PROTOTYPE 1999 Star Wars EPISODE I Battle Droid – Kenner First Shot / Test Shot – Rick Arthur Collection

Very rare 1999 Star Wars: Episode I Battle Droid pre-production prototype / first shot from the former collection of longtime Kenner designer and engineer Rick Arthur.

IMPORTANT: Many Battle Droid figures have been released over the years. This is an original Episode I-era prototype associated with Kenner/Hasbro’s first 1999 Episode I Battle Droid releases — not one of the numerous later Battle Droid figures.

The prototype is dramatically different from the finished production figure. It features what appears to be hand-applied developmental paint/weathering, with colors and detailing substantially different from the eventual retail decoration.

I have 4 different prototypes available at the time of this listing (see my other listings). I am just referring to them as A, B, C and D for ease of listing.

The paint appears quite delicate and potentially capable of rubbing or wiping away, so nothing has been cleaned, altered or touched up.

Each of these prototypes came from the Rick Arthur collection individually bagged. Some were opened by me solely for photography and otherwise have been left exactly as received.

RICK ARTHUR / KENNER PROVENANCE

This prototype comes directly from the collection of Rick Arthur, longtime Kenner designer and engineer, whose career included work on Star Wars and numerous other Kenner properties.

Supporting documents showing provenance are included with the figure.

The original 1999 Episode I production Battle Droids are shown for comparison and illustrate just how different these developmental examples are from the figures eventually released at retail.

Forever Authenticity Guaranteed.

A fantastic piece of original Star Wars: Episode I / Kenner pre-production history.