UPDATE: Sold for US$350.
Here’s a figure for your consideration if you want to purchase a vintage Kenner Products ALIEN toy on eBay. He’s being touted as being “restored”, which is fair enough; but is he worth the asking price of US$400? Let’s take a closer look at this reconditioned fellow.
This sample of the toy has issues that you’ll want to consider before investing your hard earned cash in. Both the head dome and the upper dorsal crest are reproduction parts. Being facsimiles will immediately reduce the value of the figure. People seeking a Kenner ALIEN toy want it to be as original and closer to 100% as possible. The high demand exists. It’s one of the reasons people want to purchase these things. There’s a depth of unique history tied to these old toys and while such reproduction parts don’t diminish the history – they do diminish its claim to possess 100% original parts. Why does this matter, anyway?
This is the big question, really, isn’t it. After all, it’s just an ugly forty year old toy made of blended styrene. Populating one of these toys with imitation parts may not have the intention to deceive – and owning a “feature complete” sample may be more desirable than one missing pieces; but it can become an issue later in the figure’s life when it is sold again. Those fake parts – and they are fake – may easily be mistaken for genuine pieces either by deliberate design or accidental means.
Either of these pieces, were they original, can now be worth upwards of US$80 each. on the other hand, reproduction parts are near worthless. It’s a false economy to populate a vintage figure with counterfeit pieces of this nature and expect it to hold its value. This sample of the ALIEN toy is unfortunately a prime example of this problem. Here, top dollar is being anticipated for a less than 100% complete figure possessing less than 100% genuine parts.
It’s a little akin to buying a 24 karat gold necklace with stones missing, filling in the gaps with fake diamonds and then expecting top dollar for it. The situation presented here by populating this old Kenner ALIEN toy with repro parts is no different. In all actuality, this sample of the figure is worth around US$120 to US$200. Maybe US$250. On some occasions, maybe US$300 at the absolute upper limit for an incomplete figure. Importantly, at this price point, you can expect the figure to be 100% complete with all genuine parts present and not one decked out in bootleg replacement pieces.
So, are reproduction parts anywhere near the value to make up the difference of the US$400 being asked by the vendor? No. Not at all. Reproduction parts are basically worthless when added to a figure listed for sale on eBay. At least the vendor has made the responsible act of declaring outright these pieces have been replaced; and they’ve also fixed the arms, made other declarations regarding the quality of the figure and they will accept a best offer. All these documentations are welcome. There’s nothing inherently wrong with reproduction pieces being used to make your figure “feature complete”. Just don’t expect it to have any real value adding benefit. If anything, their presence degrades the value of the toy as people will balk at reproduction parts rather than embrace them.
At least an incomplete figure with no reproduction parts can claim to be 100% genuine. You can always pick up genuine missing parts on the secondary market. They’re somewhat expensive, you say?
Yeah. There’s a reason for that. It’s the same difference between a diamond and a diamente. You know it’s a problem if you put aside those otherwise fake parts and the overall value of the item for sale reveals itself to be worth around half as much as the advertised price.
-Windebieste.
