Does anyone know anything about this Harbert VCJ?

[Palifan]

Hi all,

I'm putting this thread up for a new member here named Justin as he's having trouble up loading his pictures. It's something he's owned from his childhood and I was wondering if anyone has ever seen one like this?

The thing that seems strange to me is the Empire sticker on the back and I'm wondering if anyone else has ever come across this before with this figure or any other?

Ian

 

[mr_palitoy]

Never seen a Harbert sticker before. Very nice! (unlike the bubble)



Jason

 

[Joe]

Only ever seen the Harbert stickers on Kenner ESB figures, they were added to product sold in Italy once Harbert stopped producing their own cards. I would be very surprised if this was a legit Kenner export to Italy in all honesty.

 

[Palifan]

Never seen a Harbert sticker before. Very nice! (unlike the bubble)



Jason

I know, it's a mystery to me! I thought it was just a battered Kenner card until I noticed the back

 

[Joe]

Never seen a Harbert sticker before. Very nice! (unlike the bubble)



Jason

Wow really Jason? I am surprised given your obvious interest in cardbacks!

There have been a fair few figures turn up over the years with the stickers, pretty sure there are examples on the archive. Johan owns a WBG and Michifromhell has had a couple up for sale on here actually.

 

[wrighty]

Nice find!! Not heard or seen of a VCJ with a Harbert sticker.

 

[Pomse2001]

Nice find mate, I have never seen such a Harbert sticker before 8)

 

[Stargeezer]

Well that could be a cheap moc VC Jawa for anyones beater collection.

Never saw that sticker before On an SW Card though.

 

[Justin]

Thanks for posting this up for me Ian. For those who may have doubts, this is not a fake or a copy or anything else of that nature. This figure was purchased for me by my late father as he used to be a sales rep in London and had a keen interest in models so frequently popped into toy shops throughout his working week. I had most of the original figures when he brought this one home. I really really really wish I had not opened this one, I had the cloth cape jawa which I liked a million times more than this cheap looking effort.

However the plastic cape jawa was never played with due to its cheap look and I had already learnt through owning the original Obi Wan that the capes split under the arms, hence why this one is in such good nick. The card and the figure belong to eachother, there is nothing to say other than this figure was more than likely brought in London in the late 70's early 80's and nothing about it is fake or manipulated. Although not graded as yet it is a bonafide 100% genuine item.

I will be sending Iain some more pictures later, and look forward to hopefully finding out a little more about this figure.

Best wishes and thanks again Ian.

 

[Palifan]

No worries Justin for starting the thread, just thought the guys here would like to see it.

All the best with it

Ian

 

[Palifan]

Here's some more pictures Justin passed on to me so that you can all have a closer look at it.

Ian.

 

[Palifan]

Some more -

 

[Palifan]

Some more -

 

[Palifan]

Last one!

 

[Justin]

Thanks for posting on my behalf Ian.

I have been looking across the internet and on some forums the existence of this figure is doubted. As I recall foreign figures often had the name spelt in the countries language but later the figures had stickers put on them such as this one. Fro scouring sites this afternoon it seems people doubt or did doubt a Harbert VCJ existed. So this makes me wonder about this figure even more. Im tempted to get the figure graded but that wont account for the exceptionally rare card.

Im beginning to wish I had never opened this figure as a kid…but you dont consider future possibilities at 6 years old.

 

[_Lee_]

Only ever seen the Harbert stickers on Kenner ESB figures, they were added to product sold in Italy once Harbert stopped producing their own figures and cards. I would be very surprised if this was a legit Kenner export to Italy in all honesty.

Agreed Joe.

Even more strange is the inclusion of the year 1980 on the sticker?

Man-i just wish this year(2013) would **** off!!!

 

[batman]

No info on the cardback but Harbert did use a vinyl cape jawa in their advertising

picture is from http://www.giochiritrovati.it/harbert page/harber star wars.htm

 

[Stormtrooper37]

Only ever seen the Harbert stickers on Kenner ESB figures, they were added to product sold in Italy once Harbert stopped producing their own figures and cards. I would be very surprised if this was a legit Kenner export to Italy in all honesty.

Agreed Joe.

Even more strange is the inclusion of the year 1980 on the sticker?

Man-i just wish this year(2013) would **** off!!!

Again agree with Joe. Only ever seen Harbert stickers on a few ESB figures - Lando and Leia Bespin etc. It doesn't sit right on a SW card and more so on an early VCJ. I personally don't believe it to be legit.

 

[Joe]

While I can't say with any certainty that your Kenner VCJ definitely didn't receive that Harbert sticker at retail in Italy back in the day Justin, it does seem highly unlikely for several reasons.

You've got the earliest SW Kenner release Jawa combined with an ESB Harbert sticker, so to start with the timelines don't seem to match up. On top of that I have never heard of Kenner exporting SW figures to Italy for sale alongside their own figures (Maybe Christian or Dave can confirm?). Seems odd that out of all the figures available a VCJ would be exported too because Harbert were already producing their own cloth caped Jawa during the SW period.

You also said your Father may have bought it for you while in London? If so that would make it an American figure given an import sticker in Italy and then sold in England..

It just seems like a one in a million possibility that such an early release figure would be exported to Italy so late. If we assume it was exported earlier then it must have sat around till the ESB stickers were used and that seems unlikely too. I can't make sense of it all in a logical way..odd things did happen and I don't want to sound rude by doubting you or your story I just can't think of a plausible reason why this would have come to exist that's all.

Is it possible you transplanted the sticker as a kid from another figure? Maybe your Dad travelled and picked up an ESB figure with the Harbert sticker and that ended up on your Kenner Jawa card? Sticker transplants are easy to do even now 30 years down the line so back then it might have been even easier as they were reasonably "fresh" so to speak.

 

[Palifan]

I sense this could be going the way of the Palitoy VCJ :lol:

Hopefully Justin can help out with any other information he has although I must admit from his emails to me that he does seem a pretty stand up sort of fellow.

Ian