Captain Robert

Abney Park

Star Wars Figures

9th-Nov-2011 02:50 pm

When I was a little kid, I wasn't allowed Star Wars figures unless I won them shooting marbles on the playground. My father would say "that's only a nickles worth of plastic, I'm not paying $.99 for them!", and then for Christmas I'd get some generic equivalent that was hardly a step up from armymen, roughly around some cheesy 70's space theme:

awesome star wars equivalent?

I made the best of them, normally by building massive space fortress for the lame things in my fathers very well equiped work-shop.

Needles to say, when my own kids got interested in star wars figures for this Christmas, I was quick to jump online and get them some, only to find ITS A PAIN IN THE ASS!
They want:

Six in total, but if I buy on Amazon they come to over $50 JUST IN SHIPPING COSTS (Amazon has this f'ed up way of selling you crap from a 100 different places with out telling you that you have to pay an additional shipping charge on each item!). Meanwhile, sites like Toys R Us only has a few figures, and they are all lame:

"yes honey, santa brought you your very own 'Plo Koom' doll! NO, its from star wars honey! No, really...oh, please dont cry...he's not THAT scary!"

Ebay will be just like Amazon: if I find the right ones, I'll be buying from 10 different locations and end up spending $130 on 6 little plastic figures (and those are only worth a nickle, by gummit!)

Any of you got any insight on this very important issue?

(Off topic, and to my fathers defense, one year he bought me this, which was like the coolest toy ever:)

THIS JUST IN, HOLY CRAP!!!

Comments

9th-Nov-2009 11:23 pm (UTC)

vonslatt

An Eagle from Space:1999! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7wsIyscvNo (I still have a crush on Catherine Schell)

Edited at 2009-11-09 11:24 pm (UTC)

9th-Nov-2009 11:26 pm (UTC)

robert_from_ap

and the funny thing was, i had never seen that show!

9th-Nov-2009 11:30 pm (UTC)

shadowalchemy

LOL Same here! I got an Eagle at a garage sale when I was 5 (1980)

9th-Nov-2009 11:35 pm (UTC)

robert_from_ap

...was probably mine.

9th-Nov-2009 11:33 pm (UTC)

vonslatt

LOL! Well you wouldn't as it aired in 1975 - I think I watched it in black and white when I was a tiny tot! XD

9th-Nov-2009 11:36 pm (UTC)

robert_from_ap

I wasn't watching much at that age...but I might have scene a re-run.

9th-Nov-2009 11:28 pm (UTC) - Chew...whata?

maxmin

I like how you linked us to the imdb pages of the characters, as if we wouldn't know who they were otherwise... :-p

9th-Nov-2009 11:37 pm (UTC) - Re: Chew...whata?

robert_from_ap

actually, it was more a case of "I better cut&paste the names...if I misspell a name, some uber-geek is going to go postal on me!"

11th-Nov-2009 08:18 pm (UTC) - Re: Chew...whata?

lucius_voltaic

I *thought* they were spelled suspiciously well! :P

9th-Nov-2009 11:38 pm (UTC)

kenderkin

When I purchase from Amazon, I try to see if I can find most of what I want from the same seller, since there are tons. It's a PITA, but it can save on the shipping. Of course...if Amazon sells it directly and you're buying over $25 then shipping is free. :)

Wish I had something a bit more useful for you. :( Good luck!

9th-Nov-2009 11:45 pm (UTC)

starcrossedlady

that's another option for ebay-- contact the seller, see if they have more then one of the figures, and if they would give you a break on the s&h if you buy from them. There are some lovely people who do take that into consideration.

do you have a local comic/collectable place near you?

9th-Nov-2009 11:56 pm (UTC)

crowgrl13

Whoa, flashback. My brother and I had C-3PO and R2D2. I think we had a few others as well, but when the movie came out in '77, I was all of three, so my memories are a bit fuzzy. But I DO remember that we saw the movie at a drive-in, which kicked serious butt.

10th-Nov-2009 12:54 am (UTC)

wildhunter

umm...this might seem like a silly suggestion, but have you checked local antique stores (sometimes the prices can be quite good, and you get rid of shipping costs altogether)...and thank you for posting the Holiday Special, I'd almost forgotten how eye-burningly bad that is. Can't wait to hear/buy Aether Shanties.

