Well I’ve finally gotten around to posting about my recent trip to the remarkable Tunisian island of Djerba. What an amazing trip it was! I’ve mentioned before that my wife is Tunisian so we often travel there to see her family, soak up some rays (sadly missing in The Netherlands), swim in the warm waters of the Mediterranean (the second true love of my life) and to gorge ourselves on Tunisian cuisine. Some may remember that we’ve previously travelled to Star Wars locations in the deep south of Tunisia:
Djerba is crammed with absolutely stunning beaches, plays hosts to some fabulous architecture and houses the famous El Ghriba synagogue, the largest of its kind in Africa. But most importantly, several famous Star Wars scenes were filmed on the island. Lucky for me, my in-laws were kind enough to drive me around to each location, as they did in the south of Tunisia; but this time the drives were a little bit shorter. Well they were meant to be, if it wasn’t for the fact that we kept getting lost and had to ask for directions every two minutes! Finding streets in Djerba can be quite difficult as there aren’t always street names like we are used to. Sometimes even when there are street names, the locals don’t even use them.
In the end I didn’t get to see all of the locations, such as the Stormtrooper check point scene at Anchorhead, but I did see the ones I was most excited about.
So let’s get into it!
First off was the Mos Eisley cantina! This is how it looked in Star Wars.
In reality, the cantina is a small building that used to serve as a bakery but is now abandoned. It’s smack bang in the middle of a small town and unfortunately has become quite dilapidated. I was still pumped to see it though and just had to take a photo of Ben at the scene of the crime (yep Han shot first).
Next stop was another great location. Whose house? Say, say, say what? Ben’s house!!!!That’s right, I finally saw the legendary building that Lucas used for his exterior shot of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s house. Check out how Ben’s hermitage looked in Star Wars.
We drove there from the Ajim ferry port and I was absolutely over the moon when I saw the building appear on the horizon. While in the film it looked like a dusty and isolated outpost in the desert, it is actually a beautiful little structure, brilliant against the contrasting blues of the Mediterranean sea and the Tunisian sky.
Of course I chose to mentally block out the bricks that were stacked up outside the house, nothing was going to ruin my Star Wars experience! The structure is now used by fisherman but at least the building still seems to be in decent shape. I checked out the inside of it (did not appear in Star Wars) but not much seemed to be going on.
I previously posted this on our Facebook page but I have to post it again. A selfie of myself and my mate Ben, who was thrilled to finally be back home after all of these years.
Well the final location was the scene of Lucas’ exterior shot of Toshi Station in Anchorhead, which in reality is the temple Sidi Jemour. This is the movie shot.
The main building that is now a mosque that sits up on a hill overlooking a little inlet used by Octopus fishermen. This is how it looks today.
Some of this structure was also used in some deleted scenes.
The sunset here was absolutely stunning so I have to share some of these snaps. My wife and her parents are my guest models… I was taking pics with my smart phone and I’m also the world’s worst photographer so these photos do not do the location justice.
Anyone who is a Star Wars fan, and has the financial means, should get themselves to Djerba to check so many of these marvelous filming locations. Not only is it a great Star Wars experience but it’s a great holiday destination. Here are a couple of final photos that emphasis the beauty of the beach holiday aspect of island.
Well I’m not one to regularly post my latest acquisition but this one is very special (check out our recent article in relation to posting collections online – http://vintagestarwarscollectors.com/posting-photos-of-your-vintage-collection-showing-off-or-sharing/). I finally got my hands on a Luke Skywalker Model Trem (Brazilian bootleg) complete with the original box. I’ve been looking for one of these for more than a year so I was over the moon to get a great example at what I think was a really good price. What was also cool was that it was my good friend, Matthieu B, who let me know about the sale and if it wasn’t for him I probably would have missed the boat. This is another reason why I love the Star Wars vintage collecting community.
For those who don’t know much about these Model Trems, check out this great write-up by the undisputed bootleg king himself – Joe Y.
So here’s the Luke Trem I bought myself, now displayed proudly in my Luke focus cabinet.
The figure itself is in pretty good condition for a Trem. Let’s be honest, these Trem figures weren’t exactly made by major craftsmen – the head is very loose and pops up and down very easily and the arms have very loose joints. The figure is also very heavy as it is made from lead. I absolutely love it though and it is fast becoming my favourite loose figure. Actually it is my favourite loose figure!
I love the little box it comes in too. It’s really fragile so I’m happy that mine only has a couple of small tears at the front of the box.
So why was this score bitterweet? Well, I was stoked to finally land a Trem Luke but I was genuinely sad that it was previously part of an amazing limelight on the VSWC blog itself. Yes, that’s right – Aaron Jones is selling up his Luke Farmboy Focus. Aaron is a lovely guy and also a really modest collector so it was a joy to have him and his focus on the blog. The good news is that Aaron is not dipping out of the hobby but is still hanging around the boards and Facebook groups. He might even be back with a new focus in the future and if history is a reliable guide, it will be a focus to look out for!
Check out Aaron’s limelight on the blog. An absolute beauty to behold.
Just a quick update to say that I’m back from an overseas break (relaxing on the beach in Djerba!) and ready to blog again. I have been posting a bit on our Facebook page but haven’t updated the blog page itself since Wolff’s hugely popular interview.
I’ll be working on some articles about my visit to some Star Wars filming locations in Djerba and also slowly putting together a HUGE four person interview. Hopefully we can pull it off….
Thanks again to everyone for the continued support. It’s hard work putting this together but I’m loving every second of it!
Welcome to the fourth episode of our regular segment, where a vintage collector is given 10 short questions to answer. The same questions will be given to the next collector appearing on the segment.
