POTF vs Tri-Logo Vs...

[Bewchacca]

Hi,

I am new to this collecting lark, and trying to get my head around some of the pricing and therefore (I presume) it's rarity.

There has been a thread in the for sale section where POTF carded figures are typically less than tri-logo or simple ROTJ carded examples. The final 17 Lamut figure for example seems to be less than a tri logo one.

So, are there more POTF examples out there? I think they were produced a couple of years after the original run finished (I will sit corrected).

Please help me so I can get my head around this dark art that is Star Wars toy collecting (It was much easier when I was young and just wanted the figures!).

Thanks, Bewie

 

[lejackal]

It varies massively, there is no hard and fast rule.

Madine on ROTJ is a £30-50 figure yet on Trilogo £6-16 thousand and maybe more in todays market.

B-Wing Pilot £40-£50 on ROTJ, Trilogo or POTF

Gamorrean Guard £50-80 on ROTJ or Trilogo but £2-3 thousand on POTF

Fairly certain the above is accurate but you get the idea.

The right figure and card combo and you'll be selling your car/kidney/first born

 

[edd_jedi]

Basically there are no rules. A POTF Anakin is worth about 5 grand, a trilogo Anakin is worth about £40. On the other hand Amanaman on a trilogo card is much harder to find and generally more expensive than the POTF version. It all depends on what overstock was found after the demise of the line - most of the MOCs in circulation are not shop bought, they are left overs. That's why certain sellers have boxes and boxes of some figures, and none of others on the same cardbacks.

It varies figure to figure and card to card, so I'm afraid research is really the only way to understand values. Many people believe debut cards are generally worth more than later ones and trilogos, but I've seen so many exceptions to that theory I don't support it (eg the Kenner 21 back Stormtrooper is worth about 10 times more than the 12 back.)

 

[Dorsetmark]

One problem with trilogos is it very hard to get mint as the bubble will crush just with the weight of gravity acting on it

 

[Bewchacca]

Thanks for the pointers. It is obvious that it is a very dark (side) art collecting these figures. It is as clear as Yoda's swamp!

Bewie

 

[elcroz]

I'm certainly no expert but I think when the collecting bug takes hold of you and you're looking for your next purchase you'll end up learning a lot of things by accident, such (rough) prices, general rarity, most desired MOC/loose figures. The more hours you sit reading this forum, eBay etc it does tend to seep in to your sub conscience.

Good luck with your collection, I hope you enjoy the fun of collecting vintage Star Wars.

 

[jedisearcher]

If you're bothered about quality I think there are more last 17 POTF in mint condition than trilogos because the trilogo bubbles are tougher to find in nice condition. But the POTFs are generally yellow and whilst you can get clear bubbles they're expensive and may go yellow in the end anyway. Some are also prone to be brittle (Nikto, Anakin, GG, Yoda etc.) so going forward, trilogos probably have a longer shelf life as they are still nice and clear and not so prone to cracking in transit.

Trilogos are Palitoy manufactured and were more common on the shelves in the mid 80s than the Kenner USA assembled POTFs. If you're a completionist, you'd probably want a complete collection on the same cardback so you can only really go down the trilogo route as there are fewer characters issued on POTF cards.

Clear as mud!

 

[darth_daddius]

Trilogos are Palitoy manufactured .....

Not always. There are definitely some made in France by Meccano, and I'm pretty sure Germany made some didn't they?

JoeO - we need you here!

Cheers
Pat

 

[sith-smith]

I thought Madine was the only non Uk one?

When considering which to get for it ultimately comes down to a number of factors

Which you prefer the look of

Which is more affordable

Which is more likely to be found

And which would fit better in with the general look of your collecting.

When I started down the carded route, I went for trilogo as I didn't like the look of the POTF at the time and the tri looked better in with the rest of MOC. That was all I based it on at the time. Didn't really know about the damaged tri bubbles, yellow POTF, or the expense of certain POTF.

I think I made the right choice. Though having said that I then went on to put a complete run of POTF together

 

[Nick_IoW]

From a display point of view I think the Tri logos look sooo much better with the clear bubbles and vibrant colours. I found the potf line very "bleh". Piss stain yellow bubbles don't do it for me.

 

[steve obi wan]

Horses for courses , when I had my full moc collection , I had a mixture of both and displayed well together :shock:

 

[Jez]

There are a lot of collectors selling their POTF MOCs in favour of Tri Logos as there is a general feeling that the inevitable bubble cracking is far more likely to happen sooner on POTF than Tri Logo.

 

[sith-smith]

Yeah that's what convinced me to sell mine in the end!

 

[palitoyjunky]

When I first started out collecting MOC I got a v small handful of POTF. Small amount because I was a poor student at the time and POTF because that was all the rage back then :!: Tri-logos seemed v insignificant and almost undiscovered at that time :!:
I didn't get any of the rare ones, got EV-9D9 not in great shape, a battered Amanaman and a mint case fresh clear bubble Romba that only cost me £35
I am so glad I didn't end up pursuing POTF MOCs because as time went on and b4 the big rebirth of the Tri-logo I began to start really appreciating their beauty and unique koolness 8) One vivid memory that really got me paying attention was an article on Tri-logos in Lee's Action Figure news which I still have the issue. It pointed out all the great features found on Tri-logos including the exclusive colour schemes sometimes used and the sometimes unique background photos. It also stated that finding Tri-logos in mint condition was no way an impossibility-most of the Tris I had seen up to that point were in sub par condition compared to regular domestic MOCs especially the bubbles.

The highlight of the article was the focus on Fett and how different in colour he was to his domestic counterpart.
My goal at that time was to get the last 15 MOC and after that read I Was going mint tri-logo all the way :!: I also vowed one day I would get a Fett. Happy to say I almost managed both :wink: My Amanaman was on a mint card but the bubble was typically indented but still v good for an Amanaman :!:

Some may disagree but I think it is harder to find a perfect Amanaman than a Madine :!: