Galaxy Laser Team Beams Into OWARI HQ

If you recall this entry, I posted the picture of a lot of vintage Galaxy Laser Team figures I purchased on eBay. Well, they arrived last week, so I thought I'd give you an update on them. But first, I need to mention something.

I bought a second lot from the same seller. Heavens to Betsy, why???!!?? I'll tell ya why - after seeing the prices some people want for these guys, I thought it would be smart to scoop up a good deal while I had the chance. After all, while I certainly don't need this many figures, I always have the option of selling/trading a few of my extras. I'm not going to turn a profit, but I do have the chance of getting some value out of the deal.

For the record, here is MY vintage Galaxy Laser Team assembled:

Impressive bunch, no? Since I'm just not sure where my old figures are (not that I think I have many), this is the first time I've really had the chance to sit down and study them since I hopped aboard this train. Some of what I'm about to list here has already been posted on the Galaxy Laser Team Facebook Fanpage. If you have a passing interest in this stuff, it is heartily recommended.

*It appears the pink/fuchsia and green figures went through at least two different types of plastic. My memory is that my old ones were almost neon, and a handful of figures match this memory. However, the majority are more muted, but on the upside, the details are much better-defined.

*I realize my sampling is not representative of the production run(s) of these figures, but the space heroes seem to have a lot of trouble keeping their helmet antennae in place. I think I only have a couple with theirs fully intact. If they aren't missing entirely, the ball at the tip is gone. I'm sure some of this is attributable to kids, but I wonder if that little doohickey was difficult to get produced correctly.

*By contrast, the faux Chewbaccas were much better about retaining their antennae. A few were M.I.A., but not nearly as many as on the space heroes. They are also slightly sturdier, so that could have helped.

*There's been the discussion that the droid figure went through a series of changes during the production life of these figures. All of mine have solid backs (rather than later hollow backs) and smaller feet (rather than the later "duck feet"). One thing I observed in my sampling is that a number of the robots had bumpy backs rather than the flat backs they should have had. This leads me to wonder if the hollow back wasn't an effort to lessen the chances of droids coming out distorted in the manufacturing process.

*In a similar vein, most of my lobster turtle men are of the original style, with only two having the concave belly and modified chest plates. A couple of the originals also have distorted plastic, and it occurs - probably not coincidentally - in that same area of the figure that was later retooled. I don't know the details of how these guys were made in the factories, but I think it's less a design flaw and more unforeseen side effects of manufacturing.

With this purchase and this post, I think I have officially become an honorary member of Galaxy Laser Team, aka Star Patrol. If you're intrigued, why not buy a set of the new reissue on Amazon? You can also find them on VictoryBuy's site! Tell 'em OWARI sent ya!