Big Chief Studios: Peaky Blinders 1/6 figures

[Victοr]

That's what happens when a small operation takes on too much.

People lose interest, cancel the orders and move on to the next thing.

In my case it's not that I've lost interest per se, it's that their PO model needs work. When other places require a 20-60 € deposit, and offer 15€/month installments, while BCS charges you a 70£ deposit, then asks for 60£ per month, right here and now, for a figure that might not yet release for 2 years, then it's hard to commit. Tommeh I POed with just a deposit, so I'm relatively okay with waiting. But these new Doctors they have are a pain in the arse to schedule.

 

[pophoody]

That's what happens when a small operation takes on too much.

People lose interest, cancel the orders and move on to the next thing.

BCS will extend all prices for the WHO definitive series for a whole year if you email them to ask. They’ve done it for me.

FYI, they’ve just put up 1:12 Peaky Blinders figures in case anyone buys the smaller stuff.

 

[VincentVegaFFF]

Big Chief:
Dear Customer,
It has been a while since our last production email and we know that you guys are well overdue an update. We have heard you and you are not being ignored, we promise you.
So why are the products taking so long?
When can you expect the next pre-ordered items?
What will the next pre-order figure(s) be and what date will the pre-order commence?
All perfectly reasonable questions. So let me do my best to answer them…
So why are the products taking so long?
As I feel sure many of you know manufacturing across numerous industries is still very much suffering from the effects of the global pandemic. The multitude of knock-on problems have ranged from supply chain constraints, governmental restrictions on energy usage, labour issues, increases in material costs, vastly increased freight charges and ongoing lockdowns in China.
More excuses I hear you cry. Fact is the effects of COVID 19 are still very much a reality for most companies, including tech giants who are unable to secure sufficient chipsets for their computers, smart devices and game consoles; even the car industry is struggling. The Chinese government’s zero-COVID policy is according to WHO (World Health Organisation), not sustainable and is creating more problems than solving them.
For many this is difficult to accept given that here in the UK we are largely through the worst effects of the virus and life has all but returned to normal. So, it is understandable that people will question the validity of apportioning blame, but the simple truth is there for anyone who watches the news.
Throughout the latter half of 2021 when our vendors should have been completing our James Bond Dr. No and Flash Gordon figures, the factory was reduced to operating to only two working days a week due to restricted access to energy. This resulted in extending the production lead-times even further, eventually completing the goods just prior to Chinese New Year only this year.
Our figures are manufactured at a factory that also produces figures for several other sixth scale companies including industry leaders Hot Toys. Any delay will result in a knock-on effect to not only Big Chief’s, but also other companies’ production schedules. It stands to reason those losses suffered by vendors need to be covered as quickly as possible, meaning the factory prioritises larger production runs over smaller volume orders. Niche brands such as our licenses inevitably suffer.
Coupled with yet more delays due to local lockdowns, only last month our factory was forced to closed their doors for a week, due to an outbreak of COVID in their area.
When can you expect the next pre-ordered items?
We know how eager you all are to receive your collectables. I promise you no one is keener to deliver our products than the Big Chief team. We are not happy about increased delays and having to go into detail about the issues we face.
Our vendors are currently working on the following figures…
Peaky Blinders Tommy Shelby
Peaky Blinders Arthur Shelby
Laurel & Hardy Stand Laurel and Oliver Hardy Box Set
Doctor Who Fourth Doctor Definitive Series
Space 1999 Commander John Koenig
The next figures due for release will be the Peaky Blinders, with the Fourth Doctor and Commander Koenig following shortly after. Tommy and Arthur are on track to be shipped by the end of August. Stan and Ollie shipping by the end of November, with the Fourth Doctor and Koenig by the end of December. The Gerry Anderson figures will follow Chinese New Year in 2023.
I have included several pre-production images showing costumes and first shots. Please bear in mind that these are not final and should not be judged as final by any means. Rather more I wanted to show you that production is very much underway, albeit at different stages.
What will the next pre-order figure(s) be and what date will the pre-order commence?
Simply put we are holding off on any new sixth scale pre-orders for the time being, preferring to concentrate our efforts on production and to clear as much of the backlog as possible. We understand how frustrating it is for customers having to wait, only to receive news of further delays. We can only apologise and assure you that we are working to deliver your products as quickly as we can.
Yours sincerely
Mark and the Big Chief Team

 

[Victοr]

Hey, finally, updates. They look fine I guess, I'll need to see them ironed out and put on a body. Arthur's looks better than Tommy's, but I only have the latter on PO. They look better than the Bond ones at least. Well, let's hope they do start shipping by the end of August like they're saying, but I doubt it. If I have them in hand by the end of the year I'll be happy...

I have to say though, seeing the molded parts reminds me of WH40K miniatures and it kinda ruins the illusion of the 500€ (with taxes and shipping I'll end up paying at least that, maybe more) high-end figure.

 

[Bilbo Skywalker]

Ha I just took screenshots to post this as well!

I thought the same victor. Tommy’s clothes don’t look as great but the Tommy sculpt is spot on! The promo pics didn’t do it any justice.

August can’t come soon enough.

