Has your taste in vintage changed over the years?

[db94]

Been thinking a lot lately about how my taste in vintage SW toys has changed since I collected back in the day as a kid.
I’m guessing most of us enjoy collecting because it reminds us of being kids and the happy memories of growing up but I am now more interested in the things I didn’t have and I’m not sure if it’s because I didn’t have them so the kid in me wants to buy and play with them or the adult collector that now appreciates them on a different level.

For example - As a kid I had zero desire to own or play with the Jabba playset or Rebo band but now both are top of my want list. Looking at them now I can’t believe I didn’t have a Jabba!
R2 has always been my fav but remember thinking I wouldn’t waste £1.50 on the pop up – thought the lightsaber looked stupid but fast forward 30 years and I’m pretty sure someday I’ll risk a divorce by paying stupid money to get a carded and loose one but definitely no childhood memories associated with him.

Was the same for the ewok stuff and the playsets, didn’t ask for the catapult or glider at anytime and never wanted the Hoth or Dagobah playsets, remember thinking I wouldn’t get much fun out of them as they were small and in my mind I could pretend my whole bedroom (livingroom, kitchen, stairs) was Hoth so wouldn’t waste a birthday or xmas present on them. Whereas now I’m looking at them and thinking they look great and really want to own them.

Still a few things that I’m not actively searching for e.g. Ewok village, rebel cruiser and Rancor but I wonder if over time they will start to grow on me or if suddenly out of the blue I'll wake up one morning desperate to track them down!

So I’m wondering what drives everyone else to spend money –

Is it to buy things you had as a kid
Is it to complete collections for displays
Or is it just a simple case of collecting fever and an addiction to hunting things down?

 

[x-pack]

All of the above. If I had to pick one reason above all others it would be difficult. Possibly reconnecting with my childhood/nostalgia.

By the time I was old enough to really choose what I wanted it was all Jedi logos. But it's the ESB design that appeals to me now. So iconic.

 

[theforceuk]

Jedi stuff was all I had as well apart from the ESB Palitoy Slave 1 which is still my favourite childhood item. I prefer buying stuff now I never had as a kid. At the moment trying to finish debut 77 backs which I had loads of as a kid. My long term goal is to have every figure on debut kenner card which is my main motivation at the moment.

ESB stuff appeals to me more than anything thow. 8)

 

[naughtyjedi]

I keep getting tempted by carded figures, but I never had carded figures as a kid.. well.. I did, but they didn't last 2mins having left the wrapping paper. Thats why I love the loose cards, battered figures. Mint is almost becoming a swear word in my collection. Every bit of damage, tear, paint loss is a joyous memory.

 

[theforceuk]

I can relate to the old scuffed stuff 90% of my loose collection is childhood originals wouldn't swap them for anything.

Still got to love the MOC's.

 

[Stormtrooper37]

As a kid I only ever wanted the figures, never the ships or playsets, that hasn't changed - I have zero interest in those.

What has changed as an adult is I never relised Star Wars toys were sold and licensed in countries such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Netherlands etc all with their unique cardback design and sometimes unique variation of the figure - now that interests me.

I also liked the variety so in the beginning collecting as an adult I had a bit of everything, gradually however Trilogo's, Harberts and Meccano's were my favourites so I sold the rest and stuck with those, however kept a few Palitoy Logo MOC's as they remind me of my childhood.

My motto when collecting Star Wars is - I like what I collect, I collect what I like.

 

[mr_palitoy]

Only had the first 12 figures and a landspeeder as a kid.

So started out with the rest of the loose figures and vehicles/playsets.

Moved into MOCs and then cardbacks.

Not a big fan of the AFA 90 Tonis these days for obvious reasons.

My favourite find recently was being able to pick my original childhood figures out of a draw full of loose figures using a reference photo I took in 2003.



Jason

 

[Michael Sith]

For me joining the forum was the best thing I could have done, not because it opened up a world of insight into the rarer figures/Mocs/first shots/proto types etc, which is all interesting and for me further knowledge about the hobby.
However, it has widened my perspective by introducing me to coo s variants and different country production. For example, I have gained a love for tri logo cardbacks...something I would never have considered prior to joining the forum, but the limelights and information on here kick started my interest.

Ultimately though my love of SW is centred around vintage figures especially the first 12 ....first 12 mail away stand .....iconic ships boxed I.e falcon slave 1
that's always the aim...then POTF last 17 and coins loose for display.... Since gaining more insight, this has been the plan...prior to that I collected anything SW vintage...modern...anything really and had no focus....just because it was SW.

Change in direction also can be dictated by finances, if there is readily available budget where previously there may not have been one, then I would suggest some people begin to collect MOC as they see it as an investment, but for me it will always be about what I like, rather than what is perceived as a rare collection with rarer items, largely due to budget, but also because I'm collecting for me....for my own gratification,

 

[TheGent]

Due to the fact I was born in 75, I as a kid playing with sw toys was never into the sw era. Not even close to esb.
I watched Rotj in the cinema and wanted all those creepy figures from Jabbas Palace. As a child I remember playing with squid head, biker scout with speeder bike, emperor and chief chirpa.

