Here is a single image of what we are calling COO#1. It is part of Family #1.
Its key identifying points are that it is a 4 Line , Made In Hong Kong COO Stamp. 2 Lines of the COO stamp are seen on each leg.
This COO is mother to a good portion of the highly desirable and more uncommon and rare variants which you will see detailed below.
Since we know that there are at least 2 mold pairs for any figure, there are at least 4 combinations of the stamp that could exist on figures out there.
At this time, I haven't started a detailed guide showing the subtle differences between each mold for this COO Family, so for now, let us look at the key features for each of the major variations of this Family/COO number in a little more detail without focusing on the subtle mold's stamp variations alone.
From left to right (explanations below - click to jump to a specific variant):
- 1A: Crew Neck - AKA Green Neck
- 1B: Crew Neck - AKA Flesh Neck
- 1C: Turtle Neck
- 1D: Turtle Neck - Lili Ledy/Palitoy "Blonde" - AKA Ledy Light Brown Hair
- 1E: Turtle Neck - POCH
- 1F: Turtle Neck - Pretty Faced - AKA Lil' Pochy Brown Hair
- 1F RH: Turtle Neck - Pretty Faced - AKA Lil' Pochy Red Hair
  
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INFORMATION: Green Neck is a nickname given to this figure. This figure is actually a transformant (chemical reaction changed the appearance) of the Flesh Neck 1B. It is not a true variation. It is also referred to "Grey Neck", "Tarnished Neck" and more. A few different possibilities.  The figure most accurately can be called a crew neck figure based on the type of neck line the figure has. A crew neck is the most movie screen accurate. However, this variation, the "Green Neck", actually started life with her neck completely painted in gold then a layer of flesh tone paint was applied over top of the gold, leaving only the necklace area with the gold paint visible. The problem with this combination of paint was that the gold paint reacted poorly with the flesh paint layer causing a tarnishing effect.This tarnishing effect caused the Gold paint to turn a shade of green, grey or charcoal much like you would see with real metal objects left untouched over time. The most logical explanation to the two layers of paint was an initial factory error where they painted the neck completely in gold which was just a waste of paint. RARITY: Most commonly, the Green color or even grey color is what you will see for this figure. MISC EXAMPLES: FACTORY ERROR - GOLD NECK: Finding a Gold Neck that didn't have the flesh paint applied over the gold is possible but near impossible. These 'Gold Necks' are to be treated as factory errors where QC missed a few figures on the line that did not get the flesh paint applied. The 'Gold Neck' was never supposed to have been produced this way. NOTE: Even though some figures didn't have the flesh paint applied over the gold in these figures, the gold paint still could have discolored over time and turned a shade of green (similar to copper green - thanks Wolff!) as well. I have only seen one true Gold Neck factory error in pictures. This one was part of TIG and RS member olisuds' collection, . Click the image to see a larger shot of her. Although it is a factory error, I think it looks fantastic and I will be hunting one down to add one to my collection.  CARDED EXAMPLES: This figure can be found carded on: US Kenner ESB 31B & 32B backs and possibly more but as you will see, this figure changed quickly to fix the paint issues. AU Toltoys ESB 32 (NZ) & 41 Back Please see the 'Packaging' section for more information and possible sightings. CONFIRMED ACCESSORY VERSIONS: Confirmed Blasters: V1 Blue & V4 Blue Confirmed Capes: V2A |
