Premium Format Christian Bale Batman Premium Format

[afattori]

My apologies dude, thought you meant anyone other than yourself.

Yeah it's quite annoying as it's a rather cool looking piece.

No worries. Still waiting to hear from SS. Really sucks when QC issues happen. I really love the figure, just sucks when there is an issue, kinda takes the air out of the joy of getting it. Been lucky so far though, this has been only my second issue from SS.

 

[Darkavatar]

No worries. Still waiting to hear from SS. Really sucks when QC issues happen. I really love the figure, just sucks when there is an issue, kinda takes the air out of the joy of getting it.

Yeah when the nose was chipped off mine I wanted to just send the whole statue back, it just gives you a bad taste in your mouth when things go so wrong.

Been lucky so far though, this has been only my second issue from SS.

Yeah same here, really concerned about buying these pieces blindly now. Although some pieces like their Horror statues seem be less likely to have QC issues, so you never know.

 

[afattori]

Received a reply from SS. They of course said a replacement is not possible since exclusive wait listed, I was offered a $40 credit. I then called SS and rep said I could not just get a new body because each is unique to each base and if new one sent, would not fit my base. I call bs on that, and not happy with a $40 credit. When I had one light not working on bat armory with Alfred and Bale, I was given a $60 credit. Of course jumped on that one. What's your thoughts guys? I emailed SS back the following

I understand that the exclusive is not available, and I do not want to return the exclusive, but as the figure stands, it is a defect that is difficult to over look.

I have spent thousands of dollars over the past couple years with Sideshow and I have had only a couple issues which were taken care of to my satisfaction.

It will cost me more than $40 to have someone fix the gap. I love the figure and your products, but is there any other options available for me other than a $40 credit?

I just need a replacement body because as of now I am not sure if the body is warped and if it can be repaired. Sadly returning it is not an option because the exclusive is a must have for me, and if returned then someone else will have the same issue as I.

I hope we can come to a resolution that is acceptable for both of us. Thank you for your help and time.

Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[dw316]

Received a reply from SS. They of course said a replacement is not possible since exclusive wait listed, I was offered a $40 credit. I then called SS and rep said I could not just get a new body because each is unique to each base and if new one sent, would not fit my base. I call bs on that, and not happy with a $40 credit. When I had one light not working on bat armory with Alfred and Bale, I was given a $60 credit. Of course jumped on that one. What's your thoughts guys? I emailed SS back the following

I understand that the exclusive is not available, and I do not want to return the exclusive, but as the figure stands, it is a defect that is difficult to over look.

I have spent thousands of dollars over the past couple years with Sideshow and I have had only a couple issues which were taken care of to my satisfaction.

It will cost me more than $40 to have someone fix the gap. I love the figure and your products, but is there any other options available for me other than a $40 credit?

I just need a replacement body because as of now I am not sure if the body is warped and if it can be repaired. Sadly returning it is not an option because the exclusive is a must have for me, and if returned then someone else will have the same issue as I.

I hope we can come to a resolution that is acceptable for both of us. Thank you for your help and time.

Appreciate your thoughts.

It's true about that, the base being unique to each statue. I tried putting an EX statue on a REG base before and it would not fit in flush, you'd probably have to sand it down or mod it, but that was just one incident. Just figured it might be similar with others, but your situation does suck. They should have some kind of QC check with every piece to make sure everything fits and looks great, no defects, etc. It's weird that that is because you would think they check that the statue fits perfectly on the base if each is unique to make sure they didn't accidentally switch things. I've practically given up on Sideshow statues with all the QC issues they've been having lately with a lot of their products that I actually had interest. I think I'm investing in Prime 1 from now on, even though I haven't owned one yet, but everyone seems to have no issues, or one that customer service has fixed with no problem.

 

[afattori]

It's true about that, the base being unique to each statue. I tried putting an EX statue on a REG base before and it would not fit in flush, you'd probably have to sand it down or mod it, but that was just one incident. Just figured it might be similar with others, but your situation does suck. They should have some kind of QC check with every piece to make sure everything fits and looks great, no defects, etc. It's weird that that is because you would think they check that the statue fits perfectly on the base if each is unique to make sure they didn't accidentally switch things. I've practically given up on Sideshow statues with all the QC issues they've been having lately with a lot of their products that I actually had interest. I think I'm investing in Prime 1 from now on, even though I haven't owned one yet, but everyone seems to have no issues, or one that customer service has fixed with no problem.

