A GUIDE TO VINTAGE STAR WARS FIGURES & ACCESSORIES

The Yodfather

The Yodfather

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DON’T RELY ON JUST THE COO TO IDENTIFY A FIGURE. Mould, paint colour, plastic colour and figure assembly traits are also needed to confirm your figure’s origins.

COO Family I

Kader (HK)

KADER 1980 HONG KONG

Above you can see following variants (left to right):

  • Believed to be the first version of the Kader figure. This early version is where the “MADE IN HONG KONG” cloth tag was found, though I should add the figure was more commonly issued with a cloak without the tag. The cloth tag was most likely deemed an unnecessary step and dropped from production early on. Mid green head, dark brown Pacman eyes and mid green limbs.
  • The Kader figure has been nicknamed “Grey head” due to Kader HK plastic’s propensity to degrade from green to grey. Dark brown Pacman eyes and mid green limbs
  • Not a necessary inclusion, but a minor batch variation on the standard Kader figure, which is confirmed on the Palitoy 30 & 41bk cards. Features a mid-green head, brown-grey eyes and mid green limbs. This combination features a mix of Kader accessories including a degraded greenish EPM snake, hard EPM belt, dark EPM cane and lighter brown cape.
  • Nicknamed the “Green head” Yoda. This figure was previously labelled the Kader “transition” Yoda on the Kader China graphic.  The figure has been found on the 48c with Kader HK accessories including the dark brown EPM snake, hard EPM belt, dark EPM cane and lighter brown cape OR the Unitoy mould, soft plastic (K.China) accessories.

Kader HK Yoda had a late start with with the first example confirmed on the 41d, and running through to the ESB 48c with revenge offer.

ACCESSORIES

SNAKE: M1 Kader very soft plastic, light brown w/EPM. Kader plastic pigmentation often degrades from brown to green.
CANE: M1 Kader softer plastic, mid brown or reddish-brown plastic w/EPM.
BELT: M1 Kader harder plastic, mid brown w/EPM on the front of the lightsaber
CLOAK: Kader HK used a light brown fabric which has deep ribs and isn’t fluffy. Earliest cloak has a MIHK cloth tag. The “Palitoy” Yoda has a cloak in a lighter shade of brown.

LILI LEDY/PBP (NO COO)

LILI LEDY 1980 No COO

Above you can see following variants (left to right):

  • Lili Ledy “Retorno” Hong Kong COO
    The earliest Lili Ledy produced version of Yoda. Mid green head, orange-brown round or pacman eyes and mid green limbs.
  • “Transition” Hong Kong COO (not shown above)
    Regreso era darker-green head, on a Retorno era Hong Kong COO torso, or visa-versa.
  • “Regreso” NO COO
    Vibrant, darker-green head with a matt sheen. Commonly has tacky paint on the limbs. Black eyes and darker green limbs.
  • Vibrant, darker-green head with a glossy sheen. Commonly has tacky paint on the limbs. Black eyes and darker green limbs.
  • “Short ears” A factory error which resulted in a short shot of plastic and ears which aren’t fully formed. Figure details are the same as a regular LL Yoda from this time period.
In Mexico, Yoda was released on three different cardbacks: Imperio Contraataca, Retorno and Regreso. The Regreso Yoda was also sold to the US market on the Kenner 65 back Made in Mexico cards.
 
The earliest Imperio cardback contained an imported Kenner figure. This detail is debated among collectors, as Mexico at the time had laws in place to encourage sales of goods made from within the country. The fact this Imperio figure and his accessories are a perfect match to the Smile factory Hong Kong made Yoda means we know these figures were brought into Mexico somehow. Aside from an interview with an elderly LL factory worker, to date there’s  been no more reliable evidence provided to support the theory this Yoda was locally produced. Poch/PBP Spain in the same period, and with a matching strategy, imported HK figures to test the market on their 31 back Imperio Poch era cards.
 
The Retorno era variant was the first Yoda made in Mexico. He’s produced from the Family 1 HK COO Kader moulds. The colour scheme with orange-brown eyes, lighter green limbs and an orange snake is a similar look to the Smile figure which appeared previously in Mexico on the Imperio card.
 
The Regreso-era Yoda was produced in Mexico from the No COO moulds previously seen in China at Kader. As can be seen above, there were two different sheens (matt & glossy) to the head plastic during this period of production. There is a hard to find “transition” version which features a dark green Regreso head on the torso of a Hong Kong Retorno figure and visa-versa. The short-eared version is just a factory error where the molten plastic didn’t travel to the outer extremities of the head cavity.
 
The Regreso Yoda was also exported directly to both the US on the 65 back Kenner “Made in Mexico” cards and also to Spain and found on the 65 back PBP card.

ACCESSORIES

SNAKE: M1 LL soft plastic, glossy mid brown w/EPM
CANE: Retorno: M1 LL harder plastic, red w/EPM / Regreso: M1 LL hard plastic, red w/EPM
BELT: M1 LL harder plastic, yellow-brown w/EPM. With or without a painted silver dot on the rear buckle.
CLOAK: LL Light brown fluffy fabric

COO Family II

Unitoy (HK)

UNITOY 1980 HONG KONG

Above you can see following variants (left to right):

  • The earliest Unitoy produced version of Yoda. Dark orange “cherry eyes”, light green head and yellow-green limbs. This early version is where the “MADE IN HONG KONG” paper tag was found, though I should add the cloak is more commonly issued without this tag. This paper tag was most likely deemed an unnecessary step and dropped from production early on.
  • Orange round eyes, light green head and yellow-green limbs.
  • Light orange round eyes, light green head and yellow-green limbs.
  • Not a necessary inclusion, however there are a few mocs in circulation with an overstock accessory combination on the early “Apple head” Yodas. Dark green head, dark brown Pacman eyes and mid green limbs. Orange snake and a dark brown Unitoy cane. Less of a variant, this is a transition figure which was assembled from an over-supply of orange snakes before moving to browns.
  • Dark “Apple” green head, brown or dark brown Pacman eyes and mid green limbs. Dark-brown cane and hard plastic, brown snake.
  • Dark “Apple” green head, brown or dark brown Pacman eyes and light green limbs. Dark-brown cane and hard plastic, brown snake.

The earliest Unitoy Yoda’s produced featured orange snakes. “Cherry eyes” Yoda debuted on the 32b Unitoy card. By the 41a wave, the darker eye colour was adjusted to mid-orange.

Shortly thereafter on the 41d card, a cosmetic change darkening the green on Yoda’s head occurs. This has been nicknamed “Apple head”. Apple heads could be found initially with the orange snake, which made way for the hard brown snake on the 41d era, which was also their last. The canes also transitioned from light brown to dark brown at this point.

ACCESSORIES (early Unitoy)

SNAKE: M2 Unitoy hard plastic, orange (gate scar on mouth)
CANE: M2 Unitoy hard plastic, light (gate scar on the upper hook). These come in two different widths.
BELT: M2 Unitoy, hard plastic, grey-brown (deep holes on the belt interior) with or without bumps on the inside of the light part.
CLOAK:
Unitoy fluffy fabric

ACCESSORIES (late Unitoy)

SNAKE: M2 Unitoy hard plastic, brown (gate scar on mouth)
CANE: M2 Unitoy hard plastic, dark brown (gate scar on the upper hook). These come in two different widths.
BELT: M2 Unitoy, hard plastic, grey-brown (deep holes on the belt interior) with or without bumps on the inside of the light part.
CLOAK: Unitoy fluffy fabric

KADER CHINA (No COO)

KADER CHINA 1980 No COO

(The figures above show suggested accessory pairings, however they have also been legitimately confirmed with other accessory combinations detailed below)

Above you can see following variants (left to right):

  • Kader China No COO
    No COO figure from the earlier ROTJ period. Matt green head with dark brown Pacman shaped eyes and light green limbs.
  • No COO figure from the earlier ROTJ period. Matt green head with dark brown Pacman shaped eyes and mid green limbs.
  • Matt green head with dark brown Pacman shaped eyes and mid green limbs. Previously labelled the “POTF” version.
  • “Meccano” No COO (French Trilogo exclusive)
    Matt green head with black, Pacman near-rounded eyes. The limb paint is also slightly darker on the Meccano batch. This Chinese made figure isn’t produced by Meccano in France, rather a batch variation with certain characteristics that happens to be found exclusively in France.
With the F1 Kader Hong Kong moulds in Mexico with Lili Ledy, Kader China was sent the F2 Unitoy figure and accessory moulds, the HK COO was removed and production began for the No COO figure. This is a common journey for many of the early Unitoy moulds.
 
The first cardback containing the No COO Kader China Yoda was 65c with Emperor offer. This figure continued through the 77 and 92 POTF cardbacks.

ACCESSORIES

Kader China received both the Kader HK & Unitoy moulds and produced their own line of Yoda accessories. They used a softer, more flexible plastic which is how they can be differentiated from their Kader HK & Unitoy counterparts. Kader China also paired their Yoda’s with overstock Unitoy HK accessories.

SNAKE: M1 Kader China soft plastic, mid brown w/EPM. M2 Unitoy in soft plastic, mid brown.
CANE: M1 Kader China soft plastic, reddish-brown w/EPM. M2 Unitoy in soft plastic, reddish-brown, or overstock dark brown Unitoy canes.
BELT: M1 Kader China soft plastic, mid brown w/EPM. M2 Unitoy in soft plastic, mid brown, with or without bumps on light or overstock Unitoy HK belts. Meccano: China soft plastic, mid brown Unitoy mould with or without bumps on the inside of the light.
CLOAK: Kader China thinner fabric, or overstock Unitoy fluffy cloaks.

POCH/ PBP

Poch (F1 & F2 HK)

PBP (F1 NCOO)

F1 & F2 HK/ F1 NCOO

POCH 1980 HONG KONG

Above you can see following variants (left to right):

  • Poch “Green head” Hong Kong COO
    Assembled from parts sent from the Kader and Unitoy factories in Hong Kong and sent to PBP in Spain during their early “Poch” era. The paint in this example is Spanish, but the parts used can sometimes be pre-painted by Kenner.

  • Poch “Apple head” Hong Kong COO
    Assembled from parts sent from the Unitoy factory in Hong Kong and sent to PBP in Spain during their early “Poch” era. The paint in this example is Spanish, but the parts used can sometimes be pre-painted by Kenner.

  • Poch “Grey head” Hong Kong COO
    Assembled from parts sent from the Kader factory in Hong Kong and sent to PBP in Spain during their early “Poch” era. The paint in this example is Spanish, but parts used can sometimes be pre-painted by Kenner.
  • Lili Ledy (PBP) “Regreso” NO COO
    This figure was produced in Mexico by Lili Ledy and exported to Spain for PBP to distribute on their 65bk cards. Vibrant, darker-green head with a glossy sheen. Commonly has tacky paint on the limbs.

The Poch Yoda figure has been confirmed on the Imperio 37/41, 45/47, PBP 65 and Trilogo cardbacks.

Poch figures are a combination of Asian produced Unitoy or Kader parts which were exported to Spain in the late ESB era. Most parts were painted in Spain, but occasionally figures can be found with HK paint on some of the parts, which must have been applied prior to export. In many cases, Poch figures are homogeneous to their source, but mixed up figures do exist.

To identify if a Yoda is Poch or Kenner. As with all Poch figures, the best way to confirm what you have is be familiar enough with the Kenner figure beforehand. The unique light-green hands and feet are the first tell, but looking at the naked figure, there is often common melt marks, heavy plastic welding,  mixed-up factory parts, different paint across the limbs, plastic spotting, poor articulation or paint overspray are all signs that can be used to help confirm a figures origins.

ACCESSORIES

SNAKE: M1 Kader soft plastic, light brown w/EPM or M2 Unitoy hard plastic, brown
CANE: M1 Kader soft plastic, mid brown w/EPM or M2 Unitoy hard plastic, dark brown
BELT: M1 Kader hard plastic, mid brown w/EPM or M2 Unitoy hard plastic, grey brown
CLOAK: Kader light brown ribbed fabric or Unitoy fluffy fabric

COO Family III

Smile (HK)

SMILE 1980 HONG KONG/MACAU

Above you can see following variants (left to right):

  • “Disco Foot” Hong Kong COO
    One of the first Smile produced Yoda’s features legs with elevated soles to the feet. The “Disco Foot” has been confirmed on a 32bk MOC and was phased out for the simpler (in terms of the tool setup) flat foot variation (See below for more info). Early Smile Yoda’s can also have the regular flat foot leg mixed with the Disco foot mould. Darker round eyes and light green limbs.
  • “Light green” Hong Kong COO
    The standard early Smile release with light or darker orange eyes, with a light green head and limbs.
  • “Dark green” Hong Kong COO 
    The standard later Smile figure with slightly lighter green limbs, black Pacman eyes and a dark green head.
  • The standard later Smile figure with mid green limbs, black/dark brown Pacman eyes and a dark green head.
  • The standard later Smile figure with slightly lighter green limbs, dark brown Pacman eyes and a dark green head. The shrunken, rigid green snake is believed to have turned up in a batch of Palitoy overstock. There has been some debate whether this true green version was intentionally green from the factory, degraded brown plastic or altogether a fake. Moulding detailing points to a genuine accessory, though we can’t offer any more about the colour without cutting into the plastic (which won’t happen here). The later Smile Yoda’s had cloaks with a pinker hue to them as shown on this figure.

Smile Yoda debuted on a 32b cardback. The earliest Smile Yoda’s featured orange snakes. The early figures had a tooling adjustment to the sole of the foot. This may have been to help the figure stand a little better or there may have even been a problem with the tool itself.

On the 41d card, the darker green cosmetic change to Yoda’s head, darker cane and the brown snake appears. Smile Yoda continued to the 79bk, Trilogo and has also been found in the “Made in Macau” baggie.

ACCESSORIES (early  Smile)

SNAKE: M3 Smile hard plastic, orange (gate scar midway on body)
CANE: M3 Smile hard plastic, light brown (gate scar on base of cane)
BELT: M3 Smile thin, soft plastic, yellow brown w/double pin clasp (multiple pin types)
CLOAK: Smile light brown

ACCESSORIES (late Smile)

SNAKE: M3 Smile soft plastic, brown (gate scar midway on body)
CANE: M3 Smile hard plastic, dark brown (gate scar on base of cane)
BELT: M3 Smile thin, soft plastic, yellow brown w/double pin clasp (multiple pin types)
CLOAK: Smile light brown or pinkish semi-ribbed fabric

COO Family IV

Top Toys (NO COO)

TOP TOYS No COO

This licensed figure from Argentina was cast from the Kenner production figure and doesn’t feature a COO. The overall size is 10% smaller and the quality is very poor, akin to bootlegs of the time. These feature excess flashing on the components, uneven paint application, poor joint articulation and are produced in sub-standard plastics. This all helps to account for the rarity of the figure.

ACCESSORIES

SNAKE: M4 Top Toys soft orange brown
CANE: M4 Top Toys rigid dark brown
BELT: M4 Top Toys rigid dark brown. Fragile and extremely prone to fracturing
CLOAK: Top Toys fluffy off-white or light brown fabric

Credits

SPECIAL THANKS: Many thanks to Jamie Acott, Wolff Lipinski, Stefan Callear & Narayan S. Naik for their help in producing this figure guide.