Collector Snapshot #24 – Stephen Savory

Welcome all to the twenty fourth episode of our collector snapshot, where a vintage collector answers 10 short questions. The same questions will be given to every collector appearing in this segment. Check out the previous collector snapshot here –  Fonz Napolitano.

This time I’m delighted to introduce Stephen Savory onto the blog!

I first met Stephen a few years ago on SWFUK, where I bought a baggie from him. Not only was he a super chilled dude to deal with but he was also professional – not always qualities you encounter when dealing in vintage figures… I then met Stephen face to face for the first time at Celebration London and found he was just as cool in person as he was online.

Stephen is quite a popular and well-known figure on the forums and social networks so I don’t need to spend too much time introducing him, except to say that he lives in Wiltshire, England and works for The English Heritage Trust; a charity that looks after some of the greatest and most significant monuments, castles and Abbeys in England including the World Heritage sites, Stonehenge and Hadrian’s Wall. His role there is ‘Buying & Merchandising Manager,’ meaning that he manages the team that designs and buys all the souvenirs and gifts at over 100 of the sites in their care.

Now to the questions!

1.How long have you been collecting?

I collected as a child, with my brother Daniel, but being that bit younger (he was born in ’77 and I was in ‘73), he was Jedi era at best, but actually more interested in Action Force, Transformers, A-Team and Mask. That made for a good mix of figures and often my Rebel Soldier and Rebel Commando would be drawn into battle if the super-scary Bib Fortuna on the other hand was less welcome!

At the end of the 80s, probably ’89, as I was in my final year at school, I was in the Swindon Ice Hockey youth team and the toys were gathering dust in boxes. Mum suggested that to buy updated kit we might do a boot sale… I cleaned up, full body armour costs covered, childhood binned off…

Then in 1993 at university I met a couple of guys that were Star Wars collectors and ended up becoming best mates with one of them; Chris, he and I spent every weekend at car boot-fairs and church jumble sales grabbing every SW toy we could. I quickly amassed a large loose run, maybe around 70% of a full run. Mostly with weapons… Chris and I enjoyed a few nights out and a few shall we say chilled out nights in too… uni was great… but he came up cash short one term as we had both been rather excessive and despite the beers etc. we needed to eat… I had a handy gift of funds come in from my Grandfather and Chris offered me a large number of his boxed ships for sale; Tie Interceptor, X-wing, Blue Tie-Fighter, Falcon, Rebel transport and Y-wing. A bargain price and all but one of these I still have to this day!

After uni, I kept my hand in, went to the now famous Cheshunt fairs, just north of London, including the one just before the Phantom Menace release that had a number of signing bods and a stand selling off TPM props from a dumpster dive. I plunged all my money into that prop and passed over some far more preferable items that would fit far more comfortably than a painted plastic toy the is somewhere in the set as dressing… though I’ve never found it… some piece of scrap in Watto’s junkyard is my best guess!

My son was born in 2001 and at that point I was collecting TPM, oh how foolish I feel now.. I had a full run of MOCs as well as all the boxed vehicles and playsets at its largest… eventually though he needed his own room, so my collecting room was disbanded and boxed up storing what I could and selling a bunch.

There it all stayed until 2012 and I did a loft clear-out, decided that I had space in the house for a home office, the shelves looked bare, so first the loose run came back out, followed by the Mint on Cards and then the boxed vehicles. By 2014 I was active rather than lurking on SWF.uk Forum and having struck up a friendship with super dealer Iain Sanderson I finished off my MOC run relatively swiftly… and between him and Christian at GW Acrylic, I also had an acrylic fetish too! (VSWC – you can check out our past review of GW Acrylic here – GW Acrylic)

2.What do you collect?

Can I say Star Wars? Haha!

Seriously though, I collect Han Solo. Principally I collect the Han Original outfit, be that as a figure, oddball item, artwork, posters, books, cups, toothbrush, the whole nine yards.

I have recently completed my Han Solo Kenner numerical carded run. I may look into the Alpha-numeric in time, but for now I’m happy to have taken it this far and still have a passion for it, where other runs have come and gone over the years.

I also started ‘side focuses’ for my two other favourite Kenner action figures, Rebel Soldier and Rebel Commando while trying to complete things within the Han collection. Both of these are far more pedestrian, but no less love goes into them… they were certainly my most played with figures as a child and hold a very special place in my collecting room/display as well as my heart.

3.What’s your grail?

I genuinely don’t know if I have one.

I was desperate for a year or so to get the Han Solo model Trem and one day it appeared on Facebook and I bought it… so I’m not sure it was a grail, just dumb luck and desire.

I spent nearly four years looking for the Han Solo ESB 32 back Kenner MoC to finish the Kenner run, and I guess that was a grail of sorts.

I have no rational desire to own a Han wax-sculpt or hardcopy. I certainly wouldn’t say no if someone was passing one my way and finances added up, but these are not the kind of things I’m actively hunting and wishing I owned… or things that I think I could ever justify owning/paying for either. I guess I don’t really collect like that.

4.What collectors inspire you?

I’m not sure that anyone does… That really isn’t anything to do with arrogance, but I simply don’t look at other collectors in that way. I don’t aspire to be anyone else, or have his or her knowledge or collection. I have my collection, it means a great deal to me. It has evolved and changed to my needs, space, interest and taste. This is also true of my knowledge (or lack of it) too.

There is no doubting that there are impressive collections out there to see, but many of them are about volume rather than quality or are so high-end that they don’t interest me so much.

Gus Lopez is possibly the only collector in the Star Wars realm that I have spent quality time with (although briefly) to talk face to face about their collection and be truly impressed. I would though temper that comment by noting that I still find it all a little overwhelming to be honest; having so many amazing, no, breath-taking items almost seems like too much weight for me to shoulder if I were to have them in my own collection.

5.What is your most embarrassing moment as a collector?

The only one I can think of was a silly mistake when I questioned a listing of a Rebel Soldier on a Facebook for sale group and questioned if it was the debut card or not; having completely misread the listing and made an arse of myself in the process!

6.What is your favourite Star Wars film?

The Empire Strikes Back… boring answer I know, but it is. What comes after is a much tougher reply though of course Star Wars is right there. I am though also a big fan of the Disney era so far and was and still am a huge fan of The Phantom Menace too.

7.What would you change about the Star Wars collecting community?

I’d like to say nothing, because I actually like that everyone likes different things, but sadly I would say I’d like those that do like different things to stop their inane belief that only they can be right on any subject.

If you don’t like The Last Jedi for example… I couldn’t give a tiny rats ass… if you love it, I don’t care either if either of you are going to squabble about it and not listen to the other side of the story with some level of acceptance.

You don’t have to agree, you do though need to be civil and mature enough to accept that others don’t think the same thoughts you do and then have to try and prove your point… unless you’re a politician of course and then you’re most likely a dick anyway, so move along, move along…

8.Forums or Facebook groups?

Instant answer is SWF.uk forum. I do use some of the Facebook groups and I do like a number of them, but for me they are all fairly transient and there is little to make me stay on one group more than another.

9.What Star Wars character do you most resemble?

As a bald-headed chap, I guess I have to be Lobot! Not sure I really resemble any though…

10.Is there one thing collectors might not know about you?

I’ve not made a secret of it, but I run a bit and have completed 50 marathons, 20 of which I did in less than 350 days.

I have though now retired from marathon running (over a year since my last… probably should get a chip for that really) and will be refocusing on shorter distances such as Half Marathons and faster things like 5 and 10k events too.

VSWC: Check out Stephen’s Instagram account for awesome photos of his collecting and marathon feats – Star Wars Runner

Star Wars wise, I love to make my own customs from beater figures…

VSWC: Thank you so much for joining us Stephen and for sharing your passion for not only Star Wars, but for life in general! It has been an absolute pleasure as usual.

Collector Snapshot #22 – Michael Molloy

Welcome all to the twenty second episode of our collector snapshot, where a vintage collector answers 10 short questions. The same questions will be given to every collector appearing in this segment. Check out our last collector snapshot (Lee Harris).

It has been a while now that I’ve been meaning to ask Michael onto the blog, but as you guys know, I haven’t been as active here as I would have liked to have been this past year. But what better way to get back into the swing of things than with an interview with hands down the most positive bloke in the hobby. Have you ever seen Michael complain online? Ever seen him tell a new collector that “google is their friend?” Ever witnessed him bully someone or say something sexist? Bet the answer is a big fat NO. He does worry me a little though, no-one can be this nice can they?

Michael was born in Perth, Western Australia and has lived there his entire life. When he’s not collecting Star Wars figures he can be found down at the beach swimming, surfing and just enjoying life. He’s currently studying full-time library and information services and studying part-time as an ‘Education Assistant,’ so he tells me that he hasn’t got much of a social life at the moment. Well I’m glad he had a bit of time here for us at VSWC blog.

