EXO-6 Star Trek "General Discussion" 1/6 Line

[Johnny Utah]

It was Bugs Bunny. Not my detective work, it was figured out by a fellow member.

 

[jal76]

It started when I said Discovery sucked and he took that as an insult to his staff, something he still gets sore about today

Good. Because it's ******* AWFUL.

Well that is a little weird…but case in point about criticism…I’m a life long Star Trek fan and I think Discovery is awesome! Literally just started a rewatch with my wife of the entire series today…so there you go…no disrespect to you, but if you were to provide me with criticism of something that I created, but prefaced it by sharing that something that I absolutely LOVE…Discovery…”sucks,” then I am not sure that I could take further value from your criticism.
Not to say that it would be invalid, because everyone is entitled to their own opinions, it simply would have no value to me because our criteria for quality would obviously be too far apart…(please don’t take the bait and make a predictable snarky quip about how terrible Discovery is, because I believe you are better than that).

 

[Johnny Utah]

I'm a 90s Trek purist. It's only getting great again with SNW and Picard s3 which is seriously amazing.

I love the KTL as well. But the less said about Discovery the better.

 

[Mike86]

The 90s are when I became a Star Trek fan. Ironically though I more watched a lot of TOS and the movies as a kid. Then I had a bunch of the Playmates toys. I got into TNG too but for a long time Kirk was my captain. I might give the edge to Picard now.

 

[Kebron]

It started when I said Discovery sucked and he took that as an insult to his staff, something he still gets sore about today

Good. Because it's ******* AWFUL.

It wasn't just you. He took alot of hits from people over making Discovery figures. People who don't like Discovery tend to overreact with their hatred for it.

 

[Pauln6a]

It wasn't just you. He took alot of hits from people over making Discovery figures. People who don't like Discovery tend to overreact with their hatred for it.

That's an understatement. Much of the show is very silly but I don't really understand why some people feel that if they shout loud enough and often enough they can make the actors miserable and bring the show down, or at least take credit for the show ending. I suppose for some people that mission extends to any merchandise that might in some way validate the show.

Dissection of the silliness in the shows and movies is something we've been able to enjoy since TOS but it was good-natured ribbing. I suppose it's up to the actors and producers to decide how much they want to engage with the less good-natured kind of criticism.

I personally feel that the birth of Strange New Worlds showed that we can get better results with positive feedback. Nothing that I'm seeing on the forums so far has led me to change that view. In fact, people providing strenuous negative feedback seem even less happy now than they were at the start, whereas I'm happy going with the flow, purchasing whichever figures I want, when they become available.

Nothing like most of these are going to come up again (Unless you are young enough to live to the 75th anniversary). Make the most of it or don't. You'll still have your Playmates or Diamond Select or Mego if you decide not to go for these after all.

 

[Supes78/Bats89]

You'll still have your Playmates or Diamond Select or Mego if you decide not to go for these after all.

I don't recall Playmates, DST, Mego, Eaglemoss, or Super7 coming with the insults, superiority complex, and grating attitude. Funny how other manufacturers are able to show product previews and updates (while asking for your hard-earned money) without all of that.

 

[Pauln6a]

I don't recall Playmates, DST, Mego, Eaglemoss, or Super7 coming with the insults, superiority complex, and grating attitude. Funny how other manufacturers are able to show product previews and updates (while asking for your hard-earned money) without all of that.

I guess people get more insulting as the price point goes up. I definitely recall some negativity surrounding Diamond Select but I suppose they only ever engaged with their critics in those Q&A sessions where they chose the questions. Playmates were largely pre-social media so people just complained down the pub.

 

[HAL9000.]

It wasn't just you. He took alot of hits from people over making Discovery figures. People who don't like Discovery tend to overreact with their hatred for it.

I'm going to take the bait and ask again: where is all the hate? All I see is the odd small critisim on FB etc, a rude idiot or two now and again, which he'll jump on and tell them why they're wrong. Most people love and appreciate what he's doing. We want these figures.

Universal acclaim is absolutely impossible in any job, and given the passion for Trek, he gets off very lightly, considering he's constantly posting prototypes.

Nanjin has the same issues a lot of creative types have. I see a lot of similarities between him and Gene Roddenberry, actually. Remember, for instance, when Roddenberry was pissed about the script for Wrath Of Khan, and went around conventions telling fans they were going to kill off Spock?

