The Yodfather
- March 10, 2023
Chihuahua
Chihuahua
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.
KADER 1980 HONG KONG
Above you can see following variants (left to right):
- Hong Kong COO
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.
- “Grey Head” Hong Kong COO
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.
- Hong Kong COO
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.
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 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 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.
- “REGRESO” NO COO
Vibrant, darker-green head with a glossy sheen. Commonly has tacky paint on the limbs. Black eyes and darker green limbs.
- “REGRESO” 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.
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
UNITOY 1980 HONG KONG
Above you can see following variants (left to right):
- “CHERRY EYES” Hong Kong COO
The earliest Unitoy produced version of Yoda. Dark orange “cherry” eyes. Orange round 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 EYES” Hong Kong COO
Orange round eyes, light green head and yellow-green limbs.
- “APPLE HEAD” Hong Kong COO (Transition combination)
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.
- “APPLE HEAD” Hong Kong COO
Dark green head, dark brown Pacman eyes and mid 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)
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)
CLOAK: Unitoy fluffy fabric
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 HK/KADER CHINA “Transition”
Kader HK COO torso with a matt green NCOO era head. Kader China changed the pigments used for Yoda’s head which resulted in a more stable colour that didn’t degrade like the “Grey head” version. The matt green Kader China head above left, is combined with overstock torso and limbs from the Kader HK factory, hence the “transition” label.
- “Green Head” No COO
The typical No COO figure from this period. Matt green head with dark brown Pacman shaped eyes and mid green limbs.
- “POTF” era No COO
Matt green head with dark brown Pacman shaped eyes and mid green limbs.
- “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.
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 Kader China soft plastic, mid brown.
CANE: M1 Kader China soft plastic, reddish-brown w/EPM. M2 Kader China soft plastic, reddish-brown, or overstock dark brown Unitoy canes.
BELT: M1 Kader China soft plastic, mid brown w/EPM. M2 Kader China soft plastic, mid brown, or overstock Unitoy HK belts. Meccano: M2.2 Kader China soft plastic, mid brown Unitoy (w/bumps on the inside of the lightsaber)
CLOAK: Kader China thinner fabric, or overstock Unitoy fluffy cloaks.
POCH 1980 HONG KONG
Above you can see following variants (left to right):
- 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
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.
- “DARK GREEN” Hong Kong COO
The standard later Smile figure with mid green limbs, black/dark brown Pacman eyes and a dark green head.
- “DARK GREEN” Hong Kong COO
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
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
KADER
SNAKE: M1 Kader soft light brown EPM
CANE: M1 Kader soft mid brown EPM / dark brown EPM
BELT: M1 Kader hard mid brown EPM
CLOAK: Kader light brown ribbed fabric
KADER CHINA
SNAKE: M1 Kader China soft mid brown EPM / M2 Kader China soft mid brown / M2 Unitoy overstock
CANE: M1 Kader China soft reddish-brown EPM / M2 Kader China soft reddish-brown / M2 Unitoy dark brown overstock
BELT: M1 Kader China soft mid brown EPM / M2 Kader China soft mid brown / M2 Unitoy overstock
CLOAK: Kader China thin fabric, or Unitoy overstock cloaks
MECCANO
SNAKE: As above
CANE: As above
BELT: M2 Kader China soft mid brown EPM / M2.2 Kader China soft mid brown Unitoy (w/bumps) / M2 Unitoy overstock
CLOAK: As above
LILI LEDY RETORNO
SNAKE: M1 LL glossy mid brown EPM
CANE: M1 LL hard red EPM
BELT: M1 LL hard yellow-brown EPM (NEEDS CONFIRMATION!)
CLOAK: LL light brown fluffy fabric
LILI LEDY REGRESO
SNAKE: M1 LL glossy mid brown EPM
CANE: M1 LL hard reddish brown EPM
BELT: M1 LL hard yellow-brown EPM (NEEDS CONFIRMATION!)
CLOAK: LL light brown fluffy fabric
UNITOY
SNAKE: M2 Unitoy rigid orange / Rigid brown
CANE: M2 Unitoy hard light brown / Hard dark brown
BELT: M2 Unitoy thick, hard grey brown
CLOAK: Unitoy fluffy fabric
POCH
SNAKE: M1 Kader soft light brown EPM / M2 Unitoy rigid brown
CANE: M1 Kader soft mid brown EPM / M2 Unitoy hard dark brown
BELT: M1 Kader hard mid brown EPM / M2 Unitoy hard grey brown
CLOAK: Kader light brown ribbed fabric / Unitoy fluffy fabric
SMILE
SNAKE: M3 Smile hard orange / Soft brown
CANE: M3 Smile hard light brown / Hard dark brown
BELT: M3 Smile thin, soft yellow brown w/double pin clasp (multiple pin types)
CLOAK: Smile light brown (ESB) / Pinkish semi-ribbed fabric (ROTJ onwards)
