Tag Archives: Vintage Star Wars

Collector Snapshot #6 – Chris Bernst

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Welcome to the sixth 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.

My next victim is my friend Chris Bernst, who has being a big supporter of the blog from day one and for that I’m very grateful. Chris is 41 years old and lives in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada with his wife and their two girls but he spent most of his life in Victoria BC with a couple of three year stints in Vancouver and Toronto…He’s a bit of a jack of all trades and has worked as a cook, waiter, bartender, carpenter, horse and buggy tour guide, security guard, toy show vendor, fire investigator, and most recently a fibre-optic splicer….His newest venture includes his family as they prepare to bring life back into a vacant heritage building with a neighbourhood pub…

Chris is an avid Star Wars collector and runs two collector groups on Facebook ” Batteries not Included Collectors Group Inc.” and “Indiana Jones and Collectors Covenant”. I love the “Batteries not Included” group as it provides a meeting place for both modern and vintage collectors and the admin team encourages intelligent and respectful discussion. Bad seeds are very quickly weeded out.

Chris’ love for Star Wars came at the age of five when his older brother, who he always looked up to, introduced him to the world of Star Wars. Like most of us, he was hooked line and sinker. His parents built (bought!) his Star Wars universe….When he received a good school report card or scored a touchdown in a football game he would be rewarded (like lots of kids in the 1970s) with Star Wars figures. And he had them all…from the start It was on…..and he hasn’t stopped..

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Here we go!

1. How long have you been collecting?

I’ve been collecting Star Wars literally since they were first released. I remember my brother getting the early bird certificate when we were kids,and when I first saw his figures I needed them too….the passion never really stopped for me. I mean it tapered in my mid to late teens when I discovered rock music and that girls had boobs…I moved around a lot so I kept my stuff packed up at my grandmas from the time I was 12 until I was about 24 (it remained untouched) with the resurgence of the POTF2 line. That’s where it started again for me in 1997.

2. What do you collect?

Well I collect a lot but my main focus is vintage. There is just something about these toys that meant so much to me growing up. I have a near complete vintage Kenner collection and I’m only missing seven items; which are readily available. Perhaps something inside me is holding back on finishing the complete set because then I’d have em all. Now what? I also collect modern figures. I have almost 800 MOC figures dating back to 1997 to present. I’m also into vintage Star Wars cards, comics, mags, ect….I do collect lots of other toys but for now let’s stick to Star Wars.

VSWC: Here are a few photos of Chris’ enormous collection! 

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3. What’s your grail?

Well my grail is one that’s worthless and would end up on some Facebook group as a $2 beater. I mean I have pieces worth hundreds of dollars but my Big Head Han with his crazy glued head is my jewel. He’s been through everything with me, first day of school, doctor visits, dentist visits, funerals, hockey games, foot ball games, college –  this little guy has been through it all. He was even in my breast pocked when I married my beautiful wife. To me this figure is priceless.

4. What collectors inspire you?

Well immediately Sir Steve comes to mind. The guy is a wealth of Star Wars collectible knowledge. He literally wrote the book (s) on the subject. How can you not be inspired by that? Look at Bill McBride’s Vader collection….that’s unbelievable. There are so many collectors I meet who have these great collections, good people who are willing to help other collectors attain their goals….that in itself is inspiring.

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

I’m not sure I’ve had enough embarrassing collecting moments that warrants a best…I do remember in 1997 I was living in Victoria, BC. One of my best friends and I were making pretty fantastic bootleg copies of “The Holiday Special” to sell in the line up at the theater opening night. He did the artwork for the cover while I duped the movies…we walked up and down the two block line-up trying to flog the tapes…..there was a comic book store / directly beside the theatre I went in thinking well shit this guy will want them. I was wrong he wanted no part of it of what I was offering. He literally chased me out of the store into a sea of Star Wars fans yelling ” Star Wars Bootlegger”. My friend and I did ok though lol….Later that night on the local news there was a guy attending the later showing of the film who actually brought his TV and VCR and was playing our tape in the line-up.

6. What is your favourite Star Wars film?

No question for me….Empire…I loved the snow scenes as a kid. Growing up in northern Ontario we get a lot of snow in the winter and I could really relate to seeing my childhood heroes in the snow…that and the toys from Empire kicked ass!! I was able to recreate so many scenes from Empire..

7. What would you change about the collecting community?

I’d like to see online FB transactions documented as best as they can be(at least the bad transactions) I’d like to think that I am doing my part with my Feedback list on “Batteries Not Included.” Our goal was to make the ‘Buy, Sell and Trade’ community a safer one and with the help of two great admins, Gary Haygood and Paul Galactic Armory, we have created and maintained a very useful feedback list. The list has over 400 users (and growing daily) with positive transactions. As well as a list of bad sellers and buyers. Star Wars is big business for some collectors and I hate hearing the stories of people getting ripped off…

8. Forums or Facebook groups?

I’m pretty partial to the FB community when it comes to Star Wars. I’ve met a lot of great collectors online that I now consider friends. It’s really quite amazing how this social networking site brings us who share the same passion for these movies and toys all together. I know there is a lot of drama sometimes and I’ve been caught in the middle on occasion but there is way more good than bad in these groups.