He was a great creative genius, but also a pain in the ass. I see s lot of the same issues with Nanjin.

It's not about being creative. That's not a fair statement. It's in all tyes of people, all walks of life, but stands out more in the creative/entertainment industry because they have a platform.

Here's my take: I have to deal with narcissism in my job, a lot, to varying degrees up to extreme levels, and that's all it is. Nothing has changed over the years, like some people have said, hasn't gotten worse, but now there's an outlet, a platform to shout from, and a lot more eyes, which makes it seem that way. Behind the scenes, they're all the same. A narcissist's ego means they have to be front and center but they're thin-skinned, so only want to be told how great they're doing. They'll shout about donating to chairty/helping less fortunate, to get more acclaim/praise. The person they've helped will get constant reminders of how lucky they are for the rest of their days. Normal people help others and don't think twice about it. They also think everyone else is out to get them, and their fans need to act to stop the naysayers. Always the victim, despite their success. Plus they'll try and head-off any critisim by opening with that themselves and playing that victim roll to the fullest. Some people will always jump passionately to their defence, falling for the act, caring about that person's hurt/views which is what they're looking for.

It is what it is, and it's frustrating when you're a collector eager to see figures and get legit updates without all the drama.

 

[IndyDave]

This is gonna paint me as a Nanjin sock account, spy, apologist or whatever, but...

This forum needs to get over it's break up with Nanjin, lol. Y'all acting like crazy exes stalking his facebook page and looking for beef. Just let it go.


Hopefully this warp speed Exo-6 materializes soon. Would rather see discussion on the figures versus the man running the company.

Lol! Exactly! Each trying to tell the other what they need to change and both sides intractable—broken relationship dynamics for sure. Accept them for who they are or move on. They aren’t going to change. If you’re butt hurt, get over it. Life’s too short.

 

[HAL9000.]

Lol! Exactly! Each trying to tell the other what they need to change and both sides intractable—broken relationship dynamics for sure. Accept them for who they are or move on. They aren’t going to change. If you’re butt hurt, get over it. Life’s too short.

This is a forum. All views and opinions should be welcome and not used for telling other people how to behave (that's a moderator's job) or what to think.

 

[Kebron]

I'm going to take the bait and ask again: where is all the hate? All I see is the odd small critisim on FB etc, a rude idiot or two now and again, which he'll jump on and tell them why they're wrong. Most people love and appreciate what he's doing. We want these figures.

Universal acclaim is absolutely impossible in any job, and given the passion for Trek, he gets off very lightly, considering he's constantly posting prototypes.


.

Go to the FB posts last year over anything concerning the Discovery figures. You can even look back in this thread when Discovery is mentioned. It’s not just there. It’s on other FB pages where people post up pics of EXO6. Over on a TMP page people ripped apart the TMP Kirk figure from everything from likeness to price.

You are right Universal praise isn’t possible, but there is a difference between being nice about not liking something and being rude. Social media has way more rude and over the top negative reactions then not.

 

[Pauln6a]

This is a forum. All views and opinions should be welcome and not used for telling other people how to behave (that's a moderator's job) or what to think.

A few people put a lot of effort into telling Nanjin what he should think, or what he should say in response to what they think, but this is the nature of Internet discourse.

I'm not sure I have seen enough behaviour to qualify as narcissistic; myopic and obsessive perhaps, but he started with a plan and he's going for it. I think a good deal of his criticism is for QMX who squashed his original ideas and killed the line, letting fans down in the process. It may also be that he's now moving towards the more popular characters where sales are expected to be higher so he he feels he has some wriggle room to alienate some potential customers without harming his bottom line. They're his sales so I suppose that's his prerogative. Nobody is forced to buy anything after all. I've purchased 5 products so far. I dare say it doesn't feel great if you're one of those customers he doesn't mind alienating but what he cares about are the overall sales.

But if people feel alienated and don't want to buy his products because they believe his attitude towards them as an individual is unacceptable, then that's their prerogative. What's interesting is the way that plays out on a discussion forum for the products they have no intention of buying. It's a sort of hell hath no fury like a collector scorned mentality. I must shout about the way I have been wronged so that other people can see the injustice and join me in my indignation and boycotting these products.

