Got the Hoth Wampa in the mail today. Never had it as a kid, but now I'm a happy man!


Photo credit: Uncle He-Man

^ Great toy ! A sofubi version would be amazing !

Oh, the Kenner Wampa, such a great figure. This is one of those toys that defined the line for me; I think he was one of the first Star Wars toys I ever had, and always remained a favourite. Ferocious, yet also almost cute; and I loved the swing action of his arms (he swiped many a figure besides Luke in my play). I also really loved (as everyone quickly discovered) that they proportioned him perfectly to squeeze a figure between his claws. Those designers at Kenner really had something back in the day. I think one of the most enduring things about the 3 3/4" line was that they were really in-tune to what kids wanted.

I LOVE that Wampa. I had one as a kid and I recently got one with a box and the old figure flyer surprisingly cheap on ebay. It's really a favorite of mine.

Just picked up this Kub and love it.

So I just got this weird bootleg:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/130944675778

It totally ROCKS. The bootleggers "got it" and constructed this identically to the 3 3/4" toy: styrene body halves and solid vinyl limbs. It holds the gun well and has some serious heft to it. The same company also makes a 2 pack of 3 3/4" Stormtroopers, one white, one black:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321136016076

I need to post my giant collection.... This is a goal, to take all the shit out, play with it, and post photos:). I quite honestly have 2-3 of all the toys I had. Kenner was a Ohio based company during my time period as a child, so Star Wars was a common blue light special, my mom started the collecting bug early

That is a really cool figure Roger. I would love to hear some thoughts on it versus the GG one if you happen to have one of those too. I still haven't gotten any of those sadly, since the price has been just too high, but I actually agree with you and think that a Chinese bootleg figure would probably much better mimic the actual smaller toy, and that is exactly what I want. I've got to get on the hunt for one of these.

Crashed Millennium Falcon in Baltic Sea is most likely a pile of rocks...

Clearly its Pac-Man's skull... we finally know what the Mrs did to him.

This is going to sound unthinkable to many, but i grew up with no access to star wars toys.

Living in N.America now, i'm having a blast visiting all the odd little vintage toys shows around.

The thing is, the Star Wars stuff is overwhelming for a n00bian. I've armed myself with this



But i don't have a handle on what loose figures should go for price wise. I'm not looking for mint or on card, just nice displayable, affordable vintage.

Any resources out there that could help?

Here's a pic of my first purchase. An $8 Chewie

great first choice, He fits right in!

Nice brown vinyl collection!

Well, I know this seems like a silly thing to mention, but it does depend a lot on condition and the inclusion of accessories, if any. Honestly, despite some people may tell you (and, for some reason, the great majority of people - who actually have no knowledge of the subject matter - think), vintage loose Star Wars is not a particularly valuable toy line. These things were produced in incredible numbers, and practically every child in North America of the 70s/80s had at least some. People think stuff is a goldmine for whatever reason; probably has a lot to do with the growth of the internet in the late 90s, and the surge of collectors as people sought to re-buy their childhood toys out of nostalgia. And now combined with this incredible obsession with re-selling for profit/flipping/treasure picking/etc., people are just dumb. But really, the market has been saturated with what it can bear for the most part for a few years now. We've reached a level of plateau with buying/selling vs new stuff being found. Collectors have now moved away from loose toys, and even stuff in damaged boxes barely fetches anything. If this sounds negative, I don't mean to be, as I have been a die-hard collector of all things SW since I was a kid. I am just trying to offer my perspective on it. If anything I think it is an ideal situation for someone like yourself looking to build a loose collection, and who doesn't care too much about their shape.

So, cutting down to the nitty gritty of it, all this is basically to say you can find almost anything you want in terms of figures for fairly cheap - very cheap in fact. And other than a dollar or two, or maybe a few special characters, they will all be about the same price too. So, I wouldn't necessarily think you need a price guide as much, but my 'bible' from decades back was the Tomart's Sansweet guide. It cover all the information you would need as has just excellent photos. There are a million SW books out there now, but they are all pretty much the same. And again, nearly everything is geared towards packaged values. I just loved this particular book to death though so it holds a special place for me, and, I am dating myself in the field here, but it came out before the prequels or even re-masters, so none of the "new era" collectibles are in there. Helps to weed out the junk that at least I am not interested in.

Oops, I see I am getting off on to another rant when I already meant to cut it off. Sorry, just my passion coming through.

TL:DR - Most loved figures can be found for a couple dollars (let's say 4-6); loose and no weapons. I wouldn't break the 10$ for anything remotely common. It is all up to you of course; what you feel like and what you can afford. If a figure is minty fresh (highly unlikely for an opened toy, as these are all played with) and has all his things, you can go higher, but stay reasonable and never feel pressured. There will always be a chance to find another of the same figure later. Star Wars toys are everywhere; with some patience you can find them all (the common ones). Hope this helps a bit. Any more advice, I am glad to help anytime.

Thanks Ultra, this is exactly the kind of info. I was hoping for.

The hesitation to jump in for me until now has been some of the points you describe. As a teenage victim of the 90s comics speculation book, i'm all too aware of hype vs. supply.

The uneven pricing i've seen for loose figures all over the city is what lead me to post here. I've seen loose Boba Fett's no weapons with play wear for $25-30 and a bevy of loose stuff for around the $15-20 mark. And this is even at very low key 'flea-market' style events.

i'll def. grab a copy of that guide when i find it.

That said, i have been able to pick up star trek next gen. figures for 2.50 a pop…. zing.

The key thing to watch for with the vintage actions figures is looseness of the limbs and yellowing. Are you living in a place where there are more toy shops now? ebay is always there, but honestly, with the shipping usually now, it is barely worth it unless it is a great deal. Sure, people love Boba Fett, but that is pretty high without his gun. Unfortunately those prices from dealers and comic stores are what you often will have to deal with. I would also consider looking at lots on ebay. You can find some bargains for things that don't include anything special, but will help you build up a nice set, and shipping everything together offsets the cost.

The Galoob Star Trek line from the late 80s? I loved those toys too! Their built-in phasers might have limited play a bit, but I always wished they would have expanded the line - especially with some playsets and aliens. Very unappreciated toy line.

I just watched E.T. on cable for the first time in years. There is a Star Destroyer playset in one of the first scenes where Elliot gets to know E.T., An homage to Lucas or to Lucas Toys Inc. ? There are two tie fighters featured, with one juxtaposed against a NASA Space Shuttle. Also the main scene where Elliot is showing E.T. that Coca-Cola is "food" !, he shows his "loose" Star Wars action figures. Tight joints with vinyl capes and weapons in their hands... Minty Fresh. It's funny what you said about the value going down on these toys. Everyday we are further from the movie and everyday they are snapped up off ebay. It seems there would be an end to the supply at some point with all the people doing cheap mashups like "Ewoking Dead"