Where to next?

[Morgbug]

Well, I suppose the first thing I should start out by saying is thank you to all of the good folks around here for all the help given over the last year and change. 

For the most part, my vintage loose figure collection is complete.  Here's where I am, for the most part and what I have:

1.   Luke Skywalker farm boy blonde hair - complete - check saber
2.   Luke Skywalker farm boy brown hair - complete
3.   Princess Leia - repro weapon need original
4.   R2-D2 - upgrade only to mint
5.   Chewbacca - need to upgrade, bowcaster original
6.   Chewbacca green limbs - need bowcaster
7.   C-3PO - shiny, tight limbs
8.   Darth Vader - mint
9.   Stormtrooper - 3, all clean, none dead mint - weapons all original
10.   Han Solo large head - mint, original black blaster
11.   Han Solo small head - good, slightly yellow sleeves, original blaster
12.   Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi gray hair - mint
13.   Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi white hair - slight hair loss at front, still nice
14.   Sand People regular - have near mint upgrade, complete and good second, dirty cape
15.   Sand People hollow tubes - complete
16.   Jawa cloth cape - mint, need blaster
17.   Jawa vinyl cape - Got It! 
18.   Death Squad Commander - slight belt wear, blaster original
19.   Greedo - mint except for slight paint loss to white of left eye, blaster original
20.   Walrusman - great except for slight paint loss to mouth (pink), blaster original
21.   Hammerhead - mint, blaster original
22.   Snaggletooth red - limbs tight, but paint loss to toes (nails), blaster original
23.   Luke Skywalker X-wing pilot - good, paint loss to hand, helmet dirty, blaster original - should upgrade
24.   R4-D4 - very good, hard to upgrade from ebay
25.   Death Star Droid - POS, need upgrade with tight limbs, better paint
26.   Power Droid - tiny amount of paint loss various, legs click, very good
27.   Boba Fett - near mint, blaster original
28.   Luke Skywalker Bespin blonde hair - mint, original blue blaster, original saber
29.   Luke Skywalker Bespin brown hair - loose right arm, some paint rubs, blaster original, saber repro
30.   Han Solo Hoth outfit - good, paint loss to hands (minor), blaster original
31.   Leia Organa Bespin Gown low collar - very nice, original blaster
32.   Leia Organa Bespin Gown turtleneck - slight nose rub, otherwise good, original blaster
33.   Bossk - mint, original blaster
34.   Bossk green limbs - fair, lots of wear, need blaster but no need to upgrade figure
35.   IG-88 - mint, both original weapons
36.   Rebel Soldier (Hoth) - mint, very tight limbs, need blaster
37.   FX-7 - very nice
38.   Imperial Stormtrooper (Hoth Battle Gear) - mint, tight limbs, slight yellowing of torso, head, blaster original
39.   Lando Calrissian smiling - mint, blaster original
40.   Lando Calrissian - excellent but for paint loss on left index finger, blaster original
41.   Bespin Security Guard - nice, paint a little dull, original blaster, Fu Manchu
42.   Yoda orange snake - complete, light green skin, snake, belt cane original
43.   Yoda brown snake - dark green skin, belt, snake original, need dark brown cane
44.   Leia Hoth outfit - mint original blaster
45.   Rebel commander - mint original blaster
46.   AT-AT Driver - near mint, original weapon x2
47.   2-1 B - left arm slightly loose, otherwise mint, weapon original
48.   Imperial Commander - near mint, blaster original
49.   Ugnaught purple smock - mint, case original
50.   Ugnaught blue smock  - need   
51.   Lobot - mint, original blaster
52.   Dengar - near mint, original rifle
53.   Han Solo Bespin Outfit - some paint loss, could use upgrade54.   See-Threepio removeable limbs - mint in Kenner baggie
55.   R2-D2 with sensorscope - mint, tight limbs, head clicks, sensor up and down smoothly
56.   Luke Skywalker Hoth gear - near mint, original rifle
57.   AT-AT commander - near mint, original blaster
58.   Cloud Car Pilot - near mint complete accessories
59.   Bespin Security Guard black - mint, original blaster
60.   Zuckuss - mint, original rifle
61.   4-LOM - mint, original weapon
62.   Imperial Tie Fighter Pilot - good, some paint wear on chest, original weapon.
63.   Admiral Ackbar - dead mint from card
64.   Gamorrean Guard - mint, original weapon
65.   Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight green saber sewn collar - mint, original weapons
66.   Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight blue saber snap collar - dead mint from card
67.   Princess Leia Organa Boussh Disguise - mint, original
68.   Emperor’s Royal Guard - mint, original
69.   Chief Chirpa - red spotting on back of arm, otherwise good, need weapon
70.   Logray - mint, complete except for shaman staff
71.   Logray Macau - mint complete
72.   Klaatu - dead mint from card
73.   Weequay - mint complete
74.   Rebel Commando - mint but for small black mark on right leg, tight limbs, original weapon
75.   General Madine - mint complete
76.   Lando Calrissian Skiff Guard disguise - very good, limbs not completely tight, complete
77.   Biker Scout long mouth - 2; one good, some paint loss; second dead mint from card
78.   Biker Scout short mouth - do not have
79.   Nien Nunb - mint, complete from card
80.   Squid Head - mint complete
81.   Ree-Yees - dead mint from card (2)
82.   Bib Fortuna - very minor paint loss on fingers, complete
83.   Nikto - mint, complete
84.   8D8 - dead mint from card
85.   Princess Leia Organa combat poncho - mint, complete
86.   Wicket W. Warrick - mint, complete
87.   The Emperor - very good, but small scrape on nose!
88.   Klaatu - mint complete
89.   B-wing pilot - dead mint from card
90.   AT-ST Driver - very good, minor rub to left shoulder emblem, complete
91.   Han Solo trench coat plain collar - dead mint from card
92.   Han Solo trench coat camouflage collar - mint, complete
93.   Teebo - mint complete need battle ax
94.   Prune Face - mint complete light green pants
95.   Rancor Keeper - mint, complete
96.   Lumat - mint, complete
97.   Paploo - mint, complete
98.   Romba - mint, complete
99.   Luke Skywalker battle poncho - mint complete
100.   R2-D2 with pop up light saber - mint, complete
101.   Amanaman - mint, complete with coin
102.   Barada - mint, complete
103.   Imperial Gunner - mint, complete   
104.   Luke Skywalker Imperial stormtrooper outfit - mint, complete
105.   Han Solo in carbonite chamber - mint, complete
106.   EV-9D9 - good; left arm comes off; head loose but poseable; I’ll live with it
107.   Warok - mint complete
108.   Anakin Skywalker - mint complete
109.   A-Wing Pilot - very good, tiny paint loss to chest silver, complete
110.   Lando Calrissian General Pilot - mint, complete
111.   Yak Face - mint, complete
112.   Imperial Dignitary - mint, complete
113.   Blue Snaggletooth - tiny paint loss to front and back of boots, no weapon, otherwise great
114.   Jabba the Hutt with Salacious Crumb - mint, complete except for chain
115.   Max Rebo - very good, complete, paint fading to arms
116.   Sy Snootles - mint, complete, silver microphone
117.   Droopy McCool - mint, complete, silver microphone

Droids
119. R2-D2 - dead mint from card
120. C-3PO - excellent condition, limbs moderately loose
121. Thall Joben - dead mint from card
122. Jord Dusat - dead mint from card
123. Kea Moll - minty as can be
124. Kez Iban - thanks Stormie/Bob
125. Uncle Gundy - dead mint from card
126. Jann Tosh - in transit
127. Tig Fromm - loose limbs, have repro weapon
128. Sise Fromm - dead mint from card

Ewoks
129. King Gorneesh - mint complete
130. Lady Gorneesh - mint on card
131. Dulok Scout - mint complete
132. Dulok Shaman - mint on card
134 Wicket W. Warrick - need
135. Logray - need

Since I have no grand love for the Ewoks, I'll finish them in due time, but no hurry. 

I've a few figures on trilogo cards and I do like them, but I worry about finishing that collection off. 

I picked up a boxed X-wing in very nice shape so I'm contemplating vehicles, but I want minty boxes as well.  I'd probably dump most of the modern vehicles to get there as well. 

Creatures are of interest, boxed as well. 

So, what would you proceed to chase down next?  Suggestions please, all are valid. 

[DSJ™]

First of all, Congrats Brent.    Until you get some of those repro weapons out of the way and get the odd missing ones, your not really complete.   

There are many items to collect now:

Accessories (laser cannon's, Ewok combat cet, coins, Maintenance Energizer), collector cases, 12" figures, creatures, micro sets, playsets, die cast vehicles, vehicles etc. Don't forget about the DT's. 

A carded collection, figure variants, cromalins, proofs, mock ups, store displays, prototypes (hardcopys/first shots), unproduced items, 2-up's, 4-up's, foreign items, bootlegs etc. Oy, me thinks they are out of your league.  But to own any one of them is super, it's history man. 

Boxed or loose is up to you, it all come down too is where do you really want to go from here. Sit down and have a look at the books, Sansweet's and Kellerman's, check the archive and have a looky to see what is really out there, take your time and see what appeals to you. Is it the route you want to go, is it going to be eye candy to you. 

Just remember, when you get to the bigger and higher end items, it may take years to complete. Same with a character focus, it takes time.

Most of all, do you have the room and the money to take on another challenge. Listen to you heart and feel the flow force. Go with what you can do. 

What ever you take on, I wish you the best of luck. You have come far from the time I have known you. Well done. 

[CorranHorn]

Brent,

Congrats on the completion of your figure collection, even though they aren't all minty mint, it's always an accomplishment to get them all. Of course I'm not there yet myself...

If you're looking for something next to collect, might I suggest the Mini-Rigs. While not overly difficult to find, there is some work to be done if you want mint pieces, especially for the POTF mini-rigs. Plus you can go crazy and try to get the US and Tri-Logo boxes which adds another dimension to the collecting. They're also relatively inexpensive and don't take up as much space as the bigger vehicles.

Cheers!

[Andy_R]

Congrats on completing your loose collection. 
If you're going after carded figures next, I suggest you find a focus.  Maybe a character or even a cardback/offer focus ... something specific.  You'll get lost if you have a general "carded" focus.  Very lost.

Good luck! 

Andy

[evenflow]

WHere to next is the struggle i have been having.

I am saving up for Vlix becuase i have finally come to understand that i must have him. 

Other than that i need:

Lili Ledy Jawa
Lili Ledy Bib Fortuna
Yoda w/ Green Snake
Luke with Red/Orange hair
I could use a new Luke Jedi w/ Blue Saber

[Morgbug]

I could use a new Luke Jedi w/ Blue Saber

Well that one I have covered, at least.  Came from a card too.  I bought it off ebay and the bubble was only partially dented, but badly yellowed.  He packed it poorly and it arrived totally thrashed - crushed, cracked, falling apart.  So I opened it and the bonus was it was a snap collar cape.  So that Luke is done. 

I'm still at a loss where to go though.  I know I'm unlikely to finish a carded collection though I do have a fondness for trilogo's. 

Ships are neat but room consuming.  I may have to unload a lot of my modern ships to make room.

[JediMAC]

Congrats on finishing up, Brent!  Feels pretty good, eh?  I'm still lacking the damned Yakface that I've never bothered tracking down over the years, for whatever reason...

So, what would you proceed to chase down next? Suggestions please, all are valid.

Are you just talking about the 4" line, or are you willing to delve into other vintage areas?  If the latter, then I would highly recommend going after the Kenner Micro Collection line, if you haven't already.  One of the greatest Star Wars collectibles ever, IMO.  I've still got my entire complete (pristine) Micro collection from my youth, and it's still the pride and joy of my collection.

But God how I wish I could afford to go after some of the unproduced sets from that line that are lingering about in extremely limited quantities out there...

