Build a Display Island for Your Collection

My dear guests...

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Ron writes:

 Back in 2018 I built a display island in my collecting area.

That sounds really bougie, right? A display island.

I'm sure you're picturing me leaning against my display island while eating Grey Poupon straight from the jar using a caviar spoon.

Bougie or not, a few visitors have asked me for instructions. They've experienced the allure of the display island and they want one of their own. So I figured I'd do it in a blog post.

First, here are a few photos of the island.

It has glass display doors on each side and a flat area on the top. The latter is painted and covered in acrylic.

The cases are lit so that the items they contain are easily viewable. As you've no doubt noticed, I have carded figures in mine. You can put Funko Pops in yours, or whatever other dumb thing you collect. It's really up to you.

The core of the display island consists of six Billy bookcases from IKEA that have been bolted together on the inside. The side you see in the first photo (we'll call it the front) consists of one case that is 31.5 inches wide and another that is 15.75 inches wide. The arrangement of the back is the same as the front. Each side consists of one case that is 31.5 inches wide.

This yields an island is that is approximately 52.5 inches long and 46 inches wide.

I had initially planned to use two 31.5-inch-wide cases on the front and back. That is, no 15.75-inchers. Alas, I didn't have the room to accommodate two of the larger cases. Maybe you do?

Of course, you can also forgo the second case on the front and back, and simply bolt together four 31.5-inch-wide cases. This will result in an island that is substantially thinner.

Billy! Billy don't you lose my number.

Now, if you're familiar with IKEA's Billy line of cases, you know that, like pizza and monster trucks, they're endlessly customizable. You also know that, if you want them to be serviceable as display cases, you need to outfit them with glass shelves and LED lighting, both sold separately.

Oh, and you need doors.

Although IKEA sells a traditional glass door for the Billy, you'll want to avoid that and go with the Morliden door. The trad glass door has an obtrusive wooden frame that will harsh your mellow.

Remove the inserts so that everyone can see your Funko Pops.

Although the Morliden is shown on IKEA's website with fogged glass, the fog effect is generated by a chipboard insert that attaches to the door's interior. If you ditch the insert, you're left with a clear glass door with a thin aluminum frame -- nice for display purposes.

Here, off the top of my head, is a list of materials you will need to build your display island:

• Billy bookcase, 41.75" inches tall x 31.5" wide (4)
• Billy bookcase, 41.75 inches tall x 15.75" wide (2)
• Billy glass shelf, 30" wide (8)
• Billy glass shelf, 14" wide (4)
• Morliden door, 38.25" tall (10)
• Vaxmyra LED spotlight two-pack (5)
• Ansluta transformer with power cord (2)
• MDF panel .75" x 4' x 8', cut to custom size (1)
• Acrylic sheet, 48" x 96", cut to custom size (1)
• Corner brace four-pack (2)
• Mending plate two-pack (2)
• Clear silicone caulk (1)
• Caulk gun (1)
• Paint, your choice of color
• Extension cord with at least two inputs
• Overfloor cord protector

After you buy the stuff from IKEA, you can begin assembly. To do this, follow the instructions provided by IKEA. You'll want to assemble each Billy, then install the lighting, and then arrange them into the desired configuration. You can worry about the shelves and the doors once everything is bolted together.

For the bolting, use corner braces at the corners and mending plates at the joint areas between the two cases on the front and back. These are easy to screw into the unfinished backsides of the particle-board horizontals at the spots where they meet.

Once bolted, you should have a solid rectangle of cases with a void in the center into which the wiring for the lighting is dangling.

The wire extending from each light needs to be inserted into IKEA's Ansluta transformer.

Here are step-by-step instructions for obtaining the Ansluta:

1. Walk into IKEA, preferably wearing a lounge jacket.
2. Locate a reasonably no-nonsense-looking female staff member.
3. In a loud Ron Burgundy voice, tell her that you're looking for an sluta. Then say that she looks like just the kind of person who might be able to assist you in your quest to find an sluta. Pause a few times between words and wink ostentatiously. 
4. After she finishes clobbering you about the head and shoulders with the Hugad curtain rod, proceed to the lighting section and pick up your Ansluta.

Two six-input transformers should work. Remember that you also need power cords to connect the transformers to an extension cord. IKEA sells those.

All of that unsightly electrical stuff will be inside the island. Meaning you'll need to run the extension cord out of the island and into a power strip. Be strategic here. What you want is a straight line running to a power strip that is concealed somewhere against the wall.

I initially thought that I'd need to drill a hole in the base of one of the cases in order to run the cord to the wall. Fortunately, each Billy has a notch in its back to accommodate a baseboard. Perfect!

Use an overfloor cord protector to cover the cord and prevent your homies from tripping.