Now to the questions! 

1. How long have you been collecting?

I have been collecting Star Wars vintage since 1978. I had all the figures but had to give them to my cousin as we moved house. I have been collecting again since 2010.

2. What do you collect?

I collect the first 21 figures vintage carded and anything that I think is a great item to own. I am limited to the space I have so just happy to have what I have.

3. What’s your grail?

My grail if I have one is to own a Toltoys 12 back carded or a 20 back Toltoys figure carded.

4. What collectors inspire you?

The collectors that inspire me would be Brian Angel, Ross Barr (VSWC – check out our preview interview with Ross and the 12 back group founders – Carl, Gary and Ross from the 12 Back Group), Derek Ho, Ben Sheehan, JohnPaul Ragusa (VSWC – we’ve also interviewed JohnPaul – Vintage Star Wars Moderator Roundtable: Forums and the Future), Aussie James (Jame Kenneison), Gerry James, Yehuda Kay, Ron Salvatore, Sean Lehmkuhl, Chris Georgoulias, Christian Carnouche, Jez Allinson, Alex Pardi, Jenni Bennett and Robin Bocra. The list goes on but these people inspire me to be a better collector in the hobby.

Michael and some of his Aussie collector mates

5. What is your most embarrassing moment as a collector? 

I don’t have any embarrassing moments. Can I pass on this one?

6. What is your favourite Star Wars film?

My favourite movie is The Empire Strikes Back, then the original Star Wars. I loved how different The Empire Strikes Back was. I still love it today as much as I did when I was younger.

7. What would you change about the collecting community?

The one thing I would change is U-Grading. Also I would like to stop the negativity as it’s a hobby so we should enjoy it. One thing I pride myself on is being positive all the time and to be the best I can be.

8. Forums or Facebook groups?

For me at the moment Facebook, but I do look at forums once in a while to see what’s for sale etc.

9. What Star Wars character do you most resemble?

The character I would most resemble would say I’m Han. He is the good guy 🙂 ‘Trouble’ is his middle name. I have a cheeky side like Han has.

10. Is there one thing that collectors may not know about you?

One thing collectors may not know about me is I love AFL (Australian Football). I go for the West Coast Eagles and I watch all sport, from ice hockey to basketball and the NFL. Love sports, can’t get enough 🙂

VSWC:  Well thank you so much for coming on Michael! I hope everyone enjoyed that as much as I did.

Collector Snapshot #21 – Lee Harris

Welcome all to the twenty first episode of our collector snapshot, where a vintage collector answers 10 short questions. The same questions will be given to every collector appearing in this segment. It has been almost a year since our previous collector snapshot (Snapshot 20- Todd Thornhill/) so we’ve done out best to make sure this interview is a cracking one.

I’m extremely pleased to present my friend and fellow Australian Lee Harris onto the blog. While I’d seen Lee around the Facebook groups for a while, I hadn’t met him face to face until Celebration Orlando, where we sank booze and dropped the c-bomb every ten seconds. All part of being an Aussie I guess….

Lee going full turtle neck…. Image courtesy of Ryan Lee-Taylor

I warmed very quickly to Lee  and to his laid back and extremely friendly attitude but I was particularly impressed when he organised a boxed 12 inch Stormtrooper figure as a present for our mate Jez Allinson (The Running Stormtrooper), who had broken his back on a running machine for all four days of the convention. Lee gave the present to Jez on behalf of all of us but I don’t think Jez knows that it was actually Lee who paid for it. When we asked if we could contribute, he simply told us to pop some cash into Jez’s donation box (not a pun…). What a bloke…

Lee and his wife Nicole own and operate a school bus service, so he’s busy dodging kangaroos, wallabies, snakes , echidnas, kookaburras and eagles on country roads while driving kids to school. Along with their two girls, Dusty 24 and Drew 22, they live in north-eastern NSW, in an area called Diehard. Yippie Ki Yay. I don’t know the area myself but Lee tells me that it’s a very beautiful mountainous area and that he wouldn’t trade it for anything.Lee is still shocked that somehow his wife and kids have put up with him after all these years….

Lee’s beautiful girls Dusty and Drew

Yippie Ki Yay

Although Lee lives in Diehard now, he was actually born in Narrabri NSW and then lived in Sydney until 1980, when he was around eight years old and moved to Cairns in far north Queensland in 1980. In 1984, his parents split and he and his dad moved again , this time across the Pacific until they landed in California. He then moved back home to Australia in 1988 and has been living back in Australia ever since.

Now to the questions! 

1. How long have you been collecting?

This is my second go at collecting as an adult, I started back up around 2 1/2 years ago. Before that I had collected in the late 90s early 2000s after I found eBay and went a little crazy. I’m definitely enjoying it a lot more these days, compared to the old days of going to the post office and sending away a western union money order and then waiting weeks and months for things to turn up. So much easier these days.

2. What do you collect?

Anything vintage that I like the look of. I’m a bit limited with room for displaying stuff at the moment so really have only been picking up stuff in SW packaging. Would like to finish that off and then move onto the other lines. Also hoping to build a man cave / display room later in the year so I can go a bit harder.

Some of Lee’s awesome collection

More of Lee’s collection

Yep that’s a Toltoys landspeeder in there…

3. What’s your grail?

I don’t like to use the word ‘grail,’ it’s more like what’s next on my hitlist. At the moment a 21 back Fett is pretty high on the hitlist to finish my 12/21 MOC run. Also anything Toltoys. I would really love to pick up any 12/20 back Toltoys MOC. Gotta have dreams..

4. What collectors inspire you?

I would have to say the person that has inspired me the most would have to be hands down is Jez Allinson (The Running Stormtrooper) I was fortunate enough to meet Jez at Celebration Orlando and to see him giving his all for such a great cause – that was one of the best things about my trip. Then for him to head straight home and grab a world record in the London Marathon and then smash the 40km run for ‘May the fourth’ was pretty special too. Very keen to see him smash his 100km run that’s coming up soon. Good luck mate.

Jez and mini-Jez at C8

Lee, Jez and the SWFUK lads at C8

5. What is your most embarrassing moment as a collector? 

This is a hard one for me to answer. I don’t feel that I have embarrassed myself as a collector yet 🙂 Can I pass?

6. What is your favourite Star Wars film?

Not even a contest. Star Wars. I was hooked from the moment my dad took me to see it. We lived in Sydney at the time and I can still remember walking into the cinema and seeing cardboard X-Wings hanging from the ceiling.

7. What would you change about the collecting community?

Probably would like to see the end of u-grading. Not really a fan of any grading myself.

8. Forums or Facebook groups?

Facebook at the moment, as I’ve never really enjoyed forums to be honest. I do though keep planning to get more involved in forums.

9. What Star Wars character do you most resemble? Han. I can be little bit cocky and have a smart mouth at times. So my wife tells me 🙂

10. Is there one thing that collectors may not know about you?

I’ll give you a couple of things. Most people probably don’t know I’m half yank and that I did my JR high and Freshman and Sophmore years of high school in California. Also I am a mad keen dirtbike rider. I’ve been on a bit of an enforced holiday from riding the last 18 months but I’m getting very close to getting back on my bikes though (Little Katie and Dirty Hussey) yes they have names 🙂

Okay, he’s not lying about the dirtbiking…

Little Katie

VSWC:  Well thank you so much for coming on Lee! I hope everyone enjoyed that as much as I did. Was great getting to know you a little bit better. Looking forward to our next beer mate! 

Variant Collecting 101 – Guest Collector: Tantive XI mod Steve P (aka cantina_patron)

I’m excited to welcome onto the blog yet another guest collector, this time my good friend and fellow Tantive XI moderator Steve P! Steve is a bit of a legend in the variant collecting world so I thought he would be the perfect candidate to write an article outlining exactly what variant collecting is. Variant collecting is often misunderstood and I can’t count the amount of times I’ve witnessed someone being criticised for “hoarding” figures when they are in fact all variations of a figure.

Massive thanks to Steve and to all of the variant hounds on the Tantive Team for putting this educative and entertaining article together. If you’d like to learn more about Steve, check out his profile on Tantive XI:

Steve’s Tantive XI profile

Take it away Steve!

VARIANT COLLECTING 101 – with Associate Professor cantina_patron (BA, M.A, PHD –  London School of the Identification and Collection of Variant Figures)

What is variant collecting?

Many collectors are happy to build a complete loose collection of the 105 characters & creatures released during the original toy production run from 1978 through to 1985. However, once the collecting bug has set in and a basic set has been built, some collectors maintain their interest by seeking out different versions / variants of each character.

So what is variant collecting? In broad terms it can be divided into:

‘Major’ variants –  involving significant changes in sculpt, materials used & paint application.

