JOURNEY INTO TRILOGO & BUBBLE VARIATIONS

by Stéphane Faucourt author of
From Meccano to Trilogo, the Book

This SWCA Special Feature complements the Trilogo section of the “Meccano to Trilogo” book. In addition, updated tables with card variations can be found on the   Rebelscum website.

Trilogo carded figures were considered cheap collectibles until the late 90’s. In addition, they suffered from an incorrect classification in that photo variants were believed to be the rarest…

The Year 2000 was approaching and many collectors began to gain interest in Trilogo carded figures. Collecting them became a way to complement, or become an alternative to, Kenner figures. The added appeal was that one could own a full set of figures on the same card design.

Another appeal for collectors was that completing a set was a real challenge. Characters widely-known to be rare can fetch hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on the collector’s market while some cards which sell for only a few dollars are still quite difficult to get, meaning it’s not just a question of money but also luck and patience.

As in any other area of Star Wars toy collecting, collectors started to search for details. They started trying to find variations - the most obvious being the different card types and the hybrid combinations (Palitoy front - Trilogo back, Trilogo front - PBP back).

Trilogo cards still had much to tell about their origins and rarity. Relevant hints can be found in the hanger tab shape, the COO sticker, the cardboard quality and color, a price sticker, and… the bubble shape. These details can be found alone or combined and they are good indicators of rarity and country where the item was sold.

For most collectors, these details don’t make much of a difference in terms of rarity or value between two Trilogo cards of the same character. Some might think, “why would a different bubble, punch hole and/or sticker add rarity or value over the very same card without these attributes?”.

That’s why only a few collectors are willing to pay a premium for these kinds of variations and the rarity really doesn’t make any impact on the card’s value even though an item showing one or more of these attributes is much rarer than the same card with the regular punch (or unpunched) and standard etched bubble.

In some cases the version of the card with rare attribute(s) is the only way to get that figure on a Trilogo card. In these extreme cases the value is then really affected. i.e. General Madine (double-stem bubble + white macao sticker), regular Boba Fett (Palitoy 45-backs bubble shape), dark-insert Emperor Royal Guard (rounded peg-hole + black macao sticker), etc.

Last, but not least, the bubble itself is already a very good indicator of the card’s origin (country of sale) and rarity, which is the aim of this SWCA Special Feature.

The book “Meccano to Trilogo – Star Wars Vintage Action Figure Toys” contains an in-depth review of Trilogo carded figures, fronts and backs, rarity details, and early Trilogos and variants. A detailed figure / card type / bubble shape matrix is also presented in the appendix section.

The first release of the Trilogo card matrix was built over years of collecting and comparing hundreds of items. Much as a collection always evolves so too will the information known and updates are eventually needed. The updates are hosted by Rebelscum and exclusively available there. If you own a variation which is not yet referenced, you are very welcome to submit your entry (see Rebelscum page for submission rules).

Although the book shows Trilogo cards with different bubble combinations, the matrix can be a bit difficult to grasp at first glance. The SWCA and the author have combined their efforts to bring a more detailed view of the different Trilogo bubble shapes, which gives a better understanding of Trilogo cards packaging and rarity. You won’t look at a Trilogo card with the same eyes from now on…

This article is illustrated with detailed pictures of each bubble shape variation found on Trilogo cards. (click the pictures for a larger view)

First, let’s compare all the different types and shapes from a side view (the order and denomination matches the “Meccano to Trilogo” book matrix from pages 138-140).

double-stem bubble

Meccano Rotj 65-back small bubble

Meccano Rotj 65-back medium bubble

Palitoy Rotj 45/65-back bubble

Some types of shapes are broken down into several variants, as detailed below.

DOUBLE-STEM BUBBLES

Trilogo cards found with this double-stem bubble shape are extremely rare to come by; these are part of the early Trilogo cards sold on the French market.

The bubble is taken from the ROTJ Palitoy 45  back and Meccano 65  back cards.

Only a short selection of figures can be found with the double-stem bubble: a few ESB re-releases (Lobot, Rebel Soldier…), and some from ROTJ 1st & 2nd waves (Luke Jedi, B-Wing Pilot…).

*General Madine is the most difficult Trilogo card to find as it is only available as an early Trilogo card with double-stem bubble, there is no equivalent with the standard sized Trilogo bubble.

There are two different sizes of double-stem bubble, but the rarity seems equivalent.