’s Power of the Force figure collection offers some of the hottest Star Wars collectibles as well, with carded examples reaching record prices. How much did an AFA 85 Luke St...

For Jedi collectors, the latest Hake’s auction is rich with rare pieces bearing the name “Revenge” and “Return!” A sealed Rancor, a carded alternate-photo Taiwan Boba Fett, a quality control (QC) sign-off Bib Fortuna, the iconic Miro-Meccano “Yan Solo” miscarded Luke Jedi figure, a loose Lili Ledy removable hood Jawa, a conceptual Jabba rotocast mold, unproduced Revenge of the Jedi vehicle boxes a...

Three months before Return of the Jedi premiered, George Lucas changed the film's title. And for decades, collectors have hunted proof cards and other memorabilia with the original “Revenge of the Jedi” logo. And while Return of the Jedi carded figures have been plentiful over the years, ones with clear bubbles command shocking prices. The latest Hake’s auction offers an incredible one-third(!) of...

When was the last time a sealed “Special Offer” Boba Fett Slave 1 vehicle came up for sale? Are carded 41-back Empire Strikes Back figures undervalued gems? The latest Hake’s auction offers some of the nicest high-grade carded figures from Empire Strikes Back figure line, which has been gaining momentum among collectors. A 41A Han Bespin, a 41E Dengar and AT-AT Driver, a 45 Luke Hoth, and a 48C TI...

A $4,000 carded Bespin Luke? If you’re a collector, you know how desirable the collectibles from the first Star Wars film have become over the past two years. But The Empire Strikes Back is the rare sequel that is just as beloved and just as impactful as the first film, if not more so. And while ESB carded figures have taken a back seat to the 12-back and 20-back Star Wars figures, interest is ris...

Has "The Book of Boba Fett" series sparked or diminished interest in Boba Fett memorabilia? Are 20 backs and 12” figures the next items to soar in value? Will a sealed Jawa Sandcrawler cross the $20,000 mark? How’s this for a lineup? Vintage three-Packs, box flats, carded 21-back Boba Fetts, a Kenner Canada wind-up R2-D2, a sealed Sears Cantina Playset, a boxed Palitoy cardboard Death Star and an...

Did trick-or-treaters really receive Rocket Fett prototypes for Halloween in the 1980s? Do you want to know the full, untold story behind the Rocket-Firing Boba Fett prototype featured at the upcoming Hake’s auction? The rare J-Slot V2 Rocket Fett is estimated at $100,000-200,000, and has an incredible history that remained largely unknown, until now. And it is just one of 300 vintage Star Wars pi...

After Jabba’s Sail Barge, whatever came next had to be equally impressive for Star Wars fans. In 2020, Hasbro announced its second HasLab Star Wars campaign. The Razor Crest, Din Djarin’s ship from the hit series The Mandalorian, would be the next massive vehicle produced by the company. But it had to reach 6,000 preorders in 45 days. What happened next was pretty amazing. Would HasLab be successf...

In 2018, fans successfully funded the first HasLab Star Wars toy campaign, purchasing more than 8,800 $500 Sail Barges from The Vintage Collection line. To vintage and modern collectors alike, Jabba’s Sail Barge was a dream piece, one first seen in 1983’s Return of the Jedi. But was it worth the nearly 40-year wait? The first part of the series “The History of HasLab” told the story behind the cam...

In 2018, Hasbro announced a new platform that would expand the galaxy of Star Wars toys like never before. Through HasLab, figures, vehicles and playsets that were considered too costly to produce or too large to sell at retail became possibilities through Hasbro’s crowdfunded-based campaigns. HasLab would present its offering, and Star Wars fans would ultimately decide if it would be produced. Th...

Will The Book of Boba Fett be a success? What should we expect at Celebration Anaheim? How will new tax policies affect the collecting market? What will be the hot variant that loose collectors will pursue? And will a prominent collector sell a legendary Star Wars collection to the public? Join host David Quinn as he explores these questions and more, and gives his predictions as a Star Wars fan a...

What was the first collectible George Lucas dreamed of creating? How much did a full set of 62 POTF coins cost in 1985? Was a Speeder Bike recalled in 1996? What Star Wars items did Mark Hamill and QVC sell on TV? And which carded action figure was more valuable in 1995: a Vinyl Cape Jawa or Yak Face? These are some of the questions answered by supercollector and author Steve Sansweet and the team...

What was Luke’s unfortunate nickname? Which Christmas catalog sold a life-sized X-Wing? Which 1990s commercial used original footage from The Empire Strikes Back? And what was Lucasfilm’s official response to specific and shocking Episode 1 rumors? These are some of the fascinating facts found in Star Wars Galaxy Magazine. The magazine, which ran from 1994 to 1997, covered everything from the orig...

The latest Hake's auction brought in an incredible $3.3 million, and the Star Wars section of the catalog offered collectors items from 1977-1985, covering Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Power of the Force and DROIDS. And auctions like this help to give collectors an idea of the current market - which items are white-hot, as well as the trends in the world of Star Wars col...

You may be familiar with Darth Vader’s shocking reveal, but do you know the whole story? For more than forty years, moviegoers and Star Wars fans have reacted to one of cinema’s greatest reveals of all time: five simple words that never made it into a script, but changed Lucas’ saga and movie-making forever. And yet, two years before the film’s release, Darth Vader actor Dave Prowse seemingly anno...

Looking for a Luke Hoth, Bespin Guard or Probot prototypes from The Empire Strikes Back? Revenge of the Jedi proof cards? Clear bubble and incredibly rare Return of the Jedi carded figures? Uncirculated graded Power of the Force carded figures pulled from a sealed case? A DROIDS Boba Fett? A gold Darth Vader case? The 2019 HasLab TVC Jabba’s Sail Barge? Hake’s Auctions is the premiere pop culture...

A very rare carded double-telescoping Luke and prototype DT Vader. A sealed Millennium Falcon. First 21 first shots. The iconic Early Bird certificate. And Boba Fetts galore! Hake’s Auctions is the premiere pop culture auction house, specializing in Americana and treasures from the 20th century. And for Star Wars collectors, Hake’s offers the chance to win some of the rarest and most desirable act...

Ahsoka Tano. It has been more than a decade since Star Wars fans first met her as Anakin Skywalker's new apprentice in The Clone Wars film. And over time, Ahsoka has become one of the most beloved and exciting characters in the Star Wars universe. Join host David Quinn as he and five fellow Ahsoka collectors share stories about the rare and special Ahsoka pieces that mean something to them. Featur...

The annual toy show weekend in the home of Kenner is finally here! If you’re definitely heading out to Cincinnati for the toy show, or if you’re considering taking the trip, this is the episode for you. Whether you’ve been traveling to the collector mecca in the heart of Kenner Country for years, or if this will be your first time in Ohio, this audio guide will give you insight into the weekend an...

When it comes to Star Wars prototypes, hardcopies are some of the rarest surviving pieces. Hardcopies play a number of a crucial roles in the production and promotion of an action figure. Kenner hardcopies rarely appear for sale, and when they do, they command prices in the $20,000-$80,000 range, and possibly higher. Today, Hasbro still uses hardcopies in producing modern figures for the Black Ser...