August 18th, 2010 · 6 Comments

Aux Transportes! Redux Pt. 2

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.

Buying Notes on the Vintage Snowspeeder

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.

Check out the current vintage Snowspeeder listings here.

j j j

June 29th, 2010 · 9 Comments

Leaving Rebel Base.

Leaving Rebel Base. (Vintage X-Wing Fighters, Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilots)

Blown away. No other words to describe what it felt like to unwrap my very own X-Wing Fighter(!) – given to me as a gift during Hanukkah, December of ’78.

Buying Notes on the Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot

Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.

Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot was a toy sold by Kenner from 1978 to about 1985. So there were (and still are) great numbers in circulation, and a fair number of these are still in excellent shape. But keep a few things in mind when tracking one down on eBay.

The Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot action figure probably had more paint applied to it in the production process than any other vintage Star Wars action figure. Face color, facial features, helmet details, vest, chest panel, hands, leg straps, boots. The guy has paint details everywhere. Be sure to see plenty of photos showing that the paint all looks good.

This was an action figure in the true sense of the word. Luke Skwyalker X-Wing Pilot was played with extensively by little kids in the 70s and 80s. If the seller hasn’t already declared that the joints are tight in the auction description, you definitely want to ask before bidding.

Lastly, the figure’s weapon is the Han Solo pistol type of Kenner blaster. Don’t forget: repro accessories suck. Make certain that it’s authentic if possible. You can check out the Imperial Gunnery for some excellent reference on the topic.

Feel free to add any more thoughts on this in the comments section and drop me a line if you get into trouble!

Check out the current vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot listings here.

j j j

June 18th, 2010

Luke and Leia.

Luke and Leia.
(Vintage Luke Skywalker Hoth Battle Gear, Vintage Princess Leia Hoth Outfit, Vintage Snowspeeder)

Buying Notes on the Vintage Snowspeeder

Check out the current vintage Snowspeeder listings here.

Ready to climb aboard? Just keep in mind this checklist before going off half cocked on eBay:

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.

Check out the current vintage Snowspeeder listings here.

j j j

April 8th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Switching to Plan B.

Switching to Plan B.
(Vintage B-Wing Fighter, Vintage B-Wing Pilot, Vintage Luke Skywalker X-Wing Pilot)

The B-Wing Fighter at rest looks pretty nice. But with the wings spread out the ship transforms completely and easily becomes one of the coolest vintage Star Wars vehicles out there. I’ll need to spend some time on a worthy shot that captures all that in-flight glory. Until then I’m afraid you’re stuck on the tarmac.

j j j

April 5th, 2010 · 3 Comments

Rebel Suits Redux.

Rebel Suits Redux. (Vintage Han Solo Bespin Outfit, Vintage Luke Skywalker Bespin Fatigues)

The Bespin Luke Skywalker was probably the last action figure acquired for my childhood collection that I was really nuts about. The Bespin Han Solo clearly wasn’t bad, but he just couldn’t compete with the be-hooded Han Solo (Hoth Battle Gear) which was many times more awesome.

Puzzle #01: Here’s a challenge for all you super-sleuths. Can you identify exactly what these two are standing in front of? I’ll give you a clue: it was made by Kenner between 1977 and 1985. I will send a rad Star Wars toy to the first person to post the correct answer in the comments.

Those of you keeping score will already know that this photo is the re-think of an earlier shot that to me has always felt a little bit below-grade.

j j j

March 15th, 2010 · 7 Comments

I, Jedi.

I, Jedi. (Vintage Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight)

The Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight figure tends to cause a major stir among collectors. Why? If you’re not already immersed, let me introduce you to the concept of variants.

Thirty years ago, when the original line of Star Wars action figures was first in production, the toys were made by different factories in a range of countries. In the end the action figures would (mostly) bear the Kenner logo sure enough, but the roads that led to that final package were many. So the toys had variations, some to a greater or lesser extent than others.

The Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight figure is a great example on the plus side. Just to name the biggest issues with this guy… sometimes he was packaged with a blue light saber, sometimes green (less common)… his cape sometimes had a snap (less common), sometimes no snap… and to my eyes the biggest variation of all… sometimes Luke’s head was molded in flesh-colored plastic with eyes and hair painted on and sometimes his head was molded in hair-colored plastic with the whole face painted on. I believe the flesh-colored mold (shown above) is far less common and it’s definitely my favorite.

Anyway, that’s your introduction to variants. Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight is just one of over 90 vintage figures so you can imagine that this study never ends. To those hungry for more I’ll wish you good luck.

j j j

March 11th, 2010