Disney / Star Tours Vader & Stormtrooper

By request - here are the Disney / Star Tours Vader and Stormtrooper pvc figures. While similar in style to the Comics Spain line, these were produced in China in 1990, and available at Disney theme parks and stores for several years. They were all sold separately, and more readily available in the US compared to the Comics Spain assortment.

Comics Spain Kneesaa vs Hasbro

Here is a comparison picture of the Comics Spain Kneesaa vs her modern Hasbro sculpt.

Disney Yoda & Chewbacca vs Kenner

Here are some comparison pictures of the Disney / Star Tours Yoda and Chewbacca vs their Kenner counterparts - to get an idea of their scale and color differences.

Disney / Star Tours Yoda & Chewbacca

By request - here are the Disney / Star Tours Yoda and Chewbacca pvc figures. While similar in style to the Comics Spain line, these were produced in China in 1990, and available at Disney theme parks and stores for several years. They were all sold separately, and more readily available in the US compared to the Comics Spain assortment.

This Wicket could have been deemed a factory reject.

We've encountered many paint errors and variants over the years, but this Wicket could have been deemed a factory reject. Most factory workers that painted the Comics Spain line were meticulously accurate, or at the very least painted clean lines - I'm surprised that this sample made it into circulation.

R2-D2 Keychain

A Comics Spain R2-D2 Keychain has surfaced at auction, located in Japan. The piece appears to be legit, with residual paint on the metal screw / eyelet. This is the first keychain for the character that has been documented here.

Wicket "hair" / facial fur error

The vast majority of Comics Spain Wicket figures have solidly painted "hair" / facial fur, yet this sample was sporadically painted like highlighted strands of hair, very similar to how some of the Disney Star Tours Wicket figures were decorated.

Kneesaa: Error on a Variant redux

Last year I spotted a variant Kneesaaa at auction, and once again, another appears with a new deco combination. This time, it's the red inner cape variant (which is usually seen paired with the blue flower), but now with the yellow flower - alongside her mouth being painted black. While black mouth outlines are common with some of the other Ewok figures, Kneesaa was never one of them.

Wicket unpainted belly error

Wicket figures may have been produced in the greatest numbers, so a wider variety of errors and variants exist. This time, a truly unique error was discovered at auction, where the entire belly was left unpainted. It's in stark contrast with the standard releases.

Teebo paint error returns

Seen in these samples, are more Teebo paint errors, where the mouth is painted more like a floating mustache. Back in 2016, I first spotted one of these, accompanied with the unpainted brown nose, and now I've seen a black nose variation to add to the error list. It's interesting to me how many I've been able to uncover, but considering they're handpainted, there could be countless differences floating around among the hundreds that still exist.

Kez-Iban the keychain?!

Not something I ever expected to see for this character, but perhaps keychains do in fact exist for all the Droids & Ewoks characters - because they're slowly being discovered over time. The hole in his head does seem to indicate that the keyring was inserted while the plastic was still warm, so it may have happened during production, before being painted.

Kneesaa: Error on a Variant

Here is a sample of a Kneesaa figure that was up for auction that displays an error (unpainted flower stem) along with the variant purple flower. It's unusual for the figure to be painted so well, while the flower was sloppily done and left unfinished.

Bootleg C-3PO: with...orange paint?

The Polish C-3PO bootlegs of the Comics Spain sculpt arent seen too frequently at auction, but a sample came to market, and this version has what appears to be orange paint on the torso. This bootleg has never been known to have a painted torso - orange or otherwise, so I thought I'd post it to see if anyone else has run into something similar. It appears most of the orange has been rubbed off, assuming it existed in a larger quantity to begin with. It's also possible that the orange substance is something else entirely - like mold growing on a dirty figure. It's not uncommon, for something that's been sitting for potentially decades, which might have had grease, or another impurity coating it for years, to be in this condition as well. Posted to archive it's existence at the very least.

R2-D2 mystery "bootleg" solved?

Another reader was nice enough to write in and mention that she picked up a figure lot on ebay that contained both Comics Spain and Disney Star Tours pvc figures, which also had a white R2-D2 figure included (that is nearly identical to the one seen in the previous post). After some research, they turned out to be from the same seller, yet the figures themselves were slightly different. Now we know that at least two of these "bootlegs" exist, but I actually wouldn't define them as such, because there has been no real indication that they were produced for re-sale, and might in fact be customs. The figure itself is made of a hard material, most likely a resin, as air bubble holes are present on the figure. It's also interesting to note that both samples have some type of cardboard glued to the feet, leading be to believe they were glued down to another surface, and torn off before being listed at auction. Still no origin and reason why they were created, but the crude construction leaves me with little doubt that these are customs, not bootlegs, and surely not prototypes.

Prototype R2-D2 or bootleg?

A fellow collector sent me some photos of a R2-D2 figure he spotted online, which is currently at auction, and it's described as both a "prototype first shot" and an "unpainted Spain bootleg" in the title. In the item description, it is referred to as a "rare unpainted first shot prototype". It is an oddity to be sure, but no origin details have been mentioned. Due to the crude construction near the seam, it makes me first think of a custom made from resin, but it could also be exactly what the seller describes. Prototypes and bootlegs aren't something I tend to collect myself, but thought it would be interesting to catalog nonetheless.

C-3PO matte finish?

A C-3PO figure made it's way to auction, it is the alternate paint verison (gold) of the Comics Spain release, but this sample appears to be more of a bronze matte finish, rather than gold. It could have weathered with time and other elements, or it could be a paint error, as there is no known variant with this finish for the figure.

Newly discovered Droids Bootlegs?

A pair of newly discovered bootlegs have been spotted at auction, this time both droids molded in the correct colors and painted to look like the Comics Spain releases, but both deformed and sloppily painted. No confirmation on country of origin or year produced as of yet. The R2-D2 is difficult to discern at first, but the C-3PO has some glaring differences, from the green nose to the hilariously gaping mouth.

Kneesaa: Paint Error (3)

Princess Kneesaa of Endor, would surely never leave the hut without painting her lips, yet here is a sample found with no "lipstick" applied. It's always possible that it was intentionally removed by an owner, or rubbed off with time and play, but we leave no error undocumented.

Disney C-3PO: Custom!

Found at auction, this Disney Star Tours sample of C-3PO is incorrectly listed as Comics Spain, and has also been customized to include a keychain. While a number of the Comics Spain figures were indeed sold as key rings, they were produced that way at the factory level, and you'll be able to notice the difference at the top of the head, where a pin / screw was inserted. With the Comics Spain versions, you'll be able to distinguish paint on the metal, because the rings were inserted before the figures were hand-painted. With this Disney custom, you can see force was applied to drive it into the head at a later time.

C-3PO base color revealed!

Some collectors have often speculated what the base color is for the gold C-3PO figure released by Comics Spain, and whether they were simply repainted copies of the standard yellow figure. From the well worn sample seen below, it appears that the base color was actually different, a light pink or even flesh tone. A number of years ago, another sample surfaced of the same color, with no paint, so it could have been chemically stripped. The same may have been true for the solid yellow samples that have come to market.