Well known examples include:

Han Solo (small & large head)

Jawa (vinyl or cloth cape)

Luke Jedi (head moulded in flesh colour plastic with painted hair or head moulded in hair colour plastic with painted face):

‘Minor’ variants –  e.g. small mould differences, differences in paint application and or colour used. It should be noted that figures produced by a single factory may have minor batch to batch variations in paint colour.

In recent years a lot of collectors have also been collecting COO (country of origin) stamp variants e.g. Hong Kong, Made In Hong Kong, China, Macau, Taiwan, Made In Taiwan, Japan, blank raised bar, no COO and COO scar.

For more information on COOs please follow this link to Tantive XI’s guide:

Tantive XI COO Guides

Any help filling in gaps would be appreciated!

When did variant collecting take off?

Personally, like many collectors I started looking for ‘major’ variants such as Obi-Wan with white and grey hair in the early 90s when I got back into collecting while completing my childhood collection. I am under the impression that serious loose variant collecting has increasingly grown over the last 10 years due to international collectors sharing knowledge and trading via the internet.

How has variant research benefited the vintage Star Wars community?

The research that has gone into variant collecting has helped confirm what factories produced the figures (in part or full), what cardbacks they appeared on & in which countries they were available. e.g. the infamous burgundy coat Bib Fortuna is exclusive to the former Lili Ledy factory in Mexico and was only available at retail in Mexico. The research that has been conducted & published by notable collectors on forums, Facebook & their own websites has been hugely valuable to the collecting community & has driven the current interest in variant collecting. However there are still gaps in our knowledge.

What are some of the rarest variants?

Some of the rarest & most desirable production variants include:

Kenner (US) Luke, Vader & Ben figures with double telescoping (DT) lightsabers;

Meccano  (France) Boba Fett, Luke Farmboy & Death Star Droid;

Lili Ledy (Mexico), Burgundy coat Bib Fortuna, removable rocket Boba Fett & Jawa removable hood;

Poch/PBP (Spain) Jawa, ‘toxic’ green limbed Bossk and 4-LOM;

Toltoys (Australia) unique Vinyl caped Jawa.

Figures produced by Top Toys (Argentina) and Glasslite (Brazil) are also highly desirable to many collectors.

Great care should be taken when purchasing high end variants as there are many fakes on the market, some are obvious but others can only be spotted by the trained eye. It is strongly recommended to do your research, ask questions, request detailed photos and to buy from reputable sources.

Why are some variants overrated?

Some of the most desirable and expensive variants aren’t actually that rare, but due to their desirability they command a premium on the secondary market. Prime examples include: the vinyl caped Jawa, blue Snaggletooth & Yak Face.

The vinyl caped Jawa & blue Snaggletooth are particularly desired by European collectors as the vinyl caped Jawa saw a very limited release here & the blue Snaggletooth was a US exclusive through the Sears Cantina Adventure set. Conversely Yak Face was relatively abundant in Europe, but not released in the U.S, so U.S collectors regard this figure in the same way that European collectors regard the vinyl caped Jawa & blue Snaggletooth.

Prior to the rise of eBay, forums and Facebook, these figures were considered rare outside of their country of origin. Today these three figures can be found available for sale online virtually any day of the week, whereas other variants such as some of the confirmed erarly Poch/PBP (still being researched) and Meccano figures may only be seen very occasionally.

Who are the most well-known variant collectors?

Some of the notable variant collectors who are well known and respected authorities in the collecting community include:

Wolff (Aslan Adam on Facebook);
Kenneth (Kenneth_B on the forums);
Marco (Dr Dengar on the forums)
Sergio (slolance4ever on the forums); and
Henrik (HWR on the forums).

These are just a few of the most well-known, there are many more.

As you can see from the above list,  a lot of  notable variant collectors are based in Europe. One explanation for this may be due to the fact that more variants were available here at retail. For example, in the UK we had figures packaged on Palitoy cards, US Kenner cards and Trilogo cards. The figures packaged on these cards were manufactured in the various Asian factories as well as Spain during the latter period of production.

Factory Errors and Discolouration

A variant is often mistaken for a factory error or discolouration, especially by individuals who are new to the hobby, or don’t take the time to do their research. A true variant is a figure whose appearance is that intended by the manufacturer. Therefore there are numerous confirmed examples for the same character, including MOC.

Factory errors come in many forms. Although they should not have made it through quality control they are pretty abundant. Common examples include:

Short shots / pours where the COO may appear to be very faint or completely absent. These can be mistaken for, or passed off by unscrupulous dealers, as pre-production items. The affected leg will usually have less definition of the other details and be shorter :

Odd limbs e.g. two right arms or two left legs :

Paint errors e.g. missing paint application, or overspray. As the figures are painted before assembly, missing paint usually only includes one colour and affects one part of the body :

Non sonic welded figures. Occasionally figures can be found that are non sonic welded (the process used to ‘glue’ the body together and hold the limbs in place). These figures have a torso which can be pulled apart allowing the component parts to be separated;

Please note that genuine non sonic welded figures have no signs of melting / damage to the internal seams or the pin and receiving hole of the torso. Unfortunately, some people try to pass off separated, poorly sonic welded figures as un sonic welded, so again care needs to be taken when purchasing these factory errors.

Example of a ‘forced apart’ sonic welded figure. Note the damage described above.

More detailed info can be read here:

http://www.tantivexi.com/t1513-short-pour-factory-error-figures.

Discolouration / degradation is the result of chemical changes in the plastic or paint e.g. the breakdown of pigments. Discolouration / degradation is most frequently caused by environmental factors such as ultraviolet light, humidity, gases & temperature. Many people mistakingly identify discoloured / degraded figures as a variant & can take some convincing of the truth. A classic example of this is the ‘green’ limbed Chewbacca. While the discolouration can look very uniform there are enough documented examples which are in the process of changing to demonstrate that they are not true variants, as seen here.

White plastics can turn pale yellow through to orange / brown. There is a growing trend among some collectors & dealers to chemically bleach these figures in order to increase their aesthetic appeal / value. However, it is not known what harmful long term effects this practice will have on the stability of the plastics. It has also been documented that this treatment only provides a ‘short term’ fix as some of the bleached figures have started to turn yellow again.

Paints can also degrade e.g. Pink can fade to cream or white due to the break down of the red pigments.

More information on discolouration / degradation can be found here:

Discolouration

Unfortunately there appears to be a divide between MOC collectors & loose variant collectors. If we can actively encourage more MOC collectors to identify what mould families their figures belong to & confirm the cardback & factory code (where applicable), it will be possible to establish with even more clarity when each variant was produced, its distribution and even where it was manufactured.

Collecting variants can be both fun & frustrating, but the basic full collection of 105 loose figures can be increased to several hundred. Let the chase begin!

Photo Credits: The Tantive XI team & Matthieu Barthelemy

ANNEX: Best internet resources

Here are some links to some of the best internet sources for researching variants:

Tantive XI: http://www.tantivexi.com/
Rebel Scum: http://rebelscum.com/
The Imperial Gunnery Forum: http://www.imperialgunneryforum.com/
Star Wars Forum UK: http://www.starwarsforum.co.uk/

There is also a lot of great information on the Facebook groups, but specific discussions can be hard to find. Forums are much easier to search.

Vintage Star Wars Moderator Roundtable: Forums and the Future

Welcome all to this monster-sized round table discussion with some of the owners/moderators of the four main English speaking vintage Star Wars forums. Why are we bothering to have this discussion? When I first started collecting four years ago, forums were pretty much the main source of social networking with other collectors. There was a Facebook group (yes yes Jason Smith we know you were the first…) but the traffic there was minor compared to the forums. Well Jason’s group now has almost 18.000 members and hundreds of spin-off groups have popped up since. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that Facebook is now the heaviest social networking hitter in the vintage Star Wars world.

What has Facebook got to do with the forums? Considering the immense traffic that the Facebook groups experience, there’s no doubt that the forums are feeling the effects. I can’t count the amount of times I’ve heard someone on Facebook say “The forums are dead.” But has their time really passed? Can the forums and Facebook walk hand-in-hand into the future or will another platform pop up and skittle the current setup? Well these are the questions that I’ll be asking two forum owners and two moderators today.

As always, we’d love to hear our readers’ views as well.

Let’s introduce each participant:

Edd Grant – owner/moderator of Star Wars Forum UK (SWFUK) – SWFUK

JohnPaul Ragusa – owner/moderator of The Imperial Gunnery (TIG) – TIG

Ian Cowley – joint owner/moderator of Tantive XI – Tantive XI

Thomas Garvey – moderator on Rebelscum (RS) – RS

VSWC: Welcome Edd, JohnPaul, Ian and Tommy and thank you all very much for taking the time to join us for this interview. Let’s get straight into the questions! 

1.HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN COLLECTING VINTAGE STAR WARS AND WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU COLLECT?

