Week 8: Stormtrooper

I am back from the dead with a new vintage Toy of the Week. Sorry for the long delay, it was unavoidable. Without any further delay, I am back to talk a little about the vintage Stormtrooper. I have a small vintage army of about 10 or 11 vintage stormtroopers and hope to eventually pick up a few more. Along with the vintage Jawa, the vintage stormtrooper seems to be a favorite army builder.

The Stormtrooper was one of the first 12 figures and came out on every cardback through the POTF releases. This figure unlike some of the more recent figures we have talked about did not undergo a picture change on the card. My example is a Star Wars 20 Back C w/Fett offer. 

According to Kellerman's book, this figure is known to exist on the following cardbacks:

SW 12 Back A,B,C
SW 20 Back A,B
SW 20 Back C w/Fett offer
SW 20 Back J w/Fett offer and offer extended sticker
SW 20 Back K w/Secret figure sticker over Fett offer
ESB 21 Back G w/Secret figure offer
ESB 31 Back B
ESB 32 Back A
ESB 41 Back A w/Survival Kit offer
ESB 45 Back A w/Display Arena offer
ESB 47 Back A w/4-LOM offer
ESB 48 Back B w/Ackbar offer
ROTJ 48 Back D w/Nien Nunb offer
ROTJ 65 Back C w/Emperor offer
ROTJ 77 Back A
ROTJ 77 Back B w/Anakin offer
ROTJ 79 Back A
POTF 92 Back

In addition to the Kenner releases, the Stormtrooper was release on a wide variety of foreign cards which are pretty interesting as well. (all pics with exception of the Top Toys card are from www.toysrgus.com):

Star Wars Canadian 12 back "Le Guerre des Etoiles":

Dutch Clipper 12 back Stormtrooper:

Italian Harbert 12 Back Stormtrooper (Guerriero Imperiale):

U.K. Palitoy 12 Back Stormtrooper:

Australian Toltoys 12 Back Stormtrooper:

Argentina Top Toys Stormtrooper: This cardback is mine. 

The bubble came free of the card and left a near perfect cardback. The back of the card is pretty interesting and different as well as it uses the traditional pic from the original 12-back figures as well as a pic of the other figures produced. The bubbles like most foreign carded figures are very thin and fragile. There were not many Top Toys figures made (only 8 I believe) with a carded Luke Jedi and Yoda being the most rare and hard to find. The two Top Toys figures I have (Vader and Stormtrooper) are the most common along with Chief Chirpa (called "Osito Ewok"). 

Which brings me to loose variations. This is a simple figure. Yet, with all vintage figures there are a few variants out there. These are just a few that I have found. I am sure there are several more that exist. In the pic (from left to right) I have:

1. Stormtrooper: text on left leg in small font in 2 lines with GMGFI 1977 and Hong Kong beneath that.

2. Stormtrooper: text on left leg in larger font in 3 lines with "GMGFI" - top line, "Hong Kong" - middle line and "1977" on the bottom line.

3. Stormtrooper: No country of origin and and 2 lines of text "GMGFI" on top line and "1977" beneath that. Again, on the left leg.

4. Top Toys Stormtrooper: From Argentina, this figure has no date or coo. Top Toys figures are cast from original vintage figures so as a result the figure is noticeably smaller in size and has no holes in his feet. The weapon is also quite different as well.

If you look at the pics you can see differences in the paint applications especially around the head and "mouth" area as well as differents in the black lines around the elbows.

Prices on the vintage Stormtoopers vary greatly:

MOC figures (as always) depend upon rarity and condition. Of course the 12-backs are the most popular and command a pretty good price. A completed auction search on Ebay finds:

MOC 12 back (non-graded): $142.00 to $203.00
MOC 12 back (afa 75): $255.00
MOC 12 back (afa 85): $600.00

MOC ESB and ROTJ: Under $100 (depending on condition, etc.)

Loose figures cost as little as a couple of dollars to over $10 depending on condition and completeness. Also like most white figures the Stormtrooper is prone to yellowing of the torso.

This concludes another vintage TOTW. Next week, I will talk about Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi. Hopefully on time next week. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or would like to add some info I have forgotten please check out our forums and feel free to add to the discussion. 
 

 Thanks for reading!