mm PROTOTYPES

[vulcantouch]

(since haggie let kitty outta the baggie in "just found" anyway )
as many of this forum's vets know, a few months back a number of us were offered the opportunity to obtain galoob 3-d Prototypes of a wide range of scifi mm ships. these handmade protos were an intermediate step between 2-d concept and production, and were used for almost all package photography. only four of each ship were made, which means a one in four chance that any one proto was the one shown on packages the world over
because the trafficking of these protos could be considered illicit, this offer was circulated via email only among trusted regulars of this forum. (even though hasbro's long shown zero interest in all things mm, and this kind of trafficking among collectors is hardly unprecedented, hasbro Could claim that these are technically Their property and go after both buyer and seller. never mind that hasbro would have no use for or interest in them and they were made long before hasbro entered galoob's picture )
but now that the deals've been done and they're starting to arrive, there ain't nuthin hasbin can do about us Discussin em here, right? after all these represent a view unto mms most collectors never see, so it'd be a shame not to share reports with our fellow collectors:
b'jr (who's never been a forummer but who's long been known to many of you, mainly via my representation of his trading interests here) axed me to get him a b5 earth force one, which just arrived today. i own a pretty good copy of the production version but next to this proto it looks like a blurry picture of itself the proto's certainly sharp enough to be a revelation- almost an unwelcome one, cuz most production versions can't compare. the proto outclasses production ones the same way real hasbro figures outclass crude hongkong knockoffs of same.
the ef1 proto is scaled up about 1/9 larger than the production version, a barely-noticeable difference when in the midst of massmade ships. it is constructed from 7 or 8 separate pieces rather than the massmade's more streamlined 3-piece assembly. (there seems to be a separate piece connecting the forward pod and the main hull. also, all four fins are molded & mounted separately- only the bottom fin's gluejoint is sloppy, while the top fin is unglued, but fits snugly). the additional parts do not account for significant additionally-enabled detail.
the ship's earth logo- a sea-blue dot on the massmade- is here outlined by a thin, darker blue-green circle, which is in turn outlined by a thin yellow circle. (and i could just be imagining it, but a very slight difference in sea-blue paint shades within the dot could in fact depict earth's continents.) the ef1 proto's paint colors match the production run exactly, but they're much more precisely applied. consistent matte finish and perfect thickness but no brush strokes, so i'm guessing stenciled airbrushing as used on the massmades, only painstakingly done by hand. as for the depiction of the 8-pointed star on top of the forward pod, i prefer my massmade's version cuz it just pops more
while the detailing never gets more minute than that featured on production versions of, say, an ssd or med frigate, there is more of it and it sits deeper. for example, the engines have rear thrust holes while the mass version does not. and even when a detail is also present on the mass version the clarity of its depiction here is often illuminating; that is, past a certain size often one couldn't be certain whether a vagary on the mass version is an intentional detail or a mere imperfection. this is most apparent in the forward pod's notches
overall design matches the mass version except for the main hull's frontal outer ring of 15 evenly-spaced "spokes". in the proto, the "odd-numbered" spoke points straight down, while the mass version has it straight up. also, the 15 outer "grid" or "window" areas (separated by the prev-mentioned 15 spokes) are about 40% more minute and arranged not in the mass version's radial "sunburst pixel" pattern but instead share a uniform-square orientation in which almost all grids are set ~43 degrees off the ship's centerline. this suggests multilayer composition of the hull's surface using prepatterned pieces, rather than the "lathe (latitude) & spoke (longitude)" etching of the mass version.
a few of us are participating in an "borrowing tour" in which we will send our protos to trusted others here so that they may also view them in person for a few weeks. they will then send them on to the next person etc. until finally returned to their owners. so you may see multiple reports on the same proto from different people here
to anyone interested who missed out on this offer due to its necessarily discreet handling i can only say: 1) maybe you shoulda been makin more of a mark on this here forum all this time; non-lurking has its priviliges and 2) who knows, if you indicate your interest on this thread maybe you'll be contacted by the supplier's intermediary (whose anonymity we will maintain here on the forum just to be safe) and you could still get proto(s) of your own? if so, maybe you'd like to participate in our exchange tour
so who else got a proto? tell us all aboot it
vt

[good shot jansen]

i received the caretakers array prototype from the initial star trek voyager episode.

the clarity of the detailing is nothing short of amazing. as vt indicated above with regards to E1, after looking at the prototype, the mass produced version appears to be all blurry and fuzzy in comparison.

each engraved line of detail reads clear and true. the 1st thing that pops out at you, are the spiraling white lights at the bottom of the array. on the the mass produced version, you can barely see them. they are quite small, with almost no relief seperation from the main body of the ship. to be honest, i don't think i ever noticed them on the mass produced version til i got the prototype. when i 1st looked at the prototype, my reaction was, "what are these spirling white lights?, and are they even on the mass produced version?". well they are, but without the prototype as aroad map, i'm not sure i even would have looked for them!

the ends of the spoke arms of the array, are all engraved, clearly showing relief portions of the ships outer hull design. each element is clear, and well defined. on the mass produced version, the detail at the end of the arms is mearly painted on like some intergalactic logo.

the plastic is of a hard variety, unlike the mass produced version which is rubbery and pliable.

i have already forwarded the array on it's whirlwind prototour, vt should be receiving it any day now, and i'm sure that he'll give us all a review worthy of this wonderful prototype

[Glitch]

WOW! These things sound GREAT!

