Is my AFA graded ESB Tie Fighter Pilot... a Toy Toni?!?

[olisuds]

No, I don't think his iron had that setting

that's what I was alluding too ! Even in those photos the seal looks melty/gluey and done in a really uneven way (and no waffle pattern!). Didn't this ring any alarm bells with graders at the time having all these amazing cards/bubbles with weird / crap looking seals ?

Waffle pattern isn't a clear indicator, as there are plenty of genuine slick sealed MOCs out there. If it has waffle, it's definitely not a Toni, however, slick seal doesn't mean it definitely is a Toni either. For me, the press on the back is the best indicator.

There are no waffle patterns on 45b MOCs they are all slick sealed. There is however quite a noticeable difference between the genuine ones which are really pressed on to the card and clear and the TT ones which are quite patchy.

 

[olisuds]

Yes agree with the above, and bubble placement is a big one too. Toni always centered his bubbles perfectly over the racetrack, factory sealed bubbles are almost never like that. For example here's my Star Destroyer Commander, look how far to the left it is compared to the TIE Pilot in the original post:

IMG_7155.JPG

Yeah that's a big "tell". I remember buying a whole load of UKG acrylic cases for 65 backs I had bought from Toni and none of them fitted because the bubble was too far over to the side of the card. It was a real head scratcher at the time but now of course it all seems obvious

 

[hanskywalker]

Can I ask what would be a press indicator? I can't seem to find any press marks at all. Perhaps there is a slight rectangular indent, the size of the bubble, on the back - as if the entire bubble has been pushed into the card.


I do see these little tiny circles marks around the perimeter of bubble, about 6 of them - two at the bottom, two near the middle and two near the top.

No iron marks though!

I think it just looks far too minty to be anything other than a TT - too perfect. Like someone said above, the factory cards are never usually this spot on with their placement. lol.

 

[Grant_C]

I cant get my versions out, but it is a toytoni.

There is every possibility that it was factory sealed, but its the same bubble as Toni used on all of his post factory seals.

The original Palitoy FP bubble is larger than the one Toni used.

Both Palitoy and Toytoni came in single stem and double stem bubbles.

I have matched this with cardbacks.

Here's my post from years ago

https://starwarsforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=28814

 

[hanskywalker]

Ah thanks