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INFORMATION: This is the intended variation of this figure. This variation is identical to the Green Neck except it appears that the Gold Paint was either not applied underneath or the chemical reaction did not take place leaving the flesh paint as it was supposed to have been produced. Again, this is the variant and the 1A Green Necks are transformants of this figure. A Flesh Neck Close-Up  RARITY: This is much rarer than a Green Neck from what I have seen. Since this is the way it was supposed to have been produced and how so few didn't tarnish, finding a good example now is much harder to obtain. CARDED EXAMPLES: This figure can be found carded on: US Kenner ESB 31B & 32B backs and possibly more but as you will see, this figure changed quickly to fix the paint issues. AU Toltoys ESB 32 (NZ) & 41 Back Please see the 'Packaging' section for more information and possible sightings. CONFIRMED ACCESSORY VERSIONS: Confirmed Blasters: V1 Blue & V4 Blue Confirmed Capes: V2A |
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INFORMATION: This figure intrigues me a bit. It seems to have had a short run, most likely after the 1F: 'Lil Pochy/Pretty Faced' figures run before being re-tooled into the Raised Bar China version. The face is a lot nicer looking than the Flesh or Green Necks and almost as nice as the 1F: 'Lil Pochy/Pretty Faced' figure below. It appears this mold had some problems with the head at some point having excess flashing as 3 of the 4 I have all show a lot of trim marks along the seam of her head. I have found a few examples in some European collections (Wolff & Lee M, to name 2) and the few I have in my collection came out of Germany and England. Update 12/2013: ** I finally spotted this figure carded on a Parker/General Mills Tri-Logo. This helps figure out the Germany and England sources better. ** (See Here) Update 03/2014: I finally have a carded example in my collection in the form of a non Toy Toni General Mills 45 Back (no English text on reverse) (See Here) Here is another variant of her with thick blackeyes this time. This one has a lot of trim marks as mentioned above which can make this figure look different when looking at her. This specific example came out of England. 
Here is a picture showing the trim marks on the one above. 
RARITY: At least in the US, she seems uncommon to rare. I have only confirmed 6 for sale in nearly a year on all the usual places and all were in either Germany or England. CARDED EXAMPLES: This figure could be found on some Parker/General Mills Tri-Logos. See Here And also carded on General Mills 45 Back (no English tesxt on reverse) (See Here) Please see the 'Packaging' section for more information and possible sightings. BAGGIE EXAMPLES: This figure can be found inside the very rare ESB-A baggies from 1982 inside the JC Penney - 4 Pack [655-1659]. Thanks to Frank M (frunkstar) for the following images showing her baggie and the 4 pack! Great stuff! At least in the case with Franks and my examples she is the black eyed version.   Here is a closeup of the head from my baggie. .jpg) * The V3 cape was confirmed on the ESB-A only so far and I find this very odd that the same factory had both V2 & V3 capes. So far all other carded examples I have seen and most legit childhood figures all had V2 capes. CONFIRMED ACCESSORY VERSIONS: Confirmed Blasters: V3 Black/Blue (GM 45 back) and V3 Blue (ESB-A baggie) Confirmed Capes: V2A (GM 45 back) and V3 (ESB-A baggie) |
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INFORMATION: This variation was only recently confirmed as a Lili Ledy released figure. I say "released" and not produced since there is a lot of speculation regarding the early Lili Ledy figures and how they were not produced in Mexico, but rather imported as a test run to see if the market was viable for Lili Ledy to invest in producing their own figures. If the test market theory is accurate, it is safe to say that Lili Ledy obviously started producing figures of their own. Wolff was among the first to identify this figure as a Lili Ledy figure. Wolff and Horatio (OZIO) both have written about this figure. Here is Wolff's information and here is Horatio's description. However, this is not the case. This figure was also released on the the very rare Palitoy 30B backs as well! (see photos below) The figure shown in the Palitoy 30B has black eyes where the loose Ledy example has brown eyes. Below is a loose Palioty example with brown eyes. This figure also has a fragile body where cracks can form on the front and/or back near the arms. I am convinced this figure originally came with the V3 Blue blaster based on many previous sales I have seen on forums and ebay, plus the Palitoy example and other examples from this very specific COO mold which all should have originated from the same factory (Kader). RARITY: Although this figure was thought ot be a Lili Ledy figure only, even with the newly confirmed addition of the Palitoy counterpart, this figure is still extremely hard to find. At this point, I would have to say that, in comparison, the Ledy is easier to come by and the Palitoy is much harder to find. Finding one complete with original cape and blaster is even harder loose and then factor in condition and you have a long hunt to find one! Either way, this is one of the hardest to find and most sought out variations. PALITOY EXAMPLE: Here is a loose Palitoy version which is identical to the Lili Ledy version. The Palitoy version was released on the ESB 30B.  Closeup of her hair color: 
This figure came from an UK childhood collection and came with the V3 Blue blaster which I am convinced is the proper blaster for this figure (and Ledy). This figure also came with the V2B cape which I am convinced is the one of the two possible proper capes (the other is V2A) for this figure (and Ledy). CARDED EXAMPLES: The Lili Ledy version would have been released on the 'El Imperio Contraataca' 10 Backs. I have yet to find photographs of the Lili Ledy blonde carded in anyone's collection to date. The Palitoy version was released on the ESB 30B. These images come coutesy of BruceW's collection. Check out his limelight HERE.    Please see the 'Packaging' section for more information and possible sightings. CONFIRMED ACCESSORY VERSIONS: Confirmed Blasters: unconfirmed Confirmed Capes: V2B |
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INFORMATION: The POCH figure shares the same mold as the blonde/light brown haired Lili Ledy & Palitoy version, just with a different paint scheme. I frequently call them sisters or cousins since they share the same mold. I still cannot confirm the existence of a true Kenner version of this variant. Her hair paint color can be found in a reddish/brown color or a brownish/red color. Typically, the reddish/brown color is the most commonly found. For the reddish/brown hair, the red tones are easiest to see near the edges of her hair lines since the paint application is usually a little under-sprayed which shows the true paint color best. The under-spray is not always the case, but a little more common to find. It is also easier to see in very bright and/or direct light sources. Please also note there is another confirmed POCH variant from Family #2. You can read about her here (2E: Turtle Neck - POCH) You can read Wolff's write up of the POCH Family #1 variant HERE Since this figure is a POCH, it also has the typical pale/light/white colored hands and feet. This figure also has a fragile body where cracks can form on the front and/or back near the arms. 
And here is just a quick shot of the two POCH Families side by side (Family #1 on the left - Family #2 on the right) 
RARITY: This figure is very hard to come by loose and next to impossible carded. Finding one complete with original cape and blaster is even harder loose and then factor in condition and you have a long hunt to find one! This is one of the hardest to find and most sought out variations. MISC EXAMPLES: The main variation you will mostly like see and find for the POCH figure is the main one pictured and discussed earlier with a bit of under-spray which shows off her reddish/brown hair the best along with black eyes. There are four possible coloring variations you will find for her: Red Hair/Black Eyes Red Hair/Brown Eyes Brown Hair/Black Eyes Brown Hair/Brown Eyes And here is the red hair/brown eyes varaint .jpg) 
Compare Red Hair Black/Brown Eyes varaints: 
Heree is another red hair/brown eyes. This one has massive over spray to the hair, the left eye was mis-applied (lower) and the lipstick was over sprayed as well. Her left hand is also under sprayed making the right hand appear darker. This is not a mixed up figure, just differences in the amount of paint applied.  
Brown hair/Black eyes varaint: 
Brown hair/Brown eyes varaint: Here is a picture of the brown hair with brown eyes which comes from Lee M's collection. 