VT, About the glue on that fin. It is possible that it was broken on the showroom floor of the NY Toy Fair and had to be "repaired" by someone totally unqualified to do so - say, a salesman. These things would NEVER leave Galco....errr....the den of the prototype fairy like that.

One distinctions that really makes the hard copy prototype stand out from the production piece, other than the detail, paint, and resin, is the size. They are always bigger than the production MM's.

George Costanza is not the only one that suffers from shrinkage.

Thanks for the detailed reviews guys!

Pics are tough since it is so hard to pick up just how detailed these things are.

[JediTricks]

Glitch, is the size difference due to the production plastic contracting or just shrinking as it cools once it's been pulled from its mold?

BTW, that's some incredible detail on that MM proto pic!

[Glitch]

That, and there is also a bit of shrinkage that occurs in the mold-making process.

Thanks for the comment on the pic. Unfortunately, it is so much more detailed in person. You just don't get a sense as to how small the detail is from that image. It almost looks like it's AF scale.

Let's try this one:

P.S. Sorry for the low res pics. I have to blow them up just to see the detail, and....

[LTBasker]

THAT'S A MICRO-MACHINE STAR DESTROYER?!?!?! It looks superior to the Collector Fleet one!!! Heck, it looks like a film production model.

[vulcantouch]

-yeah, don't they? try not to be Jealous

"there is also a bit of shrinkage that occurs"
-hey that's what She sed lazt night- nDOISHHHH!

"possible that it was broken on the showroom floor"
-Whaaa?!? you mean maybe we wuz sold Damaged Goods?!? now that you mention it, the port & starboard fin gluins ain't lookin so hot neither. i might just hafta hava tawk w/mister intermediary hey Mister Intermediary, if you're out there readin this tell the supplier he can make it up to us by makin a jemhadar available, cuz after seeing the ef1 i'm Real curious to see that one
haven't been able to get holda b'jr yet (mebbe his girlfriend threw him in jail Again hmph, not like She's any saint herself ) so since its standhole doesn't quite fit a standard teardrop stand i'm perching it atop r2b1's power harness, whose colors even match ef1 purty good :happy:
forgot to mention a few things in above report:
proto ef1's fins are ~30% thinner than massmade version. also, all four rear exhaust vanes are of equal length, unlike the massmade in which the bottom is longer (much like the x-wing's uneven rear engines, no doubt to comply with safety regs; can't let them be used as upright roadspikes now can we?? ). also, at this level of clarity the handcrafted sculpting of details becomes apparent in places, an interesting contrast to the magically machined/stereolithographed impression the massmades usually give. also, i did finda few telltale brushstrokes on some of the narrower color strips. finally, there is of course no galoob or ptn logo on the main hull's back.

gsj: "i'm sure that he'll give us all a review worthy of this wonderful prototype"
-yeah, i'm Sure speakin of, i think it'd be hella easier & more efficient if we plan & keep track right here whose touring protos are going where and when. i'll start off: since gsj's sending array and mib mms for jt, if jt wishes i'll forward him mib mms along with array, ef1 and my protoklae (when it arrives that is), i imagine all would be of interest to him then he can send the protos along to the next person (these plans can be elaborated on as more people sign on for the tour )
array proto should prove especially interesting since the only package photos we ever got of it were really shrunk (there was an image on galoob.com but not any more ). of course, same goes for jemhadar (hint HINT) , since its larger pic on back of le set 3 was actually of production version, since protophoto was accidentally of jemhadar's rear and they apparently wanted to correct that (same story re orange/brown bajfighter diff)-
vt

[darthcarlos]

VT

IMPRESSIVE! WOW, I DIDN'T KNOW THESE PROTOTYPES EXISTED! THAT DESTROYER LOOKS SWEET. LET'S SEE MORE PICTURES.

DARTH CARLOS

[good shot jansen]

Originally posted by vulcantouch
(when it arrives that is)

floridiot? actually prefer the derogatory term floron. it's got more of a stylin' flair.

as i'm the 1st to send a proto on tour, and as how i sent mine to vt, i recommend that anyone who wishes to participate, forward their protos on to vt, and once he receives all that will be tourin', he then forwards them en mass on to the next stop, and so on, and so on, that way, we'll be keepin this select group together in a single bundle to be viewed as a whole collective.

makes it easier to track that way (imho)

[vulcantouch]

specifically of the side trenches & underside; but since i don't have the isd proto you're axin the wrong feller
btw dc, if you think you might wanna acquire a proto of your own you might wanna say so here

gsj: "as i'm not welcome there"
-whoa, i didn't say nuthin bout you not bein Welcome, i just sed you weren't Allowed. the difference being, bumptious gatecrashers are often just what gooses a party into that most welcome "je'ne'quaw'saw"

"makes it easier to track that way"
-yup, the only drawback is that whoever's the last to view em has to disperse em to multiple owners at the end but it's still simpler than 1 ship per parcel eh?
any protos in my possession by 1/2/3 will be papparazzoed to the best of our ability on that date's mm tea (r2: does yer cam take a microzoom lens?)
vt