Archives: vintage

· 1 Comment

Bespin State of Mind.

Bespin State of Mind. (Vintage Bespin Guards, Vintage Twin-Pod Cloud Car)

Bespin State of Mind. (Vintage Bespin Guards, Vintage Twin-Pod Cloud Car)

The Bespin Guards were the original Star Wars trilogy’s first uniformed crew that left something to be desired. Think about it. Stormtroopers, Jawas, Sandpeople, Death Star personnel (Commanders, TIE fighter pilots, Gunners — the whole bit), Rebel pilots, Rebel Soldiers, Snowtroopers … these characters all had such eye-peeling, imagination-infused costumes. And thanks to those costumes we were utterly convinced that Star Wars was of a reality not at all connected to our own.

Then, in walked the Bespin Guards with relatively sedate blue suits and funny bucket hats. It was almost as if someone said, “Shoot, I’m tired of all these badass never-seen-it-before get ups. Let’s just make this crew look like ticket takers at a Knicks game.” Am I wrong?

All that said, the Bespin Guards actually made for great action figures. Nice sculpt, interesting paint variations, and remarkably sold in both Caucasian and African-American skin tones.

j j j
· 1 Comment

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.

j j j
· 9 Comments

Threepio.

Threepio. (Vintage Stormtroopers, Vintage C-3PO)

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!

Check out the current vintage Stormtrooper listings here.

j j j
· 1 Comment

Switching to Plan B.

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

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
· 3 Comments

Rebel Suits Redux.

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

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
· 2 Comments

Death from Above.

Death from Above. (Vintage TIE Fighter Pilot, Vintage Battle Damaged TIE Fighter)

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.

j j j