   
Drawing on early artwork from a catalog of imagery by the likes of Ralph
McQuarrie, Galoob created the Action Fleet: Series Alpha vehicle line.
Continuing into the Prequels, four Episode I ships (Naboo Starfighter, Droid
Starfighter, Queen’s Royal Starship, and Sith Infiltrator) were released at
retail in late 1999/early 2000. To follow up these great sets, two more Series
Alpha vehicles were well into development when all production ceased. Previewed
at 2000’s San Diego Comic Con, fans and collectors got a brief glimpse at what
was yet to come...
 
Before the final versions of the podracers we already know
and love were completed, designers at Lucasfilm came up with dozens of
different concept pods. Among those designs was an image of a pod destined
for the Series Alpha line. Unfortunately, the closure of the Galoob
division and an unfriendly marketplace put plans for this vehicle on
indefinite hold. First reveled at San Diego's Comic Con 2000, the finished
concept podracer would have featured a metallic blue and yellow color
scheme, as seen in the book The
Art of Episode I. Early in the design stage, the vehicle sported an
orange and black scheme, in keeping with the deco of Sebulba's Podracer.
Rebelscum spoke with Jim Fong, designer for the Action Fleet line, about
the change from one color to the next. “I wanted to use a
"sporty" Ford Mustang color from the 60's/70's. I believe there
was a color called "Competition Orange" and I decided to go with
that color. Of course, I spoke to Doug [Chiang] about it and he was
fine with it. Marketing was not in favor with that color, so we went with
blue.” Shown here is a painted prototype of the pod that was on
display at the San Diego show as Jim Fong originally envisioned it. This
model, shown in several presentations and product reviews all over the
world, has suffered a few broken parts here and there, but certainly
details many of the features the toy eventually may have offered...
  
 
One of the most interesting features of this concept racer would have been the
drop-down cockpit. The cockpit itself was mounted on a sliding joint attached to
the forward rigging. When the rigging was lowered, the cockpit would have slid
down and come to rest at the bottom of the rigging, lining up both oval view
ports. Unlike the San Diego Comic Con version, this particular model is no
longer capable of displaying that feature. What the San Diego images don't show,
is that the rigging also operated "air brakes" located on each of the
pod engines. Depending on the position of the rigging, up/closed or down/open,
the panels operated automatically. Finally, of particular interest is the detail
found in the pod's cockpit. Even among other Action Fleet vehicles, detail of
this kind is rare. It's not known if any of these features would have been
changed for the production version of this vehicle, but it's easy to see what
direction the design team was going in before work was stopped.
  
Despite Hasbro's announcement that they are brining back an 'Action Fleet' line,
chances this pod will see production are slim indeed. Any new rendition of the
line is sure to focus on movie vehicles first, before ever dipping into the
"concept art" pool. Regardless, as a hand worked prototype, tooling
for this toy was never completed. For now, and perhaps forever, the Series Alpha
Podracer remains one of Star War's greatest lost toys.
In stark contrast to the artistic, flowing designs of the Naboo, the functional,
utilitarian look of the Trade Federation spoke volumes about their heavy-handed
approach to intergalactic commerce. One of the most interesting designs in all
of the early concept art for Episode I was this version of the Trade Federation
Tank (AAT). Bristling with weapons and ready for action, it’s clear any enemy
of the Federation stood little chance of resistance. So impressive the design,
Galoob naturally selected it for their Series Alpha Action Fleet line. Shown for
the first time at Comic Con 2000,
this Series Alpha vehicle was on it's way to production when the line was placed
on hold. Had the toy gone to production, it would have offered an impressive
design, tons of detail, and healthy amount of interesting features.
   
Packed with punch, the Series Alpha AAT would have featured no less than fifteen
(!) cannons. Each of the side mounted guns feature 360-degree rotation. The main
gun, at the bow of the vehicle, rotates from side to side and houses a firing
projectile. Opening hatches at the top of the ship offer places for possible
mini-figures (shown here with the concept Battle Droid from the Series Alpha
Droid Fighter). Hidden in flight mode, this model also featured two clear
retractable supports for display off the stand.
  
   
Clearly, had it gone to production, the Series Alpha AAT would have been one of
the highlights of the 2000 line. The model shown here is a hand-tooled
prototype, and according to our source, production tooling was never begun.
Starting from scratch, it seems highly unlikely Hasbro would revive this
heavily-armed project, but with the new Action Fleet in production now, anything
is possible...
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