{"id":22509,"date":"2020-02-21T19:30:20","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T19:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/?p=22509"},"modified":"2020-04-14T10:32:54","modified_gmt":"2020-04-14T10:32:54","slug":"rocketfiringbf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/blog\/rocketfiringbf\/","title":{"rendered":"ROCKET MAN: Ballad of a Rocket-Firing Boba Fett"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ask any toy collector which treasure they\u2019d most like to own, and the chances are they\u2019d all tell you the same thing: a rocket-firing Boba Fett.<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nThe laconic intergalactic bounty hunter is widely regarded as the Star Wars saga\u2019s coolest character, with his Spaghetti Western-style, jetpack armour and that iconic, narrow-slit helmet visor, which suggested a cruelty and merciless precision far beyond the Empire\u2019s clumsy stormtroopers. But this isn\u2019t why he\u2019s so sought after in action-figure form. At least, not entirely.
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Lot # 117 – Rocket-Firing Boba Fett Action Figure Prototype AFA 85<\/a><\/p>\n

Fett was incongruously introduced to the world during an animated segment of the notoriously dire Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978, priming young Star Wars fans for this intriguing and exciting new antagonist\u2019s appearance in The Empire Strikes Back long before the sequel arrived. Such anticipation was further stoked by action-figure manufacturer Kenner which, in 1979, advertised this \u201cnew evil villain\u201d as a promotional mailaway offer. In return for four proof-of-purchase seals, Kenner promised to send a Boba Fett figure complete with a \u201cRocket Firing Back Pack\u201d and two rockets. However, when the toy finally shipped, it arrived to its eager recipients with a non-firing rocket-pack and a letter of apology.<\/p>\n

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This is why the original figure is such a rarity. Fewer than 100 are in existence, none of which ever passed the prototype stage and many of which remain unpainted. The reason for Kenner\u2019s switch is widely believed to have been driven by safety concerns, after a similar projectile-launching toy accidentally caused a child\u2019s death late the previous year and triggered widespread product recalls. Yet, as noted by Chris Georgoulias of the Star Wars Collectors Archive, Kenner\u2019s decision to trash its firing-rocket figures actually predates the reporting of that tragic incident. In short, the truth of the story is that it was a broader quality-control issue.<\/p>\n

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Lot # 117 – Rocket-Firing Boba Fett Action Figure Prototype AFA 85<\/a><\/p>\n

The first iteration of the rocket-firing toy is known as the \u201cL Slot\u201d Boba Fett. This name refers to the shape of the firing mechanism in the figure\u2019s back, which held a spring-loaded tab. The problem was, without anything to hold the tab in its \u2018loaded\u2019 position (at the base of the \u2018L\u2019), it was too easy for the rocket to be launched unintentionally. The improved design reconfigured the slot into a \u2018J\u2019 shape, whereby the firing tab was better secured by being nestled next to an extra piece of plastic. The problem with the \u201cJ Slot\u201d Fett, however, was that this extra piece was too easily snapped off. The safest and smartest option, then, was to leave the notorious bounty hunter with a rocket that couldn\u2019t fire at all.
\nNot that it damaged the remorseless Mandalorian\u2019s reputation. He continues to be a fan-favorite character, whose look (ingeniously exploited for hit Disney+ show The Mandalorian) has never gone out of style \u2013 even with a grounded rocket.<\/p>\n

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\"blog<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ask any toy collector which treasure they\u2019d most like to own, and the chances are they\u2019d all tell you the same thing: a rocket-firing Boba Fett. The laconic intergalactic bounty hunter is widely regarded as the Star Wars saga\u2019s coolest character, with his Spaghetti Western-style, jetpack armour and that iconic, narrow-slit helmet visor, which suggested […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":230,"featured_media":22510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-auction","category-star-wars"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22509"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/230"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22509"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22528,"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22509\/revisions\/22528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propstore.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}