Kenner Spec Sheet - Radio Controlled Jawa Sandcrawler (early mock-up)
This is yet another Kenner mock-up that has never been seen before now. The differences between it and the production toy are striking. It's probably made of white styrene and painted brown which is apparent at some of the worn corners. The remote control is really crude compared to the final version and there's no way to know if this model functioned or not. The treadwheels appear to be from some German tank model kits and I'm sure some of the raised details on the body are "kit-bashed" from model kits also. The functionality and description seem to be the exact same as the released toy except for one small difference. Apparently Kenner didn't think the interior light fixture was a good idea or cost-effective so they scrapped it. Another interesting bit was the use of 6 volt, instead of the traditional 9 volt, batteries for the transmitter and receiver.

This Kenner product sheet is part of a 3-ring notebook containing early photography and descriptions of roughly 30 Star Wars toys. Each sheet has the same format with typed information about the product and a pasted-on glossy photo. Most photos are representations of the toys but they often differed from their released counterparts which makes it quite unique to look at. These were generally mock-ups of sorts created because the toys weren't ready in time for photography and early marketing. This book came from an ex-Kenner model maker who was dilligently tracked down by a collector. Many thanks go out to that collector for helping turn up a piece of history like this.

Description by: Chris Georgoulias
Photo: Chris Georgoulias
From the collection of: Chris Georgoulias
Country:United States
Film:A New Hope
Licensee:Kenner
Year:1977
Category:Prototypes / Product Concepts


  


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