Our victim this time is Richard Hutchinson, known on the forums as ‘Cc4rhu’. Richard’s second home is Star Wars Forum UK (SWFUK) and he is actually one of the hosts of their fantastic podcast. I love Richard’s role on the podcast and I for one appreciate the time that he and the rest of the crew put into recording it for our viewing pleasure. Keep it up fellas! Check it out if you get the chance. Also see our review of the SWFUK podcast here:
So a little bit about Richard, He’s 38, lives in Gateshead, UK and while he’s not getting paid millions to host the SWFUK podcast he’s working for free as an Assistant Head Teacher, mainly teaching computing and running the ‘Duke of Edinburgh Award’. Richard’s a huge Arsenal FC supporter, loves reading (mainly Tolkien and other Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels), and is into rock music (Guns n’ Roses, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden etc).
Check out the photo of Richard at Celebration Europe 2 in Essen, Germany.
So to the questions!
1. How long have you been collecting
I have been actively collecting vintage Star Wars items for a little over two years now. It took a lot to sit down the other half to say, “I want to start collecting children’s toys!” It was a lot easier than it could have been though as my family knew I was Star Wars crazy from my already impressive collection of Expanded Universe (EU) and video games.
2. What do you collect?
The EU is my main passion and most of my focus goes on novels and comics. When it comes to vintage Star Wars I am aiming to collect every playable item in good condition but loose. The packaging, fortunately, doesn’t interest me and while it is nice to see the awesome displays from some collectors, that route isn’t for me. I enjoy touching my items and easily moving them around for a different visual experience. My only limitation is space as I’m confined to my bedroom and the shelves that I have available. It has gotten to the point where if I buy a new novel I’ve been told to get rid of two! I have completed the entire loose figure run, including the double telescoping sabers and other major variants in varying conditions, own most of the ships and vehicles and hunting down the last of the playsets and 12” figures as and when they become available at the right price.
Some photos of Richard’s collection. Outstanding job for someone who has been collecting just over two years.
3. What’s your grail?
I don’t really have a grail. As a loose collector most of what I want is obtainable, also I am not interested in pre-production which makes things easier. I suppose the early bird gift certificate set which I acquired recently was my ‘grail’ for the nostalgia and importance of the piece. It’d also be nice to own a better condition DT Ben which I will one day.
Richard with his early bird set
4. What collectors inspire you?
Every collector inspires me but especially those who are active members in the hobby. I don’t care if you have one beater figure, or a collection to rival Sansweet’s, they are all lovingly put together by like-minded individuals with the sole intention of sharing their Star Wars goodness. It’s part of the reason I love co-hosting the SWFUK podcast.
5. What is your most embarrassing moment as a collector?
As a teacher I have plenty of embarrassing moments in real life so I can’t think of any with regards to Star Wars offhand. With the correct intent sometimes I may have given out some advice which may be incorrect or inaccurate but I don’t make the same mistake twice.
Actually I have just thought of one. To put this story in context it was difficult growing up in one of the northern towns of the late 70s / early 80s – think Billy Elliot. BE was a tale about a boy wanting to do something different. It didn’t matter what it was but if you didn’t follow the norm then you were often shamed or beaten. I remember being beaten and humiliated for wearing a Batman t-shirt when I was around the age of 12 by my father and told that I had to grow up. All my childhood stuff went very quickly after that.
Fast forward to 1996 and I had just read the Timothy Zhan trilogy for the first time and I wanted to read more. I found online that the next book (or so I thought) to read was Dark Empire and could not find that novel anywhere. Eventually I ordered it at a local book store and was surprised when I picked it up a week later to discover it was a comic. My girlfriend was waiting outside the store and I felt so embarrassed showing her my new comic – I’m sure she replied with a typical northern attitude along the lines of, “aren’t those for kids?” Needless to say that once that barrier was crossed things got a lot easier. Sometimes my friends from the north don’t understand why I collect. I don’t get embarrassed by it anymore but it does annoy me when most of their questions focus on price.
6. What is your favourite Star Wars film?
I like all of the Star Wars movies for different reasons. I’m going to say Empire, although I’m not fussed on Yoda, for the Hoth scene which is by far my favourite from all the movies. Jedi is a close second.
7. What would you change about the collecting community?
This is a difficult one. The most obvious aspect is repro items and the tolerance, or disinterest, from many collectors who I respect. However, I wouldn’t want to see a forum where everyone agrees which would become pretty boring very quickly. I have many gripes with regards to the following – u-grading, bashing newbies, AFA is gospel, arrogance and finally America having so many cool Star Wars events.
8. Forums or Facebook groups?
Forums, although without facebook I wouldn’t have gotten to meet so many great collectors either. For me it’s quality over quantity and the three main forums, together with about half a dozen of the facebook groups are awesome. It’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next few years
9. What Star Wars character do you most resemble?
At the end of A New Hope when the rebel troopers are all lined up from the back if you count forward four rows and then three guys to the left – that guy looks like me.
Oh yeah there he is. Or is it? I can’t tell. I give up!
10. Is there one thing that collectors may not know about you?
Many! Although I am a very open person so perhaps some may know this. Here goes….. we were so poor as kids I remember getting nothing for Christmas once, I left home at 14, I have two children, I’ve been engaged for 20 years, I enjoy working with children in pantomimes (I’ve written many scripts) and taking them hiking and camping, and finally I love the SW community and would be at Anaheim if it wasn’t for my job and the fixed holidays!
Well thanks Richard for joining us. Look forward to hearing you on the podcast and seeing around the boards.
Although the price blew a lot of people away, it didn’t really shock many comic collectors who were expecting it to sell at around this price. It was the first appearance of Superman after all and the comic was in absolutely cracking condition.
