Post by rusVan on Jun 3, 2010 13:50:20 GMT -5
Series One Cheap Toys were originally cast in 8 Base Colors*: Light Red, Dark Red, Lime Green, Light Green, Dull Peach, Bubble Gum Peach, Dark Blue, and Sky Blue. These Base Colors were used through out all the US print runs. The only exception is Lime Green, which was considered a Semi Rare-in a class by itself-for several years, and more information is needed to confirm that it is not original Base Color. Until then, it will remain with the other 7 due to it’s comparable scarcity.
Light Red is best described as “Red-Orange”*, especially when compared with its Red counterpart. *I would like to see its name changed one day, but I don’t want to push it, lol! Based on my research Light Red is nearly TWICE as common as Dark Red.
Dark Red is best described as “Red”*, and again, we are comparing it to other red toys. *This is a prime example of an old label that would be best changed. Of all the Base Colors, Dark Red is the hardest to distinguish. MY personal trick is to take a photograph of my red toys. Photographs flatten light on objects and can be a useful tool to sorting your Reds.
I discovered some evidence that Dark Red was in production at a time when Light Red was not. The 4986 Snub Spike Alice comes in Dark Red (and Salmon**) but has yet to be SEEN in Light Red.
**Salmons are believed to be a late run Cheap Toy color, and I personally believe it was the last run due to the Snub Spike error. One problem I have is that I own a ‘correct’ 4986 Uk Blue Alice, and Garbage Gang Cheap Toys are believed to have been cast in 1990-1991…. More on this later
!
Lime Green is easily distinguishable from Light Green due to its yellow tone. Lime Greens also have a matte finish. If you have a Lime Green that is semi-gloss-you don’t have a Lime Green, you probably have a Pea Green! Lime Green’s name is perfect in describing the toy’s color and making the correct color label a blessing to new collectors.
Light Green is best described as “Light Green Glossies”*. I coined the term “Light Green Glossies” a few years ago and I hear it from time to time. Light Green comes with a high gloss finish, which makes Light Greens appear “wet”. If you come across a Light Green Cheap Toy that is not glossy then you have a very special toy and you should send it my way ;D.
Nah, what you probably have is the un-official color “Green”, a rare UK green variant. For Reference “Green” Cheap Toys, go to the Unofficial Color section.
Dull Peach can also be described as "Flesh", such as MUSCLE Base figures are. Dull Peach can be matte or semi gloss. Research is currently being done to differentiate the gloss variants of Dull Peach. This Base Color also comes in a color range that reaches fringe shades of white and gray! Dull Peach must have been printed all along the way considering their commonality.
Bubble Gum Peach is best described as “Pink Glossies”. Peach is a color with orange, or warm undertones, and Bubble Gum Peach is actually a tint of ‘cool’ red. Obviously, the founding fathers of Cheap Toy were not Art Majors and struggled naming these colors
(but overall, they did a good job 
). Anyway, Bubble Gum Peaches have a high gloss finish like that of Light Green. I would love to see some work done to try to connect the casting of Light Green Glossies with that of B-Gums. *Also, Bubble Gum Peach is a prime example of why we should start calling “commons” Base Colors, or someone needs to solve why this color is so scarce and we can change it’s status.
Light Blue is sometimes called Sky Blue by collectors. This color comes in matte or semi gloss, but usually the later. This Base Color is scarce and probably was not used in all the runs.
Dark Blue is best described as “Blue”. Two other Blue colors are known and are both are much darker than “Dark Blue”! I’m glad the founding fathers didn’t name those toys “Darker Blue”
and “Darkest Blue” ! Silly Founding Fathers 
! 
Also, Dark Blue comes in semi gloss, and if you come across a ‘wet’ Blue then you have an unofficial color I call “Blue”. Confused yet
? It's ok, just log out of UG and get some air and come back, sit down, and log back in and go to the USA Series 1 Unofficial Colors thread! 
Also, many collectors struggle sorting Light Blue from Dark Blue. The reason is because you probably have more blues in your pile than Light and Dark Blue, and that's a good thing!! My suggestion is you should sort your LIGHTEST ones and then sort your DARKEST ones FIRST. Then, carefully study the mystery Blues giving special attention to their glossiness. Hey, and don’t forget my tip: take a picture of your stash and sort your colors using the photograph! It helps, try it!!
*As UG Cheap Toy Moderator, my first order of business is to change the term “Commons” or “Common Colors”, a term used my most collectors to describe the original 8 Cheap Toy colors, to “Base Colors” (an abbreviated form of the term: “Basic Colors”. I pondered the word “Basic” to that of “Base” and feel the word “Basic” has some negative ideas attached to it, which the word “Base” does not. Besides, “Base” has one syllable thus, sounds more formal and permanent.
Moreover, the word “common” implies other things all of which that are FALSE about Cheap Toys. For example, the word “common” refers to scarcity and it doesn’t take a new collector long to realize that even the Base Colors are scarce!
Even worse, the word “common” can refer to the value of something. Again, we have a problem when describing any Cheap Toy as a “common” because it's simply misleading!
Think about it, when there are better words for you to use in a social situation, don’t you choose the best words to say or correct yourself later?
A perfect example is, perhaps, the least valuable Cheap Toy: Dull Peach Janey, which is still a scarce toy and sells in the 4.00 to 7.00 price range, the same range btw, on current MIP Hasbro Star Wars figures in Target.
Where a lot of this confusion originates is in the fact that the Cheap Toy community is a small community and this fact alone causes the market for these toys to take epic highs and lows based on paychecks and credit cards as much as supply and demand.
)
Even with some questions answered, I'm still wondering why they were cast so shitty, over half of them have flash all over the seams. Several NY's have been found SEALED, from the same two boxes, that have Magenta staining. 
Really cool box. I wish they had the Nasty Nick box too though