You can also try running the cord beneath the floor and up to the power strip against the wall. But that's some real Bob Vila sh*t and possibly not worth the effort for Funko Pops.

You'll now want to test the lighting setup to ensure that it works. Leave the switches on the IKEA power cords in the "on" position, so that everything lights up when you flip the switch on the power strip.

When you turn it on for the first time, be sure to say something like "By the power of Grayskuuulllll!" or "You've released the fookin fury!" just to set an appropriately momentous tone. And maybe play "The Final Countdown" by Europe.

Now for the top of the display island.

You'll want to go to Home Depot or Lowe's or whatever big-box outfit has put mom-and-pop hardware stores in your area out of business. Get a large piece of medium density fiberboard (MDF) cut to fit the top of your island. They'll cut it for you right there at the store.

On the above list of ingredients I linked to a piece of MDF that is .75 inch thick. I think the one I have is .5 inch thick, but I don't see that on Home Depot's website. Whatever. Go to the store and choose something that works for you. Try not to offend anyone like you did at IKEA.

You'll also want to get some paint.

The paint I used is a Glidden-brand variety called Wheat Stalk. It's pretty close to the color used on the back of Kenner's Return of the Jedi blister cards.

Prime the MDF and cover it with a couple of coats. You can then put the board on top of your Billys to see how it looks.

I originally planned to make the top of my island removable, so that I could store things in the interior and easily access the lighting stuff in the event of a problem. Unfortunately, after I painted it, it warped slightly, causing the corners to rise in an unsightly way. So I ended up drilling it into the cases using some wood screws, then covering the screw heads with wood filler.

Okay, so the acrylic. I'm sure you're wondering about the acrylic.

You can also buy this at Home Depot. Comes in large sheets. Cutting it is dicey, though. Home Depot doesn't want to do it for you. Though they claim it can be cut using a scoring knife and lots of patience, I didn't fare too well when I tried it. I recommend having a professional cut it for you.

This is from a home-improvement site, not my project, but you get the idea.

I got the idea for the color effect from this home-improvement article. What you want to do is paint one side of the acrylic the same color as the MDF. The painted side will then be affixed to the MDF using clear silicone caulk. When it's done, the unpainted side will appear glossy and bright.

I recommend using a conservative amount of silicone with a slight amount of weight applied while it's curing. I used a lot of silicone and also weighted the acrylic with quite a few books. When the weight was removed, the acrylic rebounded slightly, resulting in a few chips in the paint. Annoying, but not very noticeable. Anyway, I don't think a lot of adhesive and weight are necessary.

At this point your display island should be complete. The only question is: What do you display on it?

C'mon, you're a Star Wars collector with a big collection. You're basically a hoarder who gets things graded. I'm sure you'll figure something out.

In my case, I used the island to highlight one of the largest items in my collection, the piece of art I wrote about here.

A good idea in theory, but more difficult to realize than you might imagine. I asked a few folks in my area if they could build a rig that would hold the art upright on the island. No dice. Most seemed to think the idea was maybe a little wacky.

Okay, I guess the idea was kind of wacky. Still, I couldn't get the idea out of my head. I needed to see that art on top of the island!

So I was happy that, when I mentioned the idea to my friend Tom Derby, he immediately said, "Oh, that's easy. We'll build a case. Just let me know when you want to pick it up." No hesitation or anything. Awesome!

But Tom is in Atlanta. I'm in New York. That's a two-day trip each way by car. I gotta pick this thing up and haul it back.

Luckily, I was able to con some friends into chauffeuring me down there. My feet up the whole way, like I was Richie Rich or something. I even conned some other friends into meeting us at Tom's. And then I conned Tom into taking us out to dinner. Man, what a racket!

I'm maybe 30% joking.

I had a great time driving down with Chris and Stephanie Riehle. We spent a couple of nights with Chris and Sharon Georgoulias, and we got to see several collections and lots of friends. We even crashed a meeting of the Georgia Alliance of Star Wars Collectors that was hosted at the home of Narayan Naik. Great people.

Here you see Tom and the Chrises calculating what it'll take to safely pack this beastly case.

Chris G. is an engineer and Chris R. builds stuff, so best not to get in their way while they're measuring crap. Best to just sit back and sip a wine cooler while taking photos of everyone else doing the work.

In the photo, you can see that Stephanie is marveling at my ability to get people to do stuff for me.

Geez, we kinda got sidetracked, didn't we? This was supposed to be a blog post about building an island to display your Funko Pops, and I've gone and turned it into some kind of personal reminiscence combined with a primer on how to exploit your friends.

Whatever. It's not like your time is worth wasting.

What would you be doing if you weren't reading this, writing fan mail to the Knights of Ren?

I suppose the only way to end this post is with a photo of the final result. I'm pretty happy with it.

Good luck building your island.

