The Confederate Rapier was never actually sent to the manufacturer - thus, claims of phantom Rapiers appearing on store shelves do not bear weight. They were, however, displayed at Digital Anvil's official Wing Commander Movie website (now defunct) and on the backs of the initial line of action figure packages.

Bob LoMonoco, X-Toys founder, who claims to have received hundreds of phone calls on the subject of the vehicle prototypes, graciously consented to sell them to the Origin Museum.

The Rapier prototype features rotating wings and four removable missiles with extensive detailing (see pictures). Had it been produced, the ship would have included a variant Blair in flight suit action figure.

The financial failure of the toy line lies directly with FOX marketing's lack of interest in the Wing Commander license - since the movie itself was only being distributed (and not produced) by the studio, it was not promoted well. Holders of the Wing Commander license were told that the film was kiddie fare... hence X-Toys decision to go with 3 3/4" figures rather than detailed collectable toys.

Most damning, however, was FOX's failure to properly assign a release date for Wing Commander - the last minute announcement of March 12th meant that, despite a scramble to produce the figures quickly, X-Toys did not have the toys on the shelves until the movie had left theaters. The planned vehicles and second wave of figures were never released.

(Photos and information courtesy of Wing Commander CIC)

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