Yehuda and Tommy write:
Welcome to the latest issue of Star Wars Community Digest, your place to get summaries about what's going on in the Star Wars collecting community across all of the forums and Facebook groups. We will present the news and current events each week, so that you don't miss anything. Please be aware that many of these are closed Facebook groups though, which means you will need to join them in order to read the conversations. But don't worry, it's free and almost instantaneous.
Participating Groups and Forums:
Star Wars Displays and Advertising
Star Wars Records and Tapes
Star Wars 12 Backs and Early Vintage Collectors Group (A New Hope 1977-79)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Vintage Collecting Group 1980-1982
Star Wars: Return of The Jedi Vintage Collecting Group 1983 - 1985
Star Wars: POTF (Last 17) Vintage Collecting Group 1985
Star Wars: The "Dark Times" Collecting Group (1985-95, Droids & Ewoks, etc)
Jabba's Court - Vintage Star Wars Collectors Group 1977 - 1988
The Imperial Commissary - 1977-1985 Vintage Star Wars Toys, Buy Sell Trade
Power Of The Force Coins
Star Wars bootleg and knockoff collectors
Star Wars Micro Machines and Action Fleet Collecting Group
vintage star wars action figures
The RebelScum vintage forum
Jawa's Outpost (UK and EIRE Star Wars trading group)
Echo Base Vintage Star Wars Trade/Sell/Buy
The Prototype Exchange
The Star Wars Traveler: filming locations and road trips for Star Wars fans
La Guerre des Etoiles Collectors (vintage Star Wars items with French language on them)
Star Wars at the Movies: Theatrical Advertising and Collectible Ephemera
If you are an administrator or moderator and would like your community to be a part of this feature, please let us know. We are always happy to include additional groups/forums in our summaries, but be aware that not every group can be featured every week.
In any case, lets get right down to it and get everyone caught up to date on what they may have missed in recent weeks...
Props and Grails
Whether
it is an original Rebel prop helmet from The Empire Strikes Back or the
prototype run for the Kenner Tusken Raider Power of the Force coin,
Gus Lopez continues to astound with his latest Star Wars Artifacts Updates. Make sure to check them out in the SWCA What's New gallery!
6/10/2018
Woman’s Day and a Galaxy Far, Far Away
In
1978 and then again in 1980, Woman’s Day magazine published detailed
blueprints for build-it-yourself Star Wars action figure playsets.
Woman’s Day is a monthly periodical published in the United
States with a demographic of mostly young mothers.
Collector
Scott Bradley shares a vintage picture of a young child standing next to
his Woman’s Day homemade Hoth playset likely built by an enterprising mom.
The full thread can be found here:
Further Reading on the Archive:
A Limelight Worth a Look: Pre-production Vinyl Records
Every
Star Wars collectible that has been manufactured underwent a design
process which necessitated the production of prototype examples during
the creative and approval stages. These unique pieces were designed to
be disposable after the final product was approved and came to market.
Much
like an author's original handwritten notes, these unique artifacts have
become appreciated by collectors in all branches of the hobby.
Collector
and audiophile Kevin Lentz shares his prototype “grooveless” blank
colored records used for the production of a colorful edition of the soundtrack for The Phantom Menace.
The full thread can be found here:
Prototype Toy Found at a Retail Store
Prototypes toys never leave the design shop and are routinely discarded.
Except when they aren't!
Eagle
eye collector Jeff Correll spots a pre-production engineering pilot for
a new Jurassic World toy at a retail store which was likely accidentally packaged
along with standard production pieces. The EP includes a hand cut box
with writing.
The full thread can be found here:
Further reading on the Archive:
Look What Popped Up
Master
Bootleg Collector Joe Yglesias studies his collection of the original
steel molds used to make the storied Uzay line of Turkish action figures
and vehicles and finds the mold for the UZAY R2-D2 pop up lightsaber
accessory.
The full thread can be found here:
Further reading on the Archive:
Collect Them All
Collector
Thomas Gill continues the search for action figure variations as he
studies the stitching on the snap cape Luke Jedi figures.