10th-Nov-2009 01:00 am (UTC)

crowgrl13

I second this! I got a Kiss lunchbox in an antique/junk store in Denton, Texas....for twenty bucks.

10th-Nov-2009 01:17 am (UTC)

kylecassidy

1) go to ebay
2) find some gen-x it geek whose wife is making him get rid of his huge star wars figure collection
3) buy 45 pieces (including half a dozen jawas and creatures from the cantina you can't for the life of you find in a single frame of the film) for $18
4) tell the kids they're better because they're "vintage"

11th-Nov-2009 01:29 pm (UTC)

taffer

"No, honey, you can't take it out of the package to play with it, that's what makes it new in box!"

10th-Nov-2009 01:51 am (UTC)

leoparda

Ah, I see you have come across that which Lucas wishes could be undone, mon capitain. My condolences.

10th-Nov-2009 02:04 am (UTC)

alfrecht

I wish I had some useful advice for you...I know I was somewhere recently (in the last three months) where they had quite a few Star Wars figures, and this would have been local to Seattle, as I have not gone far from here since February...

Incidentally, is the spaceship pictured above a Capsella product, perhaps? It looks awfully familiar...I know I didn't have one myself, but I remember commercials quite well from about 1980 onwards...

I believe it was last year, I watched the entire Star Wars Holiday Special right around "Life Day," and suffered through many bits of it. But, it was something of a rite of passage, especially with all of the old commercials (Tobor, &c.), and a good lesson in not being able to "go back" to one's childhood. But hurrah for St. Bea Arthur's appearance in that show! ;)

10th-Nov-2009 03:19 am (UTC)

lucv_cate

Robert, I used to collect the figurines...I had lots of them, as well as many of the ships, quite a few of the diorama sets, etc. I played with them so often that I left them in this huge cardboard box (or two).

I went away for two weeks to visit a friend (I was about 12 or so). I came home and they were *all* gone. My parents had put stuff out on the curb from the village's once a year massive curb-side trash-hauling. They thought that since it was near alot of stuff that was going out...that it was part of it. Man...the *years* collecting this stuff...all the money they spent buying me this stuff...

10th-Nov-2009 05:17 am (UTC)

yunami

Ah, the Star Wars Holiday Special. It made my freshman-year roommate cry from the sheer crappiness.

I was the only one of my friends to sit through the whole thing. And that's a few hours of my life I WILL NEVER GET BACK. It wasn't even fun to mock!

It's really hard to pick a "worst part" of something that unutterably bad, but I think the fact that the majority of the dialogue is in untranslated Wookiee would probably qualify. Also, Carrie Fisher being so sloshed she could barely stand in her one brief cameo appearance.

10th-Nov-2009 06:38 am (UTC)

gregordyne

I had a number of star wars toys growing up: x-wing, AT-AT, landspeeder, death star playset, etc. Sadly when I went to reclaim them from my brother after he lost interest, it turned out that they all got left in a chicken coop during a move or something. So now I imagine some well-equipped chickens out there dogfighting in spaceships and armored walkers.

Also had some a capsella. set, but no idea if that's above as I can't currently see some of the attachments on this browser.

10th-Nov-2009 08:46 am (UTC)

nanna_m

Try to contact The Silver Snail in Toronto, they have like a billion zillion different Star Wars figures - you might be able to get a good deal with them.

https://www.silversnail.com/shop/index.html

11th-Nov-2009 01:29 pm (UTC)

taffer

Also, the entire band should come to pick them up in person and also play a show or two.

10th-Nov-2009 09:16 am (UTC)

hildekitten

Check to see if there is a comic book store near you, they generally carry a LOT of star wars toys.
Or a shop specialised in movie merchandise.

That's how we get them easy over here in Belgium.

10th-Nov-2009 09:17 am (UTC)

hildekitten

I had ALL the Star Wars toys growing up, my dad just bought them for me (because he liked to play with them as well). The Darth Vader one was my favorite.
They're all still at my parent's house up in the attic.
We still have first edition mint ones in their box too.

10th-Nov-2009 12:50 pm (UTC)

priestmatthias

That Eagle 1 toy is very cool. I only knew two other kids who had them. Some of the new Star Wars figures are very cool, some are just plain stupid. For the most part they are so over priced.

I guess we all have to keep Lucas in the lifestyle he's accustomed to. :P

10th-Nov-2009 01:44 pm (UTC)

mahariel

The comics shop in Pike Place Market used to have some figures in the glass display cases. I hardly get down there anymore, but it might be work a phone call.

I still have all my figures. I had tolerant parents who indulged my geekiness, and I ended up with the entire collection, including the ones that you had to send in the cereal boxtops for. That's what I wanted instead of Barbies. They're all neatly stored in their cases (the ones shaped like C3PO and Darth Vader's head), and my Imperial shuttle sits in the corner of the basement. The two things I would have died for that they never did buy me, though, were the Millennium Falcon and the SlaveI. Someday I'll shell out the $$$$$ to get 'em for nostalgic reasons, I'm sure.

Oh, and I Loooooved! the Christmas special when I was a kid. But I tried to watch it again about 10 years ago and only made it through the first 10 minutes, and that was with alcohol. Oy!

10th-Nov-2009 09:00 pm (UTC)

mermelody

There's an original Millennium Falcon, with it's box (albeit the box is a little beat up) sitting at a Vintage Stock in my hometown in Oklahoma. It's been there a few months and so far apparently no one here is geek enough to want it! (I do, but being a college student and soon-to-be newlywed pretty much drains the budget.)

10th-Nov-2009 10:04 pm (UTC)

mahariel

Oh, really? How much are they asking? *afraid to ask*

11th-Nov-2009 05:58 am (UTC)

mermelody

I'd have to go by and look again, but I want to say $75? It might be $100, but I'm pretty sure I remember it being $75.

10th-Nov-2009 01:45 pm (UTC)

steampunk_prof

Wow, an Eagle Transporter, I'd have loved (and still would), one of those. Probably the best bit of Space 1999 were the Eagles, well it certainly wasn't the acting :)
Look after it well!!!!!

10th-Nov-2009 02:51 pm (UTC) - Star wars figs

geekgirl33

My son and I got to Super target regularly and find what he wants no shipping charges and usually under $10

If I can't find a certain character I go to the star wars shop..
http://shop.starwars.com/catalog/category.xml?topcatID=1300264;category_id=1300864

Doing amazon reselling for work I now only buy Dvd's from Amazon unless I can't find it else where.

10th-Nov-2009 04:49 pm (UTC)

wc444

Captain, I have a ton of Star Wars figures (and a couple of Amidala dolls) taking up space in my geek room. I'd be more than willing to part with some of it for virtually free (trade for some AP swag?). I don't have all of the figures you listed, but if you're interested, I'll let you know what I can send your way.

10th-Nov-2009 05:44 pm (UTC)

scarywhitegirl

I still don't know what happened to my original Boba Fett or my new Boba Fett.

Fred Meyer usually has a pretty decent selection of the newer figures, as well as a lot of other cute Star Wars stuff. I sort of collect the chibi (super deformed) minis, though I've stopped since I ran out of space at work AND at home for my collection. :)

10th-Nov-2009 08:57 pm (UTC)

mermelody

What's funny about the lame figures you showed is that I just saw them in an antique store for like $15-20 each. No joke :)

11th-Nov-2009 05:16 am (UTC)

macmactee

Dude, Try Craigslist! Likely you will find a local geek who is getting rid of his PACKAGED collection of Kenner figures. If this fails, then try local card and comic shops that also stock collectable figures. You will avoid the shipping fees and PayPal fees this way. Also, you might think about putting out a call on CL in the wanted section.

11th-Nov-2009 08:17 pm (UTC)

lucius_voltaic

Personally, I only have the 12" Star Wars figures, but some friends of mine had a lot of the smaller ones. When I'd visit them, we'd do all sorts of hilarious things with them, which usually involved stormtroopers falling off cliffs and/or accidentally shooting themselves in sensitive areas.

11th-Nov-2009 08:40 pm (UTC)

mister_barista

Don't dis jedi master Plo Koon, Robert!

12th-Nov-2009 08:07 pm (UTC)

Anonymous

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/brand.aspx?brand=4

i use bigbadtoystore (dot com) for most of my toy needs. great site and has lots of hard to find things.

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