Does anyone support repro in any format?

[tiefighterboy]

I support nothing, however as has been said...the foam rots overtime...so I have no problem with that. Also decals are a grey area for me. I know it's hard to draw line, but you have to at some pont.

 

[Hothrebel]

Unfortunately when ever money becomes involved some people will look for an angle.
Repro stuff has just got better and better and it is now harder than ever to tell the difference.
Me personally I am totally against anything repro.For no other reason than the fact that people take advantage.Its pretty simple as far as I am concerned.

 

[x-pack]

Foam is ok. I've had to replace that on my Degobah as it's rotted and made a horrible mess. Same goes for the bandolier on which I just pulled the foam out. I actually never knew replacements were available. I just used some foam that was lying around for Degobah.


Stickers and weapons are out for me. Say you've got a knackered R2 pop up, how easy would it be to replace the decal and whack the price up? I think if you buy any specially manufactured repro you are funding further production, and that's bad news for collecting.

 

[steve obi wan]

No to reproduction weapons , capes . Etc etc :evil:

 

[Grant_C]

If its not from the era, its not vintage, its not even Star Wars. Just a piece of plastic. Might as well be a My Little Pony accessory.

 

[x-pack]

If its not from the era, its not vintage, its not even Star Wars. Just a piece of plastic. Might as well be a My Little Pony accessory.

Dave Tree will be very cross with you :lol:

 

[spoons]

A good question this and I've said it before but Vintage SW collectors are far more hard core over this than any other sphere of collecting or even vintage car owners

Repro parts are an accepted part of most hobbies as long as they are clearly marked or significantly different from the original.

Personally I'd have repro foam in my collection but nothing else. I do have a set of dt Sabres for reference and some repro weapons with the kids beaters

Can't stand the likes of Orme but if he'd made his inserts with a big R dotted into them then I wouldn't object to repro inserts in principle as they help preserve the boxes

Don't see the point in repro boxes or weapons but if someone wants a set of pretend vintage I'm not concerned - of course it's an issue if sold as original but vigilance and education are usually enough

The poon troopers are worrying and entirely pointless but once again if they had a repro COO I wouldn't object in principle

Appreciate that a lot of the guys on here are a lot more passionate on the issue

 

[poncho]

against all reproduction items. i did had a repro r2d2 pop up saber for a couple of years only because i couldnt find an original and was a place filler. this was in the mid 2000's before i joined any forums and purely bought from ebay. anyway got a original eventually for a sensible price imo, and thats the only repro ive ever displayed.

 

[ODB]

I'm totally against them. Why, well time and time again those that have made them have made no attempt to differentiate them from the originals. Therefore they are to deceive the naive or innocent so cannot be a good thing. There are plenty of other collector hobbies where originality is preferred over restorations or reproductions, so its not like we are being totally weird.

 

[chipsteak]

Other than foam and some vehicle stickers, I don't want Repro in my collection.

I can see why people onto dioramas might want them instead of buying 20 Stormtrooper blasters if it's just for a display. But completing a loose set using repro is just too damn easy.

I do think, though, that is up to us collectors to know real from fake. It's an inevitability that fakes of correctables exist. The likes of us have to know our stuff and call out anyone selling fake as real.

 

[chipsteak]

Other than foam and some vehicle stickers, I don't want Repro in my collection.

I can see why people onto dioramas might want them instead of buying 20 Stormtrooper blasters if it's just for a display. But completing a loose set using repro is just too damn easy.

I do think, though, that is up to us collectors to know real from fake. It's an inevitability that fakes of correctables exist. The likes of us have to know our stuff and call out anyone selling fake as real.

 

[x-pack]

Other than foam and some vehicle stickers, I don't want Repro in my collection.

I can see why people onto dioramas might want them instead of buying 20 Stormtrooper blasters if it's just for a display. But completing a loose set using repro is just too damn easy.

I do think, though, that is up to us collectors to know real from fake. It's an inevitability that fakes of correctables exist. The likes of us have to know our stuff and call out anyone selling fake as real.

True. Weapons are the worst of the lot IMO.

