| X-Wing Fighter Wood Pattern | |
| Much of the original artwork for the vintage Kenner toys was "patterned" from hard woods such as cherry or mahagony. Ideal for non-organic shapes, such as the hard lines and mechanical details of droids, weapons and vehicles, this process was equivalent to the sculpting done in wax and acetate for most of the figures in the 33/4", 12" and Micro Collection lines. Carved in several different pieces, both by machine and by hand, such patterns also incorporated numerous outside details, which might themselves be carved from another material or hand-cast from a rubber mold. Such patterns were often created at twice their intended production scale in order to allow for a greater degree of detail in the final production molds. Unfortunately, the intricate details of most patterns were destroyed during the creation of production tooling, having been torn off or distorted during the taking of negative epoxy casts, which would then be used in the final pantographing process.
The pattern shown here perhaps isn't as interesting as some of the other examples displayed on the Archive--it doesn't have as many odd angles or intricate details--but, boy, is it one of the most impressive. After all, Kenner's X-Wing Fighter (if you haven't figured out by this point that this is the pattern for the X-Wing Fighter, you are hereby asked to leave this site :^) is one of the most beloved toys of the last three decades, an icon of childhood for millions; and this is the original model, the three-dimensional source of every last one of these toys produced and sold around the world. Make no mistake, folks, seeing these photos really is something special. If the patterns themselves were doomed to destruction, at least the artisans who made them had the forsight to take and save these photos as a record of their work on the Kenner Star Wars line.
Here's a third shot, just for good measure. These incredible photos were uncovered thanks to the diligence of an anonymous collector, who's done us all a service by bringing these to light. |
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| Description by: | Ron Salvatore |
| Photo: | Anonymous |
| From the collection of: | Anonymous |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | A New Hope |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1977 |
| Category: | Prototypes / Product Artwork |