March 2017 MarketWatch Update

Pete writes:

 Happy New Year Space Freaks,

While it may seem late to say that (unless you celebrate Chinese New Year), this is my first one of the year being the lazy collector I’ve become. It is St. Patrick's Day, though.

Nevertheless, I’ve found a few great pieces to talk about to start off the year. From first shots to 3-packs, there has been a lot of fun movement in the market this year. Overall this is pretty typical for the post-holiday season. It seems that Vintage has moved away from the month of December and now has January and February as its high points for the winter months. And if you think it through, it makes perfect sense.  

Everyone is time constrained by the holidays. Even if you don’t celebrate any holidays in December, you’re still caught up in everyone else's holiday stuff in some way. This leads to less time to buy and list, leading to fewer available pieces in the market.

Money is money and if you’re anything like my family, December is one of the most expensive months of the year. This then leads to less spending in December and more purging in January.

Tax season – most collectors are still of the working age and each year a large percentage of collectors get there tax return check in February or even early March.

Given these factors, it's easy to see why the 1st quarter of the New Year has become a great season for Vintage toys.  

AUCTIONS:

For those of you following the blog for a long time, you know that I can never resist to post the sales of Vintage 3-packs. I have a bit of a soft spot for this segment of the line. This series is one of the most aesthetically pleasing and well-designed in the hobby. The colors, the figure combinations, the use of true bubble on the package all melds together to bring out everything that was great about the Kenner line. Throw in a dash of rarity and you have yourselves one hell of a cool product.  

This month we have an example of the "Villains" 3-pack, although the set should have been more appropriately named the "Empire" set. Featuring a Stormtrooper, Death Squad Commander and Darth Vader himself, this particular 3-pack has always been popular with collectors, and because of that it can fetch a hefty price. In this case we have an ungraded but sealed example in C8 condition. The price of $5,300 is spot on for a set in this condition, almost bordering on cheap. The winner should be very happy with the results.   

Star Wars "Villains Set" 3-Pack - $5,300 - eBay Auction

Store displays have been on fire for the last few years. Thankfully I’m not speaking in literal terms, but you get the idea. The store display segment of the hobby has become so popular that last year we spent an entire update covering an entire array of great items coming up on the market.  

With challenges of not being able to keep up with demand for the action figures, Kenner ramped up production not only on toys themselves, but also the quantity of point-of-purchase displays produced during the Star Wars era. Many large display headers, bells and other P.O.P. were never even used in actual stores, and stacks made their way into the hands anxious collectors as well the attics and basements of old shop owners. Thus, the vast majority of store displays that have survived until today come from this era.

The example we have here isn't one of most common displays from the Vintage Star Wars line: This Version of a 21 Figure Header display is one of the last released and more rare of the 21 Figure Headers.  This is a great piece overall, and in great condition. Given that, the price seems right on one of this caliber. Personally, I’ve always loved cardback artwork and I think one of the best things about this particular display is that it borrows from the movie images much like the cardback artwork for the line and that makes it unique unto itself in the category of store displays. Additionally, it’s the First 21 -- the vast majority of everyone’s favorite characters.

Star Wars "Collect All 21" Standard Header - $4,010 - eBay Auction

Rounding the corner home this month we have a staple of the hobby: a MOC Vinyl Cape Jawa. Often looked at as one of the most sought after “rare” production pieces in the hobby, the VCJ will always bring attention, even loose. This piece caught my attention given its small price tag (which was driven by the fact that the cape itself is discolored), but also by the fact that it was listed as a BIN with a reasonable price. With examples selling for north of $10K consistently, this was a really nice grab for someone who wants something nice, but not perfect.

Star Wars Carded Vinyl Cape Jawa - $4,999 - eBay Auction

Finishing off this month’s update we have two pieces from the unproduced Ewoks and Droids cartoon toy series. Considered by many to be one of the greatest toy lines never to reach the shelf, the 2^nd Series Droids and Ewoks figures have become something of legend in the hobby. Prices over the years have continued to soar on these pieces and it’s not difficult to see why. The detailing and representation of these characters from 2D to 3D is one of the most accurate representations of all time. Driving this is the improved product design and detail that Kenner was able to produce in their later Star Wars lines such as Power Of The Force. However, a lot of credit has to be given to the animators of the series as a whole, as these toys were ultimately representations of their creations. That lead to some very distinctive characters that were unlike any other cartoon or toy line at the time.

Many of us know the story of why the line never hit stores, so I won’t re-hash that here. But if you would like to learn more about this line please visit the Ewoks and Droids Prototypes Archive Database section for details on the series.

The first figure that we have is Weechee -- one of our furry friends from the Ewoks line. Weechee is one of the more coveted of the characters in the unproduced wave of Ewoks figures. Unlike Paploo or Chief Chirpa, he wasn’t part of the original theatrical release of Star Wars toys based on the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. The color scheme used and the detailing of the prototype blend together well to create a different and exclusive character for the series. Although we don’t know the final sale price.