You would think they would check and make sure it fits. But what can you do. Thanks for confirming the production statement on how each is casted for a particular base. They offered me a $50 credit which I accepted. I paid $444 shipped and used $412 in rewards points. SS rep said hopefully in time gravity will set in and bring the foot closer to the base. Also said about hair dryer trick. No way attempting that, don't need a warped or melted suit. Even if low setting, not chancing it. Applied the $50 towards my Afleck Batman exclusive premium format to reduce sticker shock.

 

[SammyG]

... each is unique to each base

It's true about that, the base being unique to each statue...

I, quite honestly, have no idea how these pieces are made in the factory. But given how mass produced these pieces are, there is no feasible way for me to comprehend how each statue can be unique to a base. Especially given the number of pieces that show up with improper fit. If each is unique to a base, and test fitted, then we would not have seen the issues that showed up, albeit infrequently, with this piece nor the Comic Bats with feet not sitting flush... unless there is something causing warping, like heat/cool cycles, but it would have to be a significant change in temperature to relax a resin.

Irrespective of how these are "fit", pics of production from other companies show statues lined up on their respective bases, so clearly, gaps like these should have been caught. Most likely a QC failure, over some thermal relaxation event. But what do I know...

 

[dw316]

I have no clue about it as well, all I know is I tried putting an EX statue on a REG base and vice versa, and it would not fit. I don't know how EX on EX or REG on REG would be, but since the EX for Bale is waitlisted, I just wanted to note my experience and that there's a possibility that the same could happen if he were to get a REG body replacement to go in the EX base, but it's not a given. I'm just stating that the swap didn't work out when I tried it on another statue. Not sure if that is the reason why Sideshow wouldn't offer a REG replacement body to begin with rather than the monetary refund, just saying it could be.

 

[SammyG]

I have no clue about it as well, all I know is I tried putting an EX statue on a REG base and vice versa, and it would not fit. I don't know how EX on EX or REG on REG would be, but since the EX for Bale is waitlisted, I just wanted to note my experience and that there's a possibility that the same could happen if he were to get a REG body replacement to go in the EX base, but it's not a given. I'm just stating that the swap didn't work out when I tried it on another statue. Not sure if that is the reason why Sideshow wouldn't offer a REG replacement body to begin with rather than the monetary refund, just saying it could be.

I totally appreciate that it didn't work in your situation, and your point is well-taken. I've never swapped on a base before, so it may very well be the truth that they do some finagling of the piece when the resin is not totally set to ensure a proper fit.

Also, I realize that my previous argument about thermal relaxation events might be incorrect IF a hair dryer set to low heat can sufficiently relax their polymer enough to settle. If that is the case, then I would argue that they're using a far too plasticized mix. But I'm just a scientist... not [yet] a statue producer.

 

[afattori]

I totally appreciate that it didn't work in your situation, and your point is well-taken. I've never swapped on a base before, so it may very well be the truth that they do some finagling of the piece when the resin is not totally set to ensure a proper fit.

Also, I realize that my previous argument about thermal relaxation events might be incorrect IF a hair dryer set to low heat can sufficiently relax their polymer enough to settle. If that is the case, then I would argue that they're using a far too plasticized mix. But I'm just a scientist... not [yet] a statue producer.

Have to agree with SammyG on this one. Sucks I have to either let gravity fix it or a hair dryer. For a near $500 price you would at least expect it to seat well in and on the base. $50 credit helps, but would rather have a good premium format figure that doesn't have a floating boot.

 

[xpl0sive]

Personally I would have sent it back, but then again I never cared for the Ex on this piece so it wouldn't have bothered me to get a reg. Can understand if you really wanted the Ex though.

In saying that, there is a chance with time that gravity can pull the statue closer to the base. I noticed with mine, when I first put it in the base, the gap was huge. I let it sit there for a bit and it did drop some, but not all the way.

 

[afattori]

Personally I would have sent it back, but then again I never cared for the Ex on this piece so it wouldn't have bothered me to get a reg. Can understand if you really wanted the Ex though.

In saying that, there is a chance with time that gravity can pull the statue closer to the base. I noticed with mine, when I first put it in the base, the gap was huge. I let it sit there for a bit and it did drop some, but not all the way.

