Greeings all. The name is Jay.
I already started two topics without introducing myself due to time constraints and my tendency to be long winded, but here it is.

Hello!

I've been a Star Wars fan since I was 4 years old when ANH first came out.
I had everything under the sun, times 3 or more in most cases. I was fortunate to have great parents (divorced) and awesome grandparents on both sides. I was spoiled for the most part and I had four houses with toys to play with!

Through the years however, most of my stuff was lost or KIA. Anything that was saved was sold when I was in my late teens to early 20s to help me get on my feet with a car and apartment cash. Man, what a mistake! I sold pretty much everything I had at the time.

Que sera, sera I guess.

I did keep some things.. my Illusive Concepts Yoda Marquette, only 2 carded figures (ROTJ Leia Bousch and a 12 back Palitoy Vader) a bunch of unfinished Graflex 2 and 3 cell flash tubes, Vader's flash tube too (I forget the brand - I am/was in the photo industry so I bought them any time they walked in the shop) and a few core figures from the trilogy, but nothing special other to say they made me feel good.

So flash forward to about a month and a half ago when my father found a bunch of my original toys when I was a kid. These were the toys I rarely played with. They were mostly on display or stored in cases. They were boxed up and placed in my granparent's attic who knows when and sat there ever since!

He came over with a few figure cases with a small gold mine (not in money value, just nostalgia).
These were my figures from a kid and in great condition! Still nothing special like DTs, or the Early Bird kit, but great toys.
I even got some Battlestar Galactica ships (one rocket firing!), a few Marvel Megos, Steve Freakin Austin! and some Star Trek figures too (stop it! I was young and didn't care who or what it was as long as it had to do with lasers and space!).

So, the other crap aside, my love for the Wars was rekindled and I am trying to get back a bit of my youth I guess.


Now I have a goal. I know what I want to collect with my current funds and once that is done, future funds.

I simply want to focus on the core 12 figures (loose) and as close to mint as possible. No vehicles, no playsets, no alternate versions, no prototypes, etc.. just the original figures. That should make it so much cleaner and easier for me.

I am close to the original 20 figures now with the big exceptions of the DT sabers for all 3 figures (well, maybe I do have one for Luke... topic started separately for that).

Once I get them all, I want to do a re-card project.
Just for me. Never for sale. Just like a piece of art to hang.

Do you guys have opinions on re-carding? Do you think it is a bad thing?
I know that people can fall prey to scrupulous sellers and buy one as a real MOC figure, but what about just for people like me that simply can't afford to buy them, or at least get them in display like condition?
I will be doing this and will get them from beggars canyon toys. I like the fact it does say something on the back that it is not an original. I respect that and am glad it is not a 100% copy meant to fraud people but yet won't detract from the focus and overall look of my project.

In my head, my plan is to get the original 12 in great shape, re-card them for display and then move on to the next 8 out of 20 and re-card them.
Once that is done, perhaps a second set for some sort of loose display in a nice glass case (small, and tasteful if I am gonna sell the idea to the wife).

Finally, if I hit those two, then move on to buying real MOC figures of first 12 and eventually 20. Open up and AFA/UGC the matching figure bought; rinse and repeat. Yeah, I probably won't have enough time in my life to do that all, but it's what I see and want to focus on. A long term goal for sure.

I can't afford to go for the MOC now. Perhaps never, so hence the re-card idea.

Not sure what everyone thinks, but I do think having a goal to a collection is the best way not to stray and help get to the goal faster.
Well, at least with Star Wars... man there is so much out there and so many ways to collect them.

Anyway, I went on long enough.
I don't know how much I will be able to contribute here since I have been away from this so long, but I will if and when I can.

I do have more questions and more that I am sure will come as I move through this.
I will do my best to research as much as possible before asking questions. Research is as much a part of collecting as the colelction itself!

Any feedback on the re-carding for personal use is welcomed!

cheers and thanks for reading

J

Pm sent

I'll admit to once considering recarding my original figures. Don't bother.
Buy original cardbacks, star cases & loose figure clamshells- they display great.



using acid free, archival figure blisters from here : http://www.protechproductsinc.com/starwars.htm
or here http://www.theearthtoymall.com/socasmfilo.html

That's brilliant AJ, I'd never have thought of doing that. I feel a new line of purchasing coming on.

Welcome to the boards!

My personal opinion is not to get into it. AJ makes a great suggestion but I'd even say why bother? Is having them sealed important? Take the money you'll spend on recarding 12 original figures and maybe get the original 20. Is a safer bet, better investment, and it'll give you a goal.

It's nice to see 12 figures mint on card, but save the money. It's not worth it.

As for contributing to the site, you can contribute just by keeping the conversations going and enjoying yourself. Everyone here who's a teacher started off a student on their first day. Take your time, read up, ask questions, and you'll be fine.

AJ: That is cool for sure and perhaps something additional I can collect that won't break my goal (collect opened, original backs).

