Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Luke Skywalker Hoth First Shot (Kenner, 1982)....

Description

Star Wars Empire Strikes Back Luke Skywalker Hoth First Shot (Kenner, 1982). The planet of Hoth is introduced as the initial location of the Rebel base of operations that is discovered and attacked by Darth Vader's forces in the Empire Strikes Back. With this hostile environment came the release of several key characters on both sides of the conflict in extreme cold weather gear. This first shot Luke Hoth action figure reflects an early stage in the tool making process during 1981, after Kenner briefly chose to farm out the development of action figure molds to vendors in Asia.
The figure is constructed using a brown molded torso and white molded head and limbs. The prototype is notable for being unpainted which indicates that mold assessment was the sole reason for its production. It is also sealed in a Kenner bag, which makes it an exceptionally rare prototype find. Very few first shots have ever turned up in Kenner baggies across the entire Star Wars line. The unpainted figure is also undated, indicating that it predates completion of the production mold. There may be other differences between this figure and the final production toy, since this is often the case with similar unpainted or hand-painted prototype figures.
The bagged figure is encased in acrylic, graded an AFA 80+ NM, and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Collectible Investment Brokerage (CIB). Key hero characters are seldom seen for sale in unpainted first shot form, making this Kenner bagged Luke Hoth a particularly rare find.

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