9. What Star Wars character do you most resemble?

The older I get the more I’m looking like Obi-Wan. I think I could pull off a sweet Jedi costume.

VSWC: What do you guys think? Chris is not that old is he????

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

I’ve led an exciting and happy life. I’ve enjoyed rock climbing in the Rocky Mountains and I’ve surfed in the Pacific Ocean, worked in some extreme and exciting situations. I’ve been to over 300 concerts in so many awesome venues in North America. In my early 20s I spent three months in my 71′ VW van following Pink Floyd from venue to venue. I have multiple passions that I am fortunate to dabble in. I married my college sweetheart and I have two beautiful girls.

Well thanks Chris for joining us. It has been a treat learning more about you and your passion for this great hobby of ours really shines through. Keep doing what you are doing! 













Forum thread of the month – September 2014: Fragmentation of vintage collecting chat (via Rebelscum)

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Hi guys,

This month we’re introducing another new segment – ‘Forum thread of the month. We plan to scan the three main English speaking forums, Rebelscum, The Imperial Gunnery (TIG) and Star Wars Forum UK (SWFUK) to pick out the most interesting collector related thread for the month. It will be tough as some months are busy as hell with a multitude of fascinating threads, while some months are a bit quiet. The reasoning behind this new series is to expose vintage collecting forums to collectors who love their vintage but aren’t on the forums. For example I know there are a huge amount of people on the SW vintage Facebook groups who aren’t forum members; some consider the forums “snobby”, some find them too cumbersome to navigate, while others simply aren’t aware of their existence. While there is some truth to these views, I’m adamant the advantages far outweigh any negatives and I encourage every Star Wars vintage fan to sign up.

The thread that will kick of this series is from the forum that I consider my home – Rebelscum. This thread has actually had quite a bit exposure already on Facebook and was discussed almost exhaustively on Rebelscum so I’m not expecting this post to really generate much discussion on the blog or on our Facebook page. But the fact is that this was by far the most engaging thread of last month so I’ve chosen it to keep the spirit of this series intact.

On 9th September 2014, Chris Georgoulias  (a well known collector and major contributor to theswca.com) posted his opinion that the Facebook vintage Star Wars collector groups are driving collectors away from forum and scattering and diluting vintage discussions. I found Chris’ post extremely thought provoking and while I am a huge user of Facebook, I agreed with a lot of his sentiment. There were some really fantastic responses, both in support of and in opposition to Chris’ thesis. I’m not going to summarise these but will let you guys read them yourself at this thread:

http://forum.rebelscum.com/t1113598/

And here’s Chris’ full post. Enjoy!

I hope Chris doesn’t mind me reposting his thread…

So I didn’t want to derail the Wealthy thread, but the FB comments urged me to talk about something I’ve been dealing with for awhile. As much as people love FB groups (and creating them for so many sub-genres of collecting) I grow to despise them day by day. Yes, it’s easier to post images get instant responses, but at what cost?

13k people might be on one group, but the quality of much of the commentary is worthless. Lots of one-liner replies and people giving answers who should be in learn mode, not speak mode. How many people “View Previous Comments” before they write? And often even when you expand it’s pages of commentary that often never needed to be stated. It’s noise. Unlike forums, there’s no threading and every single post piles on top of other posts. Everything is a culmination of every day’s talk and it’s absolutely not searchable. You are doomed to repeat the same topics over and over. It’s Groundhog Day.

FB makes it too easy for people to create a little world to discuss things, but it spreads things out very thinly. And it’s so easily wiped out if the creator chooses to delete it. FB wasn’t intended to be a resource for organized thoughts, it’s a way to share your day to day musings with friends. Joke of the day? Video of the day? Post some photo of your food? Sure, nobody cares a week later. But with a collecting forum you need to be able go to back and see what’s been discussed, to be able to link to discussions and, for the love of Pete, ORGANIZE it.

When the USENET discussions migrated to Web forums like this one we lost the legacy of searching. We gained threading rather than creating separate groups so that was a plus, and certainly hyperlinks are incredibly helpful. Searching this site is difficult and Philip himself wiped out years of old discussions years back that was never archived. The SWCA forums wiped out a lot of good discussion. All of that was good info wasted and wasted info is missing history and experience. The search functions are critical for that to work and without a good way to search, it still makes it a bit difficult to find what you want. But hey, at least you CAN search a forum like this. You can’t do that with a FB group.