Edd (SWFUK)I first started collecting again in 1994. My interest in Star Wars was rekindled by the release of the Digitally Remastered Star Wars VHS collection. I really enjoyed seeing the films again for the first time in years, and that of course made me think about my old toys. Now I mainly focus on Tri-logo carded figures and boxed vehicles but also collect video games, loose figures, baggies and other MOCs

JohnPaul (TIG): I’ve been collecting for about 12 years. I fell in love with foreign released figures (to my wallets’ dismay) and look to collect at least one example of each non US style released in each country.

Tommy (RS): I started collecting in ’93 or ’94, when I was about 12.  I collect pre-production material, focusing on Kea Moll, Luke Poncho, Micro Collection and Micro Machines items.  I’ll buy whatever I find cool or interesting though, I never feel hemmed in by a focus.

Ian (TXI): I was there from the start in 1978, and retained my childhood collection.  In 1995, just before POTF2 was announced, I saw a collectible show in a local mall, and discovered some figures I not only didn’t have as a child, but some I didn’t know existed. Some figures, especially POTF figures, I had an easier time locating carded, but couldn’t stand the thought of opening them, so an initial aim to have a loose run turned into loose and carded.  I also collect everything else 3 ¾” related, and have a full run of loose 12”.  I do pick up odds and ends here and there, but mostly, I’m just an average Kenner production collector.

2.CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE FORUM YOU OWN/MODERATE?

Edd (SWFUK)starwarsforum.co.uk started in December 2005. I had been a member of Rebel Scum for a few years, but at the time it was very ‘American’ so there were few UK sales threads or discussion about Palitoy & Meccano toys etc. I was doing a degree in computing at the time and had just learned how to make websites, so I decided to start a forum that was open to everybody but leaned towards UK collecting.

JohnPaul (TIG): The Imperial Gunnery forum (known as TIG) and the weapons site were founded in 2009. The weapons site was created to give collectors a very refreshed look at the repro market plus breakdown of various mold variations on authentic weapons. The forum was created to offer a discussion platform and meeting place for collectors!

Tommy (RS): I am a moderator of the Rebelscum forums, which is one of the oldest SW collecting forums around.  It’s been around in one form or another since 1996.

Ian (TXI): Tantive XI is a much more recent forum, officially opening its doors in late 2015, but we are far from inexperienced.  A group of collectors banded together to create a forum which embraced advances in social technology, in an attempt to blend the typical forum with the features that have made social media popular today (ex. tagging people in posts, direct photo uploads from mobile devices, etc.).  We also aim to have a comprehensive library of anything related to vintage collecting, including but not exclusive to the toys, with awareness and education of vintage issues being a top priority. Unlike most of the forums, our site doesn’t have one single owner, we are all equal . The moderation team works as a group, with all important site developments being a result of a “majority rule” system.  Having a team that features moderators from multiple countries from around the world, and with the majority having previous moderator experience elsewhere previous to our forum’s existence, the hope is that every move we make appeals to the largest demographic possible.

3.HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PERSONALLY INVOLVED?

Edd (SWFUK)11 years, since it started.

JohnPaul (TIG): I joined up in 2009 as a member and was asked to be a moderator in 2010. From there I took on various roles (global mod, admin) until purchasing the site in 2012. Since then I’ve been honored to work with various collectors in varied roles. My current team (in alphabetical order) Bryan, James, Matt, Paul and Stefan are the reason for the sites success.

Tommy (RS): I joined the forums in 2003 after lurking for a couple of years, and became a mod in early 2006, if I recall correctly.

Ian (TXI): I joined the site just before it went live publicly, on November 30, 2015. While being promoted to a “developer” position January 13, 2016, I assumed full moderator status July 13, 2016. So, I’ve been involved as part of the core team for about eight of the 15 months the site has been open.

4.WHAT IS YOUR DAY TO DAY ROLE IN FORUM ACTIVITIES?

Edd (SWFUK)I really see myself as a user of the forum above anything else, I’m not a heavy handed moderator. I spend a few minutes a day moving posts in wrong sections, deleting duplicates, removing spammers etc but 90% of my time spent on the forum is spent the same as everyone else, reading and posting. I think it’s extremely important for mods/admins to remain engaged with their forum.

JohnPaul (TIG): I pretty much eat Cracker Jacks while those guy work lol. We all contribute in various ways and help each other out. I don’t do anything unique and candidly while my home life has been very hectic the team has stepped up and made it incredibly easy to not worry about the day to day.

Tommy (RS): Our forums have been around for a while, so most of our members understand the rules.  As such, aside from occasionally moving threads to the correct sub-forum or breaking up an argument before it spirals out of control, our day-to-day activities are pretty simple.  Most of the credit for keeping the nuts and bolts of the community functioning smoothly belongs to my fellow moderator Mike Mensinger, who really goes above and beyond to keep things orderly.

Ian (TXI): Every team member has the same expectations.  In addition to keeping an eye on the forums, it is hoped that everyone contributes to building the library when possible, and to try to continue to come up with new ideas that will maintain interest from the membership.

5.HOW INVOLVED ARE THE OTHER MODERATORS IN EVERYDAY FORUM DISCUSSIONS?

Edd (SWFUK): It varies, all have a history of being very active as that’s how they became mods in the first place, but over time people lose interest in collecting or start their own groups etc so not all are as active as they used to be. That’s fine though – you need mods to be quite impartial so it’s important for them to be level-headed and reserved.

JohnPaul (TIG): I think there is an ebb and flow. We make no bones about how FB’s ease of access is hard to compete with and we’re all victims to its lure from time to time. I think if something grabs our attention we’re engaged and we do make an effort to try and bring things into the forum to keep everyone interested. We have good success with interactive games, raffle/giveaways, etc.

Tommy (RS): Generally, we all try to be around to answer questions or help people find the information they’re looking for.  But like I said, it’s a great community so most of the time by the time I see a question, one of our members has already answered it.

Ian (TXI): We have some moderators that are the most involved people on the site, and some who keep a very low profile.  Everyone’s personal situation is different, but for the most part, we have very active moderators.

6.APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY MEMBERS DO YOU HAVE?

Edd (SWFUK)Right now it’s a shade under 5000, but every year I prune all the inactive accounts and members who haven’t posted. If I had never done that it would be tens of thousands, but I want quality over quantity.

JohnPaul (TIG): The forum currently has 2790 members but admittedly it’s a not a reflection of activity. I see FB pages with 17,000 members but the same 50 people posting. It’s a tough thing to reconcile. The weapons site (Imperialgunnery.com) doesn’t require signup but we have had 671,877 visitors.

Tommy (RS): On all of Rebelscum?  I believe it’s like 32,000 registered users.  Most of those aren’t part of the vintage collecting forum though, obviously.  But we probably have at least a couple hundred regular posters there.  Sometimes more, depending on when you check and what’s going on in the hobby.

Ian (TXI): We are just about to hit 300 members, which isn’t bad for a band new forum barely over a year old in this era of declining forum activity in our hobby.

7.HOW HAS MEMBERSHIP BEEN GOING THIS PAST YEAR?

Edd (SWFUK)Contrary to popular belief that forums are dying, mine is still growing steadily. It has grown year on year since it started 11 years ago.

JohnPaul (TIG): Just jumping from the last question, it’s not a true reflection of the sites use. We had 373 signups from March 2016-Feb 2017 but without data mining I’m not sure if that translated into active members. It does show me that the interest is there though.

Tommy (RS): I have no idea, I’m just a mod not an admin.  🙂  I think it’s doing pretty well though.  Or it seems to be, anyway.

Ian (TXI): Membership has been steadily growing since we opened the doors.  We are fortunate to have ChristianC (aka Bobby Bobs), who puts a lot of his time into recruiting new members, and his hard work has been paying off.

8.AND WHAT ABOUT GENERAL DAY TO DAY TRAFFIC OVER THE LAST YEAR?

Edd (SWFUK)Again it has been steady, I’m happy to say Facebook and other forums have not really detracted from SWFUK’s popularity.

JohnPaul (TIG): We get about 350-450 visitors per day and approx. 3600 “sessions”. The majority of the traffic is generated by users doing a quick scan. I think we have an average stay time around four minutes. I think it shows people do value the forums and look for ways to be engaged if there is a reason.

Tommy (RS): I think it’s gotten better over the last six months or so.  We’ve had some very interesting conversations and quite a few new members or members who are returning to collecting after a long absence.  We’ve definitely seen an uptick, which is understandable given the new movies and the fact Celebration is right around the corner.

Ian (TXI): We have a steady group of regulars who browse the forum daily.  Page views are not a problem.  The trick is to keep the members involved and actively participating on a regular basis.

9.HOW HEAVILY ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THE VINTAGE STAR WARS FACEBOOK GROUPS?

Edd (SWFUK)I spend a lot of time on Facebook and am a member of about ten groups. I do not sign up to all of them as I simply don’t have time to follow them all, so I have just chosen a few favourites. I tend to prefer smaller groups focused on specific aspects of collecting to the larger general groups.

