Icons Terminator 2 Endo Skull Prototype - Rare "Pipe-Neck Version"

Here is the original (and unseen for 25 years) Icons Endo Skull Prototype known as the "Pipe-Neck Version". 

Back in 1996, Icons was the first collectibles company to approach the licensing agent for "Terminator 2 : Judgment Day" with a proposal for a line of 1:1 scale, authentic replicas of props based on the blockbuster film.

This is the actual prototype sample that was submitted to the licensing agent of "Terminator 2" at the time - Danny Simon of "The Licensing Group", who represented "Canal Plus", the company that purchased the rights to "Terminator 2" as part of the "Carolco Pictures" bankruptcy.

This prototype can also be seen in the first "Terminator 2" Endo Skull replica 1 page advertisement that Icons ran in numerous magazines in 1996/1997 (please see the different advertisement comps shown below).

As you can see, it is very similar to the actual finished Icons Endo Skull replica, except for the unusual "Pipe-Neck", which was fabricated using a machined piece of aluminum piping. At the time Icons only had access to an original, screen-used Endo Skull for molding & casting that did not have the neck portion. So the pipe-neck was created.

This was quickly deemed impractical for both manufacturing purposes and for retailers/consumers & collectors to display without risk of the item being damaged, as the Endo Skull would have been top-heavy with it's resin material composition and nickel, copper and chrome plating (which was $500 for each skull at that time...).

The plexi-case is the original, as is the prototype plaque. On the left side of the base, you can see another prototype plaque bearing "Stan Winston Studio" logo (with matching prototype COA, not shown).

From what I could gathered, no complaints came in about Icons Endo Skulls scale. Icons re-cast the skull when they were in R&D on the Endo Skeleton, which was larger. No one ever complained, just false rumours. Both sizes were used in T2.

This piece took me years to track down and obtain and I am very pleased to finally be able to share it with visitors to the Icons Museum.

My standard edition Icons Endo-skull above....

Larry Taylor told me that he's pretty sure he assembled over a hundred of those skulls !!!

Those are the "Master" for the Icons T2 Endoskull eyes.

Here is what Al Z. can say about them :

"I molded the original eyes and made these Masters for our endoskull. If you look at the back you can see that it has little half rounds which will go into the eye sockets so that it matches perfectly. To everyone I also put a L and an R so that we would know which socket it went into".

And just under, some different prototype ads for the Endo-skull.