An open letter to Sideshow from an upset customer

[thenammagazine]

Sure, but I shouldn't have to go through the hassle of driving 30 mins to go to UPS and wait weeks to get an exchange everytime I buy a figure and that is what I realistically would have to do! Customers should NOT have to do that.

Plus since all I've gotten on my last 5 orders was floppy figures, I don't even have faith the figure I get in return will not be floppy. Plus my boxes on my last few figures have all been ripped at the top flaps like someone already opened it before I got it which is weird...

It just seems Sideshow has really been declining on their quality over the last year and speaking out on it here seemed the best way to get my complaints in with all the rest so hopefully someone at Sideshow with see it and do something about it. Isn't that part of what the internet is for? I'm so sorry you felt compelled to click on my thread and have it upset you so.

Why the hell do you have to drive 30min to UPS? You can call them and they'll come to your house to pick it up. Sideshow emails you a return slip to print out and put on the box. Is that too much effort? A phone call and taping a label on a box? Really?! As to the wait, "weeks" is a bit eccentric unless you lag on sending the item back. I usually have a replacement within a standard work week.

As to the last 5 figures, I HIGHLY doubt that, unless you're being overly critical or have the world's worst luck. You're in the minority thinking Sideshow's quality has been declining. With each release, the quality is vastly improved over previous releases. This is totally present in the majority of posts here from freaks congratulating Sideshow on their progress. Are they HotToys? No. But neither are the prices.

 

[Wookiee Breath]

HT is the god of all things 1/6, they have the best bodies in the universe naturally. If you want a HT quality figure, you have to pay a HT quality price: usually $120 + shipping (for most HT figures). It's not fair to hold them to the same standards as Hot Toys when HT figures are much more expensive and much harder to get (if you didn't know you can't order from the HT website like you can with SS)

Or if you don't like SS, just buy some Medicom's instead. Except their bodies are too short (except in the case of the troopers) and constantly break at places like the shoulder and hip, and are proportioned more like a young teen body than an adult body. Oh yeah and did I mention they're twice as expensive as SS figures if you're lucky? (usually $180 + shipping if you find em for cheap). Also Medicoms have more cartoonish styling in almost every aspect (sculpt, paint and clothing).


So you're options are break apart the bodies and tighten them yourself; buy new HT bodies ($30 HT body + $90 SS figure = $120, same price as a HT figure); or just give up on the best Star Wars figures in existence and be all pissy at SS forever for giving you figures that didn't have Hot Toys quality bodies when their prices were way below what it costs for an actual Hot Toys figure, but no matter what,

STOP B1TCHING

seriously.

Not really true. Many Sideshow Star Wars figures are hitting the $120 mark. I have a ton of Hot Toys figures that cost around $150 and there is WAY more than $20 of difference in quality between them and a SSC figure.

I'm not _____ing as much as saying I wish they would get it together because I want a great 1:6 Star Wars collection and I don't want them to be made as junk. That's all.

It's a valid complaint because I only want SSC to get better and make the best SW line they can.

 

[thenammagazine]

Not really true. Many Sideshow Star Wars figures are hitting the $120 mark. I have a ton of Hot Toys figures that cost around $150 and there is WAY more than $20 of difference in quality between them and a SSC figure.

I'm not _____ing as much as saying I wish they would get it together because I want a great 1:6 Star Wars collection and I don't want them to be made as junk. That's all.

It's a valid complaint because I only want SSC to get better and make the best SW line they can.

Do you honestly think HotToys would only charge $120 for a Vader or Sandtrooper? That's totally naive. Likely they'd be pushing $180+ with LFL licensing. You're comparing a stacked release like a Sandtrooper to a barebones release like Billy. So use a fair comparison. The majority of Sideshow figures run on average about $90. HT's run at $150-$160. That's a 60% price increase. You should expect a 60% increase in quality from HT.

 

[Wookiee Breath]

Why the hell do you have to drive 30min to UPS? You can call them and they'll come to your house to pick it up. Sideshow emails you a return slip to print out and put on the box. Is that too much effort? A phone call and taping a label on a box? Really?!

As to the last 5 figures, I HIGHLY doubt that, unless you're being overly critical or have the world's worst luck. You're in the minority thinking Sideshow's quality has been declining. With each release, the quality is vastly improved over previous releases. This is totally present in the majority of posts here from freaks congratulating Sideshow on their progress. Are they HotToys? No. But neither are the prices.

Well it's hard when you work nights and are asleep during the day hours UPS uses to pick up. Regardless, it's just an uneccesary hassle I should be put through in the 1st place. And yes, my last 5 figures (Indy,Clone Obi-wan,OT Stormtrooper,Ep 2 clone trooper & the sandtrooper = 5) have all had floppy joints.

I think after getting my 5th crap figure in a row that can't hold a pose, I have the right to be angry and voice my displeasure.

 

[SpaceCrawler]

Wookiee Breath,

your gripes are COMPLETELY warranted. Glad you sent your email to Sideshow about it because I too am sick of the figures that I want being so poorly constructed that you have to spend an additional $30, minimum, to replace the body (not to mention fix the paint, etc).