JohnPaul (TIG): I’m a member of several groups but take no active role in any beyond being a member. I think someone added me as a mod to one but I don’t actively do anything. Obviously we maintain a FB page but a decision was made to put content there that would mostly funnel to the forum.

Tommy (RS): I’m a member of most of them and am an admin of a couple (the Return of the Jedi action figures group and the Dark Times group).

Ian (TXI): Personally, I resisted social media groups for a long time.  While I belong to over 50 groups, it was rare I posted in them.  I grew up in the hobby with forums, and have been critical of some aspects of Facebook.  The past couple of years, though, my participation in Facebook groups has begun to grow.  That generally applies to general discussion, educational, and similar types of posts though, as I’m not a very active buyer/seller, and tend to stay away from the various limelight discussions.

10.HOW HAVE THESE FACEBOOK GROUPS AFFECTED YOUR FORUM?

Edd (SWFUK)They have certainly generated a lot of discussion, both positive and negative. Due to the format of Facebook it is very difficult for people to give feedback, so they often turn to the forum for this.

Being honest the sales section of the forum has slowed down a bit since Facebook, but there’s still plenty for sale and other forums have suffered more.

JohnPaul (TIG): I think Facebook has affected most, if not all, forums. It goes well beyond vintage Star Wars too. It’s affected the cadence of conversations to the actual collecting landscape. Instant “likes” and replies to instant collections. It makes the forums seem like it’s in slow motion. I sell a fair amount and FB selling is insanely quick. If I post there first, then TIG, I might everything sold before I can even finish the posting. I rarely even put a FS on other forums anymore.

Tommy (RS): I think Facebook has had a big impact on all forum conversations, no doubt.  We saw a big dip in activity over the last couple years.  It seems to be leveling out again now, but for awhile there, it seemed like all forums were empty, not just ours.  But thankfully, things are better now.

Ian (TXI): Considering how new we are, that’s a question that is difficult to answer.  While I am sure we’d have more membership and/or participation if Facebook didn’t dominate, at the same time, Facebook has been a key to gaining exposure to our forum.  As with everything Facebook related, there are pros and cons.

11.WHAT CAN THESE GROUPS LEARN FROM THE FORUMS?

Edd (SWFUK)I think the important thing to remember is that Facebook and forums complement each other. They cannot compete against each other because they are completely different formats. I encourage Facebook groups to point their members to forums for research and information as they are so much better than Facebook for this. Whenever somebody creates a “should I join Facebook?” thread on the forum, I am always quick to suggest they do.

JohnPaul (TIG): I think the FB pages have bred new collectors. I don’t think a lot of them would have been happy as forums members. To loosely use SW allegory, the forums were what I imagine a Jedi Temple was (I never read the Extended Universe stuff so forgive me if there is info on what it is). The forums had knowledge, discussion, discovery and a respect for members who’d brought the hobby to where it was. I think the FB community brought forth a myriad of pages, mods, admins, and egos. People can jump in, say whatever they want, and then jump to another page. I think the forums brought a sense of order to things. I’m not sure FB can provide that. If I had to hope for something, it would be that people learn the rich history of the hobby, not just open their wallet.

Tommy (RS): I think forums have a much better sense of community than the groups do.  With a forum, you instantly know who you can probably trust and who knows what they’re talking about, just by looking at post numbers or post history or just the way other members treat a certain person.  Its semi-permanence means that the record is all there and you can see who’s done shady stuff in the past.  It’s a more stable community, filled with known individuals.  As such, there’s also less disinformation being disseminated.  It’s a much more “circle of friends” kind of feel, so if you say something that’s wrong, someone is going to correct you.  And then perhaps a debate will erupt, all in the same thread for everyone to see.  With a group, on the other hand, many of the people replying to a particular post have no idea what they’re talking about.  They haven’t even read the previous replies, because in most cases, it’s not a real conversation, it’s just them staying random things to the original poster.  You might not even ever see that poster reply to anything else in the future.  So, there’s all kinds of nonsense being regurgitated and most of the time, no one corrects it.  I think groups that can create a better feeling of community and common ownership will succeed.  That’s definitely something I always strive for in groups I help admin.  I want them to be a real source of information, not just casual entertainment.  Ultimately, I want to embrace the “circle of friends” kind of atmosphere, since I think most people respond well to that.

Ian (TXI): The single biggest thing forums have in the way of an advantage is the ability to be a better organized resource for those looking to learn about the hobby.  Facebook moves at a very fast pace, and discussions get buried very quickly, while in forums accessing information is far more convenient and permanent.  

12.WHAT CAN THE FORUMS LEARN FROM THE FACEBOOK GROUPS?

Edd (SWFUK)One lesson I took recently was that photography has become a much bigger part of collecting, so I improved the photo upload capability to make it easier for people to post photos. I think one area some other forums fall down on badly is mobile compatibility as most people use the internet on their phone these days, but SWFUK has been mobile friendly for quite a few years now.

JohnPaul (TIG): I think the forums (and really the software that makes the forums) need to see that mobile access is key. I don’t think people want to abandon forums but we need to adapt. Notifications on a device, ease of photo uploads, PMs, all need to be made faster and better on a mobile.

Tommy (RS): I think the groups are growing in popularity simply because they’re easy to use.  You can post pics and get instant feedback.  People like that.  You don’t have to remember to check back to the website to see if anyone posted anything cool or to see if anyone replied to your thread.  FB does all of that for you, and there’s always someone active.  It’s instant gratification.  People want those “likes.”  With a lot of groups, they’d rather have 100 likes than a real conversation about a piece.  They don’t want to be informed what their piece is or why it’s not what they thought it was, they just want a “Awesome piece, dude!” comment and to feel special for a brief moment of time.  That’s the nature of social media.  It’s quick and easy.  So forums need to be easier to use in order to compete.  Posting pictures needs to be easier and there needs to be better social media connectivity.  Making it easier for people to post on the forum means that people will post on the forum more.

Ian (TXI): Many forums learned the hard way that maintaining a status quo just doesn’t work in today’s fast paced environment.  Facebook took advantage of a superior method of sharing images, and even in sharing items of interest to specific fellow members quickly and directly.  Simply put, today’s average collector wants convenience and simplicity, and Facebook has been better at providing that.

13.HOW CAN FORUMS AND THE FACEBOOK GROUPS WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE OUR ONLINE COLLECTING EXPERIENCE?

Edd (SWFUK)Respecting each other and being aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Facebook can do things that forums can’t, and vice versa. Forums didn’t tell people to stop reading books, Facebook groups shouldn’t tell people to stop reading forums.

JohnPaul (TIG): That’s a complex thing to answer. I think the forums are a more solid foundation for history, cataloging and preservation of the hobby. The FB pages are extremely interactive but all diluted with there being so many. While it would be great to just split the duties (make forums the repository, FB the interaction) the fact is that FB groups are free to run, maintain, and also mimic. The time and money invested in the forum is far more of a chore and it would be hard to justify pouring money and time into them if the role is relegated to being a repository.

Tommy (RS): Personally, I think limelights and quick questions about a piece are best suited for groups, and in-depth discussion is much better suited for a forum environment.

I’ll always prefer a forum based system, since it’s much easier to search and archive than a FB group.  You can literally find online conversation about Star Wars going all the way back to 1981. Think about that.  Fans having discussions about Star Wars before ROTJ was even released.  And all of that is still around, available for you to read today, free of charge.  But with FB groups (and to some extent, forums), all of the information is now one button press from being deleted forever.  And even if it is still somehow available, it’s troublesome to search and the content you’re after is rarely easy to find.  To me, that’s worrisome, because I believe in the longevity of this hobby.  I think in the future, people will want to know what we were talking about now.  And I seriously doubt the FB groups will still exist in their current form.  I think they’ll long since have been purged by FB, erasing all of that information.  People 30 years from now aren’t going to be able to look back on our conversations the way we can look back on the collectors 30 years before us.  And that’s a problem, in my opinion.

As such, I think the solution is for people to be part of both communities.  If you discover something interesting, mirror your posts in both communities.  If someone is scamming in a group, let the forums know and vise versa.  Use the groups for the stuff they’re best at and use the forums for the rest.

I don’t think it has to be an either-or type of situation, I think there’s more than enough room for both types of community.  It’s up to the admins and moderators of both to be responsible leaders for the hobby and create the kinds of communities that meet the needs of their members.

Ian (TXI): This is a goal we have.  Trying to take the best aspects from both, and integrate them.  You can directly register for our forum right from the Facebook page.  We took the convenient ways Facebook deals with photos and tagging people, and found a way to incorporate them onto our board.  The only way for either platform to survive long term is to embrace the strengths each has to offer and create a hybrid.

14.DO YOU HAVE A STRATEGY IN PLACE FOR MAINTAINING YOUR FORUM’S MEMBERSHIP LEVELS?