 

[Victοr]

Ha I just took screenshots to post this as well!

I thought the same victor. Tommy’s clothes don’t look as great but the Tommy sculpt is spot on! The promo pics didn’t do it any justice.

August can’t come soon enough.

Maybe with some tightening, fudging and creative posing he'll look good on the shelf. It's the painting that worries me now, but I have hope. This will cost me half a grand, it better be good.

 

[matrix69]

Lets hope that the tailoring is a big improvement from their Dr NO Bond releases

 

[Bilbo Skywalker]

Maybe with some tightening, fudging and creative posing he'll look good on the shelf. It's the painting that worries me now, but I have hope. This will cost me half a grand, it better be

yeah I’m sure the outfit can be futzed. I haven’t followed their other releases and this doesn’t fit in my collection, at all. Just love the show.

 

[Victοr]

yeah I’m sure the outfit can be futzed. I haven’t followed their other releases and this doesn’t fit in my collection, at all. Just love the show.

I have some of their Doctors and they're alright. I'll be posing my Tommeh with my DAM Godfather. I had an idea to merge NolanBats (have IA Joker on PO, cancelled the DX19 and waiting to PO the IA Bale, and hoping for a Ras), Gangsters (have Vito and Tommy, I'd only need a Pacino and DeNiro from Godfather if they make them) and some extras (Bateman whom I've POed and I hope Iconiq pulls it off, plus a Snyderverse Deathstroke, a Watchmen Ozymandias and a Mads Hannibal if they ever get around to making any of these). It's sort of a Crime Film type of shelf I suppose. In recent times I'm cutting down and trying to organise everything in smaller sub-groups. If a figure doesn't fit anywhere, it goes. If I have a set number and a specific case in mind, I trim the fat to keep it contained. This Crime Shelf I'm describing now used to be much bigger, in theory always as many figures were just wishlisting, but I trimmed it to just the ones I mentioned.

Anyway, I don't much care for the show these days, and I was watching since S1, but I still liked Tommeh enough as a character. I also like suited figures, I think they play to the scale's strengths. It was the Signature edition that made it a bit more worth it to me. Either way, I hope it'll turn out good because it's going to cost me a lot considering the price is in pounds and I'll have to pay taxes and shipping too.

 

[AviMiz97]

Any news acout release time?

 

[abake]

Did BCS go the way of the Dodo? They're not doing Bond anymore, are they?

 

[dantes2501]

Any news acout release time?

Last update was mid June:

The next figures due for release will be the Peaky Blinders, with the Fourth Doctor and Commander Koenig following shortly after. Tommy and Arthur are on track to be shipped by the end of August. Stan and Ollie shipping by the end of November, with the Fourth Doctor and Koenig by the end of December. The Gerry Anderson figures will follow Chinese New Year in 2023.

 

[stealthgreekgamer]

Production pics

 

[dantes2501]

In some shots the heads look huge compared to the bodies. Guess they are closeups taken with a mobile phone. Also the super harsh light doesn’t help the sculpts, which looks washed out. But especially Arthur’s look great to me.

 

[Gipetto0812]

not bad but not sure they're worth nearly $300 though. Thomas' overcoat looks a little tight at the shoulders. Paint on the eyes look really good but the lighting really washes out any detail in the sculpts. Love the box art

 

[Victοr]

Good enough. I can definitely tell that's Tommeh, even though Arthur edges him a bit. The light does wash out the painting as others have said, so I imagine it'll look better in person. Worth the money? Dunno, it'll cost me ~500€ when it's all said and done. That's the price of a rooted InArt. And InArt already said that they went after the license, so who says they won't try again in 6 years? Thing is, will the show still be popular enough for them to try again? There is the movie still to come out. Maybe Tommeh will have a new look then and I'll be able to justify a second IA figure if it happens. Whatever, I'll probably keep my PO, since I got the signature edition.

All in all, they turned out better than I feared.

 

[abake]

The clothes look amazing, but there's a definite lack of finesse in the futzing department. Either that, or the bodies they are using are crap.
Hopefully there will be better in hand pics soon.

 

[dantes2501]

The clothes look amazing, but there's a definite lack of finesse in the futzing department. Either that, or the bodies they are using are crap.
Hopefully there will be better in hand pics soon.

It kind of looks like the bodies are extremely thin.

Not the best pictures to judge. The light is so bright that the black synthetic fabric is reflecting it.

 

[abake]

It kind of looks like the bodies are extremely thin.

Not the best pictures to judge. The light is so bright that the black synthetic fabric is reflecting it.

Yeah, they remind me of the old Sideshow "Buck". Maybe they went with very thin bodies to try to offset the bulky layered clothing?

 

[Gipetto0812]

Yeah, they remind me of the old Sideshow "Buck". Maybe they went with very thin bodies to try to offset the bulky layered clothing?

While the bodies they use are a little on the thin side, it's more about how narrow the bodies have made the shoulders. it's almost like they have no clavicle bones and then to make it worse, the factory tailors the clothing tightly to that very narrow shoulder width, so you don't really get the proper width that a suit jacket and overcoat should have in real life. Same thing has happened with the Sean Connery Bond figures.