is this a real prototype

[GiJoeFan]

i watched this auction for a night force tunnel rat prototype.

GI Joe 1988 Night Force 2-pack TUNNEL RAT V02 Prototype - eBay (item 190471801813 end time Nov-30-10 21:18:29 PST)

my question is , is it real. i just dont see hasbro making a prototype of a repaint figure. Shane i hope to have some input from you lol. any help is great. i notice a lot of these types of figures being shipped out of china.

[notpicard]

The word "prototype" gets tossed around a lot. Honestly, if you are selling it is almost silly not to use it. Semantics really aren't a good reason to let your item fly under the radar of target buyers.

What this figure is is a legitimate test shot. Each time a new figure is made (even from an old mold / even a repaint) some test shots get made. The quality of the molds can change, so they need to be tested. It seems silly sometimes because of how recently the molds were used. But they need to test it to see if it is capable of putting out the whole run.

[hotdog]

the auction title says 1988 NF tunnel rat test shot, but all the other stuff that person has listed makes it seem more likely it's the 04? NF tunnel rat release.

[GiJoeFan]

yeah i was thinking the 04 version as well. he has lots of items for sale.