Stone Cold Storm - Alternate (Vintage AT-AT Driver, Vintage Imperial Stormtroopers in Hoth Battle Gear)
Alternate take from the original ‘Stone Cold Storm’ post of a few months back. That image nearly delivers the goods, but ultimately is just a bit too dark. This one’s been begging to see daylight… so voila.
Entourage. (Vintage Death Star Droid, Vintage Stormtroopers)
Check out the current vintage Stormtrooper listings here.
The vintage Stormtrooper is among the most iconic of the vintage Kenner figures. The good news is they’re plentiful and you can pull a gorgeous, like-new one off the auction table for not much dough. Certainly no more than $15 delivered. But you’ve got to be a bit careful as you go.
First it’s common to see reproduction accessories. The vintage Stormie came with a beautiful little imperial blaster that helped him shoot up jawas and rebels alike. But small and fun often equals small and lost. Enter the repro accessory makers and with them a lot of confusion on how to keep things straight. How to tell? Thanks to the good guys over at Imperial Gunnery, this is a nut easily cracked. Check out their awesome guide first before you buy something your unsure of.
Second, take a good look at the photos to spot yellowing. The vintage figures molded in white plastic are the ones most prone to a change in color due to plastic degradation. Some are yellowing and some aren’t, just keep a keen eye on what the seller is showing you and ask for more or better photos if its unclear.
And lastly be sure to inquire on whether or not the figure has loose joints or not. Stormtroopers saw a lot of play in their day and the limbs became loose quickly. If this is important to you (it’s important to me) drop the seller a line through the eBay message system before bidding.
Feel free to add any thoughts in the comments and drop me a line if you run into any trouble!
Armed to the 'Tooth. (Vintage Hammerhead, Vintage Snaggletooth)
I’ll be damned. Two of my favorite vintage figures together in what may very well be one of my favorite shots. Barkeep, I’ll drink to that!
Now the red Snaggletooth has some special memories for me.
First, back in June of 1978, I recall that I found him for sale on the shelves of a ‘Drews’ five and dime store that I would have never expected to sell Star Wars action figures. That eureka moment of discovery is something that miraculously hangs on.
Second, fate saw fit to send me on my first trip to a 3-week summer camp the very next day after finding Snaggletooth. Toys were obviously not welcome at camp, so it was a really big deal that I was going to have to part ways with my new prize so quickly. As much as I had the time of my life at that first summer camp, I’m sure I thought every day about that little red snaggletooth waiting for me at home.
Have a story about your Snaggletooth action figure? Share it here in the comments.
The Darth Vader All-Stars. (Vintage Darth Vader Tie Fighter, Vintage AT-AT Commander, Vintage Darth Vader, Vintage Imperial Stormtroopers in Hoth Battle Gear)
I promise you this: one day (and it won’t be long) I’ll present Darth Vader in the company of henchmen other than Snowtroopers. Looking back, this is now the fourth photo I’ve done of the Vader/Snowtrooper pairing. Ugh.
Check out the current vintage Darth Vader listings here.
A nice vintage Darth Vader action figure is pretty much the alpha and omega of any collection. This is true for the beginner and advanced collector alike. A classic toy reaching back to 1978, the vintage Darth Vader has spun countless revisions and imitations but really has never been improved upon.
So I can’t blame you for thinking about picking one up. But because this item is so popular, it can be rough seas acquiring a good (and authentic) example for a reasonable price. Let’s go over some of the main points to consider before pulling the trigger on a vintage Darth Vader.
Once you’re on board at eBay the first thing you’ll notice is that the key words “Darth Vader” are used and abused ad nauseum to get your attention to buy other stuff. Don’t be discouraged and whatever you do don’t be distracted or tricked into buying something else. Your eyes will quickly learn to ignore all of the nonsense and aim strictly for the vintage gold. The links I’ve provided already do it to some extent, but you may also want to play around with the search engine’s advanced function on eBay to filter out the unhelpful stuff. Be especially aware of the new Hasbro toys labelled as “Vintage Collection”, “Original Trilogy”, etc. Their packaging is cleverly retro and aims to steer the newcomer off course.
Important to keep in mind with the vintage Darth Vader is that you’ve got two accessories to contend with: the vinyl cape and the light saber. Both were easily lost and/or damaged by their original owners so it’s common to see reproductions in the marketplace being passed off as original. There are excellent resources to read through at the Imperial Gunnery forum that will help you avoid pitfalls. Read them carefully. Go here for the light saber and here for the cape. This is also a good time to correlate a seller’s claims of authenticity with their feedback score. Have they sold a ton of toys? Do they score 100% with their buyers? If not, you can think twice about believing their claims. Don’t forget to double check the photos closely. Does the cape look torn anywhere? Do the arm-holes look distressed or sharp? How about that saber tip. Does it look straight and strong or does it like a toddler might have chomped on it for a snack once or twice?
As much as any other vintage figure, Darth Vader was a character that saw heavy play at the hands of us grubby kids in the 70s and 80s. If it’s not mentioned in the auction be sure to ask the seller in a message if the figure’s limbs and head are loose or stiff. Let the loose limbed Vaders go to the diorama builders. You want the guy that’s as close to package fresh as possible. The vintage Darth Vader had very little paint applied by Kenner so not much to worry about there. And chances are if you’re buying a figure with loose limbs there won’t be paint loss.
Feel free to add any thoughts in the comments and drop me a line if you run into any trouble!
Built for Speeder. (Vintage Landspeeder, Vintage Luke Skywalker, Vintage Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi)
Aux Transportes! Redux Pt. 2 (Vintage Rebel Transport, Vintage Snowspeeder, Vintage C-3PO,
Vintage R2-D2, Vintage Rebel Commander, Vintage Princess Leia, Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot, Vintage Rebel Soldiers)
This is a Part 2 in a rethink of an earlier post. Second of two shots in the installment.
Check out the current vintage Snowspeeder listings here.
If you’re a collector of loose Kenner vehicles from the vintage Star Wars run and you don’t own the vintage Snowspeeder yet, it’s time to turn that ship around. Ounce for ounce, this is my favorite vehicle for the whole ’78 to ’85 period.
For overall look the Snowspeeder’s got it where it counts. Add on the awesome lights and sound and you can see why we’ve got gold medal material. The harpoon and cool kickstand are icing on the cake.
Ready to climb aboard? Just keep in mind this checklist before going off half cocked on eBay:
1. The Snowspeeder’s lights and sounds are integral to your enjoyment factor. Make sure they both work before bidding. Sure you could take it apart and horse around with fixing the electronics, but that’s something to avoid unless you’ve really got the feel for it.
2. This vehicle has a ton of stickers applied to it. Something like 27 to be exact. Try to get a good feel that they’re all there and not peeling up. For this reason you might want to focus on the Snowspeeders that have clearly been kept over the years with their original box. I’ve seen a strong correlation between a present original box and nice looking stickers.
3. The rear harpoon with its black tether are a MUST. Make sure its there!
Best of luck, and if you have any other thoughts feel free to add them in the comments below.
Aux Transportes! Redux Pt. 1 (Vintage Rebel Transport, Vintage FX-7, Vintage C-3PO, Vintage Rebel Commander, Vintage Rebel Soldiers)
This is Part 1 in a rethink of an earlier post. First of two shots in the installment.
Strictly Madine (Vintage Y-Wing Fighter, Vintage Nien Nunb, Vintage General Madine, Vintage Prune Face)
Pair of Aces. (Vintage Chewbacca, Vintage Han Solo)
Okay, cheating a bit. This one’s an outtake from the archived Koona Chuta, Solo? sessions hammered out last January.
I, Mandalorian. (Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Death Squad Commanders, Vintage Slave 1)
Two in a row for Boba Fett. I normally like to keep things distributed evenly, but sometimes one can’t help but get lost in the trance of a great action figure.
Also I love that in Star Wars the smugglers, pirates, and bounty hunters all give their ships really colorful names. But you’ve got to hand top prize to Boba Fett for his ship’s utterly convincing "Slave 1" handle.
Mr. Fett, you are one bad motherscratcher!