Hasbro often took their time getting skin tones correct. In the early 2000's, it was common to find slight skin tone variations in pre-production figures versus their production counterparts. In a few instances, there were even production variants in relation to skin tone. Below, though, is a pretty drastic alternative to the production version of the 2002 Nunchuk figure. The figure on the left is a much whiter skin tone. Hasbro actually produced the more tanned version. In the scheme of pre-production variants, this isn't all that spectacular. But, it shows some insight into the production process and how Hasbro sometimes struggled with getting figures exactly right.
Figures like this pre-production Nunchuk were quite common in the mid 2000's. You could not only find individual samples on Ebay, but also buy large lots of them in bulk from Asia. Sometimes, you'd get mostly production level figures. Sometimes, you'd get oddballs like this Nunchuk. And, sometimes, you'd get some completely alternate paint job figures. While these lots have dried up, the pre production pieces for figures in the JvC style have not found the stratospheric prices reserved for pre-production ARAH style figures from the 2000's. So, if you can find them, they can still be somewhat affordable.
The only preproduction whatever figure I half-heartedly tried to get from that era was Skullbuster, who wasn't NuSculpt. I think. Maybe I'm thinking of something else.
ReplyDeleteNew sculpt just doesn't look right with those giant shoulder rivets and weird proportions. Very few Joe fans collect them, so the prices will always be less.
ReplyDelete