I just fear that FB groups will drive people away from organized forums and continue to scatter and dilute the discussions. I thought it was hard enough when SWF UK and TIG started growing, but at least they’re just 2 more searchable and threaded places to keep up with. But with so many FB groups, you can’t keep up with them all and there’s no way to have great discussions that go on for pages. It’s all based around the mobile here and now. Snap a photo, use your thumbs to scribble out a comment and move on. But what is the result?

As this continues we’ll move into an era where the chatter has to be repeated time and again on a near weekly basis. We should be using those groups to drive people to places where they can learn from experienced collectors and see the benefit of creating searchable history. Being so decentralized and “day to day” doesn’t help promote a long term bond with the hobby IMO. You need to have places where the beginner can come to learn, not be thrust into a spot where they can’t figure out how to interact or take the time to learn.

I see a lot of participation in FB groups by people who could be just as active on this forum. It’s hard not to sound like the old man who doesn’t want change, but making things faster and more accessible will come at a price.

-chris

‘F.A.C.T.S’ 2014 SCI-FI and ANIME Festival this weekend in Belgium!

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Just a quick post to spread the word about F.A.C.T.S –  a great science fiction and anime festival on this weekend from 18-19 October in Ghent, Belgium. There will be loads of Star Wars related activities and guests, headlined by Carrie Fisher, so all you Star Wars fans who live in the area should get down there. Unfortunately I can’t make it and of course I’m very disappointed! Not only do I love Carrie Fisher but I’m also a big fan of Dutch actress Carice Van Houten – one of the stars of Game of Thrones and she also seems to pop up in every second Dutch film…

Find out more about F.A.C.T.S at:

http://www.facts.be/

Ghent is also a fabulous place to visit. I’ve been there a couple of times and I always recommend it to my international visitors.

Have fun!

Guest Collector: Gary Borbidge and his huge Kenner Prototype find!

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Hi guys,

I’m very happy to have Gary Borbidge (aka ‘Greedodidntshoot’ on Rebelscum) appear on the blog to present his massive Kenner find from early 2014. Gary did actually outline this haul previously on Rebelscum but he was generous enough to update it exclusively for the Vintage Star Wars Collectors blog. A lot of our readers are not on Rebelscum so I’m sure they have not yet had the chance to read the details of Gary’s amazing score from a former Kenner employee.

I have to admit I was feeling a little bit emotional after reading Gary’s story. What a great story! This to me is what collecting is all about. Gary was obviously excited about the great pieces he had picked up but you can also feel how honoured he was to have had the chance to hang out with someone so intrinsically linked to the history of Star Wars toys. Lovely touch too that Gary’s father was a part of this epic journey.

Well enough from me, I’ll let Gary take it from here.

2014 Kenner Find by Gary Borbridge

Like most collectors, I’ve spent countless hours scrolling through vintage Star Wars auctions on eBay. From time to time you score a nice piece at a good price, or stumble upon an auction for something special that seems to go unnoticed by others. This is my story of an eBay originated buy that ultimately lead to the highlight of my collecting career. Some of you may have read my thread on RebelScum explaining this story, but if not – enjoy.

I have been collecting vintage Star Wars on and off since the late 90s and mainly supported my collecting (habit) by buying and selling and keeping a few pieces in-between to build my collection. One day in January of 2014 I was checking out some newly listed auctions on eBay and came across a few auctions for some carded figures that were in average shape.  The seller was actively listing the items, so I sent a message to the seller inquiring what other items he/she was going to have for sale. I received a response that they had a few more carded figures, some loose figures and some 12” figures. I asked if the seller could send me some pictures of the items they had not listed yet and received a response containing a few pictures. Among the items was a vinyl Star wars case that contained an assortment of loose figures. Among the figures were four Blue Snaggletooths…. What??? I thought to myself.  Two of the snags looked to be in excellent condition and the other two looked a bit rough. So I expressed interest and ultimately worked out a deal to buy the case of figures.

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Fast forward a few days to the day when the package arrived in the mail. As I’m going over the figures, I notice that six of them: two Blue Snags, two Walrusmen, a Greedo and a Hammerhead didn’t have any copyright stamps. I had no idea at the time, as I had never owned any pre-production pieces and my knowledge in that area of collecting was basically zero, but what they turned out to be were painted first shots. This was confirmed by some very knowledgeable and respected collectors on Rebelscum.

