This Week In Your Plastic Crack, Action Figures and Toy Collection 26 26

[STORMSHADOW_80]

4 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

This is a steal at this price.  This is my second copy of this.  

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/65211

I am not in business with BBTS I am not profiting off this and I receive no compensation for the link.  However they are selling the Star Wars Black Series AT-ST for $25.  They are $57.99 up here in Walmart and have traditionally been a Walmart exclusive.  This is not like the one that was released with the original line that was much smaller and only fit one figure.  This is in scale with the larger AT-AT that came out and fits two figures side by side.   I would grab one for $25 and add it to your pile of loot if you have an account with them or ship it now for $4.   

 

Thanks Buzz!! I grabbed one ?

[Jimbo749]

Pick from last week, finally found one at retail price. Not as hard to find as the original NES Classic, but not easy to find as most store only get 1 or 2 units a week.

 

[STORMSHADOW_80]

14 hours ago, MadripoorNights said:

I like it more because you opened them.  I much prefer to have them on display than locked in the package.  DP looks cool.

Thanks! The set is a blast! For me almost all my figures are out of the packages, although i do save a lot of the boxes in case i ever need to get rid of them.

[Yorick]

On 2/9/2018 at 7:42 AM, Jimbo749 said:

Pick from last week, finally found one at retail price. Not as hard to find as the original NES Classic, but not easy to find as most store only get 1 or 2 units a week.

 

Rad puzzle!

[Jimbo749]

5 hours ago, Yorick said:

Rad puzzle!

It is a cool puzzle. I normally hate doing them because I don't have the patience, but the subject matter makes it easier!

[comicwiz]

On 06/02/2018 at 6:56 PM, Shadow Images said:

Just buy Acrylic case for them and learn to tell fakes from originals. Shipping graded is something I won't ever do again.

That's a UKG - haven't seen many breached blister examples from them. Sorry to see that happen, although inherently faulty tamper evident case design with zero blister protection to offset undue shift/mishandling during transit is a concern with every toy grader. I'm convinced the "blister protector" some will offer for an additional cost does nothing to prevent breaches.

In addition to the stated concerns by @Buzzetta, there are a number of things you need to keep an eye out for with graded toys and even the companies themselves.

For the sake of brevity, always check when the item was graded. It is not uncommon for people to offload/dump graded toys that arrived damaged, or degraded during their ownership. It is also not uncommon for an item in high grade to experience blister yellowing, figure "frosting", or even limb/torso and cape discolouration. The more obvious are the white plastic figures which yellow or turn pink (i.e. Stormtroopers), and vinyl cape Jawas have been appearing in greater numbers with dark brown discolouration on the cape (see images below) that has a tendency to spread once it starts. I've seen this on Tusken Raiders and on the rare occassion with Ben Kenobi's too.

It is rather unfortunate that people lean on the assigned grade, and insist that the item is still the grade it was assigned after damage or degradation has occurred. It's not just figures - I've heard numerous people insisting their MISB graded vehicles or playsets are still sealed once the tape lifts because it's sealed inside the acrylic case. I guarantee in every instance that if these items are sent back in for grading, they will experience a grade drop.

I remember getting into heated arguments with people that tried to sell off their vinyl cape Jawa's immediately after they began exhibiting discolouration. In some instances, I would tell them they would experience 3 full grade drops, and some actually believe the grade wouldn't change at all. Below is one of the only instances that I've ever seen where a previously graded AFA 85 VC Jawa was regraded and it recieved an AFA 70 after regrade.  My suggestion: always ask for clear images, get sellers to disclose any/all defects on the blister, including any cracks, and always run a serial lookup to check how long ago it was graded. Anything older than 5 years should be carefully examined. If anyone here ever has any questions about toy grading, and or the companies themselves, please feel free to tag me.  AFA and UKG are the only reputable toy grading companies I would recommend, I would prudently avoid the rest.

 

Edited February 14, 2018 by comicwiz

[Cat]

On 10/02/2018 at 1:42 AM, Jimbo749 said:

Pick from last week, finally found one at retail price. Not as hard to find as the original NES Classic, but not easy to find as most store only get 1 or 2 units a week.

 

Nice! I love the SNES Classic. So many great games. I just wish the controller cables were longer (despite being a huge improvement from the NES Classic, they're still way too short). Now if only I wasn't so terrible at Star Fox so I could unlock Star Fox 2. 

[Jimbo749]

17 minutes ago, Mecha_Fantastic said:

Nice! I love the SNES Classic. So many great games. I just wish the controller cables were longer (despite being a huge improvement from the NES Classic, they're still way too short). Now if only I wasn't so terrible at Star Fox so I could unlock Star Fox 2. 

I've seen some 3rd party controller extensions on Amazon, and might try them out. Sitting on the floor isn't fun anymore.

[STORMSHADOW_80]

14 minutes ago, Jimbo749 said:

I've seen some 3rd party controller extensions on Amazon, and might try them out. Sitting on the floor isn't fun anymore.

gamestop sells them too, and wireless.

[whisp]

Picked these up awhile back ago.  Not really a Star Wars toy fan although like the movies.  Price was just to good to pass up.  First pic is complete or almost complete and 3rd pic is spredsheet of what is there.  Yellow is complete, green is need something and then white dont have at all..  2nd pic is doubles.

Edited February 14, 2018 by whisp

[Jimbo749]

3 hours ago, STORMSHADOW_80 said:

gamestop sells them too, and wireless.

Just bought a 2-pack of 10' extensions for $10 on Amazon, hopefully those work out.