 

[Cocobean]

I just don't understand where the fun is in having reproduction items your not really collecting your just making it look like you are anyone can get a fake but not everyone can get the original surely the fact these items are becoming rare and sometimes difficult to acquire is what makes it exciting how good does it feel when you find a rare item or save up for a rare item and finally get it or an item you wanted as a child now imagine just logging onto eBay and purchasing something that looks like it and is fake surely it can't feel the same especially if your a true collector I guess if you collect stamps you can just download images of the rare ones and print them after all it's just for display

 

[x-pack]

Some of these things are obvious, others less so. It's a mine field mate. I have weapons that I know to be repro. But you put them next to real thing and try to spot the difference. In particular I speak of Imperial Stormy rifles, Stormtrooper and Han Solo type blasters. There are some good (****) copies.

 

[jasdev999]

I do not support repro at all. Repro weapons are the worst as these will keep on getting better and nearer to the original if people keep on buying these.

There is a place for cheeky customs though that don't look at all like the intended originals.

 

[Cocobean]

I think most people agree customs are great provided they don't replicate actual items that were for sale however as someone mentioned the repros are getting harder to spot now 3D printers are available I'd imagine it getting more difficult and freely available some figures are even getting better it's scary and to be honest a little upsetting especially when I know how difficult it was for me to replace my items and I'm sure I'm not alone in that

 

[Joe]

 

[chipsteak]

The use of custom to describe a recard is nasty. As is the word recard.

The language the guys use is hilarious.

"This figure has been painstakingly and professionally mounted onto his 32-b recard"

Professionally? You actually took it to a professional Star Wars figure mounter and recarder? Did he use professional grade double sided sticky tape?

 

[Cocobean]

Haha yeah seen a few of those painstakingly ads on eBay and the ones that state not like other cheap recarded figures :lol:

 

[Ian_C]

I do think, though, that is up to us collectors to know real from fake. It's an inevitability that fakes of correctables exist. The likes of us have to know our stuff and call out anyone selling fake as real.

ABSOLUTELY. This is my main beef with AFA "authentication" services. This is a blanket statement that doesn't apply to everyone, but in my opinion having a third party authenticating items just encourages people to not bother educating themselves on how to authenticate. It's becoming a lost art for newer collectors. AFA makes mistakes, which are caught by sharp eyed collectors all the time. As repros get better, I expect AFA will miss more as well. It is imperative that in a hobby that is forever spiraling upwards in cost that people know just what the hell they're buying each and every time and not relying on someone else's word.

I just don't understand where the fun is in having reproduction items your not really collecting your just making it look like you are anyone can get a fake but not everyone can get the original surely the fact these items are becoming rare and sometimes difficult to acquire is what makes it exciting how good does it feel when you find a rare item or save up for a rare item and finally get it or an item you wanted as a child now imagine just logging onto eBay and purchasing something that looks like it and is fake surely it can't feel the same especially if your a true collector I guess if you collect stamps you can just download images of the rare ones and print them after all it's just for display

Honestly, it's called a sense of entitlement. Some people can't, or won't, buy an original due to the expense. Even when it's not out of someone's budget, people will bitch about a $10 Imperial blaster when they can get a half dozen repros for the same price.


I see several replies in here saying foam and/or stickers are okay. Without meaning to insult anyone, I HIGHLY disagree. Just because foam disintegrates and weapons do not, there is no difference when displaying an item with a fake weapon than a Dagobah playset with fake foam. I don't factor cost and/or availability of authentic material into that mindset. It's real, or it isn't, and I'd rather keep my own Dagobah without foam than pretend it's complete with a fake replacement, even if it's the wrong color. Same with stickers. Sorry, I'll get off the soap box now.

What I will say is I wasn't always this way. In the late 90's, before I knew any better, I had an entire set of the available repros made at that time. I thought they were awesome. As time went on, I discarded most of them, and gave a few to my kids to play with their beater figures. However, even now, I have slowly removed them from my kids as well, as there is just too much of a chance that one day, they may accidentally sell one mistakenly as real. I've done other hobby no-no's as well, such as opening beaters to get mint loose and autographing vintage MOC's. I still cherish my MOC's, but no longer do that, and I a embarrassed that I participated in opening figures years ago. It illustrates though that everyone needs to learn the damage these things do over time.

Ian