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Needless to say, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t believe it, this stuff just doesn’t happen! Then it hit me, wait….where did the guy get these? These were basically prototypes. You didn’t go out to the Kiddie City and buy these back in the day, they had to come from Kenner, from in-house Kenner. So I contacted the seller again and discovered that when he was a kid, his uncle had come to the house one Christmas with a box full of Star Wars toys. I then found out to my amazement that his uncle used to work for Kenner. The communication continued with the seller and he ultimately told me his uncle’s name and some limited information about what he was currently doing in life. Chris Georgoulias  (a well known collector and major contributor to theswca.com) confirmed the uncle to be a former Kenner worker. Chris also provided me with some early guidance from his years of experience in tracking down and approaching former Kenner employees, which was a huge help in getting me started on the next phase of this story.

With his uncle’s name and some limited info, I hit the internet and started researching. Without much trouble I located an e-mail address and telephone number for the uncle and emailed him explaining my contact with his nephew and expressing interest in his time days at Kenner. Send………The email was away….

I didn’t really know what to expect. For the most part, I honestly didn’t think I would even get a response. I checked my emails about twenty-five times hoping for a reply. Days went by and nothing. Then one afternoon, there it was – a reply. It was brief, stating that he was sorry that he had not replied sooner. His wife has been hospitalised but he was happy to tell me about Kenner and he promised to write more soon. I thanked him for taking the time to answer me and said I was looking forward to talking with him.

The following day I checked my emails and there was a whole string of emails from him containing several attachments. Pictures. I clicked on the photo attachments and they were all of vintage star wars toys that he explained he had “saved.” MOCs, ESB 3-Packs, figure cases, diecast vehicles, baggies, electronic games, loose figures…. The closer I looked, the more excited I became. I could tell there were numerous other pre-production pieces and some very cool production pieces in the lot. I couldn’t believe it!

We continued to correspond over the next few weeks, chatting about all kinds of things, including his time at “Kenners” (as he called it). During the weeks that we talked back and forth, he was mostly writing me from his wife’s hospital bedside. The recipient of a pair of new lungs, she was fighting through complication after complication. As our communications continued, he told me how much he enjoyed having someone to talk with, someone to take his mind off of the pain that his wife was going through. It felt good to be able to do that for him and I really enjoyed learning about his time working at “Kenners”. He was just out of college in 1978 and took a job with Kenner in their Product Integrity Labs; which was responsible for testing toy safety and reliability. He explained his job to me as “playing with toys to make sure there were no safety issues and to determine how reliable they would be under varying conditions.” He worked at Kenner until mid-1980 when he left to take another job.

I shared all of the toy pictures and play – by – play with my buddy, Steve Dwyer (‘the_dark_artist’ on Rebelscum), and we gushed over them for weeks. Steve’s encouragement and knowledge with identifying several of the pieces in the lot was invaluable to me and having someone to share the experience with as it was happening was really cool. At times he seemed more excited than I was!

Fast forward several weeks and his wife’s recovery was going well and she had progressed enough to come home. We had discussed me purchasing his toys on and off over the weeks that we had been talking and shortly after arriving home with his wife, we came to a deal. The next thing I knew, I was making arrangements to drive out to Ohio. When I told my dad that I was going to be driving out to buy a bunch of Star Wars toys, he offered to be my co-pilot and make the trip with me (that is after he told me I was nuts).  Having my dad with me was awesome. With my job, wife, kids and the thousand other obligations in life, I rarely get to spend one on one time with him. It was so fitting to have him along with me as he was the person that introduced me to Star Wars a long time ago in a childhood far far away… The long ride from Philadelphia to rural northern Ohio gave us a lot of time to spend together.

So on Sunday March 16, 2014 Dad and I were on our way. When we finally arrived at our destination, we were greeted at the door by a tiny woman with a brand new set of lungs. A very sweet woman who welcomed us in and asked how we liked our steak cooked. We were then directed out to a horse barn where we met the man that I had been corresponding with for weeks. We shook hands, I met the horses and we returned to the house for a delicious home cooked steak dinner, followed by a spread of Kenner goodness covering the dining room table.

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Some of the highlights of the purchase include 10 figural first shots, two die cast first shots, several carded and loose marked product integrity test samples, several engineering pilots (EPs), 40 bagged figures, three series one ESB 3-packs and 28 carded figures.

This photo is of the 10 first shots in the lot:

first shots

The items in the second picture are marked test pieces (EPs):

test samples

The final photos are of Boba Fett, a transition piece from the rocket firing mechanism to the standard Fett. I think the Fett is one of the coolest pieces in the whole find. It represents the transition of one of the most iconic pieces in the vintage Star Wars toy.

boba fett fett bCK

We spent the rest of the evening talking about “Kenners” over pints of Guinness and games of pool in his basement. It was like hanging out with an old friend. Truly Amazing!

This is a picture of my new friend and I and the toys that I purchased from him. The entire experience was unreal, a once in a collecting-lifetime thing.

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Our visit to Star Wars filming locations in Djerba, Tunisia

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Hi guys,

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:

http://vintagestarwarscollectors.com/the-lars-homestead-in-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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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 Some of this structure was also used in some deleted scenes.

