Toy and Train Fairs...?

[mr_powerdroid]

Back in the mid 90s, I used to go along to the various toy and train fairs in the local area - mostly Norwich and Huntingdon. Then, I stopped collecting Star Wars figures and sold off what I did have - nothing special as I was only 12/13 at the time and bought bits with my pocket money.

Anyway, I went along to the recent toy and train fair in Huntingdon and was very disappointed. Where there was once a very healthy offering of Star Wars figures, there was now very few - I'd say it was 99% toy trains and Dinky/Corgi pieces. The Star Wars figures which were there were just a few loose and very overpriced items.

So, are toy and train fairs still worth going to or has everything moved online?

 

[Dub]

Welcome Mr Powerdroid, there are some places that sell vintage Star Wars, but the prices are usually way too high. Places like this and Ebay are your best bet if your starting to collect again.

 

[Badboybez1]

Went to the one at Bolton Reebok Stadium the other week. Hardly anything Star wars or Sci Fi. It was a Bob Potters one.

 

[DarthStanley]

Went to the one at Bolton Reebok Stadium the other week. Hardly anything Star wars or Sci Fi. It was a Bob Potters one.

I went to one of those at the Reebok last year Bez & like you said,hardly any vintage Star Wars just trains & corgi/dinky cars!! :roll:

Mr Powerdroid,i think your best bet for vintage SW is at the Memorabilia shows at Birmingham NEC in March & November.A few of the lads went to the last one in March & they said there was loads!

 

[**Delboy75**]

We used to have a regular one in worcester back in the 90's that was pretty good for Sw.
Its still on now and then, but very little if any Sw

I can remember buying a huge bag of unassembled/unpainted parts from one guy for like £2 lol.

 

[Carl Waterworth]

I remember going to the toy and train fairs at the NEC, they were great! and the were half the price of mem too!

I picked up a nice POTF Yoda there

 

[mr_powerdroid]

Thanks for the info, chaps. Sounds like the TaT fairs aren't worth it anymore. It's a shame really as it was always good to go and have a look at things before you buy. Plus, before the internet, it was somewhere you could see things you'd only ever read about. I might check out the NEC thing, so cheers!

 

[tiefighterboy]

Ebay killed all the great toy shows starting in the mid 1990's. They also killed my favorite magizine "Toyshop". :x

 

[Carl Waterworth]

Ebay! On one hand its killed the shows, but at the same time its gave us access to stuff, i dont think i would ever have got :|

 

[Lee Gregory]

Went to the one at Bolton Reebok Stadium the other week. Hardly anything Star wars or Sci Fi. It was a Bob Potters one.

Bez we get one of those in Buxton,I'm pretty sure it's Barry Potter.

Anyways still nothing of any interest there,just a few boxed vintage vehicles stall holders were asking stupid sums for. I remeber a few years back there were a fair few vintage stall holders with nice pieces but not seen any for ages,it's all trains and crap.

 

[ODB]

Does anyone frequent the Barry Potter fairs at Sandown Park at all? Are they worth a trip? Its getting pretty sparse on the ground for Fairs in the South East, does anyone else know of any that happen?

 

[mr_powerdroid]

Probably not worth going, ODB. As others have said, Ebay has killed off the Star Wars side of it.

The one I went to in Huntingdon a few weeks back had very little. What it did have was very overpriced e.g. one stall was selling a loose, weaponless AT-AT driver for £30!

 

[ODB]

Balls that a pain in the arse. I badly miss the thrill of rooting through lots of loose stuff in the vain search of something good.

 

[mr_powerdroid]

I know what you mean! I got a nice AT-ST boxed for £7.50 at one in 1996. Sold it on Ebay a couple of years later for nearly £20! So, I guess I helped kill off toy and train fairs...

 

[Carl Waterworth]

I miss it too, there is nothing like seeing somthing and holding it to get your heart beating, I remember buying my POTF carded Yak at Mem in 97 the first time i had ever seen one, i was shaking when paying for it :mrgreen: