Moc question

Howdy.

i'm very sorely tempted to knock up a mint on card collection and add a glass display cabinet with cases and all the gubbins that goes with it similar to the action force themed one i have already done, i'm not overly clued up on prices, things like are palitoy more expensive than kenner i don't really want to spend silly money on it just something i can put together in a care free way so to speak and any advice would be grand.

Hi Eddie,

Good to see you posting on a SW forum - it was always gonna get ya in the end!

As for where to start re a MOC collection I would strongly recommend initially identifying an attainable specific goal. We'd all love to have a complete MOC run of 1st issue carded figures but the outlay would be insane. A few folks have tackled a complete MOC set by just accepting each figure on any cardback. Then you have to think about condition - is C8 good enough for you? Do you want AFA/UKG graded MOCs? Are yellow bubbles a turn off? Do you mind retail price stickers? Lots and lots of variables to think about which I'm sure are also applicable to AF MOCs as well. Obviously there are some MOCs that availability outweighs condition but these are actually few and far between. As for price - a Kenner ROTJ MOC is probably your starting point nowadays due to the rise in popularity and cost of Tri-logos but you'll be surprised at how little a decent MOC can be had for - browse all of the forum classifieds and evilBay and they do pop up. This was my ROTJ set from a few years back which was put together quite reasonably:

http://forum.rebelscum.com/t1028607/

Many moons ago I made the newbie mistake of just grabbing every MOC I could lay my hands on not considering condition, cardback type, cardback offers etc and ended up with a loft full of boxes of items that really didn't mean anything to me apart from ownership. Nowadays I only focus on 'what I like' and desperately try not to follow community trends (which tend to be frequent and often appear when a 'big name' starts to sell off/or collect certain items).

Research, research, research (read forums, http://www.theswca.com, fan made info sites) and then decide what you like and have fun hunting them down.

Good luck,
Christian

probably best to stick with kenner if you dont want to end up spending a lot

maybe start with a focus like rotj and see where it takes you? that could be pretty cheap and look awesome.

I put a complete 12 back Kenner run together a few years ago and had a lot of fun doing although there were a few I upgraded along the way. It takes a bit of patience to get the best quality you can afford and at the best price but I think the thrill really is in the hunt.

Like others have said, pick your focus first so as not to start buying anything and know your budget. Some figures will always cost more than others so be prepared to go that bit further (financially), with those. I ended up probably spending around 2.5K on my set although there were upgrades on top of that so make sure you really are going to be happy with the condition the first time you buy. You can spend a lot less than that on a run but it really depends on what interests you. Again, as said before Kenner is going to probably be your best bet as Palitoy can be very expensive for the early issued ones and also you may never complete your run as they're harder to come by, the same goes for figures from other countries.

All the best with what ever you choose and I'm sure we'll all look forward to seeing your collection in the showcase section. I've since let my Kenner run go but here's a picture of it. Oh and don't let the fact that I don't have them put you off, I decided I'd rather have Palitoys instead and settled on a resealed collection (way to much for me to get them sealed!).

i had a nice fett that i paid a lot of money for graded, then i noticed a raise in the bubble, i was gutted and decided not to own carded figures unless they were budget, proofs and loose was the way forward for me lol.

I like the cards but not the bubbles and sealed figures. Was thinking of printing them on card to display them.

thanks guys certainly food for thought, i will probably set myself a small target first then see how it goes i did go down those lines with action force and then moved forward from that upgrading i still need 7 more cardbacks to complete the palitoy run and 1 for the GI Joe run hence my desire to start thinking about the next phase i prefer the hunt it makes it more enjoyable and the haggling got to love that.

Focus is always a good way to start, talking from experience, pick the right character and you can get an awesome display without paying loads

One other thought I had is that if I was going to put another set of figures together i would probably go for a 20 A back run of the first 12 released. The front of the cards look the same as the 12 backs and will set you back a lot less. Either that or a run of 21 backs, offerless and again the same as the 12 back card fronts but without the white price square (like Palitoy). I think you could also have some fun collecting these as there would be a bit of hunting to be done finding offerless ones so it would be a bit more of a challenge.

ive only been collecting sw carded figures for a couple of years. Look for the characters that you remember the most fondly and remind you of childhood times and set about trying to get them. Much like others have advised do your homework and check all sources, ebay, various forums etc.

eddiebigbiscuits said:

thanks guys certainly food for thought, i will probably set myself a small target first then see how it goes i did go down those lines with action force and then moved forward from that upgrading i still need 7 more cardbacks to complete the palitoy run and 1 for the GI Joe run hence my desire to start thinking about the next phase i prefer the hunt it makes it more enjoyable and the haggling got to love that.

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What action force you missing mate?

I would say just grab any moc's as they come up,that way you can decide what card suits/appeals to you the most bud

2stripes has some ideal cheap starters in the FS thread...

As a newbie on here I have spent a good deal of time drooling over past and present limelight posts gives you ideas that may take an age of spending before you get there

Research is great advice and the guys on here are the best some great people busting to advise a newby and you get get involved in some good clean fun on here...sorry Todd :!: :lol:

At the risk of sounding cheesey.....take advice on the forum learn and be patient
FM :!: I've joined the Jedi academy (or will the dark side win)

Warned you bout the cheese :lol:

Palifan said:

One other thought I had is that if I was going to put another set of figures together i would probably go for a 20 A back run of the first 12 released. The front of the cards look the same as the 12 backs and will set you back a lot less. Either that or a run of 21 backs, offerless and again the same as the 12 back card fronts but without the white price square (like Palitoy). I think you could also have some fun collecting these as there would be a bit of hunting to be done finding offerless ones so it would be a bit more of a challenge.

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I think you cannot put a 20 back A run togheter for the first 12 figures that easy, and certainly not cheaper. Correct me if i am wrong, but i thought the R2 was über rare on a 20A back Card.

To the OP, put togheter an Nice 12 back set, They are the first and most iconic figures and only 12 to go. Its a very rewarding feeling completing your 12 back set.

I think you should go for every figure on every card - that's what I am doing :lol: :lol:

In all seriousness though, the advice you have been given so far is great. Decide what sort of condition that you are happy to accept and then look at lot of the sales threads on RS, here, TIG and the completed listings on eBay - this should give you a rough idea of price. If you want to start out small then go for the ROTJ Kenner ones, you can pick up 30-40 of them for under £35.00 all in pretty good nick

I think you cannot put a 20 back A run togheter for the first 12 figures that easy, and certainly not cheaper. Correct me if i am wrong, but i thought the R2 was über rare on a 20A back Card.


You're probably right about the 20A run although I've seen quite a few of the others a lot cheaper than 12 backs. Maybe the offerless 21 backs of the original 12 is more realistic. I've seen moc Han's go for around $250 so again it's a lot cheaper than the 12 backs. With all that said though a 12 back set shouldn't break the bank if you take your time and are ok with the condition not being top notch.

The end of the day, what ever takes your fancy and is in your budget I'm sure will work out.

Well I've done a bit of research into prices, I think I can comfortably get items of interest without breaking the bank, I'm going to pick up the my favourite figures, I'm maybe looking at around 20ish. I will probably make a decent run of it later in the year once I have sorted out my current project.


Thank you for all the advice, it'll keep me in the collecting game a wee while longer.