Along with SW vintage, I actually also collect Superman comics so this sale really drove home that I will never own every Superman comic ever published. Even if become a multi-millionaire I doubt I will ever consider dropping this much money on a collectible. Then again, I probably would if I had 100 million to throw around. So this really got me thinking about how much I would spend on a SW vintage collectible.
There’s always a lot of discussion on the FB groups and forums about how much we should spend on our hobby. Some argue that at the end of the day these items are just plastic toys so it’s ridiculous to spend tens of thousands on one piece, especially considering how much poverty and famine exists worldwide.
Then there are others, who claim that we shouldn’t be so shocked at the current prices in the SW market as the market is extremely competitive and we shouldn’t begrudge those willing, and financially able, to spend large amounts on collectibles. On top of the prices of those items being sold publicly for tens of thousands (i.e. eBay, forums, FB), we can also imagine that some high-end pieces are going for enormous amounts in private auctions and sales.
So where do I stand on the whole debate? Well I generally have no issue with SW vintage collectibles going for huge amounts. It’s your money and you can do whatever you like with it and on top of that, I actually think some of these items are worth what they are selling for. (check the previous article for a discussion on value – http://vintagestarwarscollectors.com/how-much-is-this-figure-worth/) I mean really, some of these pre-production items and rarer production prices are an amazing piece of SW history and there are real and tangible reasons they are commanding such large sums. But let’s not pretend for one moment that these sums are not massive and that the disposable income of the people buying them represents the average wage worldwide.
So how much would I personally spend on a SW figure? Well the most expensive figure I own is worth a bit over 1000 pounds. I have a very wide focus so I’m still knocking off the relatively cheap figures before I move onto the more rarer MOCs. My collection spending though is tiny by SW standards but I can tell you that non-collectors are always shocked to hear how much I spend, especially some of my friends and family that are struggling just to keep up with day to day expenses. Do I feel bad about it? Yep, a little bit but not really enough to stop. I’ve worked hard for what I have and I spend it in a way to make me and my family happy. But I do think I’m generous enough with others to escape any guilty feelings and I always keep my own collection spending in perspective. I also believe that I’m contributing to the community in ways other than giving away my salary. This said, not everyone is really concerned about the welfare of others outside their own sphere.
So how much would I be prepared to spend on a collectible in the future? Well I think once I move onto the more rarer production items and pre-production pieces I’d probably be ready to spend in the early tens if my finances (and wife!) allowed it. Trust me, there were times in the past where I was struggling to afford groceries and rent so I would do this with the knowledge that I’m extremely blessed to be in a position to be able to spend my income the way I do.
So what do you guys think? Should we be spending so much on SW figures or should we be distributing our money to the poor? How much money would you spend on one collectible?
Okay the question in the title is not a hypothetical one that I’m going to be able to answer in this post. I sincerely don’t know the answer and am curious what others think.
I often see collectors posting their SW vintage items on the forums and on Facebook and personally I can’t get enough. I love seeing what people have and I’m a huge fans of limelighting our collections and getting involved in the collectible of the week and recent acquisitions posts. The thing is, sometimes I feel that some collectors are showing off a bit – mine is bigger than yours kind of sentiment. But I often also sense they are simply sharing their passion with us and are modest about what they own. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your collection, I’m damn proud of mine. Then again, I don’t think this makes me a better collector than those who have smaller collections. There is always the risk of excessive-pride.
I can’t really define exactly what makes someone a show-off but I have some examples of behaviour that puts me off a bit. I recently met a contractor here at work who I found out is a SW collector. It was the first time I’d ever met a collector other than through the usual SW channels so I was pretty excited. The first thing I said I said to him was “That’s great that you collect, I do as well.” He instantly ran though everything he owned and how much it was worth. I asked him a couple of questions and mentioned again that I collected vintage. Not once during the whole chat, well monologue, did he bother to ask me what I collect. When he left the room, one of my work colleagues said “That was hilarious listening to you Star Wars collectors showing off about your collections, I always imagined that’s how that type of conversation would go.” But the funny thing was that I did not once talk about my collection! Anyway the collector is a pretty nice guy and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt but unfortunately I think this one-way boasting reflects poorly on other collectors.
Similar examples to the above involve collectors bombarding me with photos (unsolicited) of their collection without even asking what I collect. This has happened many times to me, especially since starting the blog, and most seem to assume that I don’t have a collection worth talking about. There are many though, who generously share photos with me but are also always asking about how my own collection is going; so I feel it’s a mutual appreciation of our collecting. You guys know who you are! The last couple of paragraphs are not indicative of me having a huge gripe with this issue, I just thought some personal examples would highlight what I’m trying to wrap my little brain around.
So does anyone know what the difference is between showing off and sharing? I sense a disparity but I can’t quite articulate what it is. Is it the attitude of the collector? What the hell is it? Are they mutually exclusive or do they cross over to an extent? Or am I just thinking too much?
Do I sound confused? Well that’s because I am. I’d love someone to clear this up for me!
Just a super quick post to congratulate Gus Lopez and his crew on The Star Wars Collectors Archives on reaching 20 years.
http://theswca.com/
This site was the first ever to feature Star Wars vintage toys and has been without doubt the most significant influence on our hobby since.
I’ve often referred to the ‘veteran’ collectors and how they have shaped the way our hobby has evolved. Well a lot of these collectors have and continue to play a huge role at Theswca. Just think that without these guys it is doubtful we would have known about all of those wonderful pre-production pieces that we all now take for granted and that many collectors unfortunately feel so entitled to. Not to mention all of the other SW collectibles that they have unearthed in the past and continue to document and archive for the benefit of all collectors.
Thank you Gus and thank you to anyone else who has contributed to this marvelous time capsule of vintage collecting.
I’m very happy to finally present Corey Galal and his fantastic acrylic on canvas SW vintage focussed art. A lot of you may have already seen his art, which has really been picking up momentum in the vintage collector circle. Not only does his art depict vintage figures but he is actually a vintage SW collector himself, once again highlighting what a diverse bunch we really are.
