This item was acquired directly from a former employee of the company. It has never been offered for sale before and is being offered here for the first time.

Included is an original action figure painted hard copy prototype.  A hard copy is a "looks like, works like" sample that is used for a variety of purposes during the pre production process, generally they are used to work out any bugs with the product. Made of urethane and hand assembled, this piece was created for the original line introduction. There are many noticeable differences between this piece and a production example. Notably, the urethane is heavier, the paint used is different and there are slight variations in the actual sculpt. Generally anywhere between 10-12 hard copies would have been made for any given character. Even less would have been hand painted. Typically, 3-5 were hand painted, 1 for the Orient for paint ops, 1 for Toy Fair, 1 for catalog photography, 1 for salesmans samples and possibly 1 extra. This particular piece was created at Bandai and used as a photo sample. Painted hard copies for any action figure line are extraordinarily difficult to find, especially for the vintage Bandai market. A piece like this is far more rare than any exclusive, or rare figure for the line.  While rare figures and even limited exclusives are made in the hundreds and thousands,  painted hard copies such as this were made in handfuls and even less have survived over the years. It may be possible to match this exact prototype to insert catalog, cross sell or promotional photography. Perfect display ability. A first shot is a prototype that is sent from the vendor to the manufacturer for approval before production begins. This particular example has no COO legal stamp as is consistent with hard copies.  This exact piece was used during the original creation of the  figure. This is the first time this is being offered for sale, this has never been sold before or traded among retail stores, collectors, dealers or auctions. Very rare, original vintage Bandai items never surface on the market making this piece highly sought after by intent collectors.

We combine shipping when applicable and ship once per week only. We ship internationally with USPS Priority Express Mail, all international packages *must* be shipped with Priority Express Mail and tracking. Canada is an exception.

Please review the return policy and contact us with any questions.

Auctions *must* be paid in full within 7 days of auctions close unless otherwise arranged prior to the close of the auction. Item will be offered to the second highest bidder on the 8th day.

Other methods of payment are preferred, contact for arrangements.

View our other auctions for different items here.

Please contact with any questions or for rare prototypes, samples and props from the Film and TV industries as well as companies such has Hasbro, Mattel, Kenner and more.