Star Wars: Prototypes and Production

Will the Morphy Auction be an accurate indicator of the Star Wars market for the coming months? What if season three of The Mandalorian is a letdown? How will the sales struggles at Hasbro affect toy collectors? And will 2023 be the year a larger audience embraces vintage and modern prototypes? Join me, host David Quinn, for an exploration through some of the topics meaningful to Star Wars fans an...

By now, you’ve seen the prices. You’ve seen the photos. But what was February’s Morphy Star Wars toy auction really like? Over the past three months, you may have seen photos of the “Morphy Find” - 450 carded Kenner Star Wars action figures, stored away for more than three decades. These items and many more were sold at a breakneck pace at Pennsylvania’s Morphy Auctions on February 01, 2023. And w...

What was February’s Morphy Star Wars toy auction really like? Over the past three months, you may have seen photos of the “Morphy Find” - 450 carded Kenner Star Wars action figures, stored away for more than three decades. These items and many more were sold at a breakneck pace at Pennsylvania's Morphy Auctions on February 01, 2023. And what better way to explore the event than with those who were...

As we enter a new and exciting year in the world of Star Wars and collecting, let’s first revisit the stories and moments from the past year. Join me, host David Quinn, for part two of a look back at 2022, through the conversations, highlights, auctions, releases, meetups, toy shows, conventions, and collection tours that made the year memorable for Star Wars fans! Travel back with me through the...

Welcome to SEASON 5 of the podcast! As we enter a new and exciting year in the world of Star Wars and collecting, let’s first revisit the stories and moments from the past year. Join me, host David Quinn, for part one of a look back at 2022, through the conversations, highlights, auctions, releases, meetups, toy shows, conventions, and collection tours that made the year memorable for Star Wars fa...

It’s beginning to look a lot like SITHMAS! To kick off the holiday season, more than 60 members from four Star Wars collectors clubs traveled to the Lancaster area for Pennsylvania collector Mike De Stefano’s Sithmas event. From touring Mike’s three Star Wars collection rooms, to swapping gifts in the White Bantha Gift Exchange, to memorable meals with friends, Sithmas was the perfect way to end t...

Did you know that Kenner DESTROYED 500,000 Early Bird Certificates? As iconic as the Certificate is to Star Wars collectors today, it was a controversial offering in the fall of 1977, and many viewed it as a scam. Throughout the past year, and for the previous two decades, collector Ron Salvatore has covered fascinating topics like this in his informative and his invaluable articles for The Star W...

In 1977, while Star Wars mania swept the nation, one iconic life-sized accessory was missing from toy shelves: the lightsaber. And as Kenner toiled away at crafting a Lucasfilm-approved version of the novel blade, some entrepreneurial creators eschewed copyright laws and produced their own unlicensed lightsabers to sell to the public. Throughout the past year, and for the previous two decades, col...

Did a hobbyist create the very first Star Wars figures, many months before Kenner’s iconic toys appeared at retail? Was one of the rarest licensed Kenner Star Wars items a partnership with…Cincinnati students? And what is the legacy of a unique collector who introduced a new way to collect action figures? These are some of the topics writer and collector Ron Salvatore addressed this year and in hi...

For Star Wars fans, some of the most iconic photos in the galaxy were printed as posters. Whether they were theatrical posters advertising an upcoming film at your local metroplex, commercial ones adorning your bedroom walls, or promotional prints you received at events like Star Wars Celebration, these images have come to represent the excitement of the film trilogies and the latest small-screen...

Like you, I have questions about the recent warehouse find! Eight 21-Back Boba Fetts in ONE lot. A shocking number of clear bubble Return of the Jedi and Power of the Force figures. Possible double-telescoping lightsaber versions of Luke, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan, on sealed cardbacks. And 450 carded Star Wars figures, soon to be offered in batches to the highest bidders. Before they hit the auction...

How did Kenner find the correct color for its iconic 3.75” Yoda figure? And do you know the full story of the unproduced Talking Yoda? During her 50-year career as a toy designer, Cathy Veness worked at Kenner and at some of the biggest companies, helping to shape some of the most memorable toy lines, like the beloved Star Wars action figures and plush creations. Join host David Quinn for part two...

Cathy Veness is a Kenner and Star Wars toy legend. She worked on the 3.75” and 12” action figure lines, on characters like Yoda, Leia, and Han Solo. And George Lucas paid her the highest compliment a toy designer could receive for her work on the Ewoks plush line. A master of soft goods design, she helped create some of the most iconic pieces that Star Wars fans loved as children and collect today...

