1/6 SSC Snake Plissken Figure

[Snake Plissken]

I paid this morning, and it's going to get thrown in the mail today. I may even try to get a second figure and get that one redone too for a later run of Ray's.

 

[Collectorcol]

Just got a Sideshow email regarding this item... 'New Pictures'.
They've been trying to polish a turd

 

[ebor]

Just got a Sideshow email regarding this item... 'New Pictures'.
They've been trying to polish a turd

Did they send it to RayF? if not there is no hope...

 

[Rock83]

Did they send it to RayF? if not there is no hope...

Sideshow should start looking for people here and start hiring because they do a hell of alot better than sideshow when it comes to human portraits.Seen quite a few examples allready on Plissken.

 

[EVILFACE]

They do mine the talent here for their work.

Problem is, none of them are in China factories.....

 

[galactiboy]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to EVILFACE again.

To true man, all the talent in the world doesn't help if they don't control the quality of the final product. The people who create the prototypes for Sideshow are second to none, but who can say what's happening at the factory level. I can't imagine how they consistently fail at getting the final product to match expectations other than not having any control over their factories (which I find hard to believe given their size) or just cutting corners.

 

[tvone]

Headed for my cabinet .....

 

[anwe]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to EVILFACE again.

To true man, all the talent in the world doesn't help if they don't control the quality of the final product. The people who create the prototypes for Sideshow are second to none, but who can say what's happening at the factory level. I can't imagine how they consistently fail at getting the final product to match expectations other than not having any control over their factories (which I find hard to believe given their size) or just cutting corners.

It has to be down to the money they are willing to spend. I assume Hot Toys are the biggest out there but Sideshow have to be second by far. Small companies manage to produce good product why can't Sideshow?

It stands to reason that it would be more expensive for Sideshow to send someone over to China to handle QC directly at the factories than it would Hot Toys since they're already in China, but still. I guess it's not worth it, since every figure sells anyway, so why bother?

It will be interesting to see how QMX does with their Mal Reynolds figure, it is already delayed because they changed the factory 'cause the quality they wanted wasn't there. If they can get the figure out there with better than Sideshow quality at the same or less price it will start to get even more embarrasing than it already is (IMO).

 

[King Darkness]

That fact that virtually every other 1/6 company in the market today is producing better paint apps that Sideshow, every one being smaller than Sideshow with the exception of Hot Toy, should be a major point of embarrassment for Sideshow. It should be their biggest focus, to be a standard barer in the industry, but its clearly not. And if it is, Sideshow has failed so miserably at it one can only assume they are the most incompetent bunch of monkeys who have somehow stumbled into being a multi-million juggernaut in the high-end toy industry. Or, they just don't give a damn, which seems much more probable.

 

[galactiboy]

It's hard to say... outwardly the company seems passionate about collectibles, but the consistent lack of quality would not support that. And tbh, I don't know if I'd say HT is as bigger company (I've never seen the numbers), but just based on number and types of products sold or distributed I'd think Sideshow would likely be bigger. That just makes even more of a wtf that nearly every release is plagued by at least one major QC issue and that not a single finished product (1/6 or otherwise) has been able to match the quality of H, EB or even some of the smaller companies or independents like DiD or Masterworks.

As a case in point, I can't think of a single PF where the paint work has been as good as we see on a 1/6 HT figure... how is that even possible And I can think of a number of examples were the final paint work on a PF or statue has been abysmal.

I've just resigned myself to the fact that wether it's out of their control, or they just don't care, I'll always have to expect some minor to major problem with every single release from Sideshow. Clearly it doesn't seem to be hurting them too much as they are still cranking out products, raising prices and selling out of figures... but my excitement about their products is pretty much shot.

 

[anwe]

Perhaps the heart isn't in it anymore? Too many people who doesn't feel the passion anymore? I'm a big comics reader and it's painfully apparent sometimes that many of the higher ups, editors and writers/artists at Marvel (which historically has been my favorite) as well as DC pretty much hate what they do and would probably do something else if it wasn't so easy just carrying on and collecting a paycheck. I buy only a few books from the big two anymore as a result.

 

[Lee in MI]

Wow! Lot's of veterans and FNGs all feeling the same way about SSCs...that's very telling.

I personally think they just don't have their finger on the pulse of the community. They all but pulled out of here, save for a few employees that comment from time to time. The product, while it has gotten better, still remains behind the industry leaders and some not-so industry leaders...and that's not good. And they do stuff like send products for review to folks who don't necessarily showcase their product in a good light (Optibotimus, comic vine, etc). Only the Bomb Show does a decent job of it but there are still others out there that could make the product shine more but SSCs somehow doesn't tap into those resources.

Lotsa talented guys on this site too that could help them step up their products but even that is used in moderation.

 

[Collector47]

I see more companies in the nostalgia business than ever before. Companies are making figures in just about any scale for any license that EVER gathered even a modicum of popularity. And I think that speaks to the popularity of retro merchandising. Unfortunately I think quality will always take a hit for that reason because even though the market is crowded with companies doing this, not many licenses, like Escape from New York, are getting more than one pass in each scale. So there's no direct competition for allot of these characters. For Snake, you have the 3 3/4 inch from Funko; the 8 inch from Neca; and the 1/6th scale from Sideshow. All different scales, and different qualities, but not necessarily any competing with themselves for that reason. Allot of fans say, " It's your ONE chance to get him." I think some companies cater to that thinking at times because they know cutting corners won't make a meaningful reduction on profits if enough consumers are already paying the inflated price just to have something from the license. It's a tough market if you're a fan, but I feel pretty confident in saying they understand who they're making these for and who will keep them.

 

[kl241]

They do mine the talent here for their work.

Problem is, none of them are in China factories.....

If they made everything in Mexico it would keep the illegal immigrants out of our country AND we'd stop supporting a communist country.

 

[momaw]

If they made everything in Mexico it would keep the illegal immigrants out of our country AND we'd stop supporting a communist country.

China might call itself a communist government, but the economic reality over there is anything but.

 

[fosing]

China has sideshow by the balls.

 

[matj007]

Likewise, they could have all their product made in the US. There'd be no improvement in quality and everything would cost twice as much.

 

[Michael Crawford]

3D printing is going to revolutionize the industry, especially for people that are small now, including customizers. We aren't too far away from 3D printers that can crank out enough quantity to make something like those Executive Replica LiS or 2001 figures something they can do without molds, since they are talking about only in the 100's. Take away the cost of a mold, and you greatly - greatly - reduce your fixed costs for producing action figures, at least the low run stuff. You could find a situation where you flip the industry, and the cost of doing 250 Dr. Smith's is cheaper than doing 5000 Captain Americas.

Anyway, back to Snake - I finally received mine yesterday, and will have a review up tomorrow night.

 

[The Skull]

3D printing is going to revolutionize the industry, especially for people that are small now, including customizers. We aren't too far away from 3D printers that can crank out enough quantity to make something like those Executive Replica LiS or 2001 figures something they can do without molds, since they are talking about only in the 100's. Take away the cost of a mold, and you greatly - greatly - reduce your fixed costs for producing action figures, at least the low run stuff. You could find a situation where you flip the industry, and the cost of doing 250 Dr. Smith's is cheaper than doing 5000 Captain Americas.

Anyway, back to Snake - I finally received mine yesterday, and will have a review up tomorrow night.

That will be interesting to see, a time when the tech is cheap and small or large company's alike can produce the sculpts this using scans of the actors heads where there will be no need for sculptors anymore( at least with new films) and with the tech being able to print out in color factory paint may become less of an issue.

 

[Tbolt]

Got mine today, looks like what I was expecting. No issues. Guns are a little on the cheap side. Other than that, looks way, way, way better than it does in some of these photos. I can't really see what the complaints are about in hand that I can see in these pictures. If I hold it up to the screen it's like two different figures being compared.

Anyway, happy to have snake. Been a favorite of mine for many years and never, ever, expected to own something like this.