[Brian]

Congratulations Brent, I bet it feels good to have that portion of your collection all taken care of.  That is one fun thing about the vintage line(s) I think, they are "finite" and you can actually see and hopefully achieve a complete collection.  I'm (very slowly) working towards accomplishing the complete loose figure collection as well, but I've got a ways to go.  I've often wondered where I could/would go after that, especially if the modern stuff was dying down in the future.  I do like the suggestions here of vehicles, carded figures, the Micro collection (quite cool I thought), and the Mini Rigs.  All of those areas would be fun to delve into I think.  Only you know what you'd like best, and what you have the space for.  Best of luck on the next collecting goal!

[evenflow]

I could use a new Luke Jedi w/ Blue Saber

Well that one I have covered, at least.  Came from a card too.  I bought it off ebay and the bubble was only partially dented, but badly yellowed.  He packed it poorly and it arrived totally thrashed - crushed, cracked, falling apart.  So I opened it and the bonus was it was a snap collar cape.  So that Luke is done. 

I'm still at a loss where to go though.  I know I'm unlikely to finish a carded collection though I do have a fondness for trilogo's. 

Ships are neat but room consuming.  I may have to unload a lot of my modern ships to make room.

One of the last pick ups i got was a snap cape Luke. So i crossed that one off.

[Morgbug]

Are you just talking about the 4" line, or are you willing to delve into other vintage areas?  If the latter, then I would highly recommend going after the Kenner Micro Collection line, if you haven't already.  One of the greatest Star Wars collectibles ever, IMO.  I've still got my entire complete (pristine) Micro collection from my youth, and it's still the pride and joy of my collection.

My first reaction is to say no, I'm not interested in stepping outside the 4" line.  So much to collect there and so much neat stuff yet to find.  I do like the Die-cast stuff a fair bit though. 

See I have some carded figures; I have a boxed ship.  I like the beasts (I have a loose vinty Rancor), I like the various accessories.  Aaaargh. 

I do think the smartest thing I could do is just back off until we've moved though.  I hardly think buying up ships is a sensible thing to do at this point.  The less I have to worry about carded figures would probably be good too.

[JesseVader08]

Yeah, being stuck in the middle of a pending move makes this a little tricky to decide.

I've always liked the idea of a character focus.  I've got a bit of a modern Darth Vader focus started, and look forward to doing the same with vintage Canadian carded Vaders.  Some day.

I guess the advantage of something like a character focus is that you're limited in the amount of items available (hopefully keeping expenses under control), and carded figures don't take up much room for storage if you start this before moving.   

[ruiner]

Wow, what an accomplishment! 

How should one start collecting loose vintage figures?  Did you rely a lot on ebay or did you hit up antique shows and the like?

[Morgbug]

I relied almost exclusively on ebay.  I think if you're in the US and a larger center, you may have more options.  Up here there's next to no one carrying vintage stuff and the only place that does has nothing good left. 

I got some starter help from some folks on the board here as well - Scott and Reconsgt sent me some figures for free and I got a ton of advice here on the board in that funny thread at the top of the vinty section. 

But ebay was it for me. 

As for a character focus?  I'm not sure, I'm not overly obsessive about anything in star wars, except maybe ewoks

[john todd]

i have always figured that if/when i finish my carded collection, i would go for the 12ers.  they are kinda pricey boxed in nice condition, but there aren't very many of them, and they are kinda cool.

[JediMAC]

My first reaction is to say no, I'm not interested in stepping outside the 4" line.  So much to collect there and so much neat stuff yet to find.  I do like the Die-cast stuff a fair bit though.

Just so there's no confusion Brent, I was talking about those Hoth, Bespin and Death Star Micro playsets with diecast mini figures, and not the Diecast vehicle line with the carded ships.

One thing I'd love to track down is a few store displays, especially the ones from the first 21 figures, like the 21 bell that I so vividly remember in the toy stores from my youth.

But if you want to stick with the 4" line Brent, without going to deep into stuff like protos, hardcopies, 4-ups, etc., then maybe just tracking down the vehicles/playsets would be the natural progression from here.  Start with stuff from ANH, and take it from there.  Or just do the Mini-Rigs, like suggested earlier.  Or, dare I say it, try to put together a carded subset, like all of ROTJ (if you want to start easy).

The possiblities are endless, I suppose.  Good luck choosing!