Edd (SWFUK): I work in digital media so have known for a very long time that content is king. I see other forums and Facebook groups try all kinds of different gimmicks to try and grow their membership like t-shirts, giveaways, competitions etc, but without good content they are wasting their time. That’s why as above I spend more time contributing to the forum than I do moderating it, growth then comes naturally.

JohnPaul (TIG): We do have desire to keep them active. Our strategy is to try and engage people on various topics and get involved in various projects/games/etc. We understand that we face a challenge in the “instant gratification” movement. There is no way the forums can compete with that, so we need to show the value of the forums in the tighter community it breeds, the ease of getting information and the fact that forums have value in their slower pace.

Tommy (RS): I just try to post interesting topics, the logistics of maintaining membership is the responsibility of the site’s owners and administrators.  But members always stick around if there’s something interesting to talk about.

Ian (TXI): Yes, by continuing to integrate technological advances into our forum, the hope is we can remain relevant in the face of continuing change.  Also, by trying to put a focus on member participation, even in helping to develop the site, we’re hoping people feel more personally connected and stick around.

15.WHAT DOES YOUR FORUM OFFER THAT CANNOT BE FOUND ON THE OTHER FORUMS OR IN THE FACEBOOK GROUPS?

Edd (SWFUK)The forum has been running longer than Facebook and most other forums, so its legacy is one thing that cannot be taken away. I also think SWFUK has the best collection of members anywhere so I am very grateful for that. There is a good balance of knowledge, tolerance and humour – the latter two often lacking from other forums/groups.

JohnPaul (TIG): For weapon authentication and identification we are second to none. I’m very proud of the fact we are considered the global resource for that. It’s been a long journey, spanning from Jay and Wolff to the current caretakers of information. I also feel that the finite amount of larger forums makes information far more accessible. Every FB page admin feels they are the “best on FB” but the average collector probably belongs to 20, 30 or more pages. So finding something can be troublesome. Add in that a few posts or angry people can shut a page down if they chose I think the forums offer a certain stability.

Tommy (RS): Our forum has been around a long time.  And many of its members go back even further than that, back to the days of newsgroups.  There is a TON of knowledge there and access to the combined experiences of hundreds of collectors, many of whom haven’t made the switch over to FB groups.  If you want to have an honest, in-depth discussion about something or research something obscure, there’s no place better than the forums.  And all of that history is catalogued and easily searchable by anyone.  Since posting takes a few seconds longer than it does on FB, there also isn’t generally as much nonsense.  If people are talking, it’s usually about something, rather than just a quest to get the most likes or to waste a few moments while they wait for their train.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some very good FB groups (I admin a couple of them), but there are also some *really* bad ones.  Not recognizing the difference can be very dangerous to collectors.

Forums are very egalitarian.  They require no real approval to join and they’re visible to everyone.  Many of the best FB groups are invite only and aren’t as open to newer collectors.  Which is strange, since I don’t know anyone who knows everyone in a FB group.  They’re generally strangers (even though members use their real names), sharing a common interest.  I think most members of a forum are at least familiar enough with their community to remember something about most of the people who regularly post there.  They’re usually friends/adversaries, or at the very least “work friends.”  But I don’t think that’s the case with most of the groups.  I would post stuff to RS that I’d never post to a FB group, or at least not to a FB group I didn’t really trust.

As for why Rebelscum over the other forums, I think most collectors would agree that RS has been the dominant community for vintage conversation for the last 15 years or so.  Don’t get me wrong, there are other forums that are also *very* good and which I’m a member of, but RS has been #1 for a long, long time.  I like to think there’s a reason for that.

Ian (TXI): The simple answer here is what I have already mentioned several times.  A user experience that blends traditional forum style with the conveniences of social media.

16.ARE THERE ANY NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT YOUR FORUM PLANS TO EXPLOIT?

Edd (SWFUK)The forum software platform (phpBB) recently had a major upgrade, so in the next year I will look to install that. The problem is upgrading the software to a new major version requires creating a new theme and people hate change, so I’m in no rush to change it again!

JohnPaul (TIG): We are always at the mercy of the software platform. We have seen attachments become easier, notification bars offer a summary view of what’s happened and other things move us slowly into the mobile arena. I think I’d like to see more of a tie-in with mobile devices.

Tommy (RS): I have no idea, that’s not my department, thankfully.  🙂

Ian (TXI): I think we have done a good job so far in trying to stay on top of technological advances.  As they continue to appear in the hobby, we will continue to try and find a way to embrace them.

17.WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE NEXT PHASE IN THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR VINTAGE STAR WARS COLLECTORS?

Edd (SWFUK): I think some Facebook groups are now getting too big, the single page system simply does not work when you have 10,000+ members. So I think Facebook is going to have to adapt to avoid becoming too diluted. Perhaps they will implement a category system like forums have, or the ability to pin more than one post.

JohnPaul (TIG): That’s an interesting question. I think we’ll eventually get into VR. Maybe not now, but 5yrs from now. You’ll see people being able to walk through Rancho Obi-Wan or even my modest collection using some VR technology. I can see us uploading 3D scans of our favorite MOCs and figures and a user being able to pick up and rotate the figures virtually to see every side and feel like it’s in hand. I also see video events becoming more prevalent. A virtual event where a host interacts with the user base, like I’ve done on some FB pages.

Tommy (RS): I think the community itself is going to become central to collecting, if that makes any sense.  We’re seeing it already, with the rise of fan-made collectibles and swag trading.  If you plot out the course of the hobby, you’ll see it in action.  Star Wars collectors split off from the larger Star Wars fan base.  Then vintage collectors split off from modern collectors, etc.  Each step gets more and more specialized, but it also becomes more and more serious about what it’s doing.  Collecting is its own thing now.  The hobby has become a club, in a way, with its own values and customs.  A huge part of that is the social aspect, which gets more popular every year.  There are many collectors who don’t actually collect, they’re just here to hang out with the people.  To me, that’s where the hobby is headed.  Collecting will no longer be a solitary experience, but one which is shared to ever greater degrees.

I think in years to come, we’re going to see social media become an even bigger part of collecting.  I think the FB groups are kinda ‘Survival of the Fittest’ at the moment, but sooner or later, the strongest ones will take over and they’ll be able to drive the community to new places.  The way FB works, new people will be exposed to the hobby, who might ordinarily have never even thought about collecting, but because they see collecting related posts in their feed, they might pick it up.  There’s a normalization there.  And it’s bringing in more diversity, which is very healthy for the long-term health of the community.  Those new collectors then discover forums, posting material that reinvigorates those established communities, starting the entire process over again.

In a way, I think collecting is outgrowing fandom.  It’s creating its own identity.  A Star Wars collector is his/her own animal now, more than a collector in any other pop culture field I can think of.  And social media is really helping that along.

Ian (TXI): The last few years has seen a dramatic shift from forums to social media.  Not all forums are affected, but in general, it’s been a steady decline.  However, it is becoming apparent that there is a growing sentiment expressing a desire to return to some of the strengths of forums that Facebook has struggled with.  I think that with the honeymoon phase of social media coming to an end, the next stage will see the biggest success go to platforms that are best able to appeal to today’s fast paced world, while maintaining a backbone of easily retrievable informational and photographic references that have been key to forums in the past.

18.CAN THE FORUMS REMAIN RELEVANT IN THE VINTAGE COLLECTING LANDSCAPE OF TOMORROW?

Edd (SWFUK)Absolutely! Facebook is a long way off from competing with the content capabilities of forums so until that changes forums will remain very much essential to any collector.

JohnPaul (TIG): Can FB?

Tommy (RS): I think so, yes.  If you look at the history of online discussion, you’ll see that as new and easier technologies appear, they generally take over and supplant what came before.  But I think forums are in the unique position of being generally easy to use and much better at facilitating actual discussion than a FB group is, for the most part. 

To put it another way, imagine that I have a question about… I don’t know… Yupi figures.  Now, I can post that on a FB group, but if an expert like Yehuda isn’t online that day, there’s a very good chance that my question will be bumped further and further down.  The way FB’s algorithm works, no one might see it in their feed at all, unless they physically go to the actual group page, which few people do.  Thus, my question will go unanswered.  But if I post the same question on a forum, my question will remain there forever, essentially.  And every single person who logs on will see it in the list of topics, highlighted if it’s new to them.  Thus, my chances of getting an answer to my question is exponentially higher and whatever reply I get is liable to be much longer and more in-depth anyway, given the differences in replies in a forum vs FB group.

I think forums are relevant as long as the community is still a good one.  The hobby is a herd sometimes.  It’s important to attract members but it’s even more important to keep the members you have.  If you can provide a place that is a useful tool for people to use in their collecting lives, as well as somewhere they can meet some really cool people, that’s never going to be irrelevant.