Weechee First Shot - AFA85 - $8,999 - eBay Auction

In addition to our furball Weechee, we had another amazing and rare piece come up this month in the form of Vlix from the Droids series. Unlike all of the other characters in the 2^nd series of the Droids figures, Vlix was actually released -- but on a very small scale by Glasslite in Brazil. Because of the location and small production quantities, only a finite amount of Vlix production figures still exist today and can be seen on the market for anywhere from $3,000 in poor condition with no weapon, to $7,500 for a great example with its weapon.   

The example we are presented with, however, is not Glasslite and not production. Like Weechee above, we have a first shot prototype of Vlix from the Vintage Kenner line. With that, the game changes drastically -- in this case selling for an estimated value double that of the Glasslite production pieces that have recently traded, and even significantly up from the other first shot figures from this line.  

Vlix First Shot - $12,500 Best Offer - eBay Auction

That’s it for this month, see you at Celebration Orlando!

--FB24

MarketWatch: Store Displays

Pete writes:

Happy November Space Freaks,

For this month’s MarketWatch we’re going to focus on a growing segment of collecting in the hobby: store displays. Now, the segment has been around for years as a sub-genre that creeps into collections big or small. However, the past two years have seen incredible growth in awareness of the segment. Much like mailers and proofs, displays are a growing segment not just for focus collectors, but for casual collectors as well. We’ll review some of the big display auctions in recent history, and show some of visually stunning pieces that make this such as attractive niche of the hobby.

A major reason these have become so popular lies in the fact that many collectors collect packaged items. So many of us are enthralled with the classic Kenner imagery from packages, and while the outside of a box or the cardback of a figure was supposed to be informational, the sole purpose of these displays was to sell product! And thus, Kenner put their best foot forward in making the displays for the products sell the products themselves while reinforcing the success and excitement of the movies -- something that’s really not that easy in a two-dimensional medium.

Displays come in all shapes and sizes: standalone cardboard corrugates that sit on the floor, PDQ trays that sit on shelves, items that were made to hang from the ceiling and even point of purchase items such as shelf liners (or as many collectors refer to them, "shelf talkers"). Ultimately, there are a plethora of different types of displays. The most common and popular among collectors because of their availability and the fact that they were some of the most visually appealing are the header displays. These cardboard creations either hung from the ceiling or sat on the back of a corrugate or PDQ tray.

Store header displays are fairly unique in that most people need something to house the items in. For more on framing or grading these pieces, we recommend that you look to eBay, Rebelscum and the Displays and Advertising Facebook group for more information on what some others in the hobby have done.

One thing that must be remembered about this segment and any segment of collecting is that condition has a huge impact on price and value. When it comes to displays, there’s a little give and take to that. We have to remember that these were created to be discarded and many never saw a residual value in them like the actual toys. Because of this, we see rare displays hold their value even with condition issues. However, more common displays like the Boba Fett Header lose the majority of their value when damage is present. Because most of these are cardboard, they are susceptible to many different forms of direct and indirect damage due to environmental issues, poor storage conditions etc. It’s one aspect that makes this one of the most rewarding, but difficult to collect segments in the hobby.

AUCTION REVIEW

Return of the Jedi Collect All 79 Figure Header - $772

eBay Auction Link

Going in numerical order from high to low, our first display is typically found much higher up the food chain. Here we have one of the two character headers released for the Return of the Jedi toy line. This is a two sided display and one of few that has a different image on each side. Now, the piece itself is middle of the road in terms of rarity, but being a header display that features two different sides, it’s fairly unique and can demand up to $3,500 for a high quality example. The example we have here is far from perfect. There are several spots of wear along the edges on both sides as well as well as water damage along the top. The realized price of $772 shows that condition is even more important in this segment than in many others for collectors. When you think that this will more than likely get hung on a wall and that the framing or grading costs are cheap, it starts to become a much less desirable piece.

Star Wars Boba Fett 21 Back Display Header - $1,595

eBay Auction Link

For those entering the hobby and specifically this niche, it’s always good to remember that price is in some way shape or form tied to condition. And that’s the case with our next auction. The Boba Fett 21 Back Header is one of the most popular items in the category of store displays. Being part of a trifecta of Boba Fett displays (Long Header and Bell being the others), this particular one is the most common of the group. Even though it’s the most common one, in good condition it can command between $3,000 and $5,000. Here we have a fairly beat up example that still commanded a fairly strong price at $1,595. A great piece for a starter collector or someone who is just looking for fair grade item.

