SDCC Coverage

[sculpey]

I paid $50 for my rocket. I think it's a poly resin of some kind. It's pretty substantial in weight and size, and to me it was well worth the money. Some of the prototypes they had looked very good. They'll be incorporating the logos from defunct airlines on the rocket bodies. The guys that made them truly seemed happy that someone liked their work, and that made the price all the more reasonable.

[Michael Crawford]

Originally posted by Gareee:
Yep... I'm seeing a growing trend.. "Let's see just how much money we can milk from these poor saps! (Errr...the "Fans")

It's like all the mass market product is turning into "rare collectables", and in my case, I'm finding I pass on more things now a days then I pick them up.

Godo example: the new Battlestar Galactica Cylon.. does he look cool? Yep.

Is he sculpted any better then say, the star wars battle droid? No, not really.

And the pricepoint? $50 or $60 shipped!

And the current trend for review sites now is, "Well, Sideshow's raised the price bar, so now everything is a "fair" price if it's $50-$100.

Sorry, I don't buy it. Gimme the Zizzle 12" POTC Jack Sparrow for $20 instead of a "collectable" 12" Jack for over $100.

And decent looking 12" Batman, Superman, ect for $50-$100? Again, more BS.

And what I find VERY funny, is a LOT of this stuff ends up on ebay a year later for $15-$25, especially sideshow's 12" figures.

I think there are way too many people with way too much disposable income.. LOL!

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Now, Gareee, I mean this in the nicest way possible, and with all due respect, but you are one of the cheapest people I have ever known. You have the most skewed view of value I've seen, and unless it's free, it's too much. Really dude, you're like a real life Mr. Crabbs.

You're comparing mass produced stuff in the tens and hundreds of thousands of units to stuff produce in the couple thousand. And if you can honestly say you think the Zizzle Jack is even close to the quality of the Medicom version, then you've simply convinced yourself and have moved into a very different reality.

Years ago, we were paying $20 - $30 a pop for a 12" Star Wars figure from Hasbro, produced in the tens of thousands, with a craptastic body, poor sculpting and weak accessories. Hell, some exclusives sold for up to $40. And you're complaining because the Sideshow stuff is around $50? There isn't even any possible comparision in the quality, and that's being produced in a run of only a few thousand.

There is still some crap out there - don't even get me started on the DC Direct 13" line, which is a ridiculous rip off at the price they're charging - but calling stuff like Sideshow or Medicom 'mass market' and attempting to compare it to something like the Zizzle stuff - dear God - is just bad news.

[JacktheRipper]

Hey Mike!? You place your order for the Jabba, Crumb, & base yet? I was blown away by it at SDCC, but the price put me back together. [img]biggrin.gif[/img]
I wasn't going to get it, but I brokedown and got them. [img]redface.gif[/img]
Now, the piece that I had no idea about was the PF Hulk. Once I saw it I knew it was something I really wanted. I'm just deciding on Grey or Green or both. Sideshow is pushing me away from my action figures. I'm going to be broke, but in collectibles heaven.

[Michael Crawford]

Yep, I was the reverse of you. I love the Hulk - but can't bring myself to buy it. However, I pre-ordered the Jabba and base without even blinking an eye.

[Gareee]

Don't get me wrong, Mike. I'll pay for something if it has a value to me. I preordered the Balrog, and am just chomping at the bit waiting to get him.

But C'mon.. Sideshow Willow? Faith? How many "misses" have they had, and STILL charged a premium price?

And while the Mass market Deluxe Jango Fett was more expensive, he was well worth the $30 I paid for him.

You can't tell me that you've not seen a HUGE change in the 12" action figure market since Sideshow went online only. Suddenly everyone and their brother is doing a "Limited" deluxe 12" "collectable".. everything from The Avengers (big heads n all), to Lost in space, to Dark Shadows.

Even Sideshow started realizing they were tapping out their market, and started a new "easy payment plan".

I have a hard time beliving a Hot new tv license like Battlestar Galactica can't be mass marketed in 12" format.. the titanimums are doing very well, and there's the minimate stuff coming out as well, but the 12" offers have to be higher priced collectables.

I think you've lost some of your objectivity that you used to have. Maybe going commercial and doing reviews as well is not such a good thing?

[Michael Crawford]

Sideshow went online only years ago, Gareee. You can't possibly be trying to blame them for that.

And you name two big misses - out of HUNDREDS of figures that Sideshow has produced. No one has ever produced the quantity and quality of sixth scale that they have. Hasbro has certainly done some quantity, but very little quality. You name the Fett, a bigger aberration in quality on the plus side for Hasbro as if it was a regular occurrance, and then pick some of Sideshow's worst figures and use them as if they are the standard for them.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'going commercial', unless it's the advertising. I believe I'm one of the fairest and most honest reviewers out there, with no company bias, and certainly no inability to see the bad - or good - in something regardless of who made it or how much it cost. But while I'm paying $3.25 at the pump today, I'm also not so blind as to think I'm going to get premium quality figures for 1995 prices.

[Andyman]

Originally posted by sculpey:
I paid $50 for my rocket. I think it's a poly resin of some kind. It's pretty substantial in weight and size, and to me it was well worth the money. Some of the prototypes they had looked very good. They'll be incorporating the logos from defunct airlines on the rocket bodies. The guys that made them truly seemed happy that someone liked their work, and that made the price all the more reasonable.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Well that's a little more reasonable for the price if they're that hefty.

<font color="#cd6600" size="1">[ July 28, 2006 08:29 AM: Message edited by: Andyman ]</font>

[Street Worm]

Not much Monster stuff this year.....

[Gareee]

I think we'll see less and less of it, now that Sideshow has more profitable licenses like the higher priced Star Wars and Marvel stuff.

[Michael Crawford]

I've never been able to justify one of the 1:1 scale busts, as much as I wanted one. I've almost snapped a couple times on the Predator, simply because it is SO amazing in person, but even at the $500 or so you can usually get them on ebay, I just can't do it.

But if they did a 1:1 Creature bust, I'd be sunk. And probably divorced.