Ten years ago, the Star Wars universe changed forever. On October 30, 2012, George Lucas, the master storyteller who spoke the Jedi and lightsabers into existence, sold his company to Bob Iger and Disney for $4 billion. And since then, Star Wars has expanded wildly. The sequel trilogy concluded the onscreen Skywalker Saga. The world of Batuu emerged at the Disney theme parks. And beloved character...

The Andor series is unlike any Star Wars show in the galaxy. But is that a good thing? Join host David Quinn as he shares his perspective on the series: where a story’s “slow burn” works, how the show develops and grows its characters to create meaningful connections with fans, and why Andor may be following in Rogue One’s footsteps by quietly building a loyal and ardent following over time. **NOT...

The final episode in The Cincinnati Toy Show series offers two more perspectives on the weekend: a collector from the north and one from the south! Canada’s Jimmy Mac (Jim McCallum) and Georgia’s Tony Johnson traveled to Cincinnati for the annual multi-day event, which was filled with trips to two notable toys shows, meals with friends, a Saturday night room sales, and tours of some impressive Sta...

Did a dealer really have more than 300 carded vintage Star Wars figures for sale at the Cincinnati Toy Show? What happened after room sales that made the night unforgettable? The Cincinnati Toy Show weekend is an annual event in October that reunites collectors and sends them on adventures to toy shows, collectors’ homes and room sales, and to events across the former hometown of Kenner Toys. Join...

What was this year’s Cincinnati Toy Show weekend really like? The annual pilgrimage to the heart of Kenner country offered trips to Xenia’s The Great Ohio Toy Show on Saturday, a room sales event later that night, and the Cincinnati Toy Show Sunday morning. And during that weekend, collectors met for meals, trips to the legendary toy shops and antique malls, and impromptu tours of some jaw-droppin...

The Fall toy show season is officially here. During a rain-soaked weekend, I traveled to the Octoberfest Toy Show in New Castle Delaware. The show has been thriving for decades, and brings the best of what collectors seek: a diverse treasure trove of vintage and modern collectibles, and a family-like atmosphere for shoppers and vendors. Join me, host David Quinn, for a day at the Delaware show. Le...

In 2018, Lucasfilm announced a return to the world of Rogue One, to tell the story of Cassian Andor and the earliest spark of a rebellion. And in the hands of writer and showrunner Tony Gilroy, the Andor series would undergo a transformation into a taut, edge-of-your-seat spy thriller. Join host David Quinn for a look at how Disney brought the concept to the small screen for a two-season, 24-episo...

A Luke Jedi proof sheet, a Boba Fett three-pack sample, Gamorrean Guard and General Grievous hardcopies, a clear-limbed Sandtrooper first shot, and the incredible hand-drawn pitch piece illustrating the iconic vintage-style cardback design we know and love today. These are some of the almost 600 (!!!) Vintage Collection preproduction pieces owned by prototype collector Anthony Pagano. Anthony has...

Let’s celebrate the 100th episode of the Star Wars: Prototypes And Production podcast! Do you remember your first big Star Wars purchase? Or picking up a piece, like a prototype, that changes the course of collecting for you? Have you ever set a goal to complete a run that was likely impossible? And have you ever purchased two sealed POTF Tatooine Skiffs in one week? Join me, host David Quinn, as...

The only carded Rocket Fett prototype in existence. One of the earliest and most iconic Darth Vader pieces ever unearthed. And a year-long purchase of hundreds of pieces, kicking off a world-class Star Wars collection. These are the fascinating stories told in a special podcast panel at the second Annual, an event this August that celebrated the best parts of Star Wars collecting and the community...

Curious to hear what a Star Wars collector event is really like? During the Labor Day weekend of 2019, eighty collectors attended an event in Fishkill New York. Hosted by the Empire State Star Wars Collectors Club, the Annual celebrated the best parts of collecting and our community. But what made the 2019 Annual event so memorable and special? Join me, host David Quinn, for a chronological look b...

Can a collecting event really change lives? For a number of Star Wars fans, The 2019 Annual was the place where long-lasting friendships were born. Where collectors found their places within a passionate and creative community. Where life changed for them, forever. And if you’ve listened to the past few episodes, you’ve heard about the adventures that I and seven other collectors experienced the S...