Star Wars Toy Center Shelf Talker (Flat) - $999.99

eBay Auction Link

The next item up is a Toy Center Shelf Talker from the original release. Now, this particular piece is unique in that it’s never been used and more specifically, never folded over. The piece looks to be a perfect as it could possibly be. This is a really rare example as the Toy Center shelf talker in itself is fairly sought after and an example like this is very difficult to find. Given that there were so many other pieces for the Toy Center series, it hopefully went to compliment that run.

Empire Strikes Back Collect All 48 Hanging Display - $4,055.55

(Auction Link Unavailable)

This next piece is really special. As the toy line grew and grew, Kenner did something that is very rare in the toy industry: they continued to promote and produce prior runs of characters in new packaging. By the time the 48 Back figures were on shelves it was getting very difficult to fit all of those figure onto a display. And what did they do? They got creative and designed a multi-sided hanging display that showed all 48 characters in the series. This was a three-dimensional feast for the eyes and very few have made it through to this day.  

What’s really unique is that in Kenner fashion, they didn’t just blast all the figures randomly onto the display. They used Kim Simmons-style photography to group the figures into their sub-families with the Hoth figures in one image, Bespin in another, the Bounty Hunters in another and so on, with a another side focused on the 9 new figures in the line. This truly was one of the best items from a visual perspective that Kenner ever released.

As I mentioned, not many have survived to this day, and in the case we’re presented with we have all the pieces, but its been cut down to lay flat. Even with that in mind, the display commanded an impressive $4K at auction on eBay.

Empire Strikes Back Collect all 41 Display - $4,200

eBay Auction Link

Our next display also hails from the ESB line. Here we have the Collect All 41 character display -- one of the last displays to feature all of the characters released in the line to date. As Kenner found out with this display, it was getting more difficult to fit all the figures onto one display, so as we saw with the previous auction they moved to a three sided format with the 48 Back displays. Thus was the end of the two-dimensional full catalog displays with this item. Like many displays, this particular one are few in total numbers in collections today, and like many it commands a high price even with some condition issues as seen in the images.

Empire Strikes Back Diorama Display - $4,999.99

eBay Auction Link

Moving back to header displays, we’re treated with another rarity from the ESB line. This header for a toy bin is one of the few from the series to show an action shot, and they fit a lot into it. You have AT-ATs (Pronounced @ @), shooting snowspeeders, rebel transports flying over head, AT-STs thrown in there, and all of it taking place on Hoth and superbly airbrushed to reinforce the action that is taking place. 

This piece does have some wear to it, but is in overall good condition and thus commanded a strong price of just under $5K, making it one of the more expensive Vintage Star Wars pieces on eBay in the past year.

Star Wars Toy Galaxy Bell Display (AFA85) - $5,000

eBay Auction Link

Earlier we were treated to a very unique unfolded header from the Toy Center series of displays. The Toy Galaxy series is actually one of the more common, but demand for good examples has always been high. Here we have an AFA-graded header from the series which shows just how well they encase these items.  Whereas proof sheets can be overwhelming to be graded both in weight and size, headers -- especially bell headers -- fit nicely into a smaller, lighter case.  

This particular piece was part of the Sellersville auction earlier this summer, and like most things in a true auction house commanded more than what I believe we’d see it sell for on eBay alone.  

Empire Strikes Back Collect Them All Display Backer - $7,754.00

eBay Auction Link

One of the things that's interesting about displays and plays out to some extent in the rest of the hobby is that in a lot of cases, the less intricate an item, the more desirable it is. While our last ESB header was detailed and featured a great deal of depth and attention, our next item is one of the most simple displays out there. This is the ESB Collect Them All display, a three color (black, white and red) display that is as simple and straightforward as anything in the Vintage line. This particular piece is fairly sought after being one of the rarer headers from this era, however what makes this auction particularly expensive is that this is a new, unused header display.  

Empire Strikes Back Collect All 32 Backer Display - $8,450

eBay Auction Link

Our last item of the month has several things going for and against it. Regardless, it’s the most expensive auction in our feature and has everyone in the display collecting community buzzing. This is the ESB Collect All 32 backer display. 

This display was very short lived, as most know the number of cardbacks changed more in the ESB line than with either the original Star Wars or Return of the Jedi lines. Because of this there were a number of variations of displays that supported the line. The 32 Back display has great detail and like the 21 Back bell displays, it has a great way of displaying preexisting and new characters in the line.

Unlike the Boba Fett 21 Back Header we saw earlier, this isn’t exactly the type of display most new collectors are going to jump into and although the condition isn’t great, it isn’t horrible either. For many display collectors this is one of the last displays that most will ever acquire and because of this, it was still able to command a very solid price even in less than perfect condition.

I hope you enjoyed our update for this month, check back soon for our review of Lili Ledy products in the market.

