October 1st, 2009 · 1 Comment

Chewbacca Unleashed.

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.

j j j

July 31st, 2009 · 1 Comment

Uncut, Scene 323.

Star Wars Uncut, Scene 323. (Vintage Stormtroopers, Saga Stormtroopers, Vintage C-3PO, Vintage R2-D2)

Ready to roll on stop motion animating scene 323 for the Star Wars Uncut project. This one looks to be tougher than the first. And I’ll be straight up with you, that one was a bitch.

j j j

July 28th, 2009 · 4 Comments

Uncut, Scene 18.

Star Wars Uncut, Scene 18. (Saga Stormtroopers, Vintage Stormtroopers)

A glimpse of the set I’ve put together for the first of three scenes I’ll be filming for the Star Wars Uncut Project. Going with stop-motion animation. Only one day into it and already I can see that I’m in for a daunting, rewarding, and educational experience. Huge thanks to Whit at DBSW for his help and inspiration. Because this will take up every last lick of my free time for the next 10 days, and because I’m taking some vacation, and because we’re moving on September 1… this blog is going on hiatus until early September. Mata yo tomodachi!

j j j

July 21st, 2009

The Chilling Redux.

The Chilling Revisted. (Vintage Darth Vader, Vintage Imperial Stormtroopers in Hoth Battle Gear)

This is a re-shoot of an earlier item where my choice of lighting just didn’t say “Vader”. I think this version delivers the message of cold-blooded ass kicker much more convincingly.

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

July 13th, 2009

AT-AT Driver.

AT-AT Driver. (Vintage AT-AT Driver, Vintage Stormtroopers)

j j j

June 25th, 2009

Brightblack Morning.

Brightblack Morning. (Ralph McQuarrie Concept Snowtrooper)

The Ralph McQuarrie tribute figures are all pretty hot. But a few like this Concept Snowtrooper and the Concept Boba Fett really stand out. It makes me wonder why the Empire Strikes Back production team rejected McQuarrie’s original Snowtrooper idea in the first place. The Snowtrooper costume design that they went with for the movie was OK — definitely not an improvement over this baddie. Maybe the Hokkaido Ski Instructor look that McQuarrie was leaning towards just didn’t scare enough?

Apologies to Brightblack Morning Light, the band with the coolest name.

j j j

June 23rd, 2009

Into The Woods.

Into The Woods. (Vintage Biker Scouts, Vintage AT-ST Driver)

The Biker Scouts from Return of the Jedi were probably my favorite part of that movie. And the original 3.75″ figure from Kenner nailed just about every detail of their badness from head to toe. The AT-ST Driver is nice, but could’ve used a little more love. For whatever reason the sculptor decided to give him a tiny helmet and an extra pudgy face. Not exactly a flattering combo.

j j j

May 12th, 2009

Escort Service.

Escort Service. (Vintage TIE Fighter Pilot, Vintage Stormtroopers)

My first experience with a Star Wars action figure was the stiffly-postured, no-neck, original Stormtrooper. It was love at first sight back then in early 1978, and it’s still one of my absolute favorites. The TIE fighter pilot is a more recent discovery and definitely no slouch.

j j j

May 6th, 2009 · 1 Comment