JediDefender.com Forums
Collectibles => Vintage Kenner => Topic started by: JesseVader08 on September 15, 2005, 06:26 AM
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I'm sure we all had one of these when we were kids so we could store our figures.
But I came across this one on ebay - this has got to be a fake, right? Or did they actually produce a white version?
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I'll leave better confirmation to the real vinty guys, but I'll say no, they weren't all black. I think I've seen pictures of Sansweet's collection with multiple versions of both the Vader and the 3PO carry cases in various colors. I believe they are different production stages or prototypes that were produced using different plastics prior to the final black (Vader) and gold (3PO) versions being mass produced.
I'm at work so can't check Sansweet's vintage book either, but I recall pictures of 3PO in various colors in there. I don't recall the Vader being in there but it likely is.
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I don't know if they ever sold one, but like Brent said, there have been quite a few white prototype and first-shots of the case created...
http://www.toysrgus.com/index.php?action=disp_item&item_id=48526
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It's possible that it's a legit prototype, but there are fakes out there.
I would need to know a little more background on this piece before buying it.
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Thanks for the info guys!
He's provided a couple more pictures, which seem to make it look real.
When I first looked at it, I thought maybe someone had just spray-painted it, but you can actually see the striations in plastic. Very neat piece.
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Well I'm not an expert on this but I have seen the auction on this. Comes from a seller that sells mostly antiques from what I can see.
It looks way too clean from the one in the archive. I really don't know. :-\
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I asked the seller to share history on the piece, here is what I got:
You Probabley never will,they are quite Rare,i bought this at a garage sell,and the fellow I got this from told me I probably will never see another white one ever again he was in his 40+..
Seems like a risk, Jesse are you planning on bidding on it? If so PM me I do not want to bid on it if you are.
Best regards,
DBK
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If you're interested in it, go ahead. I was really just curious about it's background.
:)
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I took a look on the Archive and found another pic of the white mold test case as linked below...
http://www.toysrgus.com/index.php?action=disp_item&item_id=48525
According to the description in the link Jeff provided (which I almost duped, oops :P), the white test case had a "marble" finish, which would definitely describe the paint job of the case in question. But I gotta say that the reply to DBK's question seems a bit sketchy. If this guy got it at a garage sale, one would think it was a sale from someone who may have worked on the piece, so a bit more enlightenment there would be nice.
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Is the new one the same size as the vintage? It's possible it's just a mold test for the OTC case. When the X-Wing, Falcon, Snowspeeder, and Speeder Bike came out test shots started showing up still bearing the vintage copyright dates. Most of them, sans the Speeder Bike, showed up in white plastic. His provenance is sketchy at best. I'd say he's trying to play off a modern prototype for a vintage one.
John
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...and the fellow I got this from told me I probably will never see another white one ever again he was in his 40+..
Uh, 40 ain't that freakin' old ::) I'm 41 and never owned a vintage star wars toy until a couple of years ago, let alone a prototype that I'd turn around and sell in a garage sale. Something stinky here.
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Maybe I'm being naive, but maybe the guy really doesn't realize what he has (if it is in fact the real thing). He may think it's the typical eBay "HTF, RARE" find, but may not know it really is a rare piece.
If it is. :-\
My brain hurts.
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$81.01 (http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5998579570&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT). Well, somebody definitely thought it looked real.
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Hmmm... I was checking out SithToys.com (http://www.sithtoys.com/indexlist.html), the Darth Vader Toy Museum. On the front page, he states that there are only 8 of these known to exist. If that case was a real prototype, I'll kick my ass for not jumping on it. :(
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Hmmm... I was checking out SithToys.com (http://www.sithtoys.com/indexlist.html), the Darth Vader Toy Museum. On the front page, he states that there are only 8 of these known to exist. If that case was a real prototype, I'll kick my ass for not jumping on it. :(
Sorry guys, but this was indeed a real prototype white case. (I was the high bidder)
Vintage cases like this are next to impossible to fake. The only vintage Vader case fake/repro prototype cases are the Gold Chrome on black plastic cases.
A few years ago in Toy Shop, there was a dealer making repro's. They are very easy to tell apart from the real thing, but shady dealers picked up on them and resold a few of them as legit.
