Any technique to find chrome figures?

Sherlockbones

Hi Y'all!

As my quest for either Chrome three-pio or DV, now is there anyway on the outside of a SEALED box to tell if you have one, I'm thinking of ordering a few SW sets from 2007 & 2009, my friend told me that there are markings on the barcodes or they weigh heavier, obviously if I order online, I can't choose but if I find a sealed 2009 set ( A shop was selling last year the Assassin Droid battle pack) out on the street, is there a way to find one or not?

Zon

Weighing them is the only method I know of - a couple good videos on YouTube with weighing boxes for chrome Vaders.

Sherlockbones

I don't have one of those weighing scales, would I get in trouble or something?

samiam391

Chances are incredibly slim, unfortunately that is like playing the lottery. Better to save your money up and purchase one on the Bay or somewhere else, than to spend little chunks of money on sets and possibly get no reward.

If you are definitely set on this strategy though, I can attempt to weigh my chromies and give you their weight. That way you can try to find the difference between a normal set and one with a chromie... but again, the chances of that even happening are slim in my humble opinion.

Sherlockbones

Yeah, the reason I want one so bad, when I brought a BP in 09, a kid in front of me got the same one as me and he got a Vader :(

samiam391

Personally, I think weighing is too risky. Eventually you may throw $60 down the drain because you miss on 6 straight battle packs. And you still wouldn't have your figure.
It's too hit and miss..

However, I don't have experience with it, maybe it's more effective and "full-proof" than I think!

Sherlockbones

Yeah, is the marking thing true?
Also didn't a collector used a 'X-RAY' technique?

Diggydoes

The chrome C-3PO didn't appeared in BP as far as i remember right?! I thought i've read somewhere that he was only found in rather big sets.

mrtonytj

Yeah thevader was found in "any" random set and the c3po was only in the larger sets.. So you wouldn't find him in a battle pack i wouldn't think..

samiam391

^Absolutely correct. Vader is in any set, chrome c-3po is NOT in battlepacks.

Something to know before you start ripping open 2007 battlepacks ;-)

Joseph

If you're interested, here's an older thread discussing various aspects of the c-3po. http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/3660/chrome-c-3po
In it, DaveE makes some very interesting points including one about a secret method of determining what boxes have it:

davee123 said:

One more point, though-- there *WAS* rumored to be a way to determine whether or not a set contained a C-3PO in it that was never (to my knowledge) released to the general public. In other words, there was a SLIGHT difference in the packaging, and people "in the know" spread that knowledge among a scant few people. Those people would then amaze everyone online by being able to accurately predict that their set has a C-3PO in it, without having weighed it.

This was repeated (again, supposedly) for chrome Darth Vader figures-- a very small difference in the packaging could inform you that you had a set with a chrome Vader packed inside. And again, that knowledge was pretty well guarded, and I personally can't confirm that it even existed-- but the evidence is pretty strong (IMHO).

DaveE

Sherlockbones

Ah thanks....

Wish I had X ray vision :P

samiam391

Sherlockbones said:

Ah thanks....

Wish I had X ray vision :P

Take a LEGO Superman minifigure along with you... I'm sure he can help you with that problem.

Sherlockbones

XD, don't re-sellers sell the sets without Chromies in? So they open then and then seal them

trenty1990

You can pick vaders up on ebay for £20 if your lucky i found 1 the other day

Styer

samiam391 said:

Chances are incredibly slim, unfortunately that is like playing the lottery. Better to save your money up and purchase one on the Bay or somewhere else, than to spend little chunks of money on sets and possibly get no reward.

It's not exactly "no reward," though, because unlike a losing lottery ticket, you still end up with a bunch of LEGO.