At the time I rebooted my collection, I completely fell in love with first twelve stuff or say first twenty. Which sadly is more expensive than any other line.

But until today this first few toys and the early kenner style has remained the prime focus.


I now have a satisfying collection of Luke Farmboy variants and I as a kid never even owned a regular one.

 

[pizzathehutt]

For me its mainly about finishing off my loose run that i had as a child, getting all the ones that i couldnt find or afford back then, then when the shops had stopped selling them i would go to carboot sales and antique fairs picking up ones that i needed.
i picked up about 70 different figures thinking that must be it, into a bag they went with my falcon, jabba playset and x-wing because i had grown out of them but still loved them they got stored away in the loft, computer games and basketball took over my life for a few years and star wars was forgotten about.
because it became not cool to hang out with your parents i stopped going to carboot sales and collector fairs with my dad for years and then one day i thought why not, i'll go with the old man for company, mid 90s this was. at this outdoor antique fair this bloke had a big box of star wars figures all highly priced by now and im thinking ive got all these up in the loft making a nice profit too its then i realise going through this box that 70 odd figures werent the be all and end all, he had an amanaman with one arm an a-wing pilot and barada plus some ewoks that i didnt recognise "what ar these mate? there not star wars are they? yes there some of the rarer ones last 17" he pulls out this american toy book and there they were all the figures that had eve been released, i was shocked and excited! all i wanted to do was get a copy of that book and get my old figures from out the loft.
eventually i got a copy of that book and ticked off all the ones i had and worked out the ones i needed, i wasnt that far off, which were dsc, bespin guard, leia endor, blue snag, vinyl jawa and most of the last 17 apart from anakin, r2 pop up, lando general and romba which i already had.
i can even remember visiting toytonis stool off the edgware road and swapping about 8 doubles for a luke endor.
i eventually completed the loose run apart from blue snaggletooth which i bought off ebay and i dont have a vinyl caped jawa as i just cant bring myself to spending that much money on one figure, £65 for blue snagg was bad enough at the time.

 

[dienstuhr]

Great question! I started collecting "vintage", well... before it was vintage - still have my first 12 and more loose figures and ships besides that, from when I was a kid.

When I returned to the vintage fold in the mid-90s, it was to get the stuff I didn't have as a kid - Death Star, Falcon, Shuttle - expensive stuff. Now that I've completed a loose figure run and have most of the playsets and ships, it's on to a bit more of the exotic production stuff, most recently a boxed Palitoy Death Star. That was exciting to finally get! I might upgrade a few boxes and seek out some variant loose figures.

Although I'd toyed with the idea of collecting to replace the ones I'd kept as a kid (and that mum threw away in a move). Maybe just the 12 backs...?

Cheers

d

 

[brownbear29]

toytonis stool

That's about right! :lol:

For me, I've had two resurgent waves of collecting (after childhood). One in the 90s, amidst the hype of the prequels - although slightly taken in by the new waves of modern figures, do remember coming back from uni one summer & picking up the trail on vintage, looking over my childhood collection, working out what I had & what I needed. I picked up a blue snag back then for about 50 quid, I think. But my interest wained.

Fast forward to a year or so ago, clearing out the loft getting ready for some home improvements (all responsible now - wife, kids and zero disposable income :wink and stumbled across the vintage (& modern) collections. I remember thinking 'I'd really like to finish off that loose figure run' so set about it, stumbled on the forum, met a few characters, made a few purchases and the rest's history. Just a Warok bow and a vcj away from a solid loose run (inc major variants) that is mostly made up of my and a very close friend's childhood collections. Very happy. And the forum's been the inspiration for much of that.

Who knows what the future holds. My old dear did a wonderful thing recently and passed on to me a ROTJ Yoda moc that she'd bought two of in the 80s - gave one to me to play with and stuck the other in a drawer. So that might be the start of something...

Then there's all those boxed vehicles...

 

[Fishtalk]

I got back into collecting about 3 months before the Disney announcement, I thought I'd try for a 12 back Palitoy run and managed to pick up 5 before prices went nuts.
It's the Star Wars logo that holds the most appeal to me, so now I have branched off into other areas, Helix school stuff, Denys fisher models, Letraset transfers - basically anything I had as a kid with the Star Wars logo.
I've also just started a Greedo focus, never done a focus before and he's my favourite character, pretty easily available and affordable.

 

[db94]

My motto when collecting Star Wars is - I like what I collect, I collect what I like.

Nicely put

A whole lot of people with a shared loved of SW collecting, think it's fair to say this forum has turned quite a few of us from random blokes with happy memories of our childhood toys into "proper" collectors with either a much better appreciation of the hobby or an opportunity to learn about the HUGE amount of items that were produced back in the day - variations, cardbacks, foreign manufacturers etc.

With this info you can't help but start a focus/target or maybe pick up a little bit of everything. Think it was Michael that mentioned his new love of tri logos - as a kid I really didn't like them, thought they looked rubbish compared to other cardbacks and when I started collecting again they definitely weren't on my want list but now I appreciate them and want them in my collection.