Wampa Wampa,

"Fratastic" Pete

Limelight Collector Interview #4 - Yehuda Kleinman

Collecting in the Big Apple: The Collection of Yehuda Kleinman

Pete writes:

Happy May everyone and welcome to our latest Collector Limelight blog post. This month we head to a part of the country that has seen some of the worst weather in years. Luckily for them, the absolute worst hit a few hundred miles North in Boston, but still, NYC has had a very harsh winter, and thus I was happy to spend some time in February with Yehuda Kleinman, who probably needed a bit of break from the inhospitable climate. Yehuda is a lifelong collector. Growing up in the 70s and early 80s gave him the benefit of being the perfect age at the perfect time to experience the Star Wars phenomenon. As a Brooklyn and Manhattan native, he was also in a unique position geographically as a child given the unique aspects New York City retail stores at the time period. Unlike the suburban big box mentality that had already taken over with the likes of Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target in its infancy, Yehuda picked up his pieces at department stores, drug stores, and hardware stores, as these were the primary outlets for these types of products at this time in NYC.  

For Yehuda, this is really his first limelight, or public showing of his display in general. Unlike the other collectors I’ve covered to date, this collection isn’t seen on social media, forums or other venues. Thus, I was very excited that he would allow me to cover his vast collection of Star Wars and other toy lines. Residing today in Queens, Yehuda has a particular style in how and what he collects, making the collection we are about to see unique unto itself. When Yehuda told me during the interview, “I collect a lot like Gus and Duncan,” at first I thought that meant that his house was overrun with multiple rooms of Star Wars memorabilia, but what it really meant is that he’s not a completist and has a sampling of something from each segment of the release. This lead to a lot of discussion as there are dozens of segments of his collection to cover, spanning all three movies, multiple foreign release, production, pre-production, and other toy lines worthy of mentioning here.

Yehuda and I had the first multi-part interview since I started this series, somewhat based on the depth of his collection, but also based on the fact that he’s just that personable of an individual and made ample time for us to chat which also leads to the longest post I’ve put up to date. I hope you enjoy the interview and dialogue he provided as much as I enjoyed discussing his collection.

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INTERVIEW:

When we first conversed I wanted to spend some time on what segments of collecting he focuses on. Here I found that one of the greatest things about his collection is the variety. Not only does he have a complete run of MOC figures, he dabbles in everything. A 2-pack here, a 3-pack there, a 12” run, lots of vehicles, several large proofs, the coin series complete with several prototypes, and to top it off a run of Raiders of the Lost Ark figures and the 18” Alien figure -- literally a Kenner menagerie of items.

Of all these niches in his collection, the one area that I felt he connected with the most and stood out for me was the Palitoy series. It’s well represented through and through and one of the most impressive areas of the collection overall. Thus when we started the discussion I wanted to dive right into Palitoy and what it meant to him in the grand scheme of his collection.

FP: How did you start to collect?

YK: Started to collect loose, then carded, didn’t really focus on collecting full sets, but rather what I wanted in each segment. I ended up getting a full run of loose, then carded and coins as well, but it wasn’t the real goal for me.

FP: When did you start to collect?
 
YK: The first movie came out when I was 4, so I saw Star Wars in the theater. I was in a store a year later when the figures first came out. I was totally at the right age. I remember sitting at recess playing with the figure reenacting the movies, and it stuck with me for all my primary years (1^st grade, 2^nd and onward). I stuck with it through high school and ended up acquiring a lot of my friends' collections. It started building into armies -- Stormtroopers, Jawas, Death Squad Commanders, and even Vaders. I started to get interested in what else what out there, stuff that I didn’t have as a kid. 

YK: In the early 90s when I went to shows, there were always a few Darth Vader cases. Sometimes you would even see a carded figure. I went from collecting individual figures to collecting a full set of figures, mixing carded figures I would find with loose figures and forming a set of them that way. 

When I started building my display, it didn’t look right to have the carded figures in there with the loose figures. Even though they were beaters I couldn’t bring myself to open them, so I ended up trying to buy the rest of the figures loose. I went onto buying mailers and the coins. It was the infancy of Rebelscum at that point, and the Archive. 

FP: How have you gone about putting your collection together, what was your approach?

YK: I collect a lot like Gus and Duncan -- I collect the things that interest me and don’t focus on completing sets. I have one 2-pack and one 3-pack and so on; I find if you go any further you can turn these into complete collections and focuses unto themselves. The collection itself is all just things that I enjoy. There are several areas that I have only one or two pieces of and that’s really my style.

Years back I approached Tommy Garvey. He mentioned going to The Earth for a pre-production piece. The first one I picked up was a Bondo head from the second series of the Ewoks. It started the pre-production collection. Stuff is hard to come by, so I just try and wait for the right pieces to come along and buy other stuff in between them. When you’re a focus collector stuff lines up easily in a display, where when you have a lot of stuff you have to find a way to make it harmonize. When I have things that are completely divergent from each other I try to use different levels or shelves, as it gives separation and shows each of the individual pieces a bit more. That way it’s less distracting to the eye.

