Ok guys, I've bought a few graded MOCs in the past but never sent any off myself (until now). 
I'm sure that there are a few of you who maybe pondering whether or not to send some of your own prized treasures in, and how it all works.
The whole procedure was entirely pain free: I perused the UKG website and selected what I wanted.
1 x Regular Graded MOC and 1 x Meccano MOC. I also have a Tops Toys Stormtrooper that had previously been graded but bust free from his tomb by a previous-previous owner at the request of the next owner. I asked Steve (UKG) about the regrading options and he offered to regrade it for half price.
As a cheapskate I chose the 3mm option instead of 5mm and I forgo the UV protection as my collection is kept in the dark. I also couldn't be arsed to pay the little bit extra for the speedy service, I was happy to wait.
Price so far for 3 MOCs £50 (not including postage to and returning from). I then carefully wrapped them all up and posted them next day special delivery with insurance £9.
It was then just a waiting game.
I was emailed an acknowledgment of their safe arrival and told that I would be informed when they would be ready to go home.
2 weeks passed and I hadn't heard anything, so I logged in to my new UKG account (very straight forward) and checked the status. My order was still being processed. It was then whilst I was further perusing the website that I discovered that the typical turnaround time was 3 weeks, fair enough.
Exactly 2 weeks and 5 days after my order arrived at UKG HQ I was emailed to say that the items were ready. All I needed to do was pay the potage bill (£11, heavy box) and I'd get them back.
They arrived the next day, and I was delighted with the results;
They look great.
My Palitoy BBG got an overall Y85, my gifted Meccano Jawa got an overall 85, and my Tops Toys Stormtrooper must have been well looked after by Tundra as it got the same 80 grade as before.
The overall cost to me per MOC worked out to be £23, if the TT Stormie wasn't a regrade it would have worked out to be £26 per MOC.
Benefits – They look much better than displayed in Star Cases. Its nice to get your MOCs verified by a specialist that they are in great condition. Much easier than dealing with AFA. The communication with Steve was first class.
Against - £26 per MOC is over double than an acrylic case supplied by Christian. It doesn't significantly increase the value of a MOC; I recently bought ROTJ Greedo and Vader 80 Grade MOCs for £60 each. Earlier in the year I bought a UKG Harbert R2 D2 for less than the previous owner bought it for prior to him grading it.
:?: There can be confusion with regards to Overall Grade Scores in relation to Sub Grade Scores, in fact I was confused, so I contacted Steve (UKG) for clarification.
My Greedo SW004285 graded with the following subs C80 B85 F90 but only got a Y80 overall, where as my Meccano Jawa scored exactly the same subs but received an overall grade of 85. My IG88 SW003920 scored C80 B85 F85 (lower grade for the figure) but got an overall grade of 85.
Steve responded within 5 minutes (typical speed of his communications!) explaining that you could have a MOC with a C80 B90 F90 but only an overall 80 as the "C" would have just barely managed an 80 therefore the other 2 sub grades don't bring up the overall score to 85. Where as you could get a different MOC with exactly the same sub grades but scores an overall 85 as this time the "C" was a solid 80 or maybe even a close 85, justifying the overall 85. I was content with his answer.
Steve explained that he had been asked the question before and is likely to make things clearer on the website.
In short, will I be sending more in?
Yes I think I will do; opening the parcel to see what grades I had scored was most gratifying. It was almost like getting an "A" for my homework (not that that ever happened!).
The service was very good and Steve clearly has a passion for the hobby. Did I regret getting the 3mm? No, the cases are still really good. I have seen the 5mm, they are solid but the case thickness is never mentioned in listings so why bother?
Sorry for my ramblings, but I have seen so many queries and threads about grading I thought It worth it.
I'm sure that there are a few of you who maybe pondering whether or not to send some of your own prized treasures in, and how it all works.
The whole procedure was entirely pain free: I perused the UKG website and selected what I wanted.
1 x Regular Graded MOC and 1 x Meccano MOC. I also have a Tops Toys Stormtrooper that had previously been graded but bust free from his tomb by a previous-previous owner at the request of the next owner. I asked Steve (UKG) about the regrading options and he offered to regrade it for half price.
As a cheapskate I chose the 3mm option instead of 5mm and I forgo the UV protection as my collection is kept in the dark. I also couldn't be arsed to pay the little bit extra for the speedy service, I was happy to wait.
Price so far for 3 MOCs £50 (not including postage to and returning from). I then carefully wrapped them all up and posted them next day special delivery with insurance £9.
It was then just a waiting game.
I was emailed an acknowledgment of their safe arrival and told that I would be informed when they would be ready to go home.
2 weeks passed and I hadn't heard anything, so I logged in to my new UKG account (very straight forward) and checked the status. My order was still being processed. It was then whilst I was further perusing the website that I discovered that the typical turnaround time was 3 weeks, fair enough.
Exactly 2 weeks and 5 days after my order arrived at UKG HQ I was emailed to say that the items were ready. All I needed to do was pay the potage bill (£11, heavy box) and I'd get them back.
They arrived the next day, and I was delighted with the results;
They look great.
My Palitoy BBG got an overall Y85, my gifted Meccano Jawa got an overall 85, and my Tops Toys Stormtrooper must have been well looked after by Tundra as it got the same 80 grade as before.
The overall cost to me per MOC worked out to be £23, if the TT Stormie wasn't a regrade it would have worked out to be £26 per MOC.
Benefits – They look much better than displayed in Star Cases. Its nice to get your MOCs verified by a specialist that they are in great condition. Much easier than dealing with AFA. The communication with Steve was first class. Against - £26 per MOC is over double than an acrylic case supplied by Christian. It doesn't significantly increase the value of a MOC; I recently bought ROTJ Greedo and Vader 80 Grade MOCs for £60 each. Earlier in the year I bought a UKG Harbert R2 D2 for less than the previous owner bought it for prior to him grading it. :?: There can be confusion with regards to Overall Grade Scores in relation to Sub Grade Scores, in fact I was confused, so I contacted Steve (UKG) for clarification.
My Greedo SW004285 graded with the following subs C80 B85 F90 but only got a Y80 overall, where as my Meccano Jawa scored exactly the same subs but received an overall grade of 85. My IG88 SW003920 scored C80 B85 F85 (lower grade for the figure) but got an overall grade of 85.
Steve responded within 5 minutes (typical speed of his communications!) explaining that you could have a MOC with a C80 B90 F90 but only an overall 80 as the "C" would have just barely managed an 80 therefore the other 2 sub grades don't bring up the overall score to 85. Where as you could get a different MOC with exactly the same sub grades but scores an overall 85 as this time the "C" was a solid 80 or maybe even a close 85, justifying the overall 85. I was content with his answer.
Steve explained that he had been asked the question before and is likely to make things clearer on the website.
In short, will I be sending more in?
Yes I think I will do; opening the parcel to see what grades I had scored was most gratifying. It was almost like getting an "A" for my homework (not that that ever happened!).
The service was very good and Steve clearly has a passion for the hobby. Did I regret getting the 3mm? No, the cases are still really good. I have seen the 5mm, they are solid but the case thickness is never mentioned in listings so why bother?
Sorry for my ramblings, but I have seen so many queries and threads about grading I thought It worth it.