Before we showcase Corey’s artistic abilities, let’s learn a bit about the artist himself. Like most of us, he was a child of the early-mid 1970s and he somehow managed to catch Star Wars in the theatre nine times (dragging his poor grandma there every time he got to see her, which of course included a post-film trip to ToysRUS for some figure shopping!).
Corey is originally from the San Francisco Bay Area but currently lives in Los Angeles. A typical 24 hours for him involves working as a HVAC Engineer during the day (fixing air conditioners), getting home to take care of the wife’s to do list, then setting himself to paint his wonderful canvases. He has always drawn but he credits his wife for pushing him to get back into it, which he did when he started painting landscapes and other scenes. However it wasn’t until he painted a cartoon style Boba Fett and Darth Vader that his vintage art really took off as fellow vintage collectors contacted him with painting requests.
One of Corey’s first customers was Matthieu Barthelemy, a very good friend of the blog, who requested what was to become one of Corey’s favorite paintings – ‘The Bounty Hunters’. Since last January, Corey has completed more than 30 paintings, with most of these being commissions. With that kind of output it’s easy to forget that this is not a full time job for Corey.
Check out the fantastic ‘Bounty Hunters’ painting below. Matthieu is a very lucky man…
Below isa selection of some of Corey’s art but check out his Facebook page if you’d like to see more:
As for Corey’s SW vintage collecting habits, he collects whatever comes to him in the wild but occasionally buys from Facebook groups or eBay. He doesn’t really have a focus but he started collecting a couple years ago again and it did all start with a Stormie.
You can request Corey to paint a scene from the films or a specific vintage figure cartoon style. From what I hear, he will keep you updated throughout the entire creative process and is happy for the endeavour to be as interactive as you like. Each painting takes about 10 to 16 hours but with him working a “real job”, it can sometimes take about a week or more. So I wholeheartedly suggest that you message him if you’d like him to whip something up for you.
Welcome to the third installment of our regular segment, where a vintage collector is given 10 short questions to answer. The same questions will be given to the next collector appearing on the segment.
Next up, is my Belgian friend Dennis Vleugels, known on the forums by his real name but also by his screen name ‘Stargeezer’. Anyone on the forums know Dennis to be an extremely modest, friendly and helpful collector. He was actually a bit embarassed when I invited him on the blog but to my mind, he is the kind of collector who merits some positive attention. He is always one of the first to help out a newbie and has been very active in efforts to resolve various scams (i.e. Debergate).
Dennis is 32 years old, works in IT (MBR Editor) for a pharmaceutical company and is very happily married to his wife who sadly does not really understand his passion for collecting. They have a two year old son, a second baby on the way (expected mid-September) and live in a house they built themselves in Rijkevorsel, Belgium.
Funnily enough, when Dennis was a kid, he actually missed out on the Star Wars toy phenomenon and grew up playing with He-Man, Gi Joes and other toy lines. He was though a fan of the films and does remember seeing SW toys in comics but unfortunately they had already disappeared from the stores by the time he was into them.
Before we get to the questions, has everyone heard of the new phenomenon, Ross’n, sweeping the SW Facebook groups?
1. How long have you been collecting?
Around 13 years ago, I don’t remember how or why, I went online looking for those old Star Wars figures from my memories and so the journey began, that day I bought my first loose figures which is where my collection began…
2. What do you collect?
I started off collecting loose figures (I used the figure list on Rebelscum for reference) and slowly I built up a complete loose collection with all the major variants listed on Rebelscum (minus the DT figures off course). I then moved onto the more expensive variants, before finally selling off some of my loose collection to fund my newly acquired MOC habit. These days I have downsized my MOC collection to 12 backs but I also collect other various items, such as Belgian movie posters.
VSWC: Dennis’ previous limelight is here: http://forum.rebelscum.com/t1072671/ (you can see his crowded display case where he displayed both loose figures and MOCs). Also check out the photos below, the first is of Dennis’ current collection of 12 backs and the others are of his past collection.
3. What’s your grail?
My grail hasn’t really changed over the years but I don’t think I will ever be able to get hold of it. It is the 1979 Sears Canada 12-Pack Set which can be seen here: http://web.ncf.ca/cn333/swfigs.htm and if i ever can get it, I hope I can also get the 1979 Sears Canada 9-Pack Set. The cool thing about these sets is that all 21 figures came carded on Canadian 20-back cards – including Boba Fett.
4. What collectors inspire you?
I have seen many collections over the years and there are too many people to mention. I like focus collectors, but also people who collect foreign runs. Then some have amazing loose collections whilst other have amazing carded collections. If you collect loose, carded, coins, foreign items, prototypes, proof cards, bootlegs, crew items, oddball stuff, have a focus on a certain figure or just a mixed collections with something of everything, it doesn’t really matter, just by limelighting your stuff, you are already inspiring me.
5. What is your most embarrassing moment as a collector?
I cannot recall having an embarrassing moment in the hobby, I might have asked dumb questions when I was new, but that’s something many of us go through, so that’s not so embarrassing. I have always tried to be straightforward in the hobby, I’ve never ripped someone off or lied, rather I’ve helped others where possible and just enjoyed the hobby we share.
6. What is your favourite Star Wars film?
Empire Strikes Back, followed closely by A New Hope.
7. What would you change about the collecting community?
I would like collectors to take more time to research the SW collectibles they plan to buy.
8. Forums or Facebook groups?
I grew to love both now, I used to be a forums only guy, but Facebook has much more traffic and there are some great collecting groups on there (of course many bad ones as well, but if there is too much drama in a group I just unsubscribe from it). However I do consider the forums my information database for collectibles.
