Does anyone support repro in any format?

[Cocobean]

A genuine question as I just can't see how any genuine fan/collector cansupport anything that devalues or damages something they love and some may say it's just a weapon or a box but where do you draw the line? If everybody thought that way surely vintage would have little if no value at all. Eventually in the future will we even be able to distinguish real from repro? :-( I'm sure this has been discussed many times and I apologise if I bore people but I am fairly new to these forums here's my opinion and little background

I am 100% against repro in any form weapons boxes capes etc it really winds me up I had my collection stolen many years ago and haven't had the funds to replace it I never thought I could I don't have the funds like some people I brought my kids up on my own for 7 years I'm a career long story ;-) however i nearly gave up but eventually started collecting again a little while ago by chance that I came into a small bag of figures I could have simply bought repro stuff for next to nothing to replace my items but decided to struggle by with what I have to build it back up which I have I will post photos sometime on the showcase or here to see how far I've come I can't tell you what it means I feel like a kid again but I see collections getting devalued and eventually nobody knowing what's repro and what isn't totally defeats the object of this hobby/love sorry about the rant but it totally winds me up :evil:

Thoughts please?

 

[Richard_H]

The only one I would accept is the foam for the Dagobah Playset, Death Star Station and Chewie bandolier. You can't keep that stuff for nigh on 40 years. Other than that I'd rather have no stickers than repro, damaged boxes than repro, no weapons than repro (inc DT).

 

[edd_jedi]

One area I don't have a problem with in principal is stickers - 40 year old stickers are going to dry out and fall off sooner or later, and most agree that unused sheets should be kept that way. So if people make high quality, clearly marked as repro die-cut stickers for people to restore old vehicles, I think that is fine.

HOWEVER I am dead against direct copies intended to fool people, and also the absolute crap most people on eBay sell which is just low quality scans and not even die-cut so you have to use scissors. It's not difficult to make really nice vector graphics on a computer these days so there's really no excuse for the crap scans most people are selling.

 

[Ian_C]

Nope. Nothing. I am 100% hardcore against anything and everything repro. If it wasn't produced and assembled in the factory by Kenner or one of its international subsidiaries, then I want zero to do with it.

That means no repro packaging. No to stickers. No to foam (sorry Richard). No to weapons.

Once age does its work, and they no longer exist in their original form, then it's over. That part of a toy becomes extinct aside from the memories.

For clarification only, this does not include bootlegs, which were never produced to actually represent and be confused with authentic product.

Ian

 

[Cocobean]

I have to agree with you Ian I also don't class bootlegs as repro or custom vehicles or playsets provided they were never made/released etc I have seen some amazing work by people in regards to creating for fun what was never created perhaps something they wish was this certainly shouldn't be tarnished with the same brush as you can't copy something that isn't there to copy in regards to stickers/foam isn't that just making allowances I know you can tell the foam is fake but maybe in the future you won't could it fool people unintentionally in the future also isn't it better to have a damaged original rather than a restored fake?

 

[Bonsai_Tree_Ent]

For children to play with I think repro are fine, some parents may have a tub of 'playworn' figures and spaceships for their kids to play with and for this usage I wouldn't criticise them for having repro weapons to make the play more fun for the kids.

But for an adult vintage collector absolutely not, it's a contradiction that makes your collection less not more, as a repro is 'modern' and we are collectors of 'vintage'.

 

[edd_jedi]

I agree Ian and in case it wasn't clear, I am referring to "bootleg" stickers. Not exact copies of the original, they have to be easily distinguishable from the real thing. I 100% agree that anything reproduced to look exactly the same as an original is not a good thing.

 

[BlueDog]

I agree with Richard I don't really have a problem with the dagobah foam if it's to fill a hole ( scuse the pun ) the dagobah play set looks quite odd with out it.

Mixed feelings on the repro sticker side of things but that's probably because I got stung years ago on an X-Wing with repro stickers which really gave me the shits when I discovered it. I agree once you've seen the real deal they are easy to spot as fake but to a new collector with all the other stuff you need to look out for being fake it can be easily missed. That said a vehicle with out them looks pretty ordinary so I can understand why some opt for them for display purposes. My son now plays with the X-Wing so it's still creating happy memories for a child nearly 40 yrs on.

 

[Frunkstar]

Nice easy one for me, yes to weapons & accessories for a kid to play with, a big no for my own collection.

 

[BlueDog]

C'mon Frank fess up you mean for your own play time bud.

I should have also stated as far as everything else reproduction it's a big NO.

 

[Hugoagogo]

No repro at all, not even weapons for kids. If they're playing with beaters then any old weapon would do (or a range of boot leg weapons, red or something like that), if people are producing repro weapons at some point they'll be passed off as legit.

 

[Cocobean]

I kind of agree that purchasing the weapons or anything else under any circumstance gives them a market and keeps them in business I feel it's better to stay away all together

 

[theforceuk]

No, no, no, no, no, no. Don't like bootlegs either, don't do anything for me. But don't really have a problem with them.

 

[aussiejames]

I directly support the sale of a 'reproduction'

:wink:

 

[itfciain]

I directly support the sale of a 'reproduction'

:wink:

Haha - wondered who would mention these :wink:

 

[TheGent]

Those repros I stumbled upon I use for my vintage customs created from beater figures - and strictly banned from the original collection.

 

[itfciain]

I think this is an interesting topic and believe that over time attitudes tend to change.

I will admit that before I found the forums I had no problems selling figures on eBay with repro weapons (they were declared obviously) - however as I began to appreciate the damage that they can do then I put an end to this practise. I was also happy to hand them out to friends for their kids to play with but even stopped doing this, not because it isn't right, but because it creates a demand for them and the more demand the more are produced

The foam and the stickers are far less severe in terms of damage - as long as they are not exact copies - but again these are often produced by people who offer the full repro package - so you are just putting money in their pockets.

What annoys me the most is that people like Poon and Orme claim that they are just doing it for the love of the hobby yet they make every possible effort to replicate their products exactly to the originals - if they were just customs no one would really have an issue


...oh and to address the stands. Yes they are based on the Palitoy Death Star ones and do look very similar - however in hand you can tell the difference with the plastic used and also the peg has a ring. These had been on the market for years before I started selling them and although I appreciate that to some people they will always be repro (I can't sell them on TIG for example) then I don't think they were ever designed to be passed off as they real thing. And they are a bloody good stand !

 

[laurencedyer]

I have a similar opinion to Ian C, however if the item is there for preservation like an insert for a boxed AT-AT to keep it's shape and therfore to keep it's shelf life purely for the collector's own display purposes and never to be released on to the market in the future I'm cool with that.

 

[yoda]

I would also have the feelings of lan C. I am 100% against using any thing that never came from the original factorys. If time takes its toll on any part so be it. I don't see the point in using anything reproduction as it never is and never will be part of that figure or ship, which came with it at the start when it was built. That's just my opinion on my own collection and anything I will ever own related to starwars.

 

[Cocobean]

It's good to see how many people are against repro and everyone seems to be wanting and willing to preserve the authenticity and originality of the vintage toys even when it's detrimental to their finances an example how Iain stopped selling them the more involved he got as I'm sure lots have done this and as he pointed out If we all stick together and stop the demand for repro by not entertaining it surely if they can't sell it or make money from it then it dies and we preserve and maintain value of ours and everyone else's collection however if the repro items keep coming this will no longer be a feesable hobby and people just won't care and it becomes no different to popping into a toy store it loses its identity and rarity and most of all destroys something we all love