Vintage Die Cast Tie Bomber

Snaketibe

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StarWarsFan said:
Hi was wondering why its so much rarer then the others? Thanks
I think it was simply a case of the Die-Cast line's popularity was waning at the time, and the TIE Bomber was the last toy made by Kenner in that line. It wasn't produced in very high numbers as a consequence, and hence like most 'end of line' / 'last toy in the line' toys (12" IG-88, POTF Yak Face, etc.), it's highly sought after and expensive to buy today.
 

StarWarsFan

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Snaketibe said:
StarWarsFan said:
Hi was wondering why its so much rarer then the others? Thanks
I think it was simply a case of the Die-Cast line's popularity was waning at the time, and the TIE Bomber was the last toy made by Kenner in that line. It wasn't produced in very high numbers as a consequence, and hence like most 'end of line' / 'last toy in the line' toys (12" IG-88, POTF Yak Face, etc.), it's highly sought after and expensive to buy today.

Thanks for the info.
 

spoons

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Snaketibe said:
Mini99 said:
This is a great link to Andy's (spoons) website which has in-depth information on all the die cast range.
https://www.vintagestarwarsdiecast.co.uk/the-toys/tie-bomber
Hmmm... I'm quite sure Spoons' info is going to be much more accurate than my guess above, so please ignore my comment and read his webpage :wink:

Ha ha - thanks Snalebite but I'm guessing too as no-one really seems to know

You are right in that the line was scrapped not long after but Kenner did keep releasing the snowspeeder, cloud car and slave one for some time so sales of the bomber and larger ships must have led to them being cancelled sooner.

The ESB falcon, y wing, and cruiser are just as rare as the bomber but loose the bomber stands out as the others were released for a long time in SW packaging.
 

Snaketibe

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spoons said:
Snaketibe said:
Mini99 said:
This is a great link to Andy's (spoons) website which has in-depth information on all the die cast range.
https://www.vintagestarwarsdiecast.co.uk/the-toys/tie-bomber
Hmmm... I'm quite sure Spoons' info is going to be much more accurate than my guess above, so please ignore my comment and read his webpage :wink:

Ha ha - thanks Snalebite but I'm guessing too as no-one really seems to know

You are right in that the line was scrapped not long after but Kenner did keep releasing the snowspeeder, cloud car and slave one for some time so sales of the bomber and larger ships must have led to them being cancelled sooner.

The ESB falcon, y wing, and cruiser are just as rare as the bomber but loose the bomber stands out as the others were released for a long time in SW packaging.
Thanks Spoons, that's great info and it's always good to learn new things in this hobby. I wonder why Kenner continued to release the snowspeeder, cloud car and Slave one after nixing the bomber? Did they think those ships were simply more popular, or had they perhaps over-produced those three relative to the bomber?

Jeremy (perhaps I should change my username to my actual name. 'Snaketibe' seems to trip up too many people! :lol: )
 

spoons

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Jeremy is indeed easier :mrgreen:

Never noticed you were 'tibe' Rather than 'bite' before - my brain just never read it that way :?

And as to why the snowspeeder etc kept on going, cheaper to make and sell would be my guess, but they could well have had made more to start with so had to clear the backlog.
 

Jedijut

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C35CEAB5-D7BA-49B2-8D0B-CDEB5E366DA8.jpeg


4E7A145F-9044-44E8-A7A9-7CB2BC912A7E.jpeg


I'd agree with the price point factor.

From the 1980 Kenner Toy Fair Catalog to the 1981 Catalog they had stopped advertising the larger (boxed) ships including the Tie Bomber. Only the carded Die Cast ships/vehicles were present in the 1981 catalog suggesting they had dumped the more costly larger toys on a already dying line. Pity as I'm sure the Jedi era would have produced some stunning Die cast toys.
 

StarWarsFan

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Jedijut said:
C35CEAB5-D7BA-49B2-8D0B-CDEB5E366DA8.jpeg

4E7A145F-9044-44E8-A7A9-7CB2BC912A7E.jpeg

I'd agree with the price point factor.

From the 1980 Kenner Toy Fair Catalog to the 1981 Catalog they had stopped advertising the larger (boxed) ships including the Tie Bomber. Only the carded Die Cast ships/vehicles were present in the 1981 catalog suggesting they had dumped the more costly larger toys on a already dying line. Pity as I'm sure the Jedi era would have produced some stunning Die cast toys.

Thanks for sharing
 

retrotoyinfo

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Around the time I bought mine, I was led to believe the Tie Bomber was only trialed in three US States and was not available anywhere else. Theswca say was a test market of 75,000. This seems a disputed fact. Someone on one website who claims to own two bought at Toys R Us in 1980 states "As it turned out, just a few test markets were used to place these items and one of the chosen few was here in San Diego. "

My memory is a bit vague, but I bought mine in the USA, but sometime in the early 2000s. I can't remember what I paid, was probably around £300. I had it graded immediately by DCA, was always disappointed that it only got 75 grade, which seems a bit silly now considering it's rarity. There is a tear on the prices sticker area, and a few other things, but I always thought it should have been graded higher. When I bought it I knew it was rare, and sought one for some time, but even then was not highly sought after as much as it might be now. The other thing I wanted was a boxed 12" ESB IG-88, which I also managed to obtain.
 

spoons

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retrotoyinfo said:
Around the time I bought mine, I was led to believe the Tie Bomber was only trialed in three US States and was not available anywhere else. Theswca say was a test market of 75,000. This seems a disputed fact. Someone on one website who claims to own two bought at Toys R Us in 1980 states "As it turned out, just a few test markets were used to place these items and one of the chosen few was here in San Diego. "

My memory is a bit vague, but I bought mine in the USA, but sometime in the early 2000s. I can't remember what I paid, was probably around £300. I had it graded immediately by DCA, was always disappointed that it only got 75 grade, which seems a bit silly now considering it's rarity. There is a tear on the prices sticker area, and a few other things, but I always thought it should have been graded higher. When I bought it I knew it was rare, and sought one for some time, but even then was not highly sought after as much as it might be now. The other thing I wanted was a boxed 12" ESB IG-88, which I also managed to obtain.

I looked into the test run story in some depth. There is no source for the story (the guys at SWCA can't remember where it came from) but there is evidence for sales across the USA not just Cincinnati.

Based on current availability the Bombers are no rarer than any of the larger die cast ships in ESB packaging, they just have a lot more hype as that weas their only release.

Mini quotes my research above

Mini99 said:
This is a great link to Andy's (spoons) website which has in-depth information on all the die cast range.
https://www.vintagestarwarsdiecast.co.uk/the-toys/tie-bomber
 

edd_jedi

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retrotoyinfo said:
I had it graded immediately by DCA, was always disappointed that it only got 75 grade, which seems a bit silly now considering it's rarity.

Unfortunately rarity has nothing to do with the grade, a beater Prune Face will get exactly the same grade as a beater Vlix. The way it should be IMO.
 
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