9. What Star Wars character do you most resemble?
According to Richard, who runs “the Detention centre” on SWFUK, I have a Star Wars likeness match with Ki-Adi-Mundi???
VSWC: Okay I had to google this guy. Ummmmmmmmmm.
10. Is there one thing that collectors may not know about you?
Another hobby which I really enjoy is Kobudo, an Japanese martial art which is basically the armed variation of Karate. We practice with many different weapons like the Bo, Tonfas, Kamass, Sais, etc…
Well thanks Dennis for coming on the blog and it was a pleasure to learn a bit more about you. See you around the groups and forums!
Here it is guys. I haven’t been able to sit still since Steve and Skye agreed to be interviewed as I’m a huge fan of their podcast – The Star Wars Collectors Archive Podcast (aka The Chive Cast).
If you’ve never listened to the podcast, you can download it on iTunes or from the website itself at:
http://theswca.com/podcast/
If you like what you see (and what you hear!) you might also like to sign up to their great Facebook page:
The CHIVE Cast was actually the first podcast I ever listened to and thank god I did because I now know so much more about hobby than I did before I was a loyal listener. Not only that but it’s great to hear some of the stories about collecting in the early days and to learn more about some of the collectors that have done so much for vintage collecting.
Here’s a pic of Skye and Steve (left to right):
Let’s see what the duo have to say:
Hi Steve and Skye, firstly thanks so much for agreeing to this interview. I’m stoked to have you both on the blog because, as you know, I’m a huge fan of the show you put together every month and until recently it was the only podcast of its kind. I’ve mentioned to you before that I actually once listened to the show for seven hours straight after my train was delayed (the train in front of us hit a car and then our train actually hit a pony – which the train driver kindly translated into English as a ‘little horse’) on my way back to The Hague from Brussels. Although you guys saved my sanity that night, I also had the misfortune of having the ‘market watch’ drop stuck in my head for a week.
One great thing about the podcast is that it is FREE and you guys really do it out of a great love for the hobby.
So to the interview.
1. My first and undoubtedly most important question is for Steve – what does the ‘B’ in Stephen B Danley stand for?
SD – I’m not sure how rampant the speculation is out there, but I share my middle name with my grandfather, Johann Bragi Freymodsson (pronounced B-rye-ee), who was a full-blood Icelander with an aptitude for eloquent speeches. It turns out that Bragi was the god of poetry in Norse mythology, so the name is much more fitting for my grandpa, (and my co-host with his Skye-kus, for that matter) than myself, but I’m honored to have it.
2. Before I ask you guys about the show, I’d like to learn a little bit about you both. I know that you Steve are currently living in Los Angeles and that Skye you are in New York, but where did you guys actually grow up?
SD – I grew up in the southern California suburb of Goleta, where I lived all the way through my undergrad years at UC Santa Barbara, which is actually where Skye and I met when he was working on his PhD. Luckily it’s only about 100 miles away from L.A. so I try to make my way there as often as I can.
SP – I grew up in the suburb of Boston known as Belmont. It was voted the most boring town in Massachusetts by the Boston Globe, but I enjoyed it.
3. What was it like growing up in those areas?
SD – Goleta was and still is a very mellow town and a great place to be a kid. My childhood home was up the street from our elementary school and most of my friends were within a couple blocks, though none were nearly as interested in Star Wars as my younger brother and I. We were okay with it, as it meant we had toys that none of the other kids did!
SP – It was a fairly idyllic and typical rich suburb. My parents were strange enough and my family is eccentric enough that I always kind of felt like an outsider, but looking back, I just realize that we were just a bit strange.
VSWC: So Skye did you and Steve actually meet at university or was it through the Star Wars connection?
SP – A bit of both. Steve used to post under a fake name for some reason and he hardly ever posted. I saw that he was in Santa Barbara, but didn’t think much of it. Then Broc, who I knew fairly well through the hobby, told me about this Steve guy who really was awesome. I emailed him, but then I got freaked out that he was an undergrad and I was a graduate student. I don’t really know why, but it seemed like we couldn’t be friends. I finally got over it and he came over one day and we talked about baseball for about 2 hours and a friendship was born.
VSWC: Another pic of the duo, this time with Steve’s good looking dog Digby, who you may often hear in the background of their podcasts.
4. Steve up until recently you worked for at a script archive, where you had access to original Star Wars film scripts. I can’t imagine how cool this would be for a massive Star Wars fan like yourself. You’ve mentioned on the podcast that there were some big differences between the original script and what actually made it onto the screen. Can you give our readers some examples?
SD – While completing my masters, I was an archival studies graduate fellow at the Writers Guild Foundation Library & Archive in Los Angeles, which is the only screenwriting-focused library in the world and an awesome place to work as a fan of any film or television series. They’ve got an incredible collection of scripts (including several representing the Original Trilogy),but by far my favorite item is the one and only publicly available copy of Lawrence Kasdan’s revised draft for The Empire Strikes Back. He brought in his hand-written original to be copied for the archive and it is full of fascinating gems for avid fans. At that point in the script’s development, the basic story of Empire was all there, but a good portion of the dialogue was quite different. One of the best things I stumbled upon was a handwritten list of different insult combinations for Han to call Chewbacca. Who knew that “giant overcoat” and “overgrown fur tree” would lead to the classic “Laugh it up, fuzz ball!”? “Flipping the Script” is always a fun bit to come up with for the podcast.