Ian (TXI): Absolutely.  As long as you adapt to the times and do not become stagnant, forums should stay relevant for some time to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Ten comments not to post on someone’s sales thread!

Hi guys,

This is my first blog article in a looooong time. I like putting together these top ten lists and I’ve been meaning to publish this one for a while.

Don’t be that guy who says something stupid to mess up a sales thread.

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So why am I bothering with this list? Well this issue is actually one of the greatest bugbears in our hobby and some forums, such as Rebelscum, actually ban non-transactional comments on sales thread, which I agree with. Sales posts are sensitive; comments on them, often misinformed ones, can negatively affect the experience of both the seller and the buyer. As always, these articles simply reflect my opinions on certain aspects of our hobby. Calm down, I’m not telling you how to collect 🙂

I think it’s self-evident that comments regarding the authenticity of the item for sale do not count in this review.

This top ten list chimes in well with one of our earliest blog articles:

Ten tips for dealing with other collectors on social networking sites

Also check out Mete Akin’s guest article:

Guest Collector – Mete Akin: Responsible and sound buying techniques

Top ten, not ranked in any particular order:

 1. “I would buy this if I had the money” aka “If only it was payday.” Okay this is probably the comment that bugs me most and they pop up more than most people would think. I mean, what really is the point? I know it might sound cruel to someone who can’t afford the listed item, but why bother with posting responses like these? You want to discuss it, then fine, but do it somewhere other than someone’s sales thread. I accept that you are complimenting the seller on their item (and even unintentionally bumping their thread) but it must also be annoying for the seller. We get hopeful when we receive a notification on our sales threads, so it is a bit disappointing to find out that the comment had nothing to do with the actual sale of the item.

2. “This is overpriced.”  Okay sometimes the collectors posting these comments are spot on and they can warn others off an overpriced item. That said, people really should do some research before buying anything anyway. If I have the time to do it on every single occasion, then everyone should. There’s no rush, this is only a hobby 🙂

Even though the “overpriced” intervention can often be well intended, there are so many reasons a comment like this can be a disservice to everyone involved. What happens when the item isn’t actually overpriced but this comment is actually mis/disinformation?

3. “Great price.” Pretty much the same deal as point number two, could be well-intended but don’t risk spreading incorrect notions of pricing.

4. “You can get this cheaper on eBay.” Yep, true story. I”ve seen this comment more than just a few times. Leave the seller alone and let them go about their business in peace.

5. “How much is that in -insert currency-?”  I seem to get this question a hell of a lot as I often sell in euros or GBP. It’s not a huge issue but really can be solved by simply going to xe.com for a currency conversion estimate. 

6. “How much for the -insert name of item-?”  I can’t count the amount of times I’ve seen someone ask how much an item is even though the seller has clearly stated the prices in their thread. Read the seller’s intro before asking any questions. It can be difficult managing a sales thread so unnecessary questions just make it harder.

7. “I’m not interested now. I thought you were based in -insert name of country-” I’ve had this a million times, especially because I live in The Netherlands and postage is more expensive to what the majority of collectors are used to in the U.S and the U.K. In my sales thread, I always state where I’m located  and if you really don’t know, ask the seller where they are based or check their profile before you spend hours negotiating (yes this happens…)

8. “I can sell you one cheaper.”  Trust me this happens. I’ve seen other sellers hijack someone else’s thread, offering the same item at a lower price. It’s just not cricket guys.

9. “What’s the price of fish in China?”  You guys with me? Don’t post off-topic comments. It can threaten to derail the sales thread and takes attention away from the sales item(s).

10. “I bought the same one for xxxx dollars back in 2003”  Yes we all know vintage SW was cheaper a few years ago, christ even one year ago. But someone’s sales thread is not the place to have that discussion!

So what do you guys think? Anything to add? Am I being too harsh? Feel free to let me know.

Who said the vintage forums were dying? Welcome to Tantive XI!

Hello everyone!

I’m proud to announce that last week we finally launched our brand new vintage Star Wars forum – Tantive XI! Your initial thoughts may be – aren’t the forums dying? Hasn’t Facebook taken over? Aren’t there already enough forums and FB groups? Well the simple answer is no, no and no!

If you’d like to join up without reading on, then click this link:

http://www.tantivexi.com/

The forums are struggling but they are not dying. We are adamant that there is still plenty of space in the vintage social networking landscape for new forums or similar ventures. New collectors are joining our hobby every day; our hobby is expanding massively. Not everyone is a fan of Facebook and if you are anything like me then you’ll be on all the forums, a million Facebook groups, Gemr, Twitter and even Instagram! I wish I was joking!

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So how did this all come about?

A while back a bunch of us had a vision for a brand new forum, which not only took full advantage of some of the technologies and usability options employed by Facebook but also a place where experienced collectors would find sufficient intellectual stimulation yet newer collectors would not be embarrassed or berated for asking ‘stupid’ questions.

After many months of hard work, we transformed that vision into a reality and on December 16th we finally went live! So far the feedback from members and special ‘previewers’ has been extremely positive. We have to emphasize though that the site is a work In progress, and that we are now in a stage heavily dependent on the input of new crew members to progress further. So if you miss a certain aspect of the hobby and would like to see it here, simply tell us and we can make it happen, together with you.

What’s our mission?

Our mission is to bring quality contributions to all of the different aspects of our hobby (MOC, MIB, oddballs, loose variants, bootlegs, and many more vintage collectibles) and to stimulate open discussions around the collectibles that we all love so much. Moreover, we hope that our forum will provide a ‘A New Hope’ in these dark times, within which the fora have lost their impact and previous high traffic due to the increased popularity of Facebook. However we do acknowledge the strength of Facebook and do not oppose it. It has its place in the collecting world and we hope that our platforms can complement each other. Tantive will combine the best of both worlds and serve as a bridge between FB and traditional forum activity. Our Facebook Page will serve as a Bridgehead:

Facebook Page

We do not perceive ourselves in opposition to the existing forums or FB groups, we want to work together to bring all collectors the best possible collecting experience. We welcome other forum moderators and FB group admins to join us and you are  of course welcome to advertise your pages and groups on Tantive XI!

Our mission can be read in more detail right here:

Tantive XI – This what we stand for.

How will we bridge the gap between Facebook and the forums?

Tantive XI is supported by a heavily modified platform allowing for modern functionality, which – we hope – will provide a unique and pleasant “look and feel” experience for our crew. Just to give you an idea – right now members  can ‘tag’ each other in posts, get instant notifications, and attach photos directly from smartphones or PCs via TXI’s Tractor Beam. I must say we are blessed to have some mechanics onboard who are absolutely top of the IT game. We are only going to get stronger as they continue to un-weave the hidden technological magic that forums offer.

We have a large team of 12 passionate moderators who will be working ceaselessly to update the forum and to keep things running smoothly. We will also be working closely with our members to improve the forum.

What else do we offer other than a traditional forum place to hang out?

Well this brings us to one of our real strengths. We’re in the process of creating an extensive reference database for the community. At the launch of Tantive XI this database already included a basic and advanced COO guide and also a comprehensive figure guide. Check it out yourselves:

The Library

We would love to expand the Library with the help of members who will actually be working with us to present their own research and projects on the site; with the aim of developing the community’s knowledge and appreciation of vintage Star Wars collecting.

We will also be interviewing members and I’ll be reposting all of my interviews from here onto Tantive XI. So stay tuned!

Who is behind Tantive XI?

Our team contains some of the globe’s most well-known  and experienced vintage collectors; coming from the UK, the U.S, Canada, Spain, Mexico, Denmark,The Netherlands and Australia.

Other than myself, the team is: Alexander, Chris, Clint, James, Jay, Javier, Kenneth, Marco, Ozio, Patrick and Steve. Click the link below to learn more about us:

The TXI Team

I hope you can all join us in our little adventure. And if you can’t, well no worries – I’ll see you all around on Facebook and the other forums!

Watch this space for details on a competition we are running for our members. First prize is a Burgundy Cape Lili Ledy Squid Head!

Darth Vader collector Bill McBride features on ABC TV

Are you guys sick of seeing Darth Vader super collector and DT fountain of wisdom Bill McBride’s face in the media recently? Well here he is again, but this time on video on ABC!

Bill McBride on ABC TV

Bill

Really happy to see Bill getting so much attention as he really is a collector to look up to; both in the positive manner in which he contributes to the hobby but also for putting together such an amazing figure focus.

Bill has been a regular feature in the media since he was interviewed by yours truly on VSWC Blog in July 2014. You read between the lines….

Bill McBride VSWC Interview

Jokes aside, huge congratulations from us to Bill!

 

Collector Snapshot #17 – Amy Sjoberg

Welcome all to the seventeenth episode of our collector snapshot, where a vintage collector answers 10 short questions. The same questions will be given to every collector appearing in this segment.

