'Palitoy' Loose Figure Variants?

[edd_jedi]

I don't really know much about loose figures as I've always been a MOC collector, however from having owned every figure at some point, I do know that the US and UK figures were quite different. The UK figures often had sloppier paintwork, different shades, and 'shinier' paint. Here's a good example:

As you can see, this Luke has bright yellow hair, really dark boots, the paint looks like it was applied by a 5 year old, and just looks less matte than the US Kenner figure does.

So my question is, how do you identify these 'Palitoy' figures when they're loose? Do they have a particular COO or something? If I wanted to try and collect these figures specifically as opposed to Kenner ones, how woould I do that without buying Palitoy MOCs and opening them!?

 

[Snake_eyes_82]

Great question Edd would be cool to find this out also. Any 1?...

 

[Palifan]

I'm pretty sure that the palitoy ones are all Kenner that were shipped to the UK to be packaged. That said though things may have changed with the later figures although i don't think any were produced here.

I'd love to hear some more about this myself and when I have time I'm going to post a thread about the coos which were on the first 12 back Palitoy's from a childhood collection that I picked up a while ago. I wouldn't hold your breath for that though as it's going to take me a while to get to them.

One other thing that would be good to know is the first issue Kenner figure coos for the first 12. I see a lot of coo guides out there but I'm never sure which order they were issued. Hope someone can help with this as i'll be able to cross reference it with the Palitoy's I have.

Ian

 

[spoons]

That's a pbp Luke with the very dark boots - I'm on my phone so cant say for sure. But that was a general euro release on a Palitoy card.

There are differences between later pal and Kenner figures, as they came from different factories. The pal Han Hoths have very long thumbs but apart from that they are nearly identical in paint work

 

[walkie]

Don't the palitoy han hoths have darker brown trousers? But not as dark as the chocolate brown poch one's.

 

[Lee77]

I'm not sure about the trousers but the Palitoy Han hoths come with the regular coloured faces and the pale face. I think the pale face is the Pbp one with a stormie blaster. I think these also have shinier paint that seems to rub really badly on the bubble.

 

[edd_jedi]

I've also noticed it with Han Solos (original 12 back one) the one that comes on Palitoy cards has significantly shinier black paint, the Kenner one is much more matte. And again the sloppy paint.

 

[walkie]

I also think there is a 4-lom with a unique coo to palitoy.

 

[Lee77]

I've also noticed it with Han Solos (original 12 back one) the one that comes on Palitoy cards has significantly shinier black paint, the Kenner one is much more matte. And again the sloppy paint.

The paint on my Han is pretty badly applied at best. I've never had a kenner one to compare it to though.

Wasn't the light blue Fett figure only released on Palitoy cards too?

 

[RKW1138]

Palitoy didn't manufacture figures or paint them. They were imported and dumped in bins ready to be packaged.

 

[spoons]

Don't the palitoy han hoths have darker brown trousers? But not as dark as the chocolate brown poch one's.

Some do, but most are the same as Kenner colours

The pink and pale face pbp variants are just found on euro issue cards like the pbp luke

 

[Palifan]

Palitoy didn't manufacture figures or paint them. They were imported and dumped in bins ready to be packaged.

That's what I always thought although if anyone has their childhood palitoy collection and can remember which card back they came from it would be good to know what the coos are. pictures would be really good!

 

[snaggletooth]

The problem with a Palitoy figure is that there is several different variants found on there cards, mainly HK 2 line coos and the No COO figures from the same molds but also some MIHK, China, PBP, and Macau figures that appear on there ROTJ cards but with HK COOs on the cards. If I was looking to collect a set of figures found on palitoy cards I'd go for the No COO figures which came after the HK 2 Line COO's, for some figures there found on ESB Palitoys too, you also have the choice to add some cool spanish figures like Edds Luke and Dengar, Walrusman etc

 

[spoons]

Palitoy didn't manufacture figures or paint them. They were imported and dumped in bins ready to be packaged.

That's what I always thought although if anyone has their childhood palitoy collection and can remember which card back they came from it would be good to know what the coos are. pictures would be really good!

The pal long thumbs can be no COO or HK COO but presumably from a different factory than the Kenner ones. Where short thumbs are on pal cards I'd guess they are no Coo - like the pale pink faced pbps

The ESB Hans are generally the same as the Kenner ones

You need to find other focus collectors for other pal variants

 

[Palifan]

I always thought the no coo ones were issued from Jedi onwards so it's interesting they're on ESB card backs. I really want to know about the first 20 and am guessing that they'll all be 2 line Hong Kong. I'm wondering though which ones from the coo guides out there as there are many different ones. I need to get to my set to move this along for me.

 

[spoons]

I always thought the no coo ones were issued from Jedi onwards so it's interesting they're on ESB card backs. I really want to know about the first 20 and am guessing that they'll all be 2 line Hong Kong. I'm wondering though which ones from the coo guides out there as there are many different ones. I need to get to my set to move this along for me.

