Star Wars Collectors Archive Podcast: 'Chive Cast

Steve, I'm glad to hear that your wife is doing better. Hopefully they were able to figure out what was wrong, so it doesn't happen again.

Hey Steve,

Thanks for keeping us updated. I thoroughly enjoyed Skye's description of the Empire State meetup, it was an honour to make the journey over there with a few other Ontarians. Getting video of Skye's submission to CAS was pretty hilarious.

But yes, most importantly its good to hear that your wife and your platonic podcast partner are in good health. Keep up the fine work.

Commander Clint wrote:Steve, I'm glad to hear that your wife is doing better.  Hopefully they were able to figure out what was wrong, so it doesn't happen again.

Thanks, Clint. She was diagnosed with a cerebral blood clot and had a stroke as a result. It was completely out of the blue and came as a total shock, but they're keeping a close eye on her and will be over the coming months. But we've both returned to work and are progressing back to a sense of normalcy. It's still feeling like a distant yet immediately present memory. Difficult to explain...

the89thchris wrote:Hey Steve,

Thanks for keeping us updated. I thoroughly enjoyed Skye's description of the Empire State meetup, it was an honour to make the journey over there with a few other Ontarians. Getting video of Skye's submission to CAS was pretty hilarious.

But yes, most importantly its good to hear that your wife and your platonic podcast partner are in good health. Keep up the fine work.

I really hope to make it out East to an Empire State meetup as a "Dignitary" one of these times! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the photos and video of the CAS encounter! Also glad to say that everyone's in good health, here's to a much better rest of 2018.

Steve_Danley wrote:But we've both returned to work and are progressing back to a sense of normalcy. It's still feeling like a distant yet immediately present memory. Difficult to explain...

I'm glad to hear that things are returning to normal. That's a scary thing to go thru. And no need to explain, as I've been thru enough procedures myself to understand what you two are going thru.

For anyone that is following the Chive Cast. The April fools episode is out. I'm also just finishing episode 89 "Weequay".

This was another great episode, as Skye and Steve are getting back to normal. I never really notice the Weequay comparison to the Moby Dick characters. Thanks guys and keep up the great work.

'Chive Cast Episode 89 Review

For those of you who haven’t yet listened to ‘Chive Cast Episode 89, the figure of the month is Weequay, and you should probably check everything you think you know about the figure & character at the door.

The episode starts out with a deep dive into Weequay's namesake, Queequeg. A fictional character in Herman Melville's "Moby Dick", Queequeg is the son of a South Sea cannibal chieftain who left home to explore the world. Classical depictions of the character leave little to the imagination when speculating on how the production crew bestowed this moniker on a particular group of aliens.

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Skye also puts forward an interesting take on Rebels (TV Series 2014-2018). He illustrates how this show is filled with original trilogy aliens & creatures, that’s something you can’t say about the modern films. One of those characters, Hondo, is a Weequay who first appeared in Clone Wars (TV Series 2008-2013). Much more than a background character, Hondo has been central to several episodes in both series. There is also a rumor that he might eventually be a staple of the “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge theme park experience.

Hondo in Clone Wars (TV Series 2008-2013)



The first feature interview is with Tommy Garvey. He introduces the new SWCA endeavor known as the “Star Wars Community Digest”. The goal with the Community Digest is to make permanent records of notable occurrences within the facebook collecting community.  Active members of TXI know that it’s much easier to find an old post or topic here than it is on facebook, yet much of the collecting community only "exists" on facebook. The Community Digest will make sure that any important news item that manifests within the collecting facebook groups will have a home on the archive website. This is being done in partnership with around 17 of the top facebook groups, it will be hard for anything of importance to fall through the cracks.

The Star Wars Community Digest
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The second feature interview is with Chive Cast regular, Phidias, regarding his extensive Weequay collection. He describes an interesting time in the hobby, not too many years ago, when you could easily assemble a diverse pre-production focus featuring several 2D & 3D items of a particular figure, and do it for relatively cheap by today’s standards. Phidias recounts how his intial interest in hardcopies resulted in a substantial focus collection, which, in time, gave him a greater appreciation for the phenomenon that is "Weequay".