DB: I am pretty much sold on the re-card idea though.

I have this vivid picture in my head of (3) 36 x 18 aluminum pegboards stacked (total wall size about 54x36 plus spacing give or take), white 1" pegs, one figure per peg, punched (yeah, punched) and not in star cases or the like.
I am not an artsy person really, but in my head, I see my childhood in it with a mix of a little modernism plus something that almost anyone can look at and say, "Is it a store display or is it art?" with my only response being

I have a bunch of research to do as far as the un-protected re-cards, mostly being UV protection. I know UV will harm prints and inks, but I need to see the effects on figures and the materials (plastics and paints) the SW figures used and if they need any special protection. OK, without going overboard of course.

I just see this in my head. I actually had a dream about it after I got my childhood stuff back (yeah, sleeping meds + oxycodone = great dreams [don't ask ]).

Anyway... NY Rangers just lost... I am a tad drunk so that is about all I have without really running on and on and on and on..........

Thanks for the warm welcomes so far folks!

cheers!

I'm not a very big fan of recards either. To me, if a figure is loose, it is ment to be played with. Displayed, touched. If you really want to re card, then go with something totally obvious, like NO BACK of the card, or marked as REPRO in the proof of purchase seal.. If all you want to do is display them, then the blank back would not matter, and if down the road when your children decide to sell them off, they will know they are not original.

I would not do it myself.... I took a MODERN figure, and put it on a recard back once. ONCE. I had it for two weeks, then tore it back off the repro card.

IF you really really want to do this, I have sent you a pm with a seller from another site. He just so hapens to have a set of 12 back recards all done and for sale.

Again, not my thing, but if your REALLY set on this, then just make sure the cards are at the very least make sure they are marked as repro.

I'd say save your pennies and buy real MOCs. It'd surprise you how fast the cost of recarding can pile up. Yes you could have more figures on your wall for somewhat less cash. But sooner or later it'll feel hollow somehow. I'm not a MOC collector myself, I like to touch my toys, but I'd rather have three real MOCs than twenty made up ones. In the end it's your call, your money and your collection.

It does appear most people don't like the idea. Man, if a MOC didn't look so cool, I would agree 100% of just displaying them as is. But they do look too cool on the card!! I say hello and smile at my only 12 back every day (Palitoy Vader). He seems very lonely though.

I didn't know there were blank backs out there. I will look into that and if they are cheaper, then that is the better way to go anyway!

Cost difference would be a factor if the difference was large, but if they are the same in cost, I will get the double sided cards from a site (I need to read the TOS/TOU here to see about mentioning other sites by name), but the site's cards clearly state it is a reproduction on the back of the card. It is for that reason I would get them.
I see it as $150 to recard the first 20 is not bad seeing that I couldn't but 1/2 a decent original for that cost.

And I am working on a second set of loose, complete, great condition figures (no repos for weapons) that will be displayed somehow.
Still not sure how, but it will need to be contained in a small area.

Starting at some point later this year I will start picking up real MOCs. I hope to replace the recards with as many as possible. I know when I get a few up, it will fuel my desire even more as a constant reminder of an odd mix in front of me.
That may be a bad thing actually! haha

Anyway... thanks for the feedback and thoughts.

hi Jay and welcome.

Just a thought mate, when you have all these recarded figures finished and hanging up, imho theres a good chance that when you move along in your collecting they might not have the appeal to you that they have now in your head, i know that would be the case with me.
Re cards just hold very little appeal in the long run.
I like your idea of just collecting the nicest loose run you can and putting them behind glass in a nice cabinet, that looks classy.
I will say that collecting the whole 100 odd figures is a fantastic and rewarding time collection wise, after your first 12 you might want to keep going, its a lot easier than what you might think , i have 2 complete loose sets and its still rewarding looking for upgrades and variants, and putting them in nice glass cabinets looks the bomb.

Anyway, good luck with your collecting, great to see you getting back into it mate

@Aussie Fortuna
haha, yeah, I can definitely see this expanding out eventually.

The biggest thing for collecting loose for me is displaying them. It is the only reason I would want to collect anything really. Problem is, for loose, space is a major concern and then there is the showcases. It can add up cash wise and space wise very quickly.

I have very little space to use and am struggling to get some room to prominently, tastefully, display just the first 20. But who knows what the future will bring.

I know myself and this is just the tip of the iceberg for now.

So many good ideas that is for sure. (I did like the used cardback idea too)

I will say this though... the recard idea came to me in a dream (LMFAO), but after I got a bunch of my childhood figures back, that nite I dreamed I found a store that had a full run of the original figures still on card at 1980s prices so I bought them and the pegboard and put them up at home. Yeah, weird but it stuck with me and it really did make me want to get back into collecting and not be just satisfied with the figs I just got. SO I kinda have to do it. Its the OCD in me. Must.Complete.Task.Number.1.


cheers!