CARDED EXAMPLES: This figure could be found on the POCH ESB "El Imperio Contraataca" 37/41 A Horizontal Backs. View here To date, I have only heard of and seen two of these carded examples and both can be seen on the Star Wars Spanish Stuff website. Check out that website to see the two carded examples. The picture on the left on the SWSS website went up for sale on ebay in mid 2013 for over $5000 if I recall!!!! What an awesome piece! CONFIRMED ACCESSORY VERSIONS: Confirmed Blasters: unconfirmed Confirmed Capes: V2B |
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INFORMATION: I call this figure Lil' POCHY because she shares the same mold as both the blonde Lili Ledy and POCH figures. Until I can prove her original company (example: Palitoy), I refer to her as "Lil' POCHY" or "Pretty Faced". Lil' POCHY is just my nickname for her in the meantime. This figure is another sister to Lili Ledy and POCH. She has that awesome "pretty face" which I think is by far the best sculpt of her around. The triplets, for a lack of a better phrase, are the center piece of my loose collection. Her hair paint color is a reddish/brown color that depending on how thick it was applied can be seen better in undersprayed areas similar to the POCH figure. Her eyes are mainly found with a light brown paint color. This figure also has a fragile body where cracks can form on the front and/or back near the arms. If you click the image below to view a much larger version, you can see the slightly different hair and eye paint applications. NOTE: The factory touch up on the left figure shows extra brown paint applied to the back of the bun and the lower part of her neck. 
RARITY: This figure seems to be very hard to find and when found mainly in Germany with the scarce sighting in England. Since this figure is a sister to the Lili Ledy blonde and POCH, she is in my opinion one of the more desirable variants. Even when found, finding one with good eyebrows and hair paint condition is difficult to say the least. I think over time, she will become a highly sought after variant. MISC EXAMPLES: As shown above in the hair paint and eye paint comparison, here is the other figure mentioned. 
CARDED EXAMPLES: So far I have confirmed a very bright and vibrant red haired version (like her POCH sister) on Kenner ESB 41D cards from the Kader Industries factory. See 1F RH: Turtle Neck - Pretty Faced - AKA Lil' Pochy Red Hair below for more information. Please see the 'Packaging' section for more information and possible sightings. CONFIRMED ACCESSORY VERSIONS: Confirmed Blaster: V3 Blue Confirmed Cape: V2B Cape |
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INFORMATION: NOTE:This figure is a variation of the 1F: Turtle Neck - Pretty Faced - AKA Lil' Pochy Brown Hair but I find her interesting enough that I believe she deserved her own write-up. This figure snuck up on me. I had no difinitive proof that a Red Haired version of this COO existed outside the POCH red haired figure. First confirmation Dec. 2013. This figure is very interesting in that her hair is very red similar to the POCH red haired but the red tones can be seen much easier in any light or angle. I will be putting together a more complete timeline of this COO later, but my basic thought is this figure came after the blonde (1D) and at pretty much the same time as the POCH red haired (1E) before eventually becoming the brown haired variant (1F). What differs between the POCH red hair and this figure is the following: POCH - white/pale hands and feet | Kenner - normal flesh color hands and feet Closeup shots of MOC for face, cape and blaster: 
Here are some examples of this variant with red tones in the hair much more like her POCH sister.   This one is a short shot or experienced excess shrinkage during cooling where her nose and chin do not protrude out as far as they should.   
RARITY: This figure is somewhat rare. I have yet to spot a true loose red hair. The two loose ones above only show little red tones but far from my carded 41D example but I include them here since they do exhibit the redness. CARDED EXAMPLES: She can be found carded on Kenner 41D (Kader Industries Factory Coded) backs and Harbert stickered 41 backs. Please see the 'Packaging' section for more information and possible sightings. CONFIRMED ACCESSORY VERSIONS: Confirmed Blasters: V3 Blue Confirmed Capes: V2B Cape |
A transformant, simply put, is anything that would alter the physical appearance of a figure or accessory causing it to no longer match it's original produced state.
Things that can transform and alter plastics can include chemical breakdown due to age, prolonged exposure to sunlight or other foreign materials.
Think yellow Stormtroopers or yellowed Luke Skywalkler Farmboys as the most common transformants.
Transformants are NOT variants as the effect is not what was visible when they left the factory.
For a great read on transformants and the effect of age on Star Wars figures, please read this great article over at TIG. HERE