5. That’s fantastic! I’d love to get more hands onto those scripts. Where are you working these days?
SD – I’m currently a cataloger at the Academy Film Archive, particularly focused with tracking incoming acquisitions and describing collections as they are physically processed by our archivists. It involves a lot of research and problem-solving when trying to identify obscure titles and individuals, or putting together the pieces of a complicated group of elements (be they on film, videotape, or digital files). It’s a fun job in the sense that I’m exposed to so many different films and filmmakers that I would never have come across otherwise. I’ll admit that the first thing I searched our database for was the Academy’s holdings of Star Wars film prints, and I was thrilled to discover that we have a few from back in the day
VSWC: What a great job you have! When I told my wife, a massive film buff, about your line of work, she literally said “He must be so happy to wake up every morning and go to work!” Is that how you feel?
SD –I’m extremely grateful to have a job in a field where there just aren’t that many. It took some persistence and patience, but eventually things worked out in the best way possible. It’s guaranteed that I’ll come across or learn something new every day when I come in, and that’s the best thing anyone could ask for when it comes to work (especially a movie nerd like myself).
6. And Skye you are a professor of French? What’s that like? How did you get into that?
SP – Its great, though there is a lot of difficulty convincing Americans that there is any utility in speaking another language. Somehow speaking to hundreds of millions of people is seen as less valuable a skill than taking Sociology.
7. What are your favourite cities in France and what do you like about France? I’m actually half-french myself – out of Marseille. Have you ever been down there?
SP – I actually used to live in Marseille. You can go on Rue Sainte and see my old apartment with my misspelled name still on the door “Paime.” I lived there before the light times…before the TGV and I hardly recognized the place when I went back a few years ago. Everything was too nice.
Still, it is my favorite city in France. I actually really committed to learning French after hearing the Marseillais rap group IAM and their Star Wars song. That led me to do an honors thesis on them, which in turn made me choose Marseille as a city to live in when I got a Fullbright to teach in France.
I teach the “Allez l’OM” chant to all of my beginner French students. Advanced students will learn some of the other chants that are directed at Paris.
VSWC: Wow that’s cool Skye! I used to live about five minutes from Rue Sainte and my family (well my French side at least) are still there. It’s pretty rare to hear of anyone visiting down there let alone living there. Tourists usually just pass the area on their way to the Cote d’Azur…. It is a lot cleaner these days but unfortunately it still has a long way to go before it sorts out its crime problem. IAM is awesome too and don’t start me on l’OM (the local football team)!
Readers this is the IAM SW song that Skye mentions:
8. So back to you Steve, I’m not sure if I found any non-Star Wars-related links for you on the internet. I did though find a basketballer, a doctor, a blogger, an author and a driver in a hit and run accident that were all named Stephen Danley. Are any of these you?
SD – Ha, while I would love to wear many of those hats (and do to the extent that I’ve got a semi-decent jumper and still blog for the Writers Guild Foundation from time to time), I don’t think I have much of an internet footprint outside of Star Wars collecting.
9. So what inspired you both to first collect vintage?
SD – I have an older half-brother born in 1975 who passed down a number of his old vintage toys to me at a very young age. As a preschooler in the late 80s, I was obsessed with Return of the Jedi and had but one glorious chance to open my own Star Wars figures from the clearance bin of the toy store, which were all obscure ROTJ and POTF characters. My interest in collecting came about when I was nine, having discovered that figures, vehicles, and playsets I had never seen or knew existed were still available at comic shops in the mid 90s. My younger brother and I decided that we had to have them all, and every single cent we could save would go to completing our loose set together. Though there were brief periods of hiatus, my collecting has continued ever since.
SP – I latched on to Chewie as a character when the new toys came out and decided to focus just collecting him back in the mid-1990s. The vintage thing came about when I realized that you could buy the old toys on the internet about a decade later. My goal was to get one Chewie card on each movie cardback. And now 10 years later my goal has expanded quite a bit.
10. Have you guys ever collected anything else?
SD – Contrary to my podcast persona as a “Vintage Purist,” I also fully collected the modern line all the way from the Galoob Micro Machines to the later Episode III figures, but realized that vintage was what really meant something to me. I had reached a saturation point (particularly with the prequels, which I truly hate only in execution, not concept), and unloaded all of my modern collection in 2007 to focus solely on vintage. I’ve never looked back and couldn’t be happier!
SP – I collected: baseball cards, with a Carlton Fisk focus and then a Pete Rose focus when I was a kid; pez dispensers, comic books, Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin bootleg tapes as a teenager; modern Simpsons and Star Wars toys as a young adult. Oh, and I guess I collect my movie and concert stubs. I really needed a focus! That is why when Star Wars toys came back initially I knew that I needed to just pick one. I felt like a sidekick in life and so…Chewie.
11. What are your both into other than Star Wars?
SD – For those listeners who make it to the end of our podcasts… though I’m flat out terrible at fantasy baseball, I am a life-long Dodgers fan and try to make it to as many games every year as possible. Aside from Star Wars, “Dem Bums” are the only other interest that I can say I’ve had for as long as I can remember. I also quite enjoy hiking and backpacking, movies of all kinds, and beer.
VSWC: Okay as a non-American and non-baseball fan I just had to google ‘Dem Bums.’ The Dodgers!
SP – Pretty into movies, music (playing and studying), language, Batman, Formula 1, Baseball, podcasts and eating good food.
12. Skye it has been said that vintage Star Wars collecting may die out once the 1970s generation passes on. What do you think about this? Is there a sustainable future in Star Wars collecting?
SP – When Lucas sold Star Wars, I think that it made it quite sustainable. As I said at the time, it took a Wizard of Oz property and transformed it into a Batman property. As long as there is a powerful avaricious and publically-traded company who will profit off quality Star Wars movies, there will be a Star Wars market.
13. Steve you are a bit younger than the average vintage Star Wars collector aren’t you? Do you think younger collectors will join us once the Disney films come out?
