UKG v AFA

I know that a lot of people on here will have different views but I have certainly felt in the past couple of years that UKG have really taken a big step forward and have certainly come out of the AFA shadow.

I have figures and playsets that are graded by both but there seems to be a lot more focus on UKG nowadays, the job they do is excellent and any issues, Steve will normally contact you and go through them, he does with me anyway!!! This hobby is big business now and I like any other collector out there just wants consistency, for me, AFA lacks this, I have had personal experience of this and have heard many stories that backs up my claim.

I know a couple of people who have good collections and are in the process of getting AFA figures re-graded by UKG, they are very particular (like many of us weird star wars collectors), and simply see it as enhancing their collection, which I can fully understand.

I now think that UK and Worldwide collectors have another great option in UKG and that rare pieces can remain in the UK without the risk of being sent to USA, I for one am extremely pleased as valuable items can be dropped off in person.

i prefer afa to ukg

UKG for me always provided a great service but I've only had loose figures graded don't fancy risking mocs in the post there's just no protection around the bubble in those cases

AFA have always had the edge, as they were the first, and at times the best out there, but they have made some cracking mistakes.

UKG are on the up, but have a long way to go to get the provenance on AFA.. but they filled a gap in the market for people that didn't want to send stuff to the US... and then hope it makes it back in one piece.

There is also another grading company in the US but the name escapes me, apparently they grade figures like comics and rather than increments of five they go up in singles so there are not good and bad 80's for example

Agree that AFA once had a huge edge on UKG due to them being the original grading company and having real heavy influential backing etc BUT totally disagree that is still the case :!:
I strongly believe UKG r now the company to use as over the recent years they have really upped their game and at the same time AFA have really dropped the ball and made some real embarrassing laughable cock ups :!:
Quite frankly you know there is an issue with AFA when they receive(at the time) a super rare MOC that was highly questioned on it's authenticity and indeed existence and if found to b authentic would b one of the most significant discoveries of all the vintage lines....and all they do is grade it without any acknowledgement or respect to what it is and send it back without so much as a cert of authenticity :!:
Then when a cert is demanded they don't even get their top man to sign it :? I am of course talking of the Palitoy 12 back vinyl cape Jawa :!:

AFA still have no love for the preservation of history in that they still U grade loose figures and vehicles/playsets :!:

As said many UK and Europeans collectors now use UKG who once upon a time swore by AFA. Steve Ward is a v sound guy with extreme knowledge and long gone r the dark days of UKG with their bloody awful blue grading label(showing that crappy star rating rarity scale), the terrible grading cases for boxed vehicles and play sets and indeed the days where UKG''s only customers seemed to b A1 pratts i.e. Andrew Khaliq of "Action Force Toys" :lol:

I have to say they are both as bad as each other :shock: and neither company should be grading vintage Star Wars figures! I owned 26 carded T.T figures 13 graded by both AFA and UKG.......... Long before the toni gate thing happened some collectors including myself knew that something was not right with these figures, we turned a blind eye until the inevitable happened.........

So it took collector's to find this out not Star Wars Vintage experts who we have to pay to grade our figures :?: :?: ....... A few guys on here knew i opened my T.T figures and all asked the same question..? The question you are thinking now.....? and the answer to that question is YES i did....

I will never say how many i found but what i will say collectors out there have graded T.T figures AFA & UKG with fake weapons,,, im not even dropping a bomb some of us still talk about it, some community at times..........

AFA & UKG, you owe me and many collectors on here who have paid you large amounts of money an explanation and what have you done nothing.... How many times have you replied to me and many others, none!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EXPERTS you call yourself's,,,,,,,,,,,, rally you are a scar on the vintage world!!! Your service is flawed........ There is another possible bomb on the horizon,,,,,,,,, but yet again we turn a blind eye :roll:

They should stick to Action force, My Little Pony and Video Games............****ing Retard's :arrow: :arrow: :evil:

Rant over................. original 1994

Namelesswarrior said:

I have to say they are both as bad as each other :shock: and neither company should be grading vintage Star Wars figures! I owned 26 carded T.T figures 13 graded by both AFA and UKG.......... Long before the toni gate thing happened some collectors including myself knew that something was not right with these figures, we turned a blind eye until the inevitable happened.........