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A Piece of 3D Pre-Production from Phidias' Collection


Episode 89’s “Nugget from the Archive” is a stunning piece of original art. This image of Luke, Lando, & Weequay on the skiff was created by “American Toy & Furniture” for the 1983 bookshelf seen below. Link’s to the SWCA articles for the original art and the bookcase itself can be found below.

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ROTJ Bookcase (American Toy & Furniture) on the SWCA
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ROTJ Bookcase Artwork on the SWCA
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If that all sounds interesting, check out episode 89, because there is far more than I’ve detailed here. I’ve included the YouTube edition below. If you aren’t a fan of podcast apps, YouTube is a great way to check out the episode as it features relevant images all the way through, just like the enhanced podcast. Also, the Chive Cast needs more YouTube followers. Go ahead and do that.

Chive Cast Episode 89


Here's a little bonus image, (not covered in the 'Chive Cast episode) but I found it while sourcing some of the images for this review. Here we see a couple of background Weequay from Episode II, and I dare say the masks look worse than those in ROTJ, but then again, these were never meant to get anywhere near the camera. There aren't too many images of these guys online, and I can't say I remember seeing them in the film, but I wouldn't mind if the creators of the current features put forth this kind of effort to help the universe feel connected.

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Commander Clint wrote:For anyone that is following the Chive Cast.  The April fools episode is out.  I'm also just finishing episode 89 "Weequay".

This was another great episode, as Skye and Steve are getting back to normal.  I never really notice the Weequay comparison to the Moby Dick characters.  Thanks guys and keep up the great work.

I hope you survived the April Fools joke! It was a nightmarish recording experience due to technical difficulties, and I think that also influenced Skye's deranged state of mind when putting the joke episode together!

And wow, Chris - what a review! Thanks for posting all of this!

We've just put out the next Blog Log Pod mini episode with Bill Cable discussing the recent discovery of the first confirmed ESB 45 Back Removable Limbs C-3PO:
'Chive Cast Blog Log Pod Episode 7 - Golden Grail of C-3PO Collectibles

Thanks for listening!

--Steve

Thanks for the update Steve. I'm going to listen to it asap.

Steve, that was a great episode.  I never knew that the Kenner 45 back RL-3PO was so hard to find.  The Canadian ones where know to exist, so with the US & Canadian markets being so closely linked.  You would think there should be more of them?

The only other items I know that have an x drawn across them in marker, is the Topps & O-Pee-Chee Trading Card Display boxes.  Rummour is, when the retail stores didn't sell them, and returned them to the supplier, they got the x.

Here is a quick picture of my RL-3PO baggie & Canadian cardbacks.  45, 45-Tranny & 77 back.

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This is crazy, how is the Canadian one that available and Bill didn't mention it? Things are getting weird. I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of these start to manifest, US versions from China and Canadian ones.

Just finished listening to the "Solo" top 10 winners & losers. I only saw it for the first time, on Tuesday, and I knew there was spoilers in the podcast, so I stayed away from it till now. I definitely missed a lot of the reference that Steve & Skye pointed out. Might go see the movie a second time next week.
I won't spoil anything, for anyone that hasn't seen the movie yet.
Great job Skye & Steve. Keep up the great job.

Commander Clint wrote:Just finished listening to the "Solo" top 10 winners & losers.  I only saw it for the first time, on Tuesday, and I knew there was spoilers in the podcast, so I stayed away from it till now.  I definitely missed a lot of the reference that Steve & Skye pointed out.  Might go see the movie a second time next week.
I won't spoil anything, for anyone that hasn't seen the movie yet.
Great job Skye & Steve.  Keep up the great job.

Glad that you enjoyed the SOLO show, Clint! How did you like the movie?

We've just released Episode 91: "From Squid Face to Squid Man" which takes a deep dive into the life, times, and toy representation of Jabba's accountant Squid Head: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

We have Derek Webster on as our "Space Freak of the Week" as well as Ron Salvatore and Michael Cooper to discuss everything from catalog mail order packs and Squid Head's unholy, Satanic presence in your kids' toy box.

Our unloved item this month is a Craft Masters Puzzle "The Fiends of Jabba the Hutt" and I wanted to give everyone here on Tantive a shout out for the great reference threads you've all put together. It was great to see a closer, clearer image of the puzzle all put together here on the forum that we could reference on the show.

Thanks as always for listening everyone!

--Steve

Steve_Danley wrote:Glad that you enjoyed the SOLO show, Clint! How did you like the movie?

We've just released Episode 91: "From Squid Face to Squid Man" which takes a deep dive into the life, times, and toy representation of Jabba's accountant Squid Head: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

We have Derek Webster on as our "Space Freak of the Week" as well as Ron Salvatore and Michael Cooper to discuss everything from catalog mail order packs and Squid Head's unholy, Satanic presence in your kids' toy box.

Our unloved item this month is a Craft Masters Puzzle "The Fiends of Jabba the Hutt" and I wanted to give everyone here on Tantive a shout out for the great reference threads you've all put together. It was great to see a closer, clearer image of the puzzle all put together here on the forum that we could reference on the show.

Thanks as always for listening everyone!

--Steve

Steve, I really enjoyed Solo.  I went into it, avoiding all the trailers and spoilers.  I haven't had a chance to see it a second time.  It will have to wait until it's out on video.

I actually just finished listening to episode 91 yesterday.  That was a fantastic episode about Squid Head and the "Mongo Beefhead Tribesman".  I have a small Squid Head mini focus as well as a custom figure that Alex Magraw (General Kahn) made for me a few years ago.  So I was awesome hearing from all your guests.  Even the "satanic presence" portion of the episode.
Thanks for the shout out on the podcast.  We really appreciate it.  The good quality pictures is part of what we want to show fellow collectors, and what they need to look for on these items.

I even got a chuckle out of Skye mentioning "the winner of the Halloween prize" finally getting in touch with him.  I sent that message on your FB page months ago.

Keep up the great work.  We are listening.

Sorry for the crappy picture thru the glass of my display cabinet.

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I've started listening to the "Squid Head" episode yesterday and I'm really enjoying it as always, Squid Head is an unsung hero in my book

It does not surprise me that Skye and Steve have made so many of these as podcast's as they are obviously having a great laugh while they make them, keep up the good work guys

‘Chive Cast – Episode 91: From Squid Face to Squid Man Review

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Return of the Jedi 30-Back Squid Head (El Retorno De Jedi) - from the SWCA

If you thought the “Jabba Goons” were boring, the SWCA podcast episode 91 will simply shock you. Not only does Squid Head have several interesting pre-production pieces, but he has also been historically viewed as something of a satanic icon (by a Christian fundamentalist author, back in the early 80's). The guys also discuss Squid Head's design and speculate regarding the influences of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu on the creature's look.  Skye puts forward the idea of separating the “Jabba aliens” into “Barge” and “ Palace” figures. This is something that people who recently supported Hasbro’s crowd funded “Jabba’s Sail Barge” toy have been discussing at length. Though there are a handful that are exclusive to each location, the reality is that the distribution is more of a venn diagram with a lot of overlap between the two categories. Many characters seem to appear in both locations.

Here’s a list of all the “Jabba’s Barge” figures from the Vintage Line to today from Jedi Business:
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Tantive XI also got a huge shout out in the “Unloved” section for having one of the clearest images available of the Craft Masters Puzzle "The Fiends of Jabba the Hutt". It's great that we're getting some recognition specifically for the quality of our library section so keep up the fine work, gentlemen.    
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Ron Salvatore tells Steeve & Skye about some pre-production examples of the Squid Head figure, including some Proto-molded figures and fabric samples. One of these early versions of the figure can be seen on the Jabba Playset box. The version on the playset box features a darker cloak and a belt that is molded in gold plastic. Ron makes an educated guess that this is a proto-moulded figure which had a cape used for photography before the final production color was locked down.

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Ron also has some thoughts about the “Cthulhu” connection to Squid Head, shedding doubt about the iconic look of Cthulhu having any influence on the creatures design, feeling like that Lovecraft design wasn’t really part of the cultural zeitgeist at the time. The guys also get Ron’s take on some of the most recent forms of vintage-sployation which are aimed at an unusually young demographic. Ron also covers some of his recent weeky SWCA Facebook posts which feature vintage toy advertisements. If you haven’t been following the SWCA on Facebook, you probably will after hearing about a few of these exotic ads, many of which feature original art.

