Not only I get a chance to finally meet Vic Wertz (whom I helped out on the Action Figure Archives column last year) in person, but I also was able to attend his collecting discussion on
Unproduced Toys from the Vintage and Modern era.
Focusing mostly on action figures from 1977 - 2001, Vic gave a very informative presentation on toys that didn't quite make it to the final stage. Vic split each toy line over the years into different categories:
The Famous, The Infamous, and
The Virtualy Unknown. Here's a breakdown of what was discussed:
Star Wars (1977 - 1979) The Famous - Rocket-Firing Boba Fett
The Infamous - Chewbacca's Family (from
The Holiday Special)
The Virtually Unknown - R1-G4 (or perhaps known back then as "Sandcrawler Droid")
The Empire Strikes Back (1977 - 1979) The Famous - Large Sized Action Figures (Lando, Han, Leia, Luke)
The Infamous - Talking Yoda
The Virtually Unknown - The Empire Strikes Back Rifle
Return of the Jedi (1983) The Famous - Rebel Blockade Runner vehicle
The Infamous - Emperor in Removable Cloak
The Virtually Unknown - Rust-colored Luke Skywalker
The Power of the Force (1984) The Famous - Yarna d'al'Gargan
The Infamous - Luke Skywalker in robes
The Virtually Unknown - 93-Action Figure Packaging
Ewoks and Droids (1985) The Famous - EWOKS wave two figures
The Infamous - DROIDS additional waves, The White Witch vehicle
The Virtually Unknown - C-3PO Collector's Case
The Epic Continues (1985 - 1987) The Famous - New designs for Luke and Han, ALpha Prime, and Clone Warriors, and many vehicles
The Infamous - Kit-Bashed Toys
The Virtually Unknown - Articulated and heroic action figures
The Power of the Force (1995 - 1997) The Famous - Attack R2-D2 and Attack C-3PO
The Infamous - Talking Yoda (yes, again!)
The Virtually Unknown - Dagobah playset with a new version of Luke and some crates that were eventually used
Shadows of the Empire (1996) The Famous - Xizor's
Virago,
The Infamous - Guri
The Virtually Unknown - More Luke Skywalker figures (Hoth, Pilot, Jedi)
The Power of the Force (1997 -1999) The Famous - Remote Control Landspeeder "Chaser"
The Infamous - Death Star playset
The Virtually Unknown - 12" Princess Leia collection
Expanded Universe (1998) The Famous - Mara Jade in
Mystery of the Sith outfit
The Infamous - Online Figure Poll
The Virtually Unknown - Combat Vehicles (more from the Expanded Universe)
Episode I (1999 - 2000) The Famous - Trophy Assortment Obi-Wan Kenobi and OOM-9
The Infamous - Hologram Obi-Wan, Nute Gunray, and Padme figures
The Virtually Unknown - Deluxe Action Toys (Droid Fighters)
The Power of the Jedi (2000 - 2002) The Famous - Figures on CD-Rom
The Infamous - Commtech Chips 2.0
The Virtually Unknown - Alternative Packaging / Title
Jedi Crusades (2000 - 2001) The Famous - New POTJ figures
The Infamous - New villans and Aliens figures
The Virtually Unknown - Jedi Justice Fighter
Click here to check out the gallery.