This is a very special episode as our guest is one of the most active contributors to our hobby. I’m stoked that someone of Amy’s collecting caliber agreed to come onto the blog and I’m sure you’ll all enjoy reading through her responses as much as I did.

Amy is a 34 year old human resource professional from Seattle, Washington. I met Amy only briefly in the Collectors’ Social Room at Celebration Anaheim, where she was kind enough not to crack up laughing at the terrible pin I gave her advertising my blog (trust me, I’m not being modest).

Here she is on a SARLACC ((the Seattle Area Lucasfilm Artifacts Collector Club) film location trip to Death Valley. 

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Amy actually presented at C7 and you can check the video of the panel here; where she and Jarrod Clark discussed Ewok collectibles. Thanks to Tommy Garvey from theswca for continuing to post these great videos of the C7 collecting panels.

Ewok Collectibles Panel – Celebration Anaheim

She also also had an entry in the Vader Case Project at C7; a fantastic event which raised loads for charity. Read more about the project here:

theswca – celebration Anaheim Vader Case Project

Amy’s entry: ‘Sunset on Endor’.’ Stunning…

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Amy is extremely active on the collecting scene. She’s a member of SARLACC, R2 Builders, Ewok Builders and even has time to blog at http://blog.theswca.com and www.SARLACC.org. I’ve actually recently shared one of Amy’s great blog articles on our Facebook page, here it is again if you missed it:

theswca – Creepy Star Wars Collectibles

Would you believe she’s involved in even more SW vintage endeavours? Check out the Star Wars Collecting Cosmos Collecting Cosmos – Facebook podcast and Amy’s Etsy shop ‘Nerdventions’ – Nerdventions – Etsy.

1. How long have you been collecting?
I was introduced to Star Wars at a young age with Return of the Jedi being the first film I remember seeing (and still my favorite Star Wars movie).  Ironically, it was my brother, Karl, who was the Star Wars collector in our house in the 80s.
Amy and her brother, Easter 1984. Yep that’s a stuffed Ewok! 
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It was at Celebration 3 where I bought my first vintage item, a loose Jabba with throne.  I also met collectors in my area, this eventually led me to joining SARLACC. It was an eye opening experience to meet other collectors. I have learned so much from them and had amazing adventures along the way. I had the opportunity to host panels on collecting and can typically be found volunteering at the collecting panels at Celebration.  As with my friendships, my collection has been growing year by year.
VSWC: Amy tells me that seeing friends is always the highlight of her convention experience, especially the Archive Party (the party hosted by podcasters Stephen Danley and Skye Paine – check out our previous interview with Steve and Skye – VSWC Interview – Steve and Skye.) 
Here she is with some of her collector friends at C7 – (left to right) are Jim Gibbons, Steve Sansweet, Michal Stewart, Aaron Leonard, Amy, Tom Stewart, and Earl Bergquist
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2. What do you collect?
It has always been a ‘collect what you like motto’ for me. Lets just say it is still a work in progress and ever evolving but can be mainly narrowed down to the following categories: vintage and modern 12″ figures from Kenner, Hasbro, and Sideshow toys. I’ve always had an affinity for the 12″ scale and am close to completing my Kenner 12″ collection. Sideshow has made some great figures over the past 10 years and I have almost every Star Wars rebel/hero figure they made. I also have paired these with Gentle Giant busts and statues for many characters including Obi Wan, Leia, Han, Luke etc.   
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Return of the Jedi, Ewoks, and the huts they live in vintage and new. I have every ewok action figure sold by Kenner and Hasbro. My affinity for my favorite playset of all time, the Ewok Village, is plain to see. My collection is called ‘The Ewok Village’ so I have a reputation to maintain. 😉  I own three Kenner villages, two loose and one boxed.  Then there’s the preschool ewok line, catapult, hang glider, and battle wagon which are all boxed. I have an Ewok plush infestation and that slimy gangster Jabba and his denizens are everywhere. I also collect ROTJ Lego sets (including the Ewok Village of course!)
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Prequel and Clone Wars Obi Wan collectibles. I have a  collection of art cards collected over five years at various conventions by some of my favorite artists. My other favorite piece in this category is the mythos Obi wan statue by Sideshow.
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 I got to meet Ewan himself a few years ago. To be honest, I’m amazed I didn’t keel over. After all this the person who graced the Obi Wan calendar in my high school locker.
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Event collectibles and hand made Star Wars items, plush, and ceramics. I have plush from art shows including a handmade Wampa. Collectibles from past celebrations, items made by SARLACC and gathered from our many film location trips. There’s a shelf for bootleg and licensed ceramics including the infamous Taun-Taun Teapot and C3PO tape dispenser by Sigma. I like to use the bookshelf edges to hold all my lanyards. My favorite Celebration collectible is the buttons people make. There is so much generosity and creativity there. They remind me every day of all the great collectors out there from all over the world.
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 3. What’s your grail?
I’ve never really had just one grail item. Grail items are like the future…. ‘always in motion’ and ever growing as I discover more things. Most recently I was looking for a 1986 Ewoks Ice Capades light up button, a 1983 set of ROTJ valentines, and a 1984 Ewoks calendar. Both I’m happy to say I got all of these in the past month.
And here they are….
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Note: These pictures are from the sales listings themselves. 
I also do all of this without using Ebay so I defiantly play the long game on a lot of pieces. And I rely on my network of collector friends who alert me to new stuff posted out there. Thankfully with SARLACC, many of the items that I would love to have are in other collections locally that I get to visit at least once a year. So I get to see them even if I don’t have them.
4. What collectors inspire you?
There are so many people who have inspired me in this hobby. Gus Lopez for sharing his collection, his knowledge, and creating SARLACC. Jarrod Clark, fellow ewok collector who always keeps a look out for stuff I need. Mike Ritter, Tom Stewart, Lauren Bock and Bill McBride; all some of the nicest guys in the hobby.  Pete Vilmur for his generosity and our in depth discussions on things like bootleg ceramics. Steve Sansweet for opening up his collection for everyone to see.  Duncan Jenkins for his incredible encyclopedia like knowledge of collecting.  Shane Turgeon for giving me the idea to focus on collecting memories and friendships over collectibles. There are so many more that I want to list, everyone I’ve met in this hobby has inspired me in some way.
5. What is your most embarrassing moment as a collector?
Those times in the past when checking out at Toy’s ‘R’ Us and the clerk asks if I want a gift receipt for my (non existent) son’s Star Wars toy. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen anymore. I think now they just assume the adults are getting Star Wars stuff for themselves.
6. What is your favorite Star Wars film?
My favorite film is Return of the Jedi. I know it may not be the best, but it is a sentimental favorite for me.
7. What would you change about the collecting community?
Star Wars collectors online can be negative at times. Sure we won’t all agree on what our favorite episode of Star Wars is, or what to collect. We should be welcoming, it is a large hobby and there is room here for everyone. Collections also come in all sizes and focuses. Thankfully, collectors I have met in this hobby are inclusive, supporting, friendly and willing to lend a hand by helping others get something they need in a collection. Those are the best people in the hobby, the ones that aren’t in it for the competition, or the money. Instead they share their knowledge, collections, and sometimes even collectibles. I guess you could sum that up as good collecting karma.
8. Forums or Facebook groups?
I still use both but I do like Facebook for the format.  It is easier to meet folks within your collecting focus and view all the posts at a glance.
9. What Star Wars character do you most resemble?
Probably young Aunt Beru played by Bonnie Piesse. There aren’t many blonde women in Star Wars.
 10. Is there one thing that collectors may not know about you?
Collecting is in my genes. My father has it, my brother had it… 😉 My first collection was Disney stamps (now that the Mouse owns Star Wars, I guess I’ve come full circle). It wasn’t until I got to college that I looked back and thought, Star Wars has always been there. Other hobbies have come and gone, but as the slogan goes, ‘Star Wars is Forever.’
VSWC: Well thank you Amy for coming onto the VSWC Blog! I absolutely love your passion for the hobby and it’s one of the main reasons I invited you on. It has been great hearing some of your collecting philosophy and your general views on our fantastic hobby. Hopefully your inclusive attitude can positively influence some of the more negative aspects of the collecting community. Thanks again! 
 


                                 

The nostalgia of vintage Star Wars collecting – article by ‘From4-LOMtoZuckuss.com’

Just a super quick update for my non-Facebook readers. I post a lot on our Facebook page but always forget to update on the website as well. Will do my best to remedy this.

Here’s a very cool article from the guys at From4-LOMtoZuckuss.com, one of our favourite Star Wars collecting websites.They discuss the nostalgia element of vintage Star Wars collecting and the article features an interview with Tom Berges – the man behind igrewupstarwars.com.

http://4lomkuss.com/star-wars-nostalgia-on-the-rise/

Also check out our previous interview with Jake Stevens, the founder and main force behind From 4-LOM to Zuckuss.

Collector Snapshot #13 – Jake Stevens …/

Enjoy!