Hopefully someone at Sideshow will listen, or they drop their prices to match their quality. I can go into Big Lots and pick up a nicely constructed Power Team figure with a ton of accessories for under $10. No reason why Sideshow can't improve quality AND lower the price.

Sean

 

[pixletwin]

Some people have reported that there is a screw you can tighten in the bodies (I know you shouldn't have to do that either etc...). I haven't even needed to try it, but it's an option you might want to consider.

 

[the dude person]

Not really true. Many Sideshow Star Wars figures are hitting the $120 mark. I have a ton of Hot Toys figures that cost around $150 and there is WAY more than $20 of difference in quality between them and a SSC figure.

I'm not _____ing as much as saying I wish they would get it together because I want a great 1:6 Star Wars collection and I don't want them to be made as junk. That's all.

It's a valid complaint because I only want SSC to get better and make the best SW line they can.

No, you are b1tching,when you start an entire sideshow hate thread to complain about floppy figures, it is b1tching.

And only Sandtroopers are hitting the "$120 mark", because in case you haven't noticed, not only do they require a full suit of plastic armor, but they also need an entire finely detailed backpack and also a pauldron. So all in all, they have a lot more stuff that has to be produced for each one than a regular Stormtrooper figure (which doesn't require weathering on parts of the armor like the Sandies do)

You are complaining about SS figures in the worst possible place:
a section of a forum dedicated to people who love SS Star Wars figures. We can't do anything but give you solutions to the problem and tell you to stop complaining.

I have to live on the BBI g3.5's for custom figures, and once I was gently posing it and the entire arm simply snapped clean off without any warning signs. Be thankful SS bodies are better than that.

 

[OSCORP]

Yes, completely warranted. Gone on for far to long without enough complaints directly to SS.

Good luck!

 

[Memnoch]

Well it's hard when you work nights and are asleep during the day hours UPS uses to pick up. Regardless, it's just an uneccesary hassle I should be put through in the 1st place. And yes, my last 5 figures (Indy,Clone Obi-wan,OT Stormtrooper,Ep 2 clone trooper & the sandtrooper = 5) have all had floppy joints.

I think after getting my 5th crap figure in a row that can't hold a pose, I have the right to be angry and voice my displeasure.

So out of those 5, one was the very first release of the body, and all the others are the armor body - NOT the Pro. As has been said, from most accounts the standard Pro is more than fine. I think you need to be more specific when addressing complaints.

 

[thenammagazine]

Well it's hard when you work nights and are asleep during the day hours UPS uses to pick up. Regardless, it's just an uneccesary hassle I should be put through in the 1st place. And yes, my last 5 figures (Indy,Clone Obi-wan,OT Stormtrooper,Ep 2 clone trooper & the sandtrooper = 5) have all had floppy joints.

I think after getting my 5th crap figure in a row that can't hold a pose, I have the right to be angry and voice my displeasure.

I'm not saying you don't. You just picked the wrong venue. Take it to Sideshow. If it bothers you that much, send them back for a full refund case closed. Nobody's putting a gun to your head and forcing you to buy these things and you have a money-back guarantee. If you get a roach in your food at a diner, do you just finish it and whine about it to everyone else? Or do you address it with the manager, get a refund and make the decision never to eat there again? Why should sideshow be held to a different standard?

Gone on for far to long without enough complaints directly to SS.

Good luck!

 

[Kibishii]

Looks like we're both ____ed.

Welcome back Nam, these boards were not the same without you.

I thought the general consensus was that the joint issue was getting better, anyway.

To be fair, I only buy the Sideshow GI Joe and don't collect many 1/6th, so I don't know about all 1/6th lines. It seems to me that the joint issues have gotten better. My Snake-Eyes has VERY loose arm joints and one of his leg joints. All of the figures after that have been very tight. I was under the impression that Sideshow knew about the problem and was working to resolve it.

I have no problem with people voicing complaints, but do it in the appropriate thread (ASK SIDESHOW) and DON'T make some long-winded whine fest where you threaten to stop buying altogether. You are just going to get flamed for that... unless you are complaining about Sideshow's servers crashing, then it is ok.

 

[FLOSI]

I enjoy tuna sandwiches and a hot bowl of soup on a rainy day.

 

[Wookiee Breath]

Do you honestly think HotToys would only charge $120 for a Vader or Sandtrooper? That's totally naive. Likely they'd be pushing $180+ with LFL licensing. You're comparing a stacked release like a Sandtrooper to a barebones release like Billy. So use a fair comparison. The majority of Sideshow figures run on average about $90. HT's run at $150-$160. That's a 60% price increase. You should expect a 60% increase in quality from HT.

Look man, it doesn't matter if it's a $20 Hasbro 12" figure, it should not have floppy joints. We're not talking about whether it's made with the detail of HT Iron Man's Mark 1 or if it's SSC Princess Leia in her plain white dress, the BODY of the Sideshow figures is a piece of junk!