Again, it's the nature of Internet discourse - cancel culture if you like - but it's very interesting to observe from a psychological perspective. I don't think it's going to be the thing that deters him in any way because there is a fair bit of interest in the products, especially TNG and TOS. There are more important logistical concerns that occupy his time than fan feedback.

 

[AricJorn]

If there's one thing I've learned in the 1:6 collecting community (and the art world in general) it's that, if you are not receptive to constructive criticism and choose instead to dismiss the opinions of others as either malicious or uninformed, you will only expand the criticism and alienate would-be collectors.

The "perfect" 1:6 figure does not exist - it can never exist because perfection is only a mental construct. This means there is always - always - room for improvement and those unreceptive to feedback will be easily outdone by the next wave of creators to come along. You can see this with the rapid increase in quality being offered by figure companies - even third-party companies - that are beginning to give HT a run for its money (I'm looking at you, Mars and InArt). On the other hand, artists/companies would grind themselves to a near halt if they try to address every whim and whine of their collectors.

As an artist myself, I find the middle ground is a reasonable position to occupy - treat your customers (even those who find fault with some aspect of your work) with respect while also holding your own center and not allowing their complaints to dictate your creative choices. After all, you don't "owe" your fans/customers anything that you haven't first promised to them, but if you want to strengthen their loyalty, allow them to feel heard and respected.

You can see how well this approach works when you look at a company like JazzInc - their fan base has an almost cult-like loyalty because Joost bends over backward to listen to their feedback and incorporate their desires and corrections in pursuit of the perfect batmobile or the perfect Falcon cockpit. Yet he also knows when to draw the line and say "this is the final product" when he is happy with the result.

 

[superdoug]

Can we have one general discussion thread for the figures and a separate general one for Nanjin discussions? That way those members that want to go off on Nanjin and post their reactions to his posts can do so and those of us that would prefer to avoid that drama don’t have to shift through it every time they check out this thread?

 

[Johnny Utah]

All producers who got pissy and turned their back on collectors didn't do well afterwards and are gone or their companies are seen as a laughing stock.

Big Chief, Chronicle, NECA, Pop Culture Shock to name a few. All had people working for them that couldn't take criticism and split. I've been blocked on Twitter by that fool Randy from NECA asking about licences right when they first acquired the TMNT license. Look at them now, they're 99% Turtles and his ego has only exploded. He doesn't post on Twitter anymore either and his convention interviews are laced with jabs at fans who don't like what they are doing.

A good example of transparency and customer interaction is the guys at Premium Collectibles Studio on Facebook. They regularly answer any questions fans have, post updates about sculpts, edition sizes and change pieces based on feedback. So it is possible.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Can we have one general discussion thread for the figures and a separate general one for Nanjin discussions? That way those members that want to go off on Nanjin and post their reactions to his posts can do so and those of us that would prefer to avoid that drama don’t have to shift through it every time they check out this thread?

No. You'll sift through and like it.

Otherwise go on Facebook and get updates yourself

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

. . . he feels he has some wriggle room to alienate some potential customers without harming his bottom line . . .

I think most of us here (and perhaps on Farcebook) would happily agree that he doesn't have to do the former regardless

However, it certainly isn't unusual for creative or artistic types to have little "quirks" (ah - so close - just 1 vowel away ) . . . so I'm fine putting up with his sillies given the passion he has for the franchise and the fact he's providing the fanbase with amazing quality items, the likes of which we have NEVER seen produced in over 50 years, and that I highly doubt will be bettered for a LONG time (if ever).

Roll on more TOS and DS9 figures

.

 

[Sarge]

It started when I said Discovery sucked and he took that as an insult to his staff, something he still gets sore about today

Good. Because it's ******* AWFUL.

Perhaps the ****** sales of Discovery figures will convince him that not many people care for the show. I see the figures in stock on almost every site. Regardless, everyone has an opinion and can like what they like. I just hope he doesn't take a hit producing figures from a show he likes but very few others do

 

[Kebron]

Perhaps the ****** sales of Discovery figures will convince him that not many people care for the show. I see the figures in stock on almost every site. Regardless, everyone has an opinion and can like what they like. I just hope he doesn't take a hit producing figures from a show he likes but very few others do

More likely he will just sell a more limited run of them. But beyond Georgiau, Lorca, and maybe Book, I don’t think there are any other characters worth making.

I didn’t count Pike cause while he was in DISCO I consider him more a SNW line.