Accessories: yay or nay?

[abake]

I got HT's T1 Arnold the other day and, as I unpacked it, I kept wondering "what the hell am I supposed to do with that extra arm"?
And I looked into my parts bin and was amazed at the amount of stuff that has been gathering dust, unused, inside boxes.

Stuff like Sideshow's Anakin's robotic arm, DCD's multiple batarangs and, yes, Arnold's extra arm.

I can understand it when military figures like DiD's come with an entire extra uniform or two sets of weapons, after all, these figures are mostly generic and you can slap the uniform on any loose body. But how sensible is it to have an extra head and arm that only work with a specific figure?

I know they are supposed to be "added value", but in the end they must have an impact on cost, from sculpting all the way to packaging. I wouldn't mind not having those extras if that made the figures somewhat cheaper, as for me they really don't hold much value (the extras I mean).

What do you guys think?

 

[Ironman1188]

I'll take 'em!

 

[karamazov80]

In the case of Arnold, it is a great addition IMO, because it gives you additional display options. Yes, you necessarily will have left over parts, but I don't mind shelling out the extra bit of cash for a figure with more options. T-1000 is a great example, because he comes with enough stuff to create all kinds of looks, and folks wouldn't be satisfied if they only had one generic option there.

I actually bought 2 T-800s to display him both ways, so in this case, HT definitely got more of my business by giving us more options.

 

[a-dev]

Nah, I love the extras, even if I'm not using them. They provide alternative display options for figures. I wouldn't be without them.

 

[Lejuan]

Don't ever use them once I've settled on a configuration I like, but sometimes it's nice to know they're there as an option. The selling point for me with Ip Man was the wooden dummy he shipped with. I guess accessories allow some degree of 'personalisation' for each collector even if they stick with what they first put on the shelf and never change it.

Dioramas though I can do without, ie Spidey, Dx04 etc.

 

[Kuzeh]

I hear you,
I have a bin full of heads, extra weapons, hands, and clothes...
It's nice to be able to display the figure according to your preference,
but it does impact on the price...
I've been considering selling some of these extras...

 

[Mad Old Lu]

Absolutely must have! I know where you're coming from, abake. But accessories is one of the big reasons I love these high end figures. The level of detail and craftmanship in the little accessories still blows me away whenever I get a new figure. My extra weapons and such get displayed on the stand along with the figure. Indy's artifacts are front and center and I love looking and marveling at them. Sure, extra hands and stuff end up in a box put away or something. But it's great to have options. Just looking at what people do with their displays on this board, I see so much creativity and variety. It's impressive and inspiring!

 

[floppy hat jon]

Yeah, I think the whole point is that not everyone agrees on what are the "extra" accessories. For example, I love the extra arm on my T2 T-800 while others would never consider displaying it without the jacket. I do change portraits, hands, accessories, etc., quite a bit, but maybe I'm an outlier.

 

[galactiboy]

I can understand the point (less stuff = less money) but I think the fun of 1/6 figures is that you have the option to create many different looks within just one figure. Or if you are extra crazy you can buy multiples (like people did with the T-1000) and create a lot of different figures on display.

And really anymore, the price point seems to be based more on what the figure is rather than what it comes with.

 

[Grosby]

It's better to have and not want than to not have and want, I think...

Many of the parts gathering dust in your boxes are probably permanent fixtures on the figures of other people, too, people have different and unpredictable needs and interests and I think the spare parts are given with that in mind. It's not like there's one absolute figure and the rest is just extra fluff - quite a few people seem to have their T-800 posed with the arm.

For me, I too find it a little bothersome to have "significant" spare parts, like an extra head, I feel like I should be putting it to use and building a second figure or something. Swapping things around every now and then is a nice option, and something I do with certain parts for variety's sake, but many figures feel so fragile/uncertain that to do so, to swap a head or a shirt, always feels like risking damage - a broken peg, a head or arm that's now stuck or just the time it takes to change simple things - and so for that reason I think most extras end up being kind of useless, I say that's the real problem.

I'm not sure extras really do impact the price, as the extras-heavy T-1000 was very cheap while at the same time you find many figures with very little going for quite high prices. Going by the T-1000, it seems like an extra head, guns, belts, shoes, etc, have next to no impact on pricing. Maybe on occasion they might use extras to justify a high price but it really seems that such extras don't actually have much impact on the production cost when you look at something like the T-1000.

I actually would guess that more often the situation is that they already have to charge a high price (or feel they have to), like with the T-800, and they throw in the extras to try to make up for that, rather than throwing in the extras to increase the price...

 

[dominishin]

Second headsculpts become a catch 22 for me. In some ways I want it, but I also hate being tempted in buying another figure to display it. Not using makes it feel like a waste.

 

[RagingBull]

I'm one of them who kinda like's to display my figures with a certain scene in mind from the film there in, so sometimes I don't hardly use any but one of the things I love about this hobby is when you first recive your parcel, is to explore the accessories & especially with HT admire how much effort & detail have gone in to them. Also sometimes they can come in handy later down the line, like for example I've just used a pair of Blades gloves on my T800 for the Gatling Gun look. I just think accessories are one of the main reasons why 1/6 figures are fun & how you can make your figure feel unique.

 

[Lejuan]

Somewhere down the line my grandkids or great grandkids will be going through my stuff and they'll be grateful I kept the OC Bats Bruce Wayne head. Then they will sell it on ebay and buy themselves a truck load of candy. At this point I will be glad I'm dead.

 

[cokebabies]

Second headsculpts become a catch 22 for me. In some ways I want it, but I also hate being tempted in buying another figure to display it. Not using makes it feel like a waste.

I've also never been a fan of displaying the second head sculpt next to the actual figure... just looks weird.

Maybe if HT sold those head stands they use in the promo shots, that idea might work better.

 

[Lejuan]

Maybe if HT sold those head stands they use in the promo shots, that idea might work better.

That's a cool idea! I did see someone who had all their heads displayed on some sort of rack, but I can't think of where I saw it -might've been one of the Batman threads.

I'm renovating in October and I finally get my own office. I was going to build some custom shelves for my figs, but while I'm at it I might think of some way to display my extra heads too. Don't know about the other accessories though. I mean, whaddya do with a box of roses and donuts?

 

[Cheungkinmen]

It'll be awesome if, without a huge amount of extra cash, you could build another figure with the accessories, I also have a lot of useless parts on my boxes, not gonna use them any more.

 

[toylion]

I've also never been a fan of displaying the second head sculpt next to the actual figure... just looks weird.

Maybe if HT sold those head stands they use in the promo shots, that idea might work better.

Those so called head stand are just Cotswold Y Stands. I use them all the time to display my accessories.

 

[DPrime]

I like accessories - it's all about the options.

But there is a limit. Considering the price of that upcoming DX Indiana Jones figure, did we need THAT many accessories? I don't think so.

 

[DPrime]

Darn double post...

 

[abake]

It's better to have and not want than to not have and want, I think...

Many of the parts gathering dust in your boxes are probably permanent fixtures on the figures of other people, too, people have different and unpredictable needs and interests and I think the spare parts are given with that in mind. It's not like there's one absolute figure and the rest is just extra fluff - quite a few people seem to have their T-800 posed with the arm.

For me, I too find it a little bothersome to have "significant" spare parts, like an extra head, I feel like I should be putting it to use and building a second figure or something. Swapping things around every now and then is a nice option, and something I do with certain parts for variety's sake, but many figures feel so fragile/uncertain that to do so, to swap a head or a shirt, always feels like risking damage - a broken peg, a head or arm that's now stuck or just the time it takes to change simple things - and so for that reason I think most extras end up being kind of useless, I say that's the real problem.

I'm not sure extras really do impact the price, as the extras-heavy T-1000 was very cheap while at the same time you find many figures with very little going for quite high prices. Going by the T-1000, it seems like an extra head, guns, belts, shoes, etc, have next to no impact on pricing. Maybe on occasion they might use extras to justify a high price but it really seems that such extras don't actually have much impact on the production cost when you look at something like the T-1000.

I actually would guess that more often the situation is that they already have to charge a high price (or feel they have to), like with the T-800, and they throw in the extras to try to make up for that, rather than throwing in the extras to increase the price...

In the end, I think that sums it up pretty well.
I suppose that if I lived in the States or Europe I'd be selling most of that stuff off and getting some extra change for more figures...