The fact that the quality control of SSC is knowingly releasing these defective figures and not caring is unbelievable to me. I wish someone from Sideshow had the guts to explain to me why this is....

 

[Memnoch]

Ohh I love hyperbole. Defective? Methinks not. Also, like I said, try getting a figure that's actually on the Pro and a recent release like Lando, or Henry Jones Sr and they are fine. 4 of the 5 figures you have issue with are on the armor body and NOT the standard Pro.

 

[FQRizzo]

Hasn't this thread run its course yet?

 

[thenammagazine]

Look man, it doesn't matter if it's a $20 Hasbro 12" figure, it should not have floppy joints. We're not talking about whether it's made with the detail of HT Iron Man's Mark 1 or if it's SSC Princess Leia in her plain white dress, the BODY of the Sideshow figures is a piece of junk!

The fact that the quality control of SSC is knowingly releasing these defective figures and not caring is unbelievable to me. I wish someone from Sideshow had the guts to explain to me why this is....

I wish someone would have the guts to explain their issue to Sideshow. Look, it's a given that when a company releases a product with an ES in the THOUSANDS, that a handfull will have QC issues. It's considered "acceptable loss" as no company can be perfect. And to expect that is downright moronic. But here, we're talking about a company that's more than willing to send you a replacement at their cost and a very minor inconvenience to you.

 

[JacktheRipper]

I think posting subjects like this on these boards is fine. Sure most people on this board can't help, but it brings up the subject which brings up the talk and the issue is brought into the light; if there is one. Send an email to Sideshow, but bring it up here too. Many say take it to Sideshow, but in reality most just aren't proactive. We sit and wait for others to do something. Those that post to stop whining can just bypass these posts.

 

[Wookiee Breath]

Ohh I love hyperbole. Defective? Methinks not. Also, like I said, try getting a figure that's actually on the Pro and a recent release like Lando, or Henry Jones Sr and they are fine. 4 of the 5 figures you have issue with are on the armor body and NOT the standard Pro.

Does it really matter?

If a chair is made to sit in and you can't sit in it without it falling it's defective right? Well what are these figures made for if they can't be posed?


You seem to be trying to be an apologist for Sideshow and trying to justify the problem but there is no way to defend them in this case.


I don't care if it's an armored figure or an naked man, they won't pose because they are too floppy. I have a Hot Toys Hellboy,all of HT Iron Man line and all of the HT Dark Knight line including the Batmobile and Batpod. Pretty varied lot of figures right? Lots of different manufacturing and engineering in making them. Well that doesn't matter because they all can be posed and don't have floppy limbs.

You cannot justify Sideshow by saying "oh, well that was the armored body and not the pro,etc,etc..." because ALL of their figures should be well made enough for $100 or even $80 that they frickin stand up and can be posed with floppy heads,arms and legs!


There's just no excuse for it and it's a bummer because I so wanted SSC to do a great job on their Star Wars line & and I'm hoping they get it back together. Plus I did email them about it and hope others here do too. From what I've read on these forums, the large majority of SW figures people are getting have floppy limbs so I'd say it's more of a widespread problem then some of you make out.

 

[thenammagazine]

I think posting subjects like this on these boards is fine. Sure most people on this board can't help, but it brings up the subject which brings up the talk and the issue is brought into the light; if there is one. Send an email to Sideshow, but bring it up here too. Many say take it to Sideshow, but in reality most just aren't proactive. We sit and wait for others to do something. Those that post to stop whining can just bypass these posts.

Or better yet, instead of whining here, those with issues can take them directly to Sideshow by calling and emailing so they can actually address an issue if there is one instead of their common statements about, "We're not aware there's a problem."

 

[thenammagazine]

Does it really matter? If a chair is made to sit in and you can't sit in it without it falling it's defective right? Well what are these figures made for if they can't be posed? You seem to be trying to be an apologist for Sideshow and trying to justify the problem but there is no way to defend them in this case.

I don't care if it's an armored figure or an naked man, they won't pose because they are too floppy. I have a Hot Toys Hellboy,all of HT Iron Man line and all of the HT Dark Knight line including the Batmobile and Batpod. Pretty varied lot of figures right? Lots of different manufacturing and engineering in making them. Well that doesn't matter because they all can be posed and don't have floppy limbs.

You cannot justify Sideshow by saying "oh, well that was the armored body and not the pro,etc,etc..." because ALL of their figures should be well made enough for $100 or even $80 that they frickin stand up and can be posed with floppy heads,arms and legs!


There's just no excuse for it and it's a bummer because I so wanted SSC to do a great job on their Star Wars line & and I'm hoping they get it back together.

well, again...

Look, it's a given that when a company releases a product with an ES in the THOUSANDS, that a handfull will have QC issues. It's considered "acceptable loss" as no company can be perfect. And to expect that is downright moronic. But here, we're talking about a company that's more than willing to send you a replacement at their cost and a very minor inconvenience to you.