Posts from the 'Foes' Category

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Darker Plans.

Darker Plans. (Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Darth Vader, Vintage Imperial Commanders)

Darker Plans. (Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Darth Vader, Vintage Imperial Commanders)

Buying Notes on Vintage Darth Vader

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!

Check out the current Darth Vader listings here.

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On Arrival.

On Arrival. (Vintage Bossk, Vintage 4-LOM)

On Arrival. (Vintage Bossk, Vintage 4-LOM)


I remember as a kid really loving the Bossk figure. I don’t actually recall noticing the Bossk character on-screen when I saw Empire Strikes Back in the theater. After all he has no spoken lines and probably enjoys only about 3.2 seconds of screen time. But no matter. For me a Star Wars action figure was a Star Wars action figure, and this one was particularly nice. The 4-LOM character came out shortly after I stopped collecting as a kid, so this p’ugly bounty hunter’s a new-comer for me. I love the irony of his human-fly head finished with a mouthpiece that looks to be straight out of a pesticide respirator. Too funny. And you say you’re looking for a naugahyde cloak? 4-LOM’s got it!

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Taking Interest.

Taking Interest. (Vintage Luke Skywalker, POTF2 Sandtrooper, Vintage Hammerhead)

Taking Interest. (Vintage Luke Skywalker, POTF2 Sandtrooper, Vintage Hammerhead)


If you’ve been keeping score for a while, you’ll recognize that this comes just a moment or two before this.

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Chewbacca Unleashed.

Chewbacca Unleashed. (Vintage Chewbacca, Vintage Stormtroopers)

Chewbacca Unleashed. (Vintage Chewbacca, Vintage Stormtroopers)

Today I used my wife’s piece-of-crap camera instead of my usual piece-of-crap camera. I’m happy to report that hers (a 3-year old Sony Cybershot) puts mine (a 4-year old Olympus 710) to shame. With just one set up I can already see big differences. First, the Sony has a much better auto focus mechanism, grabbing clear focus even for a ridiculously close subject like Chewie here. The Olympus gives up on the extreme close-ups. Second and more importantly, the Sony’s light sensor is much more responsive than the Olympus. With the Sony I’m seeing great color and contrast, even with my hacky LED lights doing their best to blow out the picture. True this isn’t exactly cause for a ticker-tape parade, but I think the quality of my exposures (and the time needed to arrive at them) just improved by a long shot without me having to spend a dime. Here’s to small victories.

Even better, I think this is the first Chewbacca shot that I’m actually pretty psyched about.

Buying Notes on the Vintage Stormtrooper

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!

Check out the current vintage Stormtrooper listings here.

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Twisted.

Twisted. (Vintage Death Star Droid, Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Bib Fortuna)

Twisted. (Vintage Death Star Droid, Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Bib Fortuna)


There are dozens of groovy creatures from the original Star Wars trilogy that still hold up well in the sci-fi movie genre 30 years later. Among the top of that heap is Bib Fortuna. Mammoth skull-born tentacles. Red eyes all aglow with malice. I can’t say there was anything like him before or since Return of the Jedi. Happily, Kenner took great care to make a faithful representation with their 1983 figure. The sculpt and paint are sweet. The removable vest and twisted staff are right on point. But let’s face it, it’s the imitation suede cloak, unique to this figure, that really puts vintage Bib Fortuna over the top. Yo, high five Bib!

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Scum/Villainy

Scum/Villainy. (Vintage Blue Snaggletooth, Vintage Squid Head)

Scum/Villainy. (Vintage Blue Snaggletooth, Vintage Squid Head)

You need some dirty work done on Tatooine? You call these guys.

The Blue Snaggletooth and Squid Head figures both live pretty large in the vintage Star Wars collection. First, the blue Snaggletooth has reached legendary status among collectors due to his scarce numbers. In case you don’t know it already, this figure was only sold as part of the briefly available Cantina Adventure playset. So unlike the red, short-stature Snaggletooth that sold throughout all three early Star Wars films, the blue Snaggletooth is an extremely limited affair. These days this figure typically fetches north of $100 for a loose example in good condition, making him easily among the top 2 or 3 most sought-after Star Wars action figures. Is he all that? From a collectibility standpoint — yes, definitely. From a cool-figure standpoint, well it’s not all that different than the red Snaggletooth. Just taller. Oh, and where the red Snaggletooth has those rad beast feet, the blue version has silver moonboots. Yeah, a little nerdy I’d say. Anyway, if you want to spend that kind of dough, take care to see that it is truly in great shape before you buy. The Blue Snaggletooth is notorious for worn paint on boots and hands.

The vintage Squid Head figure on the other hand is far from rare. What he lacks in that department he makes up in an awesome detailed sculpt and accessories that are over-the-top sweetness. A great way to throw around five bucks on eBay.

Buying Notes for the Vintage Blue Snaggletooth

Check out the current listings for the vintage Blue Snaggletooth here.

The Blue Snaggletooth is a highly-coveted vintage Kenner figure and therefore fetches higher prices. Depending on the condition, you can expect to pay between $70 and $140. That’s a fair amount of ka-ching so by all means pay close attention to what you’re getting into.

Some things to watch for:

The Blue Snaggletooth boots came painted silver. Not uncommon to see heavy wear in this area as (I’m guessing here) that silver paint didn’t have much staying power. So look closely at that.

He should also have a black Han Solo type blaster.

Check out the current listings for the vintage Blue Snaggletooth here.

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Kenobi v. Vader

Kenobi v. Vader (OTC Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ralph McQuarrie Concept Darth Vader)

Kenobi v. Vader (OTC Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ralph McQuarrie Concept Darth Vader)

Modern Star Wars action figures do have their benefits. Accurate sculpts, articulating limbs, better weapons… trust me, I get it. This Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Original Trilogy Collection is a near bullseye. Everything perfect except for the ridiculously roomy cloak. And with two interchangeable head sculpts, the Ralph McQuarrie Concept Darth Vader is just all kinds of cool.

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Uncut, Scene 194.

Star Wars Uncut, Scene 194. (Vintage Han Solo, Vintage Greedo)

Star Wars Uncut, Scene 194. (Vintage Han Solo, Vintage Greedo)

With Scene 194 in the can, the micro-trilogy of my Star Wars Uncut scenes is now complete! Han Solo and Greedo hammer it out right here. Unlike Scene 18 and Scene 323, this one didn’t have a lot of motion to conquer. Just two dudes talking. So I found myself with time and energy to add some extra flavor by way of a guest appearance as well as a more tricked-out sound design than the previous efforts.

[ If you like what you see don’t be shy about giving the videos a “like” tag on the Vimeo page. Inclusion in the Star Wars Uncut project is vote-based, so the more “likes” I have on each video, the better chance they’ll make it into the final cut. Thanks, and enjoy! ]

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