A rare Star Wars action figure sold for a whopping £1 million this week.
The plastic figure of the bounty hunter character Boba Fett, who first appeared in the George Lucas film franchise in The Empire Strikes Back, was first manufactured in 1979. At just 3.75 inches tall, the figure is just one of 100 made as a test before it could be mass-produced and sold to the public.
Tests were carried out on the cool classic product to see if the firing mechanism in the red plastic missile worked. The test meant only “non-firing” figures were sold to the public, with fears the original design could be a choking hazard for children.
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Just 30 of the ‘L-slot’ prototypes are believed to still exist. L-slot prototypes are much more common than J-slot specimens. This figure is just one of three known as “mailer” and is reported to be in the best condition.
Previously, an L-slot Boba Fett prototype sold for over £412,000, making this prototype the most expensive of its kind ever sold.
A spokesperson for Goldin Auctions, based in New Jersey in the US, said: “Of the approximately 100 made, the batch comprised 70 L-slots and 30 J-slot figures. The figures were subjected to some of the most rigorous testing of the time, including heating, freezing, and other destructive methods to test quality, with most surviving specimens bearing the scars of their battles.
(Image: Internet Unknown)
“During the testing phase, rival Mattel found itself in a bind when one of the launching missiles from their competing Battlestar Galactica toy took the life of a young child, sending Kenner scrambling to figure out a work around. When the L-slot mechanism proved too unsafe, Kenner commissioned the J-slot with the idea that it would be harder to misfire the missile.”
The spokesperson continued: “The workaround proved insufficient, and the cost of the mechanism, coupled with the threat of harm to children, caused Kenner to scrap the entire project, opting to have the missile welded to the back of the Boba Fett figure. As far as we know, there are only three Mailer J-Slot V2/2 missile examples in existence, with this specimen being the highest-graded example of the three.
“The toy comes with the original business cards of the Kenner employee who held onto it for many years before it ended up in our consignor’s hands. This was the first time one had come up for auction, making it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase this grail
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