Well until I read this post I had assumed that all production RL C3PO had the metal rivet in the back and first shots had the molded rivet.

olisuds wrote:

I had assumed that all production RL C3PO had the metal rivet in the back

100% it is not metal painted. I just stabbed the poor guy in the back with a swiss army knife- it is moulded plastic   

Bahahahahaha..... yup, mine is the removable limb version Engineering Pilot. When I bought it, it was graded and went through being authenticated by AFA. They authenticated it as an Engineering Pilot BUT mislabeled the darn case. It was labeled "1977". I got it, immediately saw the coo said "1982" and sent it to AFA to have it relabeled so it was correct. At first I was pissed off, but now I don't really care. It's a Engineering Pilot, it's a cool figure. Why bitch and complain right : ) BUT I did want it represented correctly, in the case that I sell it in the future : )
-Steve

So this is even stranger then. The molded rivet is present on first shots, absent on Steve's EP and present again on the production version.

The SWCA website references some first shot RL C3PO's with a molded rivet and states that it differs from production version which has a metal rivet.

Well either the the unpainted C3PO or both the EPs are a little bit Special!

aussiejames wrote:

olisuds wrote:

I had assumed that all production RL C3PO had the metal rivet in the back

100% it is not metal painted.  I just stabbed the poor guy in the back with a swiss army knife- it is moulded plastic   

Haha thats certainly one way to check. Hope it wasnt a mint figure

Ok, maybe one of you 3PO geniuses can answer this.... Does the Removable Limbs 3PO version have a plastic rivet that can be removed from the back? In other words, does the production version have a hole in it's back, like my EP, if you pop the rivet out, OR is the plastic rivet part of the molded back torso and it can't be removed? This is the million dollar question..... : )
-Steve

Oi Steve shut up and check out my limelight   

Love it buddy. We have twins, you and I.
But, what is the answer about the rivet. Molded to the back, or plastic rivet that can be removed from the back (leaving a hole) in a production RL C-3PO? Just like our EP's that are identical.

I have a few lose beaters and a Ledy RL Beater let me go check them out my friend.

I want to find out what the hell this piece is.

Wolff, you out there?
Anyways, if I understood correctly... Wolff wrote me and said the rivet is plastic and is molded with the back, and can't be removed, it is one piece. If I understood him correctly I don't know what to make of our C-3PO EP's because they have a 1982 date and are clearly Removable Limbs version. Why would they have a 1977 mold back (with rivet hole) unless this is MORE special then just an EP?
I hope I understood Wolff correctly. Forgive me if I wrote this information wrong.....
-Steve

wrote you again Steve....

anyone broke one up??

There is several points that would actually make sense regarding, Knnere fixed, LL fixed and Remv. that these are molded! I have not one in mind that lokks liked fixed with a chromed plastic rivet!

So if James is right and the rivet is molded in the production version...

I'm thinking that there were several stages to the development of the RL C3PO. The earliest stage had the hole in the back with a screw and the 1977 date stamp and also a removable head. The next stage had a fixed head but still the 1977 date stamp and hole in back with a screw. The final stage had the 1982 date stamp added and the hole was filled with the molded rivet. It looks like first shots were made at each of the pre production stages. My guess is that Steve and Vince's EPs were produced after the 1982 date stamp was added and the hole in the back with the metal rivet was how they intended the production figure to look. The molded rivet was a last minute design change.

Hi Oli and Wolff. Ok, so if that is correct, not that a title matters, but what the heck do Vince and I have, if they are indeed 1 molded back (that includes the rivet)? I am clueless right now.

They are still EP's although quite unique as they differ significantly from the final production version.

We come back to the million dollar question.... Does the Kenner production version of the removable limbs C-3PO have one molded back piece, that has the rivet molded into it, and can't be removed.... or does the back mold piece have a hole in it where the rivet can be removed? Vince, let us know what ya find out with those figures. : )

So using pictures from the SWCA website to illustrate, the stages might be something like this:

First shot - Removable limbs and removable head, 1977 stamp and hole in back with screw



First Shot - Fixed head, 1977 stamp and hole in back with screw


Engineering Pilot - 1982 stamp and hole in back for screw


First Shot - 1982 stamp and molded rivet


Production figure - 1982 stamp and molded rivet

Oli coupl'a question regarding your time line. This all depends on if the rivet is molded to the back, as one piece, of course.... But I noticed the rivet on the first shot 1982 piece looks different in size from the production rivet.... You notice that?
Also, if the EP with hole in the back, was still in the design stages, (again this all depends on if the back and rivet are molded as 1 piece in the final production piece), but why would that piece (my piece) still be considered a Engineering Pilot? Aren't EP's considered the first pieces off the line in production. That (my) piece wouldn't be then. Wouldn't it fall more into one of those un-named pre-production categories? Again this all depends if the back and rivet end up being molded in 1 piece. But I have a difficult time understanding it as a EP, when the design was changed and it no longer matches a production piece. Maybe you and others can clarify....
Thanks, -Steve

Steve, as you say it all depends on the production version having the molded plastic rivet. I was very surprised to hear this and I'm just going by what James and Wolff are saying here. It would be good to confirm for sure.

But if this is the case then yes your piece is still an EP. That was it's intended purpose. Future design changes don't change that fact.

Yeah I see what you mean about the difference in size between the molded rivets on the first shot and production version.

And the more I look, that rivet on the production version sure doesn't look molded. Someone needs to stab a few more C3POs in the back with a pen knife!

Note different COOs in the pictures so perhaps explains some slight variations in size of rivet!

Uncharted waters, I think : ) Very exciting : )

Didn't stab this one in the back, just split it in half   


IMO all production removable limb figures do not have a metal rivet.

Could the EP just be an original C3PO torso in the stage of modification to accept removable limbs?

So if the rivet is molded into the plastic then that would suggest my illustration of pictures is correct and the EP would indeed be an intermediate stage of the production however at the time this is how the production version was intended to look. The molded rivet looks to be a very last minute design change.

So is Vince's C3PO a first shot or production figure? It's unpainted (could easily have been paint stripped) but also non sonic welded with no sign of damage to the edges or central plug.

Taken one for the team AJ! I respect that!!!!
I thought the same thing about my EP and Vin's EP.... that is was still in the design/modification stages and was using a 1977 C-3PO torso.
At first I was upset when I noticed the "1982" on the back of my EP's leg, even though AFA labeled him a 1977 EP. Now, I'm not that upset : ) They certainly are an oddity(s). Now I can understand why AFA got the label wrong, and am really glad I got the label fixed....
Vince's original piece is still a mystery to me....

A mystery to both us Steve.

But at least we know our E.P's are really special with the last min design feature, I wonder if there are any other Character E.P's in collections with changes.

Thanks

Vince