AFA & UKG Questions

[lee gray]

I got a sealed neo geo fatal fury 2 game was thinking of sending of to VGA, maybe I will use UKG, I might ask them to open it so it gets the U grade hehe

 

[olisuds]

"getting my figures encased for protection" I still think figures get damaged in cases when moved around.

Your absolutely right. I've had a prototype that was graded an AFA85 that had sustained paint rubs to its paint inside the case and in my eyes it was now an AFA80. the figure would have to be secured pretty tight inside. I think the custom cases look pretty snug.

 

[olisuds]

I agree with the above, IMO the only things that look good graded are MOCs and boxed vehicles. Loose figures, multi packs, baggies, mail aways etc all look utter ****, mainly due to the accessories being sellotaped/glued in place. Here's a good example:

Sorry but that looks ridiculous.

Agreed. it looks shite.

And so does this

And this

What about this though?

£17 though and that not including UV casing or the thicker casing which could put the price up to £27. Thats a lot of money to garde a figure!

 

[jimbody1]

UV resistant casing is only about 5-10% more effective than standard acrylic I think and the standard thickness cases are more than tough enough for loose figures anything more is going overboard I reckon.

 

[edd_jedi]

NONE of those look good. Sorry but it's just not good enough, it looks like amateur shite.

 

[jedisearcher]

NONE of those look good. Sorry but it's just not good enough, it looks like amateur shite.

Agree 100%. Haven't seen a loose figure that looks good graded. I'd rather have them loose and no acrylic.

That said, I love MOC's in acrylic - clean simple lines, no goofy shapes to keep it immovable, all good for me.

Off topic, why the hell do people get games graded? Can't see the point at all. MOC's grade fine - an unprotected card and fragile bubble now protected. Games already come in sellophane, in a nice protective case already so what's the point? You can't even see the goodies inside. I know SW toys were meant to be played with, but video games much much moreso as they have zero aesthetic looks. When was the last time you saw a game box and thought it looks needed showcasing? There's no variations in packaging, no nice offers, nothing. Waste of time to me :lol:

 

[momike]

I use ukg and can honestly say I have never been disappointed with there service, Steve is a good guy and always willing to work with you! Like others have said buy British, i have a good thew graded variants graded by ukg and IMO they are going from strength to strength.

I don't mind the weapons taped to the side, as for the helmets I think that would look cool with them on the figure but my only worry would be them coming loose/moving (your going to struggle to get them back in position :? )

On the prototype front I would prob send to afa in all honesty just for the fact they have had more pass through there hands, at the same time i am sure ukg have the resources and knowledge to grade a prototype. I have nothing against Jim Stevenson but when it comes to loose and prototypes I would say he knows next to nothing so not sure what weight a coa from him would hold in comparison to TD

All said and done if your just doing it for the purpose of protection/preservation I would go with ukg all day it won't be as costly, you don't have to worry about them crossing the pond and ukg do a great job in making the figure secure so it dose not move :wink:

 

[Dublinjeff]

I have to say I am a big fan of the work Steve does at UKG. I agree the saber in hand on the figures looks great....here's my Luke fb..

also the Landos I got done look very smart in display.

I find Steve's professionalism and willingness to accommodate requests for custom displays second to none...I will always use UKG for any future grading loose or moc

 

[Grant_C]

I will only use UKG. 4sure.

 

[edd_jedi]

Off topic, why the hell do people get games graded? Can't see the point at all. MOC's grade fine - an unprotected card and fragile bubble now protected. Games already come in sellophane, in a nice protective case already so what's the point?

Games get damaged very easily, the cellophane rips all the time, and as with MOCs the packaging is all counted in the grade. Also as with boxed vehicles, graded games actually look good because it's just a box in an acrylic case. I don't grade any of my games, but I understand why some people do.

I don't understand why they don't, for example, use hot glue to fix figures in place inside grading cases. Using bits of acrylics like the ones above just looks rubbish. And it's not like you will want to remove the figure anyway if you grade it.

 

[olisuds]

I have to say I am a big fan of the work Steve does at UKG. I agree the saber in hand on the figures looks great....here's my Luke fb..

I'm really in 2 minds about getting them graded at the moment. I must admit I think your Luke looks pretty smart with saber in hand. I think the sabers look shite removed from the arm and taped to the plastic.

I might trial a few and see how it goes.

 

[Christian]

I have to say I am a big fan of the work Steve does at UKG. I agree the saber in hand on the figures looks great....here's my Luke fb..

I'm really in 2 minds about getting them graded at the moment. I must admit I think your Luke looks pretty smart with saber in hand. I think the sabers look shite removed from the arm and taped to the plastic.

I might trial a few and see how it goes.

[shameless self promotion] <cough> <cough> I know someone who does some pretty smart loose figure cases....[/shameless self promotion]

 

[JuniorChubb]

I have got to vouch for Christians cases, I never understood why people would add to the cost off collecting by using acrylic cases...

That was until I bought some for myself, anything I want to display that is above average importance to me now gets an Acrylic case.

One thing though Christian, would introducing a line of cases especially for loose Vintage Star Wars with a foot peg built in ever be a possibility?

Oh and to stop me going off topic, I would go UKG all the way. I am not one for selling my items so future price is not an issue for me and I am all for backing a British company.

 

[Christian]

I have got to vouch for Christians cases, I never understood why people would add to the cost off collecting by using acrylic cases...

That was until I bought some for myself, anything I want to display that is above average importance to me now gets an Acrylic case.

Yaaayyy - another convert! Thanks JC

One thing though Christian, would introducing a line of cases especially for loose Vintage Star Wars with a foot peg built in ever be a possibility?

Good question and the simple is answer is no. I looked into this option when putting together original designs for the loose cases and it involves using a steel mould which is damn expensive. Therefore it would have made each case about 5 times as expensive. I didn't think even the most OCD collector would pay that or I would need to sell approx 100,000 of each to recoup the cost - not gonna happen! Therefore, each case was designed to be tall enough to hold both a figure PLUS a figure stand - for example:

Oh and to stop me going off topic, I would go UKG all the way. I am not one for selling my items so future price is not an issue for me and I am all for backing a British company.

Amen brother Amen.

Cheers,
Christian

P.S Sorry Oli I haven't really answered any of your questions!

 

[JuniorChubb]

I thought including a figure peg would be a pain in the arse...

Thanks for going into detail though

 

[dinner squadron 2]

Hey Christian, what about a small hole in the bottom with an acrylic dowel and a little acrylic cement. Just an idea
David

 

[Christian]

Hey Christian, what about a small hole in the bottom with an acrylic dowel and a little acrylic cement. Just an idea
David

Again a good idea however the positioning of the dowel would be different based on which figure you wanted to display. Some collectors have 'customised' our cases for their own displays - i.e. displaying examples of the head pull test 1st shot torsos - so it's entirely possible on a individual basis but we have to sell a standardised product due to factory MOQs and trying to keep resale prices as low as possible.

Cheers,
Christian