Star Wars: Prototypes and Production

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...

The Columbus Toy Show weekend is finally here, after two long years of waiting! The Columbus Toy Show, run by CTS Promotions and held at the Ohio Expo Center, boasts more than 400 vendor tables packed with some of the best and rarest vintage collectibles spanning the past forty years. And if you’re a Star Wars collector, you’re almost guaranteed to come away with something immensely special when s...

It’s been almost two years since the last Columbus Toy Show, one of the largest and best toy-centric shows in the country. The Columbus Toy Show, run by CTS Promotions and held at the Ohio Expo Center, boasts more than 400 vendor tables packed with some of the best and rarest vintage collectibles spanning the past forty years. And if you’re a Star Wars collector, you’re almost guaranteed to come a...

In his 30 years of buying and selling toys Peter LeRose has unearthed some of the most historic and rarest toys, prototypes and original art. And for Pete, this past week’s finds were ones he’ll never forget. Join host David Quinn as he assists Pete in clearing out two packed-to-the-brim storage units filled with thousands of toys, exclusives and collectibles from the past fifteen years. And the c...

Is there anything more exciting than an amazing toy find? Whether it’s a Blue Snaggletooth, totes full of hundreds of modern and vintage figures, or even the rare chance to own a Rocket-Firing Boba Fett prototype, we all have at least one story about a really memorable find, and it’s always exciting to hear ones from our fellow collectors. In fact, trading tales of toy pickups is one of the best p...

Have you ever felt like you needed to get away for a weekend? If you’re like many collectors, the remedy is usually a trip to a toy show. There’s nothing like hunting for vintage and modern Star Wars items, especially in the company of friends. And Andy Cook certainly gave all of us a pretty good reason to visit Carlisle this past weekend. Andy hosted the Toys for the Ages Expo at the Carlisle Exp...

During a recent July weekend, the Georgia Alliance of Star Wars Collectors hosted its annual Summer Social event. More than 80 members from the club came from all over the United States to attend. They took part in a weekend of meals with collectors, conversations with former Kenner and Hasbro employees, room sales and trips with friends around the Atlanta region. Longtime vintage Star Wars collec...

When it comes to Star Wars collectors sales events, Hake’s Auctions has established itself as the place to buy and sell rare and coveted figures and collectibles. And the latest Hake’s auction certainly did not disappoint. Featuring more than 200 Star Wars collectibles, the offerings were vast and covered the original films and the two animated series of the 1970s and 1980s. Unproduced Power of th...

Four carded POTF R2-D2 Pop Up Saber figures, extremely rare modern and vintage prototypes, original vintage art and a special souvenir from Star Wars Celebration? This is truly a unique celebration of a milestone fifty episodes for the Star Wars: Prototypes and Production podcast! Join host and David Quinn for Six Stories: a look into six meaningful pieces from his collection spanning four decades...

After an eight month wait, toy shows and meetups are back! And the May 22nd ToyCon NJ show, one of the largest and best toy shows in New Jersey, had everything a collector would want: vintage and modern toys, prototypes, and the first official Empire State Star Wars Collectors Club meetup of the year. Join host David Quinn as he celebrates the return to ToyCon with a tour through the Friday night...

Eight months is certainly a long time to wait for a toy show! ToyCon NJ, one of the best toy shows in the Tri-State region for vintage and modern collectibles, opened its doors again during a beautiful weekend in May. After more than a year of the pandemic, and the absence of meetups and toy shows that came with it, Star Wars collectors are ready to be together again, hunting for toys and rare col...

If the 1970s and 1980s gave us Star Wars, the events of the 1990s established the hobby and birthed the vintage collector. Six years after George Lucas called for a break from exploring the Star Wars universe, Lucasfilm permitted the property to be licensed again. The 1991 novel Heir to the Empire kicked off a new era of Star Wars stories and events and reignited the fandom. The decade was packed...