My rule with pre-production is to buy whatever comes across that I really like and not get too specific on whatever comes my way. There’s a sticker shock that comes to a lot of folks that have collected for a while.  

I was also picking up a lot of stuff that Todd Chamberlain was selling, Hershey pendants and Oral B tooth brushes. What’s nice is that this stuff has a lot fewer collectors going after it.

FP: One of the first things I notice when I look at your collection is the displays. They’re quite unique can you tell me how you decided on that layout?

YK: When we bought our house 7 years ago we looked at one part of the attic which was a lofted space, but as we continued working and renovating it went from being my closet to something else. A lot of my stuff was in boxes in closets, and wasn’t displayed. The house due to its shape wasn’t really set up great to do boxed cases like those from Ikea. So I decided to build the cabinets from the ground up. This way we could use the space the way we wanted. This helped us get almost everything out there. The walls angle upward halfway up due to the vault. I wanted to keep the architectural integrity of the house and building the cabinets was the best way to do this and make the best use of the space.

YK: One piece that was more difficult to find room for was the Imperial Shuttle and I needed to build a specific space for it. Another was a mold that was very heavy for the AT-AT Driver; it was several hundred pounds so I needed to build a plywood shelf for it vs. the glass shelves I used in the majority of the display. It was a challenge to get it up to the attic, but it was well worth it.

Although I have some cases for pre-production, I do mix things with production and pre-production. While putting it together I played with light and placement. I wanted every piece to be visible, while having the better pieces getting the majority of the focus (tough with 1000s of items). I went with a matte white background, as it makes the cabinet disappear. The lights are LEDs to help reduce any UV light. There are 7 windows and a sky light, so I had the windows tinted with a tint that eliminates the UV, and reduces the natural light. The packaging wasn’t made to be preserved --  it was meant to be thrown away. But if it’s preserved right it will last, but at the same point you don’t want to keep them in the dark.

One random thing we did in the room as well was add a Switcheroo for the light switch for the cabinet, it adds another element of cohesiveness to the room.

FP: How about protecting the figures -- do you grade them?

YK: I don’t grade my figures. Where you see the cases it’s just sliding cases, I feel these are effective.

FP: One set of figures in your collection that stands out to me are the Droids and Ewoks figures.

YK: I have the whole run, of Droids and Ewoks (including Vlix). It’s an old display, and I have moved them over time. It’s a fun display to have up as people who were not familiar with the series could see something different and unique. Vlix I got from a good friend who was looking to move the item as he wanted something else.  He came without his weapon, but I eventually found one for him. If you’re patient things will come around; it’s a marathon not a sprint.  

If you collect the things you like it will probably become valuable as there will be others who feel the same way. If you collect because you think it will grow in value you usually won’t see things grow in value. When I look at the evolution of the hobby it’s very similar to comics. Golden Age wasn’t kept in nice condition and people didn’t collect them, people started to keep them in the Silver Age. Vintage toys are akin to the Golden Age of comics, and vintage prototypes are like Golden Age artwork. This is why the POTF2 line wasn’t appreciating in value. There seems to be similar patterns in other hobbies as well. I’m glad my mom didn’t throw out my toys like my grandma threw out my uncle's comic books.

FP: If the circumstances called for it would you get rid of your collection?

YK: If I had to get rid of it I wouldn’t think about it twice. It’s the friendships and memories that are the most important aspects of the hobby. My greatest enjoyment in the hobby is gaining knowledge and developing friendships.

Another great thing that really made the hobby even more interesting was when I had children who enjoyed it as well. You get to relive it through their eyes. I even sat through the prequels a few times be-grudgingly.

Really looking forward to seeing the new movie for the first time with the kids in the audience.

  

FP: What is your most coveted piece in your collection? 


YK: My hardcopy King Gorneesh parts. Such an interesting piece -- Mattias sold them to my wife who got them for my birthday. I don’t really own anything that’s complete that’s pre-production; I have the head, the comb from the top and the tail as well. I have a first shot of the figure without a head, so it fits well together. 

Over the years people made fun of me as I’m the parts collector.

FP: What are some of your interests outside of collecting?

YK: Jukebox and radio restoration. SW is where I spend a lot of my time. A collector is a collector, so I always seem to find things I like. As a kid I collected toys and baseball cards. My wife collects antiques.

 

Another piece worth mentioning is  something Gus gave me. It’s shaped like a jukebox (an employee piece from around 1990) -- it’s a great tie in to both collections. It’s a radio, a jukebox, and its Kenner so it’s such a great cross over piece. I still have my childhood radio that is really similar in all ways except it doesn’t have a speaker. It's a kitschy piece of Americana. If you look on the Toy Fair catalog from 1990, it says "Kenner has the hits."