If there is ever any doubt, contact me or another vintage collector.
Bill
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Thanks for the info Bill.
So, did I have any chance of winning that auction (if I had been smart enough to bid), or were you determined to have it at any cost? ;)
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I can't rememeber what my high bid on that auction was, but I pretty much bid high/market value on things like that. (So it would have been at least $1200 or more)
It is the last known vintage piece I needed to complete my run of prototype cases, so I would have certainly bid more than any sane person would have ;)
Bill
Here is a group shot of the prototype Vader Cases:
(http://www.sithtoys.com/casesgroup.jpg)
From Left to Right:
Test Shot/Sample
Gold Chrome - Gold Plastic Case
Dull Gold Case (no chrome)
White/Marble Case
Gold Chrome - Black Plastic Case
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Woah, sweet pic.
It is the last known vintage piece I needed to complete my run of prototype cases, so I would have certainly bid more than any sane person would have ;)
Sane is a relative term. :D
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hi there.i found something in one of Sansweet's books. i hope this will help out:
When Kenner decided to make a gold C-3PO action figure carrying case,they wanted to see how much packaging it needed to protect the finish in the shipping process. So they took about 100 of the black plastic Darth Vader cases,vacuum metalized them in a gold finish,and shipped them to and from Kenner headquarters.(i would love to have one of them!) I have never seen a white one.it could be a prototype.
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hi there.i found something in one of Sansweet's books. i hope this will help out:
When Kenner decided to make a gold C-3PO action figure carrying case,they wanted to see how much packaging it needed to protect the finish in the shipping process. So they took about 100 of the black plastic Darth Vader cases,vacuum metalized them in a gold finish,and shipped them to and from Kenner headquarters.(i would love to have one of them!) I have never seen a white one.it could be a prototype.
LOL... you think ? ;) I wonder what those other cases in the pic might be ? :)
Bill
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The only vintage Vader case fake/repro prototype cases are the Gold Chrome on black plastic cases. A few years ago in Toy Shop, there was a dealer making repro's. They are very easy to tell apart from the real thing, but shady dealers picked up on them and resold a few of them as legit.
If there is ever any doubt, contact me or another vintage collector.
Bill
Bill - the fakes were they just gold "plated" on the exterior, but the interior was left black? A vintage toy shop I visit has one such Vader case buried under a pile of junk behind a display case (it's been there for at least two years). I've always figured it to be a fake, but I'd find it kind of funny if it was one of the Kenner test pieces and the owner doesn't even know what he has. I've never seen interior shots of the test pieces and can only find exterior pics on the Archive with no references to the interiors.
Cheers!
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The only vintage Vader case fake/repro prototype cases are the Gold Chrome on black plastic cases. A few years ago in Toy Shop, there was a dealer making repro's. They are very easy to tell apart from the real thing, but shady dealers picked up on them and resold a few of them as legit.
If there is ever any doubt, contact me or another vintage collector.
Bill
Bill - the fakes were they just gold "plated" on the exterior, but the interior was left black? A vintage toy shop I visit has one such Vader case buried under a pile of junk behind a display case (it's been there for at least two years). I've always figured it to be a fake, but I'd find it kind of funny if it was one of the Kenner test pieces and the owner doesn't even know what he has. I've never seen interior shots of the test pieces and can only find exterior pics on the Archive with no references to the interiors.
Cheers!
All of the known fakes/repros are the black cases w/ the gold chrome. This is NOT saying that all such cases are fake. The original chroming tests by Kenner were done using the black cases. (this is what they had on-hand)
As the process evolved, Kenner started using different plastics (ie. the Dull Gold Case), and some of them being Chromed as well. In all, there are 3 main variants for the Gold Chrome case.
Your best bet it to examine it, and see if it has been split/cut along the main seam for the case. (Kenner cut the cases to aid the chroming process.) Also, look for general signs of wear and aging. If it is a black case (whole) and has a very deep gold color, without a lot of wear, then it is probably one of the vintage repros/fakes.
Bill
If you can post some pics of the case, or send them to me I can give you a better idea.