40. Collecting Prototypes: An Introduction to Kenner’s Star Wars Action Figure Wax Sculpts

When it comes to collecting vintage Star Wars action figures, the original Kenner wax sculpts are some of the rarest, most desirable and most valuable pieces coveted by collectors.

Some of these iconic sculpts likely would fetch more than a million dollars each if they were ever offered up for sale to the public.

A wax sculpt is generally the first three-dimensional representation of an action figure, but it is the model responsible for every Chewbacca, every Boba Fett and every other figure in the Star Wars toy universe . And each one sculpted in the 1970s and 1980s was created by a true artist.

Join host David Quinn for an introduction into the world of wax sculpts—how they were made, where they fit into the overall process in the creation of a toy, and why they’re so important to collectors.

Thank you to Engineering an Empire co-author Stephen Ward, for providing insight into some of the tools Kenner sculptors used, and for sharing a particularly special tool from his collection.

Collecting Prototypes is a new series that will explore more than 40 years of modern and vintage Star Wars preproduction pieces from companies like Kenner and Hasbro. It will feature interviews with some of the most knowledgeable and passionate prototype collectors, and will examine the production process of a Star Wars toy as it goes from concept to retail.

If you enjoy Star Wars: Prototypes and Production, please leave a review on your podcast platform, and please tell a friend (or twenty)! It would be most appreciated - you have the power to help grow the podcast! Thank you in advance!

To Listen to the Episode on the Prototype Archives Site: https://www.prototypearchives.com/podcast

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