Hoth Ice Planet - Kenner US vs Kenner Canada

[Bonsai_Tree_Ent]

I just shared this on facebook and thought I would add it here. Collectors may know that the Kenner Canada version of the Hoth Ice Planet playset is different - noticeably the cardboard AT-AT head doesn't feature any side guns just a featureless circle.

This is obviously a big, easy to spot difference but close inspection reveals that in fact the entire backdrop section is also different. Looking at the two together I am convinced the Canadian one has been entirely redrawn. It's a very close copy done by a good artist and you have to look at very small, pretty insignificant points of detail, but they are different. Here are two close up detailed areas of the backdrop to play 'spot the difference!'

The original artwork for the backdrop is quite beautiful and resides in Ron Salvatore's collection, it can be seen in the SWCA: Original Artwork for Hoth Ice Planet Adventure Set - Star Wars Collectors Archive

I have no idea at all why it was re-painted and copied for Kenner Canada (you would have thought that they'd have simply shared the original painting) but am presuming that some element of the printing / production process necessitated it.

NOTE: I am somewhat wrong in this summation, pls see thread below.

 

[finestcomics]

Wow, great catch. Ron recently posted a COTW of the original artwork on FB. It's also in the SWCA Archive. I love this kind of stuff, and have several pages in my original art collection that have been revised in this manner. That means there is an edited version out there. The edited version may have cell overlay with the edits and be mostly reprinted, but I've always wanted both if I ever owned a page that was revised either partially or whole.

 

[ChrisGeorgoulias]

I'd say it was edited not redrawn, but for what reason I don't have a guess. Interesting discovery though.

-chris

 

[tapuvae]

Man those AT-ATs look so impractical in deep snow in these images. Seems the Canadian dialed down the detail in a number of seemingly random ways.

 

[The_Dark_Artist]

On the Canada version 2/D "Art". the guns were removed/edited out, from the side of the head, just like they are on the 3/D cardboard, Canada version, head.

 

[scifimuseum]

I always thought it was weird that they "forgot" to put the side guns on the head on all the AT-AT's on the Canadian version...

 

[Gonk]

If they were trying to eliminate the guns, why didn't they also get rid of the rebel's guns? The rebel soldier and the snowspeeders still have their guns. Seems like a weird edit. I agree though that the artwork is just too spot on to have been a complete recreation. It's like someone said the artwork needs to be edited to get rid of the imperials guns but the rebels can keep theirs.

 

[finestcomics]

I'd say it was edited not redrawn, but for what reason I don't have a guess. Interesting discovery though.

-chris

If you look carefully at the line art, it looks reinterpreted. It would be very hard to "edit" line art in this manner without redrawing/filling - of course I'm speaking specifically of the revised elements. From the archive, it looks to be mixed media (thinking acrylic/pastel mainly) so there had to be an second version at one time with overlays rendering these revisions.

 

[Scott_Bradley]

I have no idea at all why it was re-painted and copied for Kenner Canada

Actually, it was just the opposite. Kenner *USA* updated the AT-AT head and background for their release of the production toy. Kenner USA would provide Kenner Canada initial design templates for their toys and packaging which were sometimes updated before being released to the public in the USA. The Hoth Ice Planet was originally designed lacking the side gun detail as seen in one of the Kenner Product catalogues (as well as the back of the 32-backs [which evolved from the prototype version on the 31 backs]). It is referenced on the Canadian Star Wars Gallery courtesy of the Star Wars Collectors Archive as the "Early Hoth Ice Planet Playset Design" here:

Empire Strikes Back Playsets (The Canadian Star Wars Gallery)

You can see the version pictured in the Kenner catalogue is actually what wound up being released as the production version in Canada. Kenner USA updated their production playset with the added gun detail and background highlights.

This happened several times on various Canadian items. One example was the inclusion of "Tusken Raider" on the back of the production Canadian 12-backs. This was how the figure was named on early Kenner USA packaging/proofs which were supplied to Canada to create the Canadian version of the cardback packaging. Later, Kenner USA updated the cardback back to have the character named "Sand People" while the Canadian cardback still remained "Tusken Raider" (but the front nameplate named him Sand People).

 

[Bonsai_Tree_Ent]

Thanks Scott, I was wrong then to say it had been entirely repainted...

So Ron's original painting has been modified! That painting of the backdrop was initially made with less detailing on the AT-AT, it was photographed for the catalogs and cardbacks and used to produce the Kenner Canada toy. At some point before it went into US production Kenner realised that the AT-AT was rendered incorrectly and they modified the original painting, sketching over the top to layer on some extra detailing.

Always presumed the Kenner Canada version was the variant... actually it was the original and Kenner US is the variant!

 

[ronsalvatore]

Actually, it was just the opposite. Kenner *USA* updated the AT-AT head and background for their release of the production toy. Kenner USA would provide Kenner Canada initial design templates for their toys and packaging which were sometimes updated before being released to the public in the USA. The Hoth Ice Planet was originally designed lacking the side gun detail as seen in one of the Kenner Product catalogues (as well as the back of the 32-backs [which evolved from the prototype version on the 31 backs]). It is referenced on the Canadian Star Wars Gallery courtesy of the Star Wars Collectors Archive as the "Early Hoth Ice Planet Playset Design" here:

Empire Strikes Back Playsets (The Canadian Star Wars Gallery)

You can see the version pictured in the Kenner catalogue is actually what wound up being released as the production version in Canada. Kenner USA updated their production playset with the added gun detail and background highlights.

This happened several times on various Canadian items. One example was the inclusion of "Tusken Raider" on the back of the production Canadian 12-backs. This was how the figure was named on early Kenner USA packaging/proofs which were supplied to Canada to create the Canadian version of the cardback packaging. Later, Kenner USA updated the cardback back to have the character named "Sand People" while the Canadian cardback still remained "Tusken Raider" (but the front nameplate named him Sand People).

Well, the playset on the 31-back (and, I think, in the catalog) is the concept model. That's clearly not what was released in Canada.

Here it is:

Original Conceptual Model for Hoth Ice Planet Playset - Star Wars Collectors Archive

I think Scott is onto something, though.

What I think happened: Kenner sent Kenner Canada an unfinished or semi-finished version of the art, which Kenner Canada used. Kenner then added some extra details, which, for obvious reasons, show up on the Kenner production toys and not those released by Kenner Canada. That seems likely to me.

But the model doesn't have much to do with it...though I guess it serves as evidence that the original designs lacked the side guns.

 

[Scott_Bradley]

Well, the playset on the 31-back (and, I think, in the catalog) is the concept model. That's clearly not what was released in Canada.

Definitely - I was just mentioning that concept model to show the evolution (without side-guns & background detail) from the concept/prototype (on the 31-back only) to the early design version that was shown in the Kenner Department Store Program which was also shown on the back of the 32-backs. The Department Store Program/32-back version was the version Canada was provided from Kenner USA.