FP: That’s really cool on the cross over. I’ve seen a lot of those jukeboxes like AMI and Seaburg come up on American Pickers and some of the other collector shows.

FP: If I asked your significant other about your collection, what would she say?

YK: I know exactly what she would say. Although she doesn’t collect Star Wars, she understands it gives me joy and pleasure and that’s what is most important. She has her handbags, shoes, and antiques.   When I designed the room she helped me with the colors and designs, and even pushed me further on investing into the displays than I originally had thought.    

FP: What would you want others to know about your collection, or your experiences collecting?

 
YK: It’s ah…it’s something that gives you many different levels of enjoyment, including reliving things from your childhood, watching your kids appreciate it, hanging out with friends who also appreciate, it’s a great escape.  We all have work and families, so it’s a great way to relax and unwind. It’s important to pace yourself. You can burn yourself out or isolate yourself, so you need to maintain balance.  

FP: The Vader in a frame...

YK: It’s a patch that a bunch of us put together for Celebration 7. It’s several pieces that create one large Darth Vader bust to resemble the Vader Case which several individuals decorated for Celebration 7.  

FP: Tell me about the coin collection.

 
YK: Along with a lot of the stuff in my collection, I would see something I wanted and would acquire and then I would expand from there. With the coins I had all the Category 1 coins, and thought I would try Category 2. I found Anakin, Yoda, and a few others, and from there I decided to get all 62. Tom Neiheisel (NEXTOY on eBay) -- he was the source of the AT-AT and Falcon proofs, along with a ton of toys (the AT-AT and Rebel Transport Proofs can be seen in a poster swing in one of the images). A lot of my coins came through Tom so it was directly from Kenner to Tom to me without any intermediary.

FP: Tell me about the Indiana Jones items -- how did that line end up working it’s way into your collection?

 YK: It’s still Star Wars stuff isn’t it? George Lucas, Harrison Ford. I remember picking them up in the stores, but if I had one choice for a toy I would get a Star Wars figure. I started to appreciate these more as an adult, as they mimic the Star Wars figures, with the card layout, the movie shots, and the mailaways. It became a natural progression for me as a collector. The figures had articulated knees, and arm swinging action with the German soldier. I have a fair amount of the run, including a hand-made styrene model of the truck and a bunch of proofs that I got from Tom Neiheisel. There’s a few holy grails in the line, including the mailaway Ceremonial Belloq as a carded figure and a few salesman samples.


FP: Another Kenner offshoot I noticed in your collection is one of my favorite toys of all time, the 18” Xenomorph from Alien. Tell me more about that piece.

YK: Politically the toy manufactures have to do things to make the other side of the business happy.  The producers of the movie wanted to market the line to kids. Alien was done tongue in the cheek, they did the same marketing, and it didn’t do well. 

FP: I would be remiss not to bring up your Star Wars MOC collection. What can you tell me about those pieces?

 YK: I have a full offerless movie release set, (except 4-LOM), a decent set of variants, (Leia and Luke Bespin). I don’t have a lot of variants, as I focus a lot on international releases, things like a Harbert Vader, a Takara C-3PO -- I thought they would look nice with what I had.   Glue Stick cards, one 3-pack, one 2-pack -- I just wanted representation of these as collecting all would be a hobby within the hobby.  

FP: I noticed a few POTF2 pieces in your collection -- prototypes from memory -- how did these additions come along?

YK: I didn’t’ buy anything when it was in stores. All of a sudden over time, the figures had their own kitschy appeal; they’ve become their own things. I don’t collect production pieces as it becomes monotonous. I just collect pre-production. Because there’s a limited supply of pre-production it’s a nice fun hobby a little bit of an offshoot. A lot of the stuff that was made during this run was made by people who made items for the Vintage line. They're a way to keep the hobby going and extend it beyond the Vintage line. It refreshes your passion for collecting.

Modern prototypes have become more of a new niche. It’s more attainable, and it was made in-house by some of the same people in Cincinnati as those that worked on the original line. The stuff that was created from 94-2001 before they left Cincinnati is selling for what Vintage pre-production stuff sold for 10+ years back. 

FP: Any regrets from your years of collecting?

YK: The only regrets are things that I didn’t buy.

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Yehuda is the type of collector that everyone likes to chat with. His demeanor as an individual is approachable and genuinely open. Before I finished this post I had the chance to meet him face to face at Celebration 7. I was excited to meet him as we had such a lengthy discussion, and it was the first time I had conversed with the subject of one of my Limelights in person. Looking through his collection there’s literally something for every Vintage collector. It was a great honor to get to cover his efforts and truly a pleasure to cap off this discussion with a face to face meeting.