Hi, how can I see if a cape for the Imperial Stormtrooper (Hoth Battle Gear) is a repro or Original ?

Is there no one who knows anything about the capes ?

I have a few that i know a genuine and a few repos, and the repos seem exactly the same! I have one that is a bit more glossy then a genuine and the slits are slightly bigger but you cant tell unless you compare the two.

I know this dosnt help but.

Got any pictures? They can be very difficult to tell.

If i had a camera id take a few pics Id say that theyd be quit difficult to tell by the naked eye but ive been wrong before.

Yr1977 wrote:

I have a few that i know a genuine and a few repos, and the repos seem exactly the same! I have one that is a bit more glossy then a genuine and the slits are slightly bigger but you cant tell unless you compare the two.

I know this dosnt help but.

How do you know that there repo, a theory or did you buy them as repo?

Oh yea i bought them knowing that they were repo. It can get stupid expensive buying legit ones when your army building snowtrooper. I dont mind repos as much as some. Saying that i have trusty mates that collect and i bought real capes from them.

Yr1977 wrote:

Oh yea i bought them knowing that they were repo. It can get stupid expensive buying legit ones when your army building snowtrooper. I dont mind repos as much as some. Saying that i have trusty mates that collect and i bought real capes from them.

I was just wondering if you'd mistaken real for repo is all as you say they are almost identical. Do they feel the same too?

Hmmm good question. Just had a fondel then. I have 2 different repo skirts. The glossy one feels thicker and a lot more slick then a real one. Scary that the other repo feels and looks exactly the same but only newer and less kinked.

Yr1977 wrote:

Just had a fondel then.

too much information

Thanks for all the help so far.

I think I have 3, 4 maybe 5 variants of capes. One of them I really thinks is repro. The others I am not sure about.

I can take some pictures of them.

Here I have the first picture I think this is a repro. It is very rough.

I think i can help! Do you own a original ben kenobi or darth vader cape? If so scratch both sides and one side will make the unmistakable zippy sound. that sound and the cross hatch texture is the way to figure out all the original vintage capes they all make that sound and have that cross hatch pattern!! Hope this helps if not i got a good close up of a vader cape with he cross hatch pattern!!

I promize this works Ive sent many vinyl cape jawas to the afa and all of them were authenticted by tom derby!!

Cross hatch pattern

Not all capes have the cross hatch!!

Thanks for the help I will look after the cross hatch then I can ID some of the capes.

What does the rest of the capes have ?

Are you serious James?! Then I truley have no clue what Im talking about!! Sorry pomse2001

James do all the figures with capes also come without the the cross hatch pattern? Thanks for your help!

Johnny U wrote:

Are you serious James?! Then I truley have no clue what Im talking about!! Sorry pomse2001

No problem I could use some of it

HI I know I'm new here, is it OK if Ipost?

I recently had the same issue with a Princess Leia Organa, with a repro cape sold as original. I also have an Storm Trooper Hoth Battle Gear which I bought as a boy (as I'm sure many did on here).

The easiest way I've found with these capes (especially the white ones) is to stand back and look at them. An original cape (due to its age) will be slightly egg shell white & probably match (in terms of general ageing) the tone of the figure.

With a repro cape it immediately stands out as being too white or too new. I've also noticed that with the Leia Organa Cape, & the Stormtrooper cape, the inner side has slightly rough texture.

scovell001 wrote:

HI I know I'm new here, is it OK if Ipost?

I recently had the same issue with a Princess Leia Organa, with a repro cape sold as original. I also have an Storm Trooper Hoth Battle Gear which I bought as a boy (as I'm sure many did on here).

The easiest way I've found with these capes (especially the white ones) is to stand back and look at them. An original cape (due to its age) will be slightly egg shell white & probably match (in terms of general ageing) the tone of the figure.

With a repro cape it immediately stands out as being too white or too new. I've also noticed that with the Leia Organa Cape, & the Stormtrooper cape, the inner side has slightly rough texture.

Very interesting, I also think there is many variants of capes so it is maybe not that easy to spot repro.

Taking the Princess Leia as an example. When it arrived, I took it out the jiffy & the 1st thing that I noticed was this pure white 'pristine' cape practically glowing at me. It just smacked of wrongness, the cut of the cape was the same as a vintage Princess Leia with the slight curve out to a point at the bottom.

What made it more re-assuring was the material was incredibly flimsy & exactly the same 'smooth' texture both sides. The total shat repro blaster was the icing on the cake!

I've just been upstairs to check my IPSHBG, he has a 'raised' made in china plaque on on the top back of his left leg & on the other 1980LFL. His cape has a stipple effect on both sides. The cape is whiter than the figure but, it has a few (very small) paint flecks where its been in the box with other figures and the paint has rubbed off onto the cape.

Its this sort of in-situe look that I would look out for (and not really possible to see in ebay photo's) when trying to determine a repro cape vs an original.

Photographed my 'original' Snowtrooper cape. Taken from a ROTJ card back snow trooper, with a raised (almost plaque like) where is says CHINA (of the made in China) on the back of his left leg.

You can just make out the crosshatch.

Thanks mate, I have bought some figures from some childhood collections and there was some capes on. So I think they are 100% original. But if there is variants then I still think it is hard to ID repro capes and originals.