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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.

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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.

Enjoy!

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Well travelled Jedi Luke and my nasty surprise!

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I recently posted some photos on our Facebook page of my trip to Tunisia with my wife. I’m always excited to visit Tunisia because it’s a great place, is always sunny, great food and I love seeing my wife’s family there. This time I was a little bit more excited than usual though as not only we were visiting some Star Wars filming locations on the beautiful island of Djerba (look out for our article about this trip in the very near future!) but I was also going to finally pick up a Luke Jedi MOC that I purchased from my good mate Ross B in Ohio, U.S last June.

This Luke was also special because it was a particularly well-travelled little fella. Instead of having Ross send it straight to me here in The Netherlands, I thought I’d skip the custom taxes and have it shipped to my wife’s sister who lives in Washington D.C. She would then bring it over and hand over the package to my wife in Paris on July. However, things started poorly straight off the bat as my wife had given me the wrong address for her sister’s residence in D.C. So Ross had to send it again after the post had returned it to him. Bad omen? Nah, what else could go wrong…

Well guess what? My wife did go to Paris to meet her but unfortunately her sister missed her flight! Long story that I won’t get into right now. So my wife missed seeing her and also missed out on picking up the plastic contraband. She did bring me a nice sweater from Paris though!

My sister-in-law, her boyfriend and Luke did manage getting to Paris the next day but my wife had left by then. She then took him to Tunisia, where she left him there for me to pick up in September.

So Luke Jedi had travelled from the U.S to Paris (via Canada and Finland), then onto Tunisia and then I would eventually take him back to The Netherlands. That’s gonna be one jet-lagged Luke!

Rewind a little bit to the moment when I had just arrived in Tunisia a couple of weeks ago, where I stormed into my in-laws house and marched upstairs to our bedroom. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on that Luke, another worthwhile addition to my Luke Skywalker focus. I knew the bubble was going to be a bit yellow (it was a Kenner ROTJ after all) but I knew the card was in decent shape. Well I was horrified when I found him! Before leaving Washington,  my wife’s sister had asked her if she could “rip the plastic off’  so that it could more easily fit into her overstuffed suitcase. Of course my wife said no and at this point my wife was thinking that her sister was talking about the box and wrapping the MOC had come in, rather than the bubble of the MOC itself. Anyway lucky for me I have a SW vintage savvy wife. Well that was that. Or so I thought! I wasn’t exactly prepared for what happened next! Look for yourselves! Something’s not right huh?

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My sister-in-law had folded the card neatly into quarters so she could squeeze it into her bag! She thought I only collected the loose figures and believed the cards were worthless. Of course I was mortified at first but at least it was not an expensive MOC and it gave me inspiration for a blog post! My sister-in-law felt pretty bad about it so I let it slide. None of us want to see an MOC ruined but I guess it could be worse…..Now just to confirm, not only is she my sister-in-law but we are also close friends so I hope the Star Wars vintage mafia doesn’t put out a contract on her. I mean it’s not like she’s a u grader…

I threw the damaged MOC into one of Christian’s and Iain’s acrylic cases (photo below) but even these fantastic cases couldn’t scrub the MOC back to standard. Oh well live and learn I guess….

luke case

Finally scored a Model Trem Luke Skywalker! But why was it so bittersweet?

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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.

http://www.theouterrealmsw.com/Model_Trem_Star_Wars.html

So here’s the Luke Trem I bought myself, now displayed proudly in my Luke focus cabinet.

trem coup

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!

trem loose

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.

trem 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.

http://vintagestarwarscollectors.com/collector-limelight-1-aaron-jones-and-luke-skywalker-farmboy/

Well good luck to Aaron in his new endeavours. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy my new Luke and try not to get lead poisoning!

Back from holiday and ready to blog!

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Hi guys,

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!

Christian

Collector Interview #4 : Wolff aka ‘Wbobafett’

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I’m pumped to present an interview with a collector who I sincerely look up to – Wolff aka ‘Wbobafett on Rebelscum, The Imperial Gunnery and Star Wars Forum UK. Wolff is one of the hobby’s leading variant collectors and when I decided to create this blog, he was one of the first people that popped into my mind as potential interviewees. The work he has undertaken on the COO guide is phenomenal, so good in fact that I voted him as one of the Scummers of the year of 2013 (the entire Rebelscum thread is here – http://forum.rebelscum.com/t1105235/). Not only is this outstanding work but he also seems to me to be very modest about it. I’m a variant collector myself so obviously I appreciate the work he has done and hopefully will continue into the distant future

If you haven’t seen Wolff’s COO guide or his amazing website, don’t wait one second longer!

COO Guide 3.0

Now to the questions!

1. Hi Wolff. Welcome to the blog and thanks for joining us. I know you’re a busy man, especially these days, so I appreciate your time. So you’re German right? Germany is one of my favourite places in the world. Where are you from exactly?

W: Yes I am from Germany. I come from “Baden-Württemberg” and was born near Stuttgart. I still live near  Stuttgart…well at least kind of 😀

 2. Is there much of a collecting community there?

W: Oh… sadly not. I guess you have much better chances of finding collecting buddies in the far north of Germany. In the far south of Germany the collectors seem to be more shy and do collect more “off the radar”. Some are on the forums but never post, most are just out there…staying unknown. I met a handful of those collectors in Stuttgart once. All of them mostly collect MOC stuff, AFA and have their loose set but no-one has what “we” call the “variant bug”…hahahaha….pity though.

 The internet is my (only) way to talk to persons with the very same interest :D. So actually only one of the “variant guys” out there  has seen my collection in person: Kenneth_B.

3. Did you get the chance to go to CE2 (Star Wars Celebration Europe 2)?

W: Yes I was at CE2. Only for one day, but it was worth it. I think because I rarely see collectors in person I was a bit too shy to talk to everyone that was there. I just couldn’t do it: Hey Gus Lopez…I am Wbobafett (Wolff) the variant “idiot” from Germany….nahh…that wasn’t really my thing, but I stood next to a lot of the famous guys and listened to them talking to other scummers….great fun though 😀

4.What do you do for work? 

I am an art restorer, mainly paintings and sculptures. I am a freelancer, so I am often on the road. I still don’t have “internet” when I am away from home…no smartphone etc. I can assure you that makes people go crazy….”How can you bid on ebay stuff, read the forums, etc. ???….well it is simple: I just miss it! All the time! LOL!

5. I’ve seen photos of the star wars dioramas that you made. They really are a sight to behold and I don’t think I’ve seen a better collection set up. Is this is a skill you’ve acquired during your professional career or did you just learn as you went along? 

W: Thanks for the kudos. 😀

I would say it is kind of both reasons. I am of course not bad with my hands, otherwise I wouldn’t have studied restoration of art. On the other hand I was never shy to try things and I love to “solve problems” (manual problems of course). I built lots of stuff as a kid and my father built great stuff for me too…always. So it’s kind of a tradition. We both have very messy hobby rooms with lots of stuff laying around that should be repaired, built or just is exploited.

VSWC: Some of Wolff’s amazing dioramas. Take a deep breath before you open these thumbnails!

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W (continued): I really hope that one day every diorama is finished like I want them to be. But it is very similar to my collection. You are always close…but never finished. My current project is building the Khetanna (Jabba’s Sailbarge) for 3 3/4″ of course. I really got this going on but then I was missing some spare time and it was laying around for …hmm…nine months or so. I am now back trying to finish this project….sometimes frustrating but mostly lots of fun and a real challenge.

6. You also seem to be a master at identifying paint discolouration, issues with plastic degradation etc on vintage figures. Where did you pick up this skill?

W: Uhmm…wow…okay….I think master is a bit too much. I do my best!

In general it is a mixture of common sense and decades of experience. I grew up in a family of collectors. I’ve been going to flea markets and  toy markets almost every weekend since I was born. I am very familiar with every kind of damage to tin toys, celluloid dolls, wind-ups toys, trains, action figures, comics etc.

I also started collecting “Kinder-Ferrero” figures when I was a kid. There were lots of high priced accessories that were nearly perfectly faked in the 90s. People started to use the UV light for those already in the 90s.

And of course it is again my profession that helps me a lot. You need to know every chemical process on colors, adhesives and other materials before you start restoring a painting. I am very good with colors on paintings therefore, but most of the theoretical and chemical reactions can be transferred on the figures’ paint as well.

8. Do you get much time for other hobbies?

Other hobbies?? I don’t have other hobbies. Well I have my own family now and I like to watch movies and television series. All my spare time I have I spend with my daughter right now….and sometimes sneak out to quickly check what’s going on in the SW-universe 😀

9. You are the one of a handful of people that really are active on the three main forums – RS, TIG and SWFUK. Do you have a favourite? 

W: Aren’t there more people active on all three forums?? If I think this through you might be right. Well there are some “issues” between TIG and SWFUK so most people choose only one of those….just a guess though.

I personally do not have a favorite and when I do have one it can change any time.

TIG is known for its variant guys and experts on loose weapons. Rebelscum just has gathered the largest wisdom on all stuff surrounding the SW vintage collecting. SWFUK is the most “honest” forum out there. You can meet nice people and friends in all three forums so why not be a member on all three….and honestly I am member on quite a few other forums… 😉

VSWC: You’re right. There are many other forums, I should have said ‘English speaking forums.’ From what I know there is a pretty popular German SW forum and also a big Spanish one, not sure about languages. I would have also mentioned Joe’s fantastic forum Trilogo.info but this is more of a niche forum. 