Crazy rise in vintage prices will now change my collecting habits - unfortunately the things I'm after now (rebo band, Jabba, pop up R2) seem very popular at the moment so will try and wait out the recent boom. My buying will probably be a bit more opportunist picking up the odd bargain now and again

 

[_Lee_]

Dunno really, but i have to admit that Palitoy VCJ left a bitter taste in my mouth. Ive still got to eat a cloth cape just as i promised i would had the VCJ been proven. Im saving that for when i finally get to meet Grant, as i ignorantly didnt take note of the VCJ at EED. Just make sure you buy me a pint of Guiness to wash it down with ****, a Jawa and Guinness,what a rough mix :lol:

My taste hasnt changed although i no longer fork out mega bucks for anything now. I often regret selling my Lando Skiff prototype run, but hey ho i had it for a few years. Now i just plod along looking for the special buy stickers

 

[palitoyjunky]

V interesting topic! When I became a serious collector I def made sure I picked up many of the pieces I never had as a kid!

As a kid I had no where near everything, in fact regarding vehicles and playsets I only had the AT-AT, Snow Speeder a couple of mini rigs and Jabba The Hutt!
Had good memories of playing with many of the other vehicles as my friends had them. Same with the figures, never had figures like Jawa, Sandpeople and many others so was keen to own pieces I never did but knew well as a kid :wink:

 

[Kenner76]

I started collecting a few of my childhood favorite loose vintage toys and figures back in the summer of 1995. Then I collected modern for a few years (Sadly I got caught in all the hype over the new figures). I finally came to my senses in the fall of 1998 and returned to collecting vintage.

I began by getting my favorite characters on MOC's via ebay and gradually got rid of 90% of my modern stuff. I slowly collected vintage on and off for the next 12 years. "Gus and Duncan's Guide to prototypes" inspired me to take my collecting to the next level. That book really opened my eyes to what was actually out there and that I too could own some of those fabulous pieces. It also got me to join RS & Tigg, to make some new collecting friends, and to further my knowledge.

Due to today's post Disney crazy prices, I've drastically slowed down my collecting and have been spending more time just appreciating the treasures that I did manage to track down. I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing, it feels good to slow down. I still plan to collect, but will probably limit myself to a few choice pieces each year.

 

[db94]

I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing, it feels good to slow down. I still plan to collect, but will probably limit myself to a few choice pieces each year.

Yep I feel the same - far too easy to concentrate on getting the next thing instead of enjoying what we've got

 

[Mrleemur]

I'm probably a bit different, my thoughts aren't geared towards collecting vintage, but more down to my favourite character designs.

I'm a big fan of both the snowtrooper and Boushh, and rather than seek out endless variations of both that, to me, essentially look the same, i'd sooner mix modern and vintage and whqtever else i see that i like!!

Hell i got a POTF 2 snowtrooper on ebay this evening.

As a kid to be honest just wanted anything i could lay my hands on for creating epic battles (action man even got involved sometimes) though i will say that i was pretty much always leaning towards the rebel side of things' big Luke fanboy back in the day!!

 

[sith-smith]

I had all my childhood collection when I started collecting in the early 90's. At first it was just hitting carboot sales with the aim of picking up what I thought were the only two figures I didn't have as a child (Han trench coat & B wing pilot) and fulfil a childhood dream of having a huge imperial army and a sizeable rebel one! So bought as many imperial troops that I could a long with HRS and Rebel commandos. Plus any vehicles I could find, especially ones I never had as a kid, like the y-wing, B-wing and Troop transporter. Manage to pick up loads of speeder bikes ATST's and even a complete AT AT!! 8) So initially it was just fulfilling as much of a childhood dream as I could. Never saw a tie fighter which is what I wanted the most. Also managed to find figures I'd never seen before (most of the last 17)

In 94 I got the Sansweet book and saw what was out there!! Plus all the rare variations (VC jawa Blue snag, Rocket Fett DT sabers) and all the vehicles/playsets that weren't available here. From then on I decided to add to the childhood fulfilling dream the aim of getting a complete set of basic figures, though had to wait till 99 before I started that in earnest as carboot sales star wars stuff had dried up, I didn't have the internet and knew nothing about collectors shops or shows!

Once I found eBay, shows etc, I continued with the childhood thing but worked through the remaining figures, then vehicles playsets, then boxed versions. Then came the tragic day I decided to go down the MOC route, which a year or so later was followed by the Palitoy route.

Now I still continue with Palitoy MOC route, have sold off most of the childhood dream fulfilling items, though still have a some left. Along the way I have also had a complete Kenner set , POTF droids and Ewoks sets, and 2 complete vlixes!! which have all now been sold as my focus became more specific. The only other thing I got into were trilogo miscards, of which I now have 31 diecasts, 12" and toy weapons (Still need the laser pistol and rifle)

Everything is UK based and will probably just stick with that from now. I can see myself getting in micro and revenge proofs. May even pick up the occasional 3 pack as well. But my main collection will always be the Palitoy debut run 8)