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("Cthulhu and the Ninth Wave" by fantasio)

Mike Cooper joins the conversation and offers up a “Vintage Video” gem which came from VHS series by Dr. Gary Greenwald known as “The Eagle’s Nest”
Phil Philips was on “The Eagle’s Nest” to promote his new book called “Turmoil in the Toybox”, the book was written to alert parents about the occult imagery being used in early 80’s toys. The ensuing audio clip must be heard to be believed. Sky also elaborates on a recent email exchange he had with the author.

You can see this remarkable VHS experience in it's entirety here:


At 3 hours and 11 minutes, this is one of the longest ‘Chive Casts in a while, so there is far more than I am covering in this review. This episode is particularly good with the accompanying imagery, so if you don’t use a podcast app, check it out on YouTube here:

‘Chive Cast – Episode 91: From Squid Face to Squid Man

I'm a bit behind with my podcasts but I just caught up with the most recent episode. Absolutely loved it. Really missed you guys!

Glad to have you caught up, Christian and thanks so much for the awsome recap, Chris! That was a fun one for sure.

We've recently released the latest Blog Log Pod with Ron Salvatore and Scott Bradley which discusses at length Kenner's Star Wars puzzles (Domestic and Canadian) from 1977-1979 (which Ron wrote two great blog posts about): 'Chive Cast Blog Log Pod Episode 8 - Puzzles and Gobblers

Hope you enjoy!

--Steve

Thanks for the update Steve. I really enjoyed the puzzle blog & blog log pod. Both were fantastic. I never new there were so many puzzle variations. I also laughed at the Alpha-Getti Gobbler video clip. I remember eating Alpha-Getti's as a kid. But I don't remember the Gobbler. I probably wanted to block that image out. I also live, not far from where the Schneider’s plant was in the Kitchener/Waterloo area. Schneider's is still a staple for bacon & hotdogs.

Commander Clint wrote:Thanks for the update Steve.  I really enjoyed the puzzle blog & blog log pod.  Both were fantastic.  I never new there were so many puzzle variations.  I also laughed at the Alpha-Getti Gobbler video clip.  I remember eating Alpha-Getti's as a kid.  But I don't remember the Gobbler.  I probably wanted to block that image out.   I also live, not far from where the Schneider’s plant was in the Kitchener/Waterloo area.  Schneider's is still a staple for bacon & hotdogs.

Probably for the best to exorcise the Gobbler from any child's memory!

It was a busy but fun summer for us, as we recorded a live episode for #92 on a trip to visit the collections of Ron Salvatore, Yehuda Kleinman and Paul Chu in New York. Ron and Yehuda also did some live recording at the ICCC in Nashville, which we were sad to miss but glad to have some coverage of the event: 'Chive Cast 92 - Late Summer Fun Trips

Apologies for the lack of photos on the blog -- we've got some kind of glitch going on, but there's a link to the full gallery there, as well as the enhanced YouTube version with all of the images and a direct download link.

Hope everyone here on Tantive had a great summer as well, and thanks for listening!

--Steve

Thanks for the update Steve. I actually listened to it the other day. Sounds like the visits to the various collections where a lot of fun. Maybe too much fun. Cognac & jalapeno poppers.

Skye's adventure to Sucklord’s Suckhole was interesting as well.

Commander Clint wrote:

Skye's adventure to Sucklord’s Suckhole was interesting as well.

Man I so have to listen to this episode....

They just posted the Madine focused episode! I gotta catch up on some reviews.

Thanks for spreading the word, Chris!

Here's the link to the episode on the SWCA Blog with photos and show notes: 'Chive Cast 93 - Definitively Beardley

Was fun to jump back into the ROTJ line with a more traditional episode. Who knew that Madine could have several points of interest?

--Steve

Thanks for the update Steve. I'm downloading it asap. Hopefully there isn't any Cognac & jalapeno poppers involved in this episode.

In the episode, Skye mentions that he cut out 15-45 minutes of Madine content. I shared my outrage on the ‘Chive Cast’s Facebook post.

It was a fun listen as usual, Steve. I should have a chance to put up an extensive review this week.