I’ve always been curious why there is so much discussion about variants on TIG. Is there a reason why so many variant collectors are so active on that forum? I mean why not on RS for example? 

W: The discussions on RS were pretty much “useless” when it came to variants. It mostly got out of hand and the majority of the variant hunters didn’t post anything anymore. The newly formed and published TIG was a kind of a collecting pond for frustrated variant hunters I think?

10.  I haven’t seen you around the Facebook groups though? Have you given them a try?

 W: I am not on Facebook…not even private. I quit Facebook eight years ago or so for several reasons. I have no interest at all joining it again. It might be fun but from what I am hearing it is even worse with all the hassle and stuff?!?!?

VSWC: I can’t argue about there being a lot of dramas on Facebook. Something definitely has to be done to improve the experience but I guess these groups are all quite nascent so hopefully they will improve over time. Facebook is a great way to meet other collectors though. Maybe we’ll see you back one day 🙂

11. I have a few questions about your variant collecting now. How long have you been doing it and how did you get so utterly deep into it in the first place?

W: That is a good question. I have been asked this a lot of times and the answer can’t be given exactly.

I am way too young so I actually only had one figure from the stores: Klaatu. The rest of my childhood figures came from my father who bought them at flea markets and gifted me one from time to time, you know…for washing the bicycle or dusting his collection etc.

When I was older I started to recognize variants on those. I had a Trilogo Fett and I was able to buy a vinyl cape Jawa at the flea market myself. So I was always looking for Stormtroopers and variants.

I started to collect online around 2000. I already had a big collection with about 200 figures and several ships from flea markets. First mistake: I bought repro weapons to complete my childhood collection…..just to burn them all five years later….Dooooohhhhh.

From then on I collected on ebay, always looking for variants. I browsed webshots for pictures to learn about variants. In 2008 I joined RS and from then on I really learned a lot and it took me to a much higher level.

So over all you can say:

1986-1999: Trying to build a complete set (only missing Blue Snag and Luke Stromtrooper)

2000-2008:  Buying main variants and foreign variants (GL, TT, LL)

2008-today:  Research research, research. Trying to bring light to several collecting areas: weapons, coos, Lili Ledy, PBP, Poch etc

12. So how many variants do you actually own then? 

W: Hahaha…good I just updated my Excel-file! 😀

But the answer isn’t that simple after all. Coo-research is done for me. I am trying to downsize and I am sorting out many figures, back to the roots if you will. I am trying to build a variant collection again with the bonus of what I have learned by doing the coo research. What is left is making those final Coo-sheets. Some are done…some not. So being in the middle of a change I have exactly 1003 figures plus 55 bootlegs and of course fodder box and spares. Most of them are complete. I am guessing that 250-300 figures will need to go….though. The more interesting question is what is really left??

VSWC: Wow that is amazing! You have a couple more variants than me…So can you make a guestimate about how many are left for you to find?

W:  There will be always figures I urgently need to upgrade, but really missing is only one figure at the moment. 😀 Well maybe five or six more minor ones but mainly one. What is missing mostly here is some of the rare accessories I really would like to add, i.e. my second pair of LL CCP (Cloud Car Pilot) accessories and a lot of PBP weapons. And of course I am still missing a few grail pieces bootleg wise….if I only could find that Polish Leia.

VSWC: Some of Wolff’s breathtaking collection!

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13. To your mind what is the hardest to find variant?

 W: Depends what you call a variant 😉

Coo-wise and variant wise it should be the scarred out PBP Luke Farmboy. There are lots of figures out there that are extremely rare but to be honest 99 percent are just mass produced. Some are rare but can always be found, most are just common. But as said: some you have one chance in your lifetime to get them….better be there 😉

VSWC: How many scarred out PBP Luke Farmboys are confirmed to actually be out there?  

W: Difficult question because rumours and people claiming to have one are out there from time to time! Uncracked with original PBP saber – there is only one IMO and it is mine. But there must be more in collections still in the dark. I have seen pictures of three loose ones in collections. There are many more MOC figures especially because this variant is a) very unknown and b) seemed to have appeared on several cardbacks (PBP, German and Palitoy) but thanks to TT (Toy Toni) we will never know for sure….

To make it short: I have seen three confirmed loose ones and I have seen about 10 MOCs (only two are PBP MOCs)….the figures are confirmed whereas the seals (some are “ironed”) are not….sadly

14. I know that variant prices have dropped in the last couple of years. In your opinion will this trend continue?

W: This is not completely true in my opinion. It always depends on what you are looking for.

PBP, POCH and Lili Ledy went down. Some more, some less. Common variants also went down, maybe because they are really common?? Glasslite and TopToys took a huge step upwards in the last few years. Similarly for bootlegs – Mexican and Polish went down, Uzay and Polish originals went up. It is and will always be the “taste of the month”. I can see why many people are a bit fed up with the things that went down. Many, many important people turned their back on variant collecting. Very new ones are filling these gaps. In my opinion there is a lot of information that was lost between these two generations. There are a few guides and webshots albums that are not known these days, this information is lost forever if you will. Newer collectors are confused because of that lack of information. I can see that especially with Spanish figures: the overall view and the developments made since 2008 can’t be seen…which is kind of sad.

But on the other hand I cannot see why some of the PBP figures that are clearly different have dropped that much. Seems like most collectors do not appreciate those figures that much anymore. Kind of sad, because I would have killed (nearly.. 😉 ) for some of those a few years back.

15. Thanks for that market analysis Wolff! Very informative. So now to your COO guide. When did you first start working on it?

 W: Must have been in the early part of 2008. I noticed that combining my finds with Rog’s guide was already huge and wondered what more would be out there.

16. Is the COO Guide 3.0 finished yet? 

 W: It isn’t finished yet…sadly. For me personally it is very boring to do those COO sheets. I have examined COOs for nearly a decade and I know them all. The first guide was a journey, and with the help of fellow collectors there were lots of new things that were discovered. The COO guide 3.0 is simply writing down what’s in my collection and head. But never say never…..especially Patrick (pattejan) and Alex (General Kahn) could find a few minor variants I didn’t know about. So especially ANH was great fun to finish.

VSWC: Do you think you’ll continue producing these guides? I hope so, as I’ve pretty much learnt most of what I know about COO variants from your site.

W: I am not sure if I will make further guides. With the COO guide 2.0 I just wanted too much. It should include 1) COO variants 2) side by side comparison 3) mold comparison 4) color comparisons etc. I simply gave up, especially because the templates were horrible to change if something new popped up. I can see now a few guides that are in the making I always wanted to do, and I think they are in good hands.

I always made guides for my own fun, not to manifest an investment. With my family growing and me being finished with my collection (nearly) I think I won’t start new guides in future. the younger ones are faster anyway 😀 😉

17. Do you feel that your work on the guide is appreciated in the collecting world?

W: Depends. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I get lots of positive feedback, mostly in private via PM. On RS I always missed the support from the “inner circle”. On TIG I was never asked to be in the Dev Team ….etc. I know I have my outs here and there and I won’t complain…..but I would have wished for more support from time to time. I cannot thank enough Shawn_K for the possibility he gave me. Also Joe_O and Chris_B always supported me, even though none of them has the variant bug or collect COOs. A few of the guides wouldn’t have been possible without them!

18. You are arguably one of the variant collecting masters, which I’m sure you’re too modest to admit but who are the other big variant collectors out there? 

W: Hahahaha…oh well. First of all: I am not the only variant collector out there. There are lots of great collections out there and by far better ones as well. I personally love focus collectors, they do know their stuff much better. So General_Kahn (Luke Bespin), psybertech (Leia Bespin), cocofstar (Yoda), M4K3R1 (Vader) and many more have great collections!

Some of the variant guy’s collections are known (mostly), like Kenneth_B, Mike_Skywalker and some stay unknown, but I can assure you “just wow” like Lee_M, Ilseeker (Carlos) or Javiswspain and Sergio.  I am sure there are many people out there with incredible collections…..not sure how many grails DrDengar and Walkie already have hoarded…though.

I personally think HWR (Henrik) is going the best way. He is patient….god is he patient…..he only collects true and significant variants (whatever that means)…is slowly building and never gets tired! I like this way of collecting….he takes his time….whilst all the new guys always seem to be in a rush….and you never know when someone is selling it all again looking for new goals…..Henrik will keep his collection forever I am guessing…..so will I hopefully!!

19. Before we finish I have to congratulate you on your latest hard to find variant. Do you want to tell us a bit about that?

Oooooohhhh…..you must mean my little babygirl…not that Palitoy three-legged R2 I just found….. 😀 😀 😀

Kidding aside, she is the love of my life! It is great to be a dad, and especially a girl I am guessing. I never understood other parents reporting every little step their kids do, but I do understand now….”WOHOOO….she turned around the first time!!! “..”Wohooo….finally the diapers are…..” well… guess you do not wanna hear this, but it is correct: You are happy with every little step your miracle does. It never gets boring!

VSWC: Well thanks Wolff for joining us. Has been great to pick your brain a bit and to learn more about you, your collection and your views on the hobby. 

W: It was a pleasure and an honour Christian. I have to thank you for giving me this opportunity. Thank you and thanks for reading everyone.

Collector Snapshot #4 – Richard Hutchinson aka ‘Cc4rhu’

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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:

Review: SWFUK Podcast

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.

ce2

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. 

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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

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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!

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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.