Thanks for adding your experience. Hopefully gravity will help and maybe some dremmel work on the front foot. The e exclusive sonar head is pretty awesome looking, especially in person. Worth a gap and a $50 credit, I hope at least.

 

[xpl0sive]

Thanks for adding your experience. Hopefully gravity will help and maybe some dremmel work on the front foot. The e exclusive sonar head is pretty awesome looking, especially in person. Worth a gap and a $50 credit, I hope at least.

Yeah I've heard the sonar head looks great in person, it's just not the head I would normally display with this, even if I had it. I just prefer the regular head and I usually don't bother swapping out parts on my statues. I choose the sculpt I prefer and the other one stays in the box.

The hairdryer option is actually not bad. I remember my Dutch Premium Format developed a bent barrel on the gun after sitting in my cupboard for some time (assuming from heat maybe?). To fix, I just heated it up with a hairdryer so it went soft, moved it straight and held it in place for 10 seconds while it cooled down.

Not sure if this would work well on Polystone, but doubt it would hurt it.

 

[afattori]

Yeah I've heard the sonar head looks great in person, it's just not the head I would normally display with this, even if I had it. I just prefer the regular head and I usually don't bother swapping out parts on my statues. I choose the sculpt I prefer and the other one stays in the box.

The hairdryer option is actually not bad. I remember my Dutch Premium Format developed a bent barrel on the gun after sitting in my cupboard for some time (assuming from heat maybe?). To fix, I just heated it up with a hairdryer so it went soft, moved it straight and held it in place for 10 seconds while it cooled down.

Not sure if this would work well on Polystone, but doubt it would hurt it.

What kind of crappy polystone did SS use that a hair dryer on low can cause you to bend it? Don't store your premium format figures in an attic.

 

[xpl0sive]

What kind of crappy polystone did SS use that a hair dryer on low can cause you to bend it? Don't store your premium format figures in an attic.

Nah that part was plastic, so a bit of heat makes it pliable.

 

[afattori]

Nah that part was plastic, so a bit of heat makes it pliable.

Thanks!

 

[LOTRfan85]

Put my order in for this piece, missed out on the Ex, but was always going to display him in this form, defiantly adding the Joker to display them having that standoff

 

[epitaph04]

What kind of crappy polystone did SS use that a hair dryer on low can cause you to bend it? Don't store your premium format figures in an attic.

Oh psh. Polystone = plastic, basically. A lot of statues have really soft pieces so they don't break, and are easily pliable with a bit of heat.

 

[xpl0sive]

Yep. Also strangely enough, I picked up the old Terminator 1 Premium Format today second hand, and noticed it has the exact same problem as my Batman lol, with the back leg hovering over the base. It's not as bad as my batman though, only a few mm. I noticed if I pushed down on it, I could get it to touch the base. I showed pics to a guy who repairs statues and was told a hair dryer should fix it. Heat around the hip area and the leg should come down.

Just thought I'd pass this on afattori, in case it helps.

 

[afattori]

Yep. Also strangely enough, I picked up the old Terminator 1 Premium Format today second hand, and noticed it has the exact same problem as my Batman lol, with the back leg hovering over the base. It's not as bad as my batman though, only a few mm. I noticed if I pushed down on it, I could get it to touch the base. I showed pics to a guy who repairs statues and was told a hair dryer should fix it. Heat around the hip area and the leg should come down.

Just thought I'd pass this on afattori, in case it helps.

Thanks brother for the tip. Definitely will try the hair dryer on it. Sad we have to though. Appreciate it!

 

[xpl0sive]

Thanks brother for the tip. Definitely will try the hair dryer on it. Sad we have to though. Appreciate it!

No worries man, hope it helps. From what I was told, the instructions were to take your time with it, don't rush it, just let it do it's thing and it should eventually come down. I would imagine using too much heat too quickly might have an adverse affect.

You're right that it's sad we gotta fix our own statues, but what can you do really. These are mass produced collectibles and it'll be hard to find a perfect one. You'll always find flaws if you look hard enough. Granted, some of them are deal breakers, such as are statue not fitting into the base correctly lol.

I would imagine a fair few of these make their way back to Sideshow and they simply repair them rather than throw them away. With enough care, lots of things can be repaired without you even noticing. I'm willing to bet that some even get repaired in the factory during QC and simply get shipped out as per usual afterwards.