Sorry palfan - inthink ive confused things. the ESB Hans are all HK coo as far as I'm aware, and I've not seen any with long thumbs. I think you can only spot a pal loose figure from ROTJ onwards, maybe a 45b at a push

 

[Palifan]

Thanks for passing that on as that sounds to be what I've always heard. You never know with these things though as just when you think you've got the answers something new comes along to change everything.

When I first looked into this whole palitoy Coo thing I was hoping that there would be marking unique to the UK released figures but it became evident pretty quickly that that wasn't the case. For me I always wanted to put a set of the first 20 together to get as close to my childhood set as I could. I'm hoping with the figures I've picked up over the years from resealed cards that I should be able to get a fairly accurate answer to what figure coo came with what card back. I know it's bound to have changed over the coarse of the release of the first 20 but i'm doubting it changed that much in the short time those first 20 were available. i'm pretty sure my findings will be roughly the same as the first issue Kenner ones and that's why it would be good to see a coo guide, in order of release, of the first 20. Anyone come across a link that fits the bill?

 

[Banton989]

HI, my first post here . Im a big fan of loose variant collecting, and Palitoy intrigues me. The company had the facilities and knowledge to produce thier own figures and generally they differ quite significantly from other Kenner figures. I think the notion that they just repacked them is based on footage of the Coalville factory dumping figures in bins. Just came across this interesting paragraph on the V&A Museum website, under the Palitoy archive.

"Then suddenly, in 1984, Palitoy's design and development departments were closed when General Mills decided to abandon all European product development. Production of the major Palitoy products, including the Action Man, Play Doh and Star Wars ranges, ceased (although the latter continued to be produced by Kenner, and Airfix plastic kits and Care Bears, which Palitoy had started producing earlier in the year, continued to be manufactured at Coalville). In effect, though, Palitoy had become a marketing company, repackaging products designed in the United States for sale in European markets.

From that it sounds a lot like they used to make them themselves. More research ongoing.

 

[spoons]

HI, my first post here . Im a big fan of loose variant collecting, and Palitoy intrigues me. The company had the facilities and knowledge to produce thier own figures and generally they differ quite significantly from other Kenner figures. I think the notion that they just repacked them is based on footage of the Coalville factory dumping figures in bins. Just came across this interesting paragraph on the V&A Museum website, under the Palitoy archive.

"Then suddenly, in 1984, Palitoy's design and development departments were closed when General Mills decided to abandon all European product development. Production of the major Palitoy products, including the Action Man, Play Doh and Star Wars ranges, ceased (although the latter continued to be produced by Kenner, and Airfix plastic kits and Care Bears, which Palitoy had started producing earlier in the year, continued to be manufactured at Coalville). In effect, though, Palitoy had become a marketing company, repackaging products designed in the United States for sale in European markets.

From that it sounds a lot like they used to make them themselves. More research ongoing.

Welcome Banton - that's an interesting post

I think it is clear that Palitoy manufactured items here - Rancor's have made in the UK on them, but the general consensus is that the figures were made in their millions in Honk Kong, Taiwan, etc and shipped over to the UK or US. I'd love to see evidence that Palitoy figures were made here as that would mean UK first shots - but I don't think its the case

Where it gets a bit blury is the Ledy, PBP figs and Spanish POCh lines, which were not manufactured in Asia and explains why the paint jobs are so different.

 

[olisuds]

To my knowledge there are no variants exlusive to Palitoy cards. Palitoy did not produce any figures they just packaged them. The figures on Palitoy cards were mainly made in Asia and a very small amount may have been made in Spain.

The typical Hong Kong and Taiwan COO figures that are most commonly found on US Kenner cards can also be found on Palitoy and other European cards. The No COO "Euro variants" frequently found on Palitoy and other European cards can also be found on US Kenner cards. All were made in Asia and either packaged there before being distributed across the world or if they were being sent to another country for packaging (in Europe for example) the COO was usually removed first.

The No COO scar "PBP" figures appear to have mainly been made in Spain but many of them can also be found on palitoy and other European cards so it is likely they were made in Spain and either shipped to other European countries for packaging or packaged on Tri Logo cards and then distributed.

To complicate matters a lot of figures that were shipped for packaging were also then exported to other countries after.

So there really are very few foreign variants that are exclusive to the country whose card they appeared on - especailly as far as figures sold in Europe goes.

For example:

"Tri Logo" Light blue Fett can be found on Palitoy, PBP and Tri logo cards
"Tri Logo" Luke Bespin with very dark brown boots can also be found on Palitoy, PBP and Tri Logo
The so called "Palitoy" White fur Chief Chirpa can also be on Kenner cards.
"PBP" Bossk with hard torso and fat lips can be found on PBP and Tri Logo cards.
"PBP" Luke X-Wing with dark orange hard torso can be found on PBP and Tri Logo cards.
"PBP" Luke Farmboy with hard torso can be found on PBP and Palitoy cards

I dont know about the Palitoy 4-Lom. I've heard that it has an exclusive COO. Perhaps it does but I dont believe it has any paint or mould characteristics unique to Palitoy. Certainly Palitoy didnt make it -it was made in Asia so i would be surprised if it didn't turn up in other countries too.