So it took collector's to find this out not Star Wars Vintage experts who we have to pay to grade our figures :?: :?: ....... A few guys on here knew i opened my T.T figures and all asked the same question..? The question you are thinking now.....? and the answer to that question is YES i did....

I will never say how many i found but what i will say collectors out there have graded T.T figures AFA & UKG with fake weapons,,, im not even dropping a bomb some of us still talk about it, some community at times..........

AFA & UKG, you owe me and many collectors on here who have paid you large amounts of money an explanation and what have you done nothing.... How many times have you replied to me and many others, none!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EXPERTS you call yourself's,,,,,,,,,,,, rally you are a scar on the vintage world!!! Your service is flawed........ There is another possible bomb on the horizon,,,,,,,,, but yet again we turn a blind eye :roll:

They should stick to Action force, My Little Pony and Video Games............****ing Retard's :arrow: :arrow: :evil:

Rant over................. original 1994

Click to expand...

what bomb on the horizon? do tell, saves me buying it then

You took the words right out of my mouth, Lindo.

But you weren't kissing me.

Sparky P said:

You took the words right out of my mouth, Lindo.

But you weren't kissing me.

Click to expand...

Thanks Lindo, good to know your part of the real world not the fake one

Namelesswarrior said:

Sparky P said:

You took the words right out of my mouth, Lindo.

But you weren't kissing me.

Click to expand...

Thanks Lindo, good to know your part of the real world not the fake one

Click to expand...

All I meant is that I was about to ask the same question. It's Saturday night, I've had a couple of glasses of wine. Please excuse me if you think I was being flippant.

Please elaborate on the "possible bomb" on the horizon.

Other option is to put them in your own acrylic case and give them a grade yourself - that way you will never be disappointed

Plus you can take them out of the case and protect the bubble if you are shipping them

Sparky P said:

You took the words right out of my mouth, Lindo.

But you weren't kissing me.

Click to expand...

great minds think alike mate

itfciain said:

Other option is to put them in your own acrylic case and give them a grade yourself - that way you will never be disappointed

Plus you can take them out of the case and protect the bubble if you are shipping them

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Well said you yourself would do a better job than those monkeys.........

AFA, Action, Figure, Assholes!!!!

UKG, (Action Force) :shock:

itfciain said:

Other option is to put them in your own acrylic case and give them a grade yourself - that way you will never be disappointed

Plus you can take them out of the case and protect the bubble if you are shipping them

Click to expand...

If only someone sold acrylic cases? There's a gap in the market if ever I saw one.

ODB said:

itfciain said:

Other option is to put them in your own acrylic case and give them a grade yourself - that way you will never be disappointed

Plus you can take them out of the case and protect the bubble if you are shipping them

Click to expand...

If only someone sold acrylic cases? There's a gap in the market if ever I saw one.

Click to expand...

:lol: :lol: - if only there was a company that sold them

<<<<<<<<<<

So what is the next disaster on the horizon???

Pat

AFA and UKG have both been equally sticky head in sandy over the Toy Toni's they have graded.

Chad at AFA initially said they would mark all the Toni's they had graded in their serial number verification tracker back in January 2014. Nothing has come of that and they have graded several thousand Toni's from what I can tell by looking at their online population report.

Steve at UKG told me that Toy Toni wasn't an issue for them as they had only graded a handful. UKG don't have an online population report, but by looking at the numbers for sale eBay and using the number of years AFA was grading pre 2013 vs the number of years UKG were grading, I estimate that UKG graded several hundred Toy Toni's.

If there is another "bomb" to drop, please give details of your concerns NamlessWarrior. You are doing the collecting community a huge disservice by remaining quiet.

Cheers Jason

Another bomb on the horizon when was the last one? I'm sure UKG and AFA are crapping their pants. :? :roll:

I wonder who could fill the gap !!!