Archives: 12-back

Entourage.

Entourage. (Vintage Death Star Droid, Vintage Stormtroopers)

Entourage. (Vintage Death Star Droid, Vintage Stormtroopers)

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.

j j j
· 2 Comments

The Darth Vader All-Stars.

The Darth Vader All-Stars. (Vintage Darth Vader Tie Fighter, Vintage AT-AT Commander, Vintage Darth Vader, Vintage Imperial Stormtroopers in Hoth Battle Gear)

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.

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.

j j j
· 2 Comments

I, Mandalorian.

I, Mandalorian. (Vintage Boba Fett, Vintage Death Squad Commanders, Vintage Slave 1)

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!

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Rebel Scum.

Rebel Scum. (Vintage General Lando Calrissian, Vintage C-3PO, Vintage Leia Organa (Bespin Gown))

Rebel Scum. (Vintage General Lando Calrissian, Vintage C-3PO, Vintage Leia Organa (Bespin Gown))

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Yak Face Abides.

Yak Face Abides. (Vintage Yak Face, Vintage Jawas)

Yak Face Abides. (Vintage Yak Face, Vintage Jawas)

Pump thy fist and behold the Yak Face! He’s number one with a bullet on the list of legendary toys made in the likeness of entirely unknown Star Wars characters. I mean you could be a serious fan of the original Star Wars trilogy and not be aware of this guy. Did he carouse on Jabba’s barge, adding to the discord of Jabba’s final throwdown? Hair yes. Had he missed the whole shebang would anyone have noticed? Not a chance. Still the Vintage Yak Face action figure, riding the substantial rumors of his scarcity, fetches one of the highest price tags among vintage Star Wars action figures. Well done, Ace.

Buying Notes for vintage Yak Face

Check out the current vintage Yak Face listings here.

Welcome to the top draw among Kenner’s Last 17 action figures. Hope you brought your wallet!

It’s a drag that Yak Face requires such a hefty buy in, but I’d have to say it’s worthwhile to have one in your collection. Nice thing is that bidding on a vintage Yak Face is a fairly straight forward affair.

First you don’t have to sift through a ton of nonsense in order to find him. It’s not like they were making Yak Face dixie cups and toothbrushes.

Second, Yak Face rarely saw heavy play among the kids of the 80s so when you do find him he tends to be in good condition. Still check for paint wear as his design does involve a good deal of paint (not much on the head but plenty on the hands).

And of course you’ll be sure to see that his weapon is included. There have been repro version of this staff spotted, but it’s the same weapon that was issued with some other plentiful ROTJ figures so in all likelihood it should be the real thing.

So best of luck. And please feel free to add any further thoughts in the comments section.

Check out the current vintage Yak Face listings here.

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