| Star Wars Fake Vinyl Cape Jawa Cardback and Bubble | |
| This is downright scary.
I’ve seen many fake VC Jawas over the years and something is usually a
dead giveaway. This one, however, is not such an easy task to identify. The
creator of this custom VC Jawa did so with nothing devious in mind. The only
problem with work that is this convincing is that it becomes a possible risk
once it starts changing hands and no matter how well-intentioned the creator
is it’s hard to account for all of the scam artists just waiting for the
next “big score”. Craig had collectors, and the safety of their
wallets, in mind when he created this figure though. He was also nice enough
to send the Archive detailed images and a description of what to look out for.
What follows is a detailed walk through. The cardback was created from an image that I personally scanned using an authentic cardback. After spending several hours enhancing it in Photoshop© , I finally got the results I wanted. As far as differences go, unfortunately a buyer wouldn't see them unless they were to actually hold the item in their hands. The "unpunched" appearance of the cardback is part of the image, there is no punch hole. Also, by looking at the image closely you can easily tell it's a color laser print from the subtle jagged appearance in some of the lines.
The bubble was designed using pics and CAD style drawings of an authentic VC Jawa bubble. Most measurements for the dimensions and plastic thickness were based on an authentic cloth cape Jawa bubble. There is no waffle pattern where the bubble is attached to the cardback, I use double sided tape.
I tried the best I could to get a clear image of the "R" on the base
so I hope the one I've included will work. Maybe you can add an arrow or circle
to point the feature out and make it more noticeable. My sole intention for
this repro bubble was to offer collectors an inexpensive alternative to have
a "novelty" VC Jawa. It was never meant to be a tool for scam artists
which is why I took the extra expense of having the "R" added to the
molds. Craig also warns us that he just recently noticed that a popular online repro bubble dealer has a new bubble in stock that looks very close to the authentic vintage style for some of the 12 back figures. The only thing it's missing is the small base at the bottom of the bubble. In other words be careful. These scam artists are getting better and so are they tools the use. Though I haven't seen both one of Craig's bubbles and a real VC Jawa bubble side by side to see just how accurate it is it's quite clear that this is one of the most accuarate reproductions thus far. No longer will the "bubble rule" of past years be a 100% fail safe. The idea is to stay one step ahead of scammers. Remember, knowledge is key. |
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| Description by: | John J. Alvarez, Craig Owen |
| Photo: | Craig Owen |
| From the collection of: | Craig Owen |
| Country: | United States |
| Film: | A New Hope |
| Licensee: | Kenner |
| Year: | 1977 |
| Category: | Fakes |
