Currently on Ebay there is a 2-1B with the torso being unpainted. Its very expensive. It's intriguing, but I am skeptical( I am not saying it is fake, I have no idea). My questions... How easy is it to remove the head and limbs of a figure, do the "factory error" and then glue and put everything back together without it looking tampered with? Can you tell if something like this is faked(again not saying the aforementioned is fake)? Thanks

littledreamtoyshop is not a reliable seller, has listed fake items before ( altered hollow cheek, fake VC Jawa MOC etc) has shill bid and left themselves feedback from a second account..... The 2-1B is stripped. No other parts are painted so limb & head removal is not required to 'make one'. Things I keep in mind: 'all' limbs and parts, torso halves are painted PRIOR to assembly. Sure, one part may occasionally slip through quality check missing paint- now what are the chances of two torso halves missing the paint process and then getting paired back up??? The seller claims the paint particles you see are inside the torso cavity- IF this is a factory error they will be no paint at all...


As for other factory errors ie. limb swaps- yes it is possible. It is also financially beneficial as people seem to pay crack money for them :scratch: Fett seems to appear with the most paint errors- two reasons I think- he has the most spray masks/colours so his odds of missing one paint app is better than other figures, and 'Fett tax'. Black/UV light can be useful for spotting areas that have been paint stripped. It's also a good idea not to get caught up in the 'hype' & pay lots for 'mistakes'

Unfortunately I got caught up in a little factory error hype recently, that's why I was intrigued about the 2-1B. It seems now unfortunately that there are those that do the "factory error" for some extra money. Now I'm questioning some of my purchases( I'm OCD'n now!). I'm going to use a black light on two that I got(unpainted factory error figure). Thanks for that tip. In terms of a "limb swap," I have one where the legs are on backwards(Anakin POTF, last 17). It looks like it was not tampered with ( taken apart). It looks clean. I compared it to one I already have and the glue seams look the same. Doesn't seem to be any "prying apart marks" on the torso. So in your opinion and experience, would there be rough seams from prying the figure apart and then gluing back together?...or are some of these deceptive sellers that good that they can do a flawless job of creating a factory error? Your opinion would be appreciated with regard to the last two questions(again I'm OCD'n) I will never by an error again, seems too risky and costly, lesson learned. Note: I'm not saying now all sellers selling errors are deceptive, because I do have some true factory errors.

Some limbs & heads can be swapped/changed without the torso being split leaving no signs of tampering ( therefore no glue or seam issues). I have two figures with two left arms- I choose to believe they left the factory that way.

Thanks for the information. Informative but disheartening. I actually ordered a cheap uv/blacklight($5). I have to know what I got is real. Unfortunately the seller I bought off of has private items just like the seller mentioned above in their feedback(checked his past items/feedback as well for comparison). I wanted to see if previous items sold were factory errors as well, which would be suspicious, but, you cannot view them because they are listed as private in their feedback. Somewhat suspicious that you cannot view past items sold. Although I'm disheartened by the information you provided, I'm glad you gave it. It's good information. Lesson learned... Beware of factory errors and private listings!

Just for a bit of info, you seem to be under the impression that to perform a leg/arm swap you need to crack the torso. If you use the boil and pop method you can often remove limbs easily and then either slightly trim the end or reboil sometimes with no trim needed and reinsert it. Using this method there would be no need to open the torso.

I have a genuine factory error mail away empower with two of the same leg that is sealed in its bag. I bought that in the 90's and didn't pay a premium for it. With the way factory errors sell these days I would not purchase one as they are easily faked.

I did not know that. Another reason to stay away from factory errors. I hope I can do it though. I just like anything that has a unique factor to it.  I'm keeping an eye on the seller. Currently they are not selling any items. If future items are factory errors, then I know I was duped. If that's the case, I paid his cable bill for them,... at least I didn't pay his mortgage. That would surely suck.

...Fyi, the figure in question. Fully realizing impossible to tell real or fake by the photos, posted if anyone was interested.