At the 115th North American International Toy Fair in New York City, I was in the room for the February unveiling of Hasbro‘s first-ever HasLab project – a crowdfunding effort meant to bring to life one of the most-requested Star Wars toys of all-time: Jabba’s Sail Barge (The Khetanna). While I support the idea of this project and the methods behind it, I have questioned whether this particular toy is being produced 30 years too late, as the $500 price tag put it firmly in the collector realm. Additionally, it needs a minimum of 5,000 backers by April 3 to become a reality, and as of this writing they’re still 2,000 away from that mark with 13 days to go. I’ve been saying that this is something special that needs to get in front of a different audience – not necessarily those who collect Star Wars toys regularly, but those who might be looking for one high-end piece to display, possibly for an office or theater room. With a photo debut on EW this morning, that may have finally happened, but my friends at Hasbro just sweetened the deal. They just provided me with a timelapse video showing the prototype being painted, along with a full gallery of photos (see them on The Rock Father™ Facebook page). Check out the video below, and if you want this to become a reality, hit up the HasLab website and #BackTheBarge!
Additionally, those who pre-order the Barge will also now receive an exclusive Star Wars The Vintage Collection Yakface action figure, complete with exclusive packaging based on Kenner’s 1985 Power of the Force collection.
For more STAR WARS news, reviews and features, including the latest on Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story, J.J. Abrams’ STAR WARS: EPISODE IX, Jon Favreau’s live-action television series and the new films from Rian Johnson, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, check out TheRockFather.com/StarWars