SD – Having been born in 1985, I’d definitely say I’m part of an odd generation in terms of vintage collecting. Though there certainly weren’t many other kids my age into the figures (or the movies) growing up, I soon discovered that I wasn’t the only “collector” of my age when I first found the Rebelscum forums and SWCA. In fact, there are quite a few that have been actively participating in the vintage community far longer than I have. In terms of Disney’s continuation of the franchise, I could totally see it inspiring a new breed of up-and-coming vintage collectors joining the fold. Star Wars is alive and well, which bodes well for continued appreciation of the vintage toys. They’re really where it all started!
14. Skye you focus on collecting Chewbacca (my wife’s favourite character by the way) and Steve I know you are the B-Wing ‘King’. What is the current state of your collections?
SD – I would describe my collection as being “stable, not quite stagnant” (in other words, I haven’t been adding much for the last few years). It was only a few summers ago that I was able to really put some effort into getting things displayed, so I’ve been trying to enjoy that as much as I can. That said, I’ve recently been able to pick up some really fun and meaningful pieces (some of which I hope to share in the coming months).
VSWC: Check out the photos below of Steve’s B-Wing focus and also his childhood B-Wing Pilot and matching POTF coin.
SP –Having just finished up my divorce, I now know my financial state and I’m “back in the market” for more Chewbacca after an unofficial two-year hiatus. Strangely, the market itself has gone up so much that I have a hard time understanding the prices. My mind is slowly acclimating to the new economic reality of collecting vintage.
VSWC: Check out Skye’s awesome’s focus at his website:http://chewseum.com/vintage/index.htm
15. Why did you guys choose these particular figures to focus on?
SD – The B-Wing Pilot happened to serve a very important purpose in my childhood – he was my Luke in pilot gear. Thanks to his inability to sell during the line’s heyday, I actually ended up with several of them and thus they also served as Luke’s Rebel buddies. When it came to deciding on a figure to focus on as a collector, it was a matter of good timing. Focus collecting was beginning to flourish, yet there were still opportunities to acquire some key items before the prototype and preproduction market really went crazy. In that sense, having an affinity for a pretty boring figure from the end of the line has really paid off.
SP – Like I said above, in 1995 the new figures came out and I bought everything. I was so avid for SW toys that I also bought all of the Bend-Ems because I would have purchased anything.
I basically spent most of my young adult life sitting shotgun in my brother’s car and that is why I went with Chewie. He certainly was not my favorite character as a kid. That honor belongs to Boba Fett, Salacious Crumb and the Gammorean Guard.
16. As you’ve just touched on, the B-Wing Pilot is often referred to as an ‘unloved’ figure. How much truth is there to this? If so, why do you think this is the case?
SD – For collectors, nameless human characters—especially good guys—with little flare or significance to the movies offer little to be all that excited about as action figures, so I would say that the B-Wing Pilot is certainly ‘unloved’ to that extent (I don’t think they did anything but stand around in the background). The figure itself is also pretty pedestrian compared to a Biker Scout or any of Jabba’s cronies. However, such figures give a lot of room for creativity when you’re a kid. They can be anybody and do just about anything, and little did I know, the B-Wing Pilot even had his own ship!
17. Steve do you know of any other collectors out there with a B-Wing Pilot focus?
SD – I know a few others on the forums whom I’d love to meet someday. Though there’s only so much one can say about the figure, I’m sure the conversation would take on a life of its own after a few pints.
18. Skye is it true that you actually look like Chewbacca? I’ve heard that you become what you collect. I do look a little bit like my focus – Luke Skywalker, although some say I resemble Leia more.
SP – I used to! I have cut my hair and stopped growing my beard. It turns out that your beard turns white around 35 years old, which is lame. 200 years later and not a touch of grey in old Chewie. Yet, Itchy is totally grey. Wonder when that happens. Maybe Episode 7 will help.
19. Steve in what ways do you guys interact with others in the collecting community?
SD – Though I’m not on them nearly as much as I used to be, I still pop in to the Rebelscum forums from time to time. I also follow a number of vintage-focused Facebook groups. In addition to working on the podcast, I’ve been organizing get-togethers for the California Vintage Star Wars Collectors Club (CAVSWCC – cavswcc.blogspot.com) for a few years now.
VSWC: Steve can you tell us more about the collectors club? What does an average meeting consist of?
SD – The club was started by Skye back in 2008 as a way for vintage collectors from all over California to keep in touch and get together a few times a year. The “meetings” are usually nothing more than informal hangouts hosted by one of the members which involve some good food, beer, a little “swap meet” and general hobby talk. While most get-togethers are small, we’ve been able to get a sizeable group up to Petaluma to tour Rancho Obi-Wan, which was an absolute blast and a trip I’d like to organize again in the future. We don’t get together nearly as often as I would like, but I’m hoping to keep it going for as long as people are interested.
VSWC: Really sounds like fun. We’re thinking of starting up a Benelux one soon. I might need to get some pointers off you later. So is anyone welcome to join? How do they find out about meeting dates and location?
SD – Absolutely. Send me an email at cavswcc@gmail.com to be added to the group’s mailing list, which is the primary source of meeting planning information (including dates and locations).
20. So finally to the podcast itself. Skye how long have you guys been doing it?
SP – Four years, we turn five next February.
21. What made you want to start it up?
SP – I just listen to podcasts all day every day. I realized that I would want to listen to a vintage themed podcast and so I figured that I would start one. Serendipitous geography brought Steve to the show and the ‘Chive Cast’ was born.
22. Steve can you give us a brief summary of what you guys do on the podcast? How do you prepare for it?
I tend to start compiling notes for the show a few weeks before we’re likely to record and send those to Skye for him to review and add his own. I do my best to jot down news items as they come up, though oftentimes it involves a bit of backtracking. Meanwhile, our trusty Market Watch correspondents (Brisbane Mike and Fratastic Pete) dutifully accumulate information for that segment and send us their findings, which can only be deservingly appreciated by visiting their fantastic website (chivecastmarketwatch.wordpress.com). One of us will reach out to a guest, sometimes not until a few hours before recording time depending on the topic and their availability. Skye usually sends me the final rough outline a few minutes before we connect on Skype and we typically get right into it from there. This has a lot to do with the (hopefully) informal and conversational feeling of the show, as we’re literally having a series of exchanges that we would have regardless of whether the microphones were on. Our sessions usually run about two to three hours depending on the episode. Following a good night’s sleep, I’ll gather images for the enhanced podcast (which Skye always adds to with hilarious effect) and send them along to him as he begins the editing process, which is far more laborious than the pre-production work and something that Skye can better attest to. From there, I become a listener just like everyone else.
VSWC: Well it definitely does come across as quite informal and doesn’t sound scripted at all. There’s no way anyone can script some of the things Skye comes out with! It sounds like tough work. How do you both find the time?
SD – The podcast undeniably involves the most time of any aspect of the hobby for me, but it forces me to remain connected on a regular basis. I would love to do a weekly show that was shorter or more focused, but it’s incredibly tough to find a night for all of the pieces to align and that the insanity of daily life can allow.
SP –I don’t really know the answer to that. Basically about two days a week I block out serious time to edit the show in my free time. I consider it “hobby time.”
23. So what are your favourite segments?
SD – “Nugget from the Archive” and “Unloved Item” are the Yin and Yang of vintage Star Wars collectibles for me, and are always my favorite segments to research. They represent the best of both ends of the collecting spectrum. I love talking about things like acetate figure sculpts just as much as I do about Darth Vader pop-up combs.
SP – Probably the Nugget. That was the other origin of the show. Before I started the podcast I would post “Nuggets from the Archive” on Rebelscum but very few people responded. So, the show is continuing that spirit. There is SO much to learn from that site.
24. Skye I’ve heard you try the Australian accent a few times on the show. It sounds to me like a cross between a constipated Steve Irwin and a mentally challenged Oliver Twist. Have you actually ever met an Australian?
SP – Sure I have. Lets see, there is Mark Salotti. And….uh…that is it. To be fair, I love Nick Cave, Jim Jeffries and Wolf Creek.
25. Ha well that’s not bad! So what do think will happen now that the SWFUK podcast is well and truly off the ground? Up until now you guys have been the only podcast that strictly focusses on vintage Star Wars. Do you welcome the competition?
SP – I got unreasonably angry with their initial attack on us on their forum, but I have cooled off since then. I definitely welcome the competition. I have listened to their shows and I like them. I particularly like Grant’s oddball section because that delivers the kind of minutiae that they accuse us of not delivering.
VSWC: Readers if you don’t know what the SWFUK podcast is, please check our review here.
26. So how long do you guys think you can continue the podcast? Are there are a finite amount of interesting topics to chat about?
SP – No, there is not a finite amount of topics to chat about. I think that we can go on indefinitely.
SD – The “figure of the month” formula has been working for some time, and will likely serve as the backbone of the show for as many figures as there are (for me personally, the more obscure the figure the better!), but there is so much more to highlight beyond the Kenner toy line. We try and infuse as much of those niche areas as we can, and I’m sure this will increase as we continue to check figures off from the podcast’s “cardback.”
27. Steve how is it working with Skye? He seems have unstoppable energy and says exactly what is on his mind, sometimes going off on some pretty wild tangents. You on the other hand seem to be quite measured in what you say and Skye openly admits that you keep him in check. Do you intentionally play this ‘straight man’ role or is this how it is evolved naturally between you two?
SD – Skye keeps me on my toes, that’s for sure. As for keeping him in check, I’m not sure that’s completely possible! I never quite know what direction a discussion will take, and it shows by how much I end up laughing throughout the podcast. I would say I naturally fell into the “straight man” role, and it seemed to really solidify after we were recording for a few years. Skye used to refer to me as “Silent But Danley,” and while that will always stick to a certain extent, I’ve tried to become more vocal as time has passed.
28. Skye one thing I love about your presenting style is your honesty and transparency, particularly in regards to your personal life. I feel that we really get to know you. How are things going for you now?
SP – Things are going better. Divorce is terrible and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, but it often is for the best. I think that is the case here.
29. Okay Steve I have one final question for you. Skye often mentions that you are a bachelor. Is this true? I’m sure our female readers are keen to know if the dashing and daring Steve Danley is on the market.
SD – When Skye and I first started the podcast I was indeed a bachelor, but I have been in a solid relationship with my wonderful (and patient) girlfriend for two years. It’s really funny, as it was actually mentioning the podcast that broke the news to her that I was not only a Star Wars fan, but a collector as well. She’s incredibly supportive and has even made a brief “appearance” on the show! I couldn’t be a luckier guy.
30. Skye, your last question. I did some internet stalking of you and I found that you are highly rated by your students on rateyourprofessor.com. The most common compliment was that you made your classes interesting and funny and being a regular listener of your podcast I wholeheartedly agree. What is most interesting though is that you received a ‘chilli’ for ‘hotness.’ Do you consider yourself a bit of hottie?
SP – Well, if you read the actual comments about my hotness, you will see that it was a particularly amorous male student who vocalized his wish for me to have a “gay clone.” I definitely do well with men. Unfortunately, I have never been attracted to one. All I can say is that everyone should always click “hot” no matter what they think of their teacher’s physical attractiveness. It is a hard job and we all like to imagine that we are Indiana Jones.
Well thanks so much for the time and thanks for continuing to entertain and educate us all with the podcast. Drop me a line if you are ever in The Netherlands and want to catch up for a beer. Before I sign off, I’ve got to post another pic of Digby. This time with an ESB frisbee! So California of him….
