Stone Cold Storm. (Vintage AT-AT Driver, Vintage Imperial Stormtroopers in Hoth Battle Gear)
Stone Cold Storm.
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Posts from the 'Foes' Category
Walrus Man.
Walrus Man. (Vintage Walrus Man, Vintage Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi)
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Scourge of the Jedi.
Scourge of the Jedi (Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Princess Leia in Boussh Disguise)
I will say this: it’s good to be back.
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Threepio.
Threepio. (Vintage Stormtroopers, Vintage C-3PO)
The 3.75″ Stormtrooper was the very first Star Wars action figure that I laid eyes on back in early Spring of 1978. A river of spectacular Star Wars toys would come and go for me over the following years, but it’s most noteably the Stormtrooper that still gives me goosebumps to this day.
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!
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Death from Above.
Death from Above. (Vintage TIE Fighter Pilot, Vintage Battle Damaged TIE Fighter)
2023 edit: This is one of the earlier shots where I started to get lucky with the tiny lights. The TIE Fighter Pilot is seated inside his cockpit and the photo is actually taken through what is probably a scratched plastic windshield. These were results that urged me forward for sure.
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Squid Head.
Squid Head. (Vintage Squid Head)
The Squid Head action figure arrived in the later days of the vintage Star Wars action figure line and in my opinion hit a high-water mark for Kenner. A generously detailed sculpt, not one but two over-the-top capes, all finished off with an armored girdle thingy and a righteous blaster. Did I mention the stylie white boots! Pretty much a star achiever from start to finish. Unfortunately the original card sports a weird illustration (or touched up photo) of Squid Head and leaves a little to be desired. But hey in this life we can’t have everything. Or can we?
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So Quietly Among Them.
So Quietly Among Them.
(Vintage Weequay, Vintage Lando Calrissian Skiff Guard Disguise, Vintage Barada)
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Vader!
Vader! (Vintage Darth Vader's TIE Fighter, Vintage Darth Vader)
You’ll have to excuse me, I’ve been on a Darth Vader TIE Fighter tear lately. I’ve been restoring a couple of them and they’re keeping my attention pretty well locked down. I can only say get ready, as this is just the beginning. I’ll likely be tormenting you with TIE fighters well into the next decade.
Anyway, who could blame me? It’s Darth Vader. High priest of the Dark Side and number one administrator of Imperial Smackdownsmanship. If he says build some ships, then brother you build.
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!
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This is Amanaman.
This is Amanaman. (Vintage Amanaman)
Confound that Amanaman! Of all the trippy creatures born of the Star Wars universe, this guy has to take top prize. Supersized leech? Tempura with an attitude? Tricky to try and ID the inspiration behind Amanaman. Whatever the case, and despite the fact that actually seeing him on screen in the Return of the Jedi is nearly impossible without hitting ‘pause’, his twisted legend endures. A rare and truly awesome vintage action figure.
Buying Notes for Vintage Amanaman
Check out the current vintage Amanaman listings here.
Hunting down the vintage Amanaman is pretty straight forward affair. It’s just a figure and a staff, and one can predict with almost 100% certainty that any existing example that turns up on eBay will be in virtually mint condition. It’s true. Neither the figure itself or his staff were actually played with by anyone, ever. The downside is of course that as a member of the ‘Last 17′ crowd, he can be a bit pricey. Be patient. With a little luck and some determination you should be able to snag one for about 50 bucks.
Now there is one twist: Amanaman was originally packaged with a coin by Kenner. If that’s important to you it may add another $25 your total to make it happen. My advice would be to start with just the figure and add the coin later. If you’re unfamiliar with the Power of the Force coins try buying a more common and inexpensive one first. If you find it’s something to your liking then loop back around and get the coin for ol’ Amanaman.
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Three-Way Tie for Nasty.
Three-Way Tie for Nasty. (Vintage Ree-Yees, Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage 4-LOM)
Maybe in future Olympics we’ll see some competition for Excellence in Unabashed Depravity. I’m sure I can scare up at least a few likely contenders.
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