You want this, Don’t you?
A look at Star Wars Micro Collections Part 1
First up is the very first playset I ever saw that hooked me in right away: Death Star World. This was actually the name given to the set that included both the Death Star Escape playset and the Trash Compactor Playset. They were originally sold as individual pieces or as one big box that included both sets.
I never got this one growing up, and I suppose, to make up for it I bought three of each last year plus several of the figures. At least two of mine will be available for sale on ebay this month and next. One of the sets I have is in “Sears packaging” The was basically an unprinted white box. For some reason Sears got this type of packaging for several Star Wars items. I had a few different things through my youth that I recall the white boxes. To prepare this one for sale I didn’t have to do anything special it was in the box, stickers unapplied. The figures were opened but they are all in great shape.
One complete set I did get, I paid very little for as it was extremely dirty. The person who sold it to me didn’t bother to clean out the dust bunnies. Seriously DUST BUNNIES in the toy, in the photo, probably driving his shipping cost up. I received the toy with dust bunnies fully intact. They were extra padding, I suppose. Anyway his carelessness made nobody bid on the item except for me.
I paid probably half of what he could have gotten if he had taken time to clean it.
It wasn’t so bad to clean. A couple of issues with these old toys are: The stickers are paper so washing them will most likely ruin them. Also the stickers tend to dry out and take on a stiff appearance. It is tough to restore the stickers on these toys if not impossible. There are a few guys out there that sell replacements that are reproductions on eBay
I would not typically use repros on any original toys FOR SALE.
It is good form to mention if you do use them.
Tip: A lot of sellers play dumb about their items, acting as if this thing fell into their lap and they know nothing about them. I would recommend never using this approach. Anyone who is experienced, like me will probably figure it out and when we do we file a complaint, using bay’s aggressive buyer protection program stating that your “unoriginal” item does not match the description of “original” and because of fake stickers you will either have to refund the money and pay to ship it back or you will give the buyer the item for free as eBay refunds the money and gives you a negative mark against your account.
I know that sounds kind of jerky but really so is trying to scam someone with repro stickers, weapons or accessories. They aren’t worth what the original items are worth so please don’t try to pass them off.
Tip: Usually I like to use a toothbrush for tough to reach areas like on this toy. There are tons of little nooks and crannies. I like to use a toothbrush and just a little bit of water. I blot off the excess water as I clean. Hopefully that takes the dirt off and brings it back to a nice clean surface. If that doesn’t work, I will add some Simple Green to the water. It is a mild cleaner on most things and great degreaser. If I can easily take apart something, I will do that. Older toys are sometimes brittle and can be damaged easily. (Just ask the Transform Vortex that I broke while carefully transforming him) If you are unsure, don’t risk it. But usually you can take them apart and clean them better. I always recommend cleaning you items before you take pictures. It makes the listing so much better. You will get more bids and thus more money.
A commercial from the Micro Collection
Also http://www.microrob.com has some nice pictures. It is under construction but there are still a few good one there.
…and a blog post from Star Wars dot com
If you had any of these or are a collector of the awesome playlets, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment with your stories, memories or wish list. (hey, it never too late)
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