[Buzzetta]

@comicwiz

Joe, I was not aware of vinyl discoloration to the extent that I see on the Jawa.  I checked my vintage loose figures and have not seen any such discoloration on my Raider, Obi Wan, Leia or any of the others.  (I do not own a vinyl cape Jawa).  So here is my question.

Was the vinyl used for the Jawa of a make that it naturally degraded no matter the circumstances?

Are the sealed figures allowing for a toxic buildup inside that bubble that degrades the figure? 

 

I wonder if any materials released through the natural breakdown of the plastic is causing a harmful effect.  

[Buzzetta]

Ugh... 

Graded and now the sticker adhesive has degraded and is lifting off the figure.

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Star-Wars-Loose-R2-D2-1977-Kenner-Action-Figure-AFA-85-NM/173078917747?hash=item284c4eb273:g:dUoAAOSwuIlaUBgt

[Buzzetta]

Another AFA graded figure that has degraded in the pic.  This piece is only 16 years old and the torso has turned from white to tan. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/R2-D2-Coruscant-Sentry-Variant-Star-Wars-Attack-of-the-Clones-Graded-AFA-U85/323043503675?hash=item4b36e4ae3b:g:6JEAAOSwal5YFQYK

 

As Joe has made mention of, be very CAREFUL what you are paying for. 

Edited February 15, 2018 by Buzzetta

[Martin Sinescu]

@Buzzetta The Jawa vinyl cape is the exact same material as the others, so it's not going to be more or less prone to discoloration than the other figures. I've seen this happen on all SW figures with those capes, but it's not really a common occurrence. Something else is that discoloration on the cape often will actually wipe off when some mild cleaning is applied (if it's a loose figure), so it's not necessarily the vinyl material itself that's discolored, but a kind of odd residue. Sometimes it will stain the material itself, but I've been able to wipe this stuff clean off, too. 

One thing you have to realize is you're not getting the backstory on how these were stored. If they've been in an attic or non-climate controlled storage space for 5, 10, 20 years, it's going to happen. Same thing with the modern R2-D2 you just posted: That level of discoloration is absolutely insane. There is no way that was not due to some sort of negligence in storage. I've noticed that Hasbro has used a kind of plastic that is more prone to discolor with their clone troopers since that same time period (2002 up to even the recent Vintage Collection line) as I've seen those with yellowed torsos, but that R2-D2 is preposterous. It's orange. 

[Martin Sinescu]

Oh, and the body sticker on the R2 you also posted isn't always stuck on perfectly, so that's not necessarily coming loose. They were hand-applied, so you often see them crooked or not fully applied (especially in the corners or around the legs). I can't think of any instances where I've seen that sticker's adhesive "degrade" and fall off. Typically if you try to pull on it, the sticker just tears, even after 40 years.

Edited February 15, 2018 by Martin Sinescu

[whisp]

1 hour ago, Martin Sinescu said:

@Buzzetta The Jawa vinyl cape is the exact same material as the others, so it's not going to be more or less prone to discoloration than the other figures. I've seen this happen on all SW figures with those capes, but it's not really a common occurrence. Something else is that discoloration on the cape often will actually wipe off when some mild cleaning is applied (if it's a loose figure), so it's not necessarily the vinyl material itself that's discolored, but a kind of odd residue. Sometimes it will stain the material itself, but I've been able to wipe this stuff clean off, too. 

One thing you have to realize is you're not getting the backstory on how these were stored. If they've been in an attic or non-climate controlled storage space for 5, 10, 20 years, it's going to happen. Same thing with the modern R2-D2 you just posted: That level of discoloration is absolutely insane. There is no way that was not due to some sort of negligence in storage. I've noticed that Hasbro has used a kind of plastic that is more prone to discolor with their clone troopers since that same time period (2002 up to even the recent Vintage Collection line) as I've seen those with yellowed torsos, but that R2-D2 is preposterous. It's orange. 

Umm my understanding is the jawa cape is actually different when it comes to the vinyl one.  People try and take for example Ben kenobi cape and cut it to make the vinyl cape but the thatching is different.  I actually brought this up on hisstank.com when Mark bellomo wrote his guide and felt it was info he should add to the info about the jawa.  There is lots of info about this on the internet.

 

https://www.google.ca/search?q=fake+vinyl+jawa&oq=fake+jawa+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0.4227j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Edited February 15, 2018 by whisp

[Martin Sinescu]

1 minute ago, whisp said:

Umm my understanding is the jawa cape is actually different when it comes to the vinyl one.  People try and take for example Ben kenobi cape and cut it to make the vinyl cape but the thatching is different.  I actually brought this up on hisstank.com when Mark bellomo wrote his guide and felt it was info he should add to the info about the jawa.  There is lots of info about this on the internet.

The Ben cape would only work if you were trying to fake the Toltoys VC Jawa, which has a similar reddish tone. The US Jawa and Ben capes are different colors.

[whisp]

5 minutes ago, Martin Sinescu said:

The Ben cape would only work if you were trying to fake the Toltoys VC Jawa, which has a similar reddish tone. The US Jawa and Ben capes are different colors.

http://web.ncf.ca/cn333/vcjawa.htm

 

People still try lol.

Edited February 15, 2018 by whisp

[Martin Sinescu]

2 minutes ago, whisp said:

http://web.ncf.ca/cn333/vcjawa.htm

I guess you're specifically referencing the thickness, which is slightly thinner on the Jawa, but the photo and descriptions show that the cape colors are different. Seriously, though, let's not highjack the thread with this back and forth. I was just trying to explain that all the capes discolor like this and it's not just the VC Jawa, that's all.