Reproduction or 'repro' weapons and parts have been produced for the 3 and 3/4" and 12" ranges of Star Wars toys since the 1990s. At first they were seen as cheap and easy ways of completing vintage toys, but over the past 20 years have often been sold as the genuine article to unsuspecting collectors. There are many guides out there to help collectors identify genuine parts from reproduction parts, and in our view TIG's guide is the best http://www.imperialgunnery.com/identificationguide.htm
Bombs for die cast Y-Wing fighters have been reproduced for several years but reproduction die cast parts are not common and still not something to be overly concerned by. Due to the unpopularity of the die cast line the repro parts that are available are made in small quantities, and as such are relativley expensive and can cost more than an original part.
Although still rare, these reproduction parts are being made in ever increasing quantities and for a wider range of ships, and the quality of those currently on the market makes them difficult to tell apart from the originals.
The guide below provides some useful tips to tell an original part from some resin repros that are currently on the market, and will help stop unsuspecting buyers picking up repro parts in error.
Land Speeder windscreen
The reproduction windscreen below is made from resin and is a good match for the vintage windscreen. The key differences are that the repro windscreen is of a slighter thinner construction and has more air bubbles in the plastic. Once put side by side the repro windscreen can also be seen to be slightly warped
Original Land speeder windscreen on the left and repro windscreen on the right
X-Wing Fighter cockpit glass
The reproduction X-Wing cockpit glass below is a very good match for the original the only clear difference being more air bubbles in the plastic, and not quite a perfect fit on the X-Wing.
Original cockpit glass on the left and reproduction part on the right
TIE Fighter seat and Darth Vader
The reproduction seat and Darth Vader for the TIE fighter below differs markedly from the original. On the original part Darth slides onto the white section and has a white arc over his head. The reproduction version is made in two parts with Darth and the arc above him both in black resin. The white plastic 'seat' on genuine versions is also more detailed than that of the reproduction. On genuine vintage parts Darth Vader is often loose in his seat.
Original Darth Vader on the left and repro on the right - note the black arc of the 'seat' on the repro
Darth Vader TIE Fighter seat and Darth Vader
Like that for the TIE the reproduction seat and Darth Vader for the Darth Vader TIE fighter below differs markedly from the original. On the original part Darth slides onto the grey section and has a grey arc over his head. The reproduction version is made in two parts with Darth and the arc above him both in black resin. The grey plastic 'seat' on genuine versions is also more detailed than that of the reproduction, and the grey plastic is slightly lighter than the original. On genuine vintage parts Darth Vader is often loose in his seat.
Original Darth Vader and 'seat' on the left repro on the right - note the black arc of the 'seat' on the repro
Imperial Cruiser Blockade Runner
The repro Blockade Runner below is very difficult to to tell apart from the original part. Both have circular mould marks in identical places but the the original part has a mould line on the rear of the engines that is absent from the reproduction piece.
Original Blockade Runner on the left and repro on the right - note the mould line on the original
Y-Wing bomb
The reproduction Y-Wing bomb below is much shinier than the original and the detail is less sharp. Both the original and the reproduction have a part number stamped on one fin of the bomb, but the original '7' is much crisper than the '1' of the repro. The original and repro bomb both have circular mould makes in identical places.
Original Y-Wing bomb on the left and repro on the right - note the crisper detail of the '7' than the '1'.
3D Printing
The rise in cheap 3D printing is also resulting in more reproduction parts, but as yet these still require a lot of hand finishing and should not be mistaken for original. Reproduction parts are here to stay and it is encouraging to see responsible sellers such as Shapeways https://prometheusrising.net/2014/01/07/prhi-blockade-runner/ mark these 3D printed Blockade Runners with a groove on the top fin.
The 3D printed reproductions are more flexible than the originals and not as finely detailed. Like the resin reproduction the mould line is absent from the rear of the engines.