The full thread can be found here:
Further reading:
A Limelight Worth a Look: R5-D4 Yupi Run
Collector
Adam Marks assembles a complete run of 9 different color variations of
the Yupi R5-D4 figures. The figures were a premium in Colombian snack
foods in the late 1980s. The 40 figure set was produced in 9 color
variations and is among the rarest lines of Star Wars action figures.
The full thread can be found here:
Further reading on the Archive:
Vintage Imperial Gunner First Shot Found at Garage Sale
Collector Kyle Kaufmann brought home an Imperial Gunner action figure he found at a garage sale in Michigan. On closer inspection the figure was noted to be unpainted and missing its copyright information. The community helps evaluate the figure, which is most consistent with a first shot pre-production figure.
The full thread can be found here:
Further reading on the Archive:
A Limelight Worth a Look: Chewbacca Rumph Mug Sculpt
Artist Jim
Rumph (1942-1993) was a pottery sculptor in Santa Monica, California
who produced folk art pottery out of his studio "the Slyme Factory" in
the 1970s. Jim sculpted and produced three Star Wars themed
mugs which were among the earliest Star Wars collectibles ever
produced. The mugs were sculpted as busts featuring 3 different movie
characters. The generously sized mugs featured Darth Vader, Ben Kenobi
and Chewbacca. The Chewbacca mug has always been a personal favorite of
George Lucas and sat on his desk.
Collector Will Grief
shares an original Jim Rumph sculpt for the Chewbacca mug complete with
Jim’s fingerprints on the back.
The full thread can be found here:
Further reading:
Vintage Parker Brothers Store Display
From
1977-1982 Kenner produced a large assortment of Star Wars themed board
games. However, in 1983 Parker Brothers took over board game production
and introduced a series of games including the “Battle at Sarlaac’s Pit”
board game.
Collector Christopher James Leddy shares his rare store display used to advertise the Parker Brothers games.
The full thread can be found here:
Further reading on the Archive:
A Limelight Worth a Look: a Different Approach to Carded Figures
Collector
Jesse Cedar Soberman took a looser approach to carded figure collecting
and completed a run of the "First 31" figures in varied rare
packaging including 3-packs and special offers. Check it out on the Imperial Commissary.
The full thread can be found here:
💥The Dark Side: Scams and Counterfeits
Fake second series Unproduced Droids and Ewoks
Unmarked
counterfeit figures, accessories, and coins for the Unproduced Droids and Ewoks (UDE) line are being
produced to look as authentic as possible. Some figures are being
resculpted and some are being cast from original prototypes. We
encourage all reproductions to be marked in a responsible way to avoid
fraud.
Reproduction Early Bird Kit Action Stand Coupon Being Circulated
Collector
David James Lackore warns the community both in Rebelscum and on
Facebook about a counterfeit Early Bird Kit action stand coupon that is
being sold. David shares the differences he noted between the authentic
coupon and the fake. Make sure to check it out.
The full Facebook thread can be found here:
And the thread on Rebelscum can be found here:
Counterfeit Special Offer Stickers Used to Defraud
Once
again, collector David James Lackore warns the community both on
Rebelscum and Facebook of a new fraudulent special offer sticker that
has been applied to production vehicles to criminally increase their sale price. Learn how to spot the fakes with the links below.
The full Facebook thread can be found here:
The full Rebelscum link can be found here:
Our Star Wars Community Digest Time Capsule Thread for this Issue:
The Earth Toy Mall
Like Camelot, The Earth Toy Mall has receded into legend since its closing in 2008. The Earth was a Cincinnati based store that sold production vintage toys alongside Kenner hardcopies, first shots, and proofs.
Cincinnati,
the birthplace of Kenner toys and it’s Star Wars line, lent a fertile
field for buying and selling rare Star Wars collectibles. The store's grand opening in December of 1997 was a well attended affair, with guest Kenny Baker present. Once
established, The Earth began advertising in local media that they were
interested in buying production and prototype toys. They marketed
directly to former Kenner employees, who had often taken home unique pieces.
Throughout their tenure, The Earth had many great finds including multiple rocket firing Boba-Fett figures.
Below are threads that help sum up the impact that The Earth Toy Mall had in the hobby.
