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

[afrog]

as far as the limited figures go only getting the ones I really want .
Had the pilot episode Spock in my cart for 8 minutes before deciding I didn't need it .
Also passed on the mirror figures , originally was only going to collect the og movie versions .
Decided I'll collect the og series but only the core regular outfits , not gonna chase all the cool one off's like price of the action even though loving it .
only so much room , but the Gorn & Squire are must haves for me .

Agreed on the Gorn Captain! Pass on the Squire.

 

[histrionics]

The easiest thing to do, and an option that would generate some additional revenue to fund these niche figures would be to follow a model similar to what Master Replicas did with their Collectors Club.

You pay a fee, you’re in, and you get dibs on whatever interests you. No drama. Segmenting your customer base is just poor taste.

https://www.masterreplicas.com/en-ca/products/master-replicas-collector-club

It might very well work and there are probably a half-dozen or more other similar funding models, but you know "he" (who will not be named) will not do that. The man has already spoken about his disdain for crowd-sourcing, or anything that tries to fund a company's projects from the end-buyer. He follows some old business models that enjoy high stakes, investment, risks, gambling and the thrill of payoffs. That's how he tabulates the success of the company.

In his old-fashion model the liability remains with the company rather than the buyer (i.e. buyers putting money into a project can lose their investment if the company folds/bankrupts before producing their product). Well, that's pretty much how traditional businesses have run for centuries... millennia. It's an old model that has recently been upturned, but alternatives tend to resemble a crowd-fund profile when buyers have to "buy-in" to the project development. With him everything is played close to the chest and it looks like this Section 31 is much the same. To be honest, I don't know what the heck he's doing with Section 31, because he really hasn't said anything about it for us to understand it anyway, but you can see how he's playing this one close and personal and typically cryptic and bewildering.

 

[ymba]