Yehuda writes:
I bet you are wondering if you made a mistake by clicking on this esoteric article on obscure ephemera…and the answer is probably yes.
I fully expect the majority of readers to get less than halfway through this blog entry and dismiss it. After all, the idea of crafting anything today, much less a melted plastic artificial stained glass ornament, seems somewhat archaic. Nonetheless, I plod on because this kind of stuff fascinates me.
It’s not like I don’t love the Kenner line of action figures, but frankly, there is a lot of other cool stuff out there. At least I think so, and I am betting that two or three other people who read this article agree. They may even make it all the way to the end.
At least that’s my delusion.
Prior to the advent of the personal computer and anything beyond network TV, there seemed to be a lot more free time. In order to combat boredom, people often turned to handcrafted projects. This was reflected in the available product lines.
Many people may not even remember sun-catchers or instant stained glass kits even if they were around when these things were sold. They never achieved the popularity of macramé or picture frames made out of pasta and glue. But they have a similar concept to the more popular and well-known Shrinky Dinks of the time. Basically, these products used plastic materials combined with heat to create a collectible. And if that wasn’t fun enough, the fumes of the melting plastic were likely to enhance the experience.
Like many of the earliest Star Wars collectibles, the first iteration of Star Wars sun-catchers were unlicensed. A series of four different multicolored adhesive translucent appliqués were produced by a company called “Instant Stained Glass.” These sun-catchers were ready made and required no assembly.
Proudly declaring themselves of the era, they display a cartoonish quality and color palette which is unapologetically groovy. These things are truly rare. I have been actively searching for an example for quite a few years and at this point I am convinced that they probably only exist in the back of Duncan Jenkins’ closet.
The set includes Darth Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2 and an X-Wing Fighter.
Now let’s make one.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
%20copy.jpg?ssl=1 "Shooting the Starlanes with the Terran Imperium: Star Wars and Starguard!")
