Wondering about spotting repros and fakes

[KesselRunPDX]

Ok, so I've seen quite a few topics on here about seeing various ebay auctions for carded and loose figures where you guys are able to spot that it's a fake or has repro weapons right off the bat.

Obviously with that one POTF Darth Maul, that's easy, and that one Imperial shuttle, while I didn't know they did more than one release of it, I could figure that it wasn't vintage rather quickly because of the simulated dirt and such that covered the vehicle.

So I guess what I'm wondering is how do you determine that something is repro or fake that fast? I posted a bit ago in the topic about the Yuk Yak but I figured I'd do a new post since I'm still not quite following.

With weapons/accessories, I've heard about the float test and bounce test, but how do you tell just by looking at them or at a picture? Is it the wrong color, wrong weapon, doesn't have a variant dot on it or something?

With carded or loose figures, is it the sealing on the bubble, the color of the bubble, something with the card or knowing that a certain figure wasn't in a certain line of figures?

Also for parts for playsets and vehicles, is it similar to the accessories for the figures? I know for instance that the most prevalent thing on ebay in this category is AT-AT chin guns, but again, other than being a certain color (the obviously fake ones being red or blue or some other color) how can you tell with being real or fake?

Thanks!

 

[BlueDog]

There are so many vintage items being reproduced these days that there is no one rule for anything, it seems every day there is a new variation of a repro item and they are getting harder to pick as the dirt bags who make this stuff are getting closer to the real deal ( Mr Poon for example )

Your best bet is to utilise the information available from reputable sites like The imperial Gunnery http://www.imperialgunnery.com/

Sites like this offer the opportunity for visual identification as the float and bounce test cannot always be relied on.

Another great reference is to use the vast bank of knowledge offered by the experienced members on forums such as SWFUK and RS. Some of the elder statesmen on here have a vast amount of expertise when it comes to spotting a reproduction item, from weapons to cardbacks and now even the figures themselves.

If you have a picture of something your interested in purchasing but want some reassurance it's authentic, post a pic and you have an opinion pretty quickly.

Once you start building your own collection, your existing items become a great reference point for spotting fakes.

There's no doubt with the amount of stuff out there that you will be stung along the way in one way or another.

Bets of luck,

Cheers Ryan

 

[aussiejames]

I start with a google image search (generally picking garded items as reference)
http://theswca.com/ is great for pictures too. Look at focus collectors limelights for legit examples.


Yuk Yak

vs legit.

you should be able to pick at least a handful of differences?