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Unfortunately once again we are posting a video of a case opening of the latest vintage figures. This is a random box of Teebo, and this seems to be the same for every box of Teebo. We took a case of the top of the pile, but it could have been any case.

We started to receive three vintage waves last week in large numbers, and once again as seems to be the case on every wave lately there are major issues.

Whilst wave 36 and 37 have some minor issues, wave 38 (Emperor, IG-88, Teebo, Lando) have most issues. It makes my heart sink that every time we get a new wave in, we see the same old issues again and again. Like most collectors, we used to look forward to a new vintage wave arriving, I now dread it. At it was triple dread last week as three waves arrived at once.

Wave 36 and wave 37 have some very light veining, and the card stock is still the old thin stock, but on the whole is much better than wave 38, which is the worst I have seen yet.

Is the same problem we first reported 2 years ago with the Han Stormtrooper figure, and the veining is in the exact same place on all the figures on the right had side of the card. The few that do not have the issue on the right side of the card, has it behind the bubble on the left side. It is caused mainly by the thin card stock used to make these figures. But we believe it is how they are made and packaged and happens in the factories, either in production or when the figure are placed in the cases. They are packed far to tight. We have not been told any different to this.

As you can see from the video, all the Teebo figures have this issue. We have spoken to other UK retailers, and they all report the same issue. So we believe it is not our batch, but all of the figures. The Emperor and IG-11 do not fair much better. Lando seems by far the best of the bunch. I believe when completely flat or put in a star case, the worst will only been seen when holding the card at an angle to the light.

Whilst we are rejecting the worst of damaged creased cards, we have no choice but to send what we have with the veining issue. (It's mainly veining as opposed to creasing.) For a long time now, this is how these cards are. I know most of you are used to it now, and are holding out for the thicker card stock. So are we!!

We have spoken to Hasbro many times on this issue over the past few years, to the point I think it is now putting a strain on our relationship with them. 

We have emailed them in the last week, and have assured that the new thicker card stock will be here early 2022, so we keeping everything crossed from wave 39, that this issue will be resolved once and for all. 

 For the record the Droids vintage figures are on the same thin cards, but we haven't seen any issues with the limited numbers of those we have received. It is just a shame so many iconic figures from the 70s and 80s have these issues. Whilst the actual figures themselves have improved drastically in quality over the past couple of years with the introduction of Hasbro's new face paint technology , it is a shame the whole overall package has been some what blighted by the use of thin card stock. It was an issue we pointed out to them in San Diego at SDCC in 2018. What make it worse, is when you consider the less expensive Marvel Retro line of figures for the past year has come on excellent quality un-punched card stock. If Hasbro were to use the same card stock for vintage as they do for the cheaper retro line, the problem goes away. I believe it is that simple to resolve.

Please believe us, we are doing the best we can. It is far from helpful to receive three waves of figures in the busiest packing week of the year, and then having to sort through thousands of figures to pick out the best examples was the last thing we needed, at this time of year. We are picking the best sets we can, with what we have been supplied. 

We will now have to deal with the flood of emails regarding this, and I will point those to this post and video.  The figures themselves are fine, the card backs have slight veining all in the exact same place. All stock in the UK (and probably further afield) has the exact same issues, and Hasbro are aware of the issue, and have stated that they are working to fix it.

We will no doubt get the odd "retail expert" aggressively telling us how poor our service is to supply figures like this. For the record we cannot return them to Hasbro to get more stock. Two reasons. Reason one there is no more stock. Reason two, all the stock is the same, so we would be exchanging veined cards veins cards. In the past when we emailed everyone when the Han Stormtroopers and Boba Fetts arrived all suffering from the same problems, from those who replied we had less than 1% of people asking us not to send them, and the rest asking us to send the best we can. So sending emails at this time of the year would hold up thousands of orders for the sake of a handful of people, which is why we are doing the best we can, to send out the best we can, on these already delayed orders as fast as we can. If you are not happy with them, please feel free to return for refund.

As soon as we get any updates on wave 39 and beyond we will report it, but I am "hopeful" of this being the last of these issues, and the Vintage Collection can get back to being the great flawless line is should be.