Large size Star Wars figures: Peruvian Style (BASA Vader and Chewie)

[cjefferys]

As luck would have it, I just picked up a Kenner large size Vader (thanks to our own Tinkerbee!), so I could now do a side by side comparison pic with him and the BASA version. There are more differences with Vader than with Chewie. The BASA is even more noticeably shorter, the paint scheme on the panel lighting is different, the molded detail on the belt buckle is completely different, the seams on the shoulder pads and gloves have more of a "stitched" look, the helmet is a slightly different shape, and there are weird "O" patterns on the chest and cod piece of the BASA (and there are also some odd "x" patterns on the back of the BASA belt). I don't know why the mold was changed in these ways, it will probably remain a mystery. Also, the Kenner version is made of a harder, less pliable material. Just in case anyone cared about all the differences.

[spacecaps]

Thanks for posting. Good to know about this stuff. That Vader was a steal BTW.

A theory on why the BASA is smaller may be because the plastic they used is cheaper and dries smaller. When you cast a figure using inferior materials there's some shrinkage involved. This happens a lot with after market car dashboards too. The cheaper replacements tend to be made cheaper and will shrink after installation or in some cases fit awkwardly than a high quality factory replacement.

Also it's possible the BASA mold was taken right off the Kenner figure (as opposed to having a mold made specifically for the figure) which would explain the weird variances. It's like when you photocopy a photocopy and the quality diminishes considerably from the original.

[cjefferys]

Also it's possible the BASA mold was taken right off the Kenner figure (as opposed to having a mold made specifically for the figure) which would explain the weird variances. It's like when you photocopy a photocopy and the quality diminishes considerably from the original.

I'm guessing that BASA indeed used an actual Kenner figure to make a mold, which would explain the size difference, and they went with cheaper blow molding (with a lighter, softer material) rather than the injection molding that Kenner used. What I can't understand is the different details in the final figure, the "O"s on the front, the "X"s on the back and the different molded details on the belt buckle. But it is the differences that make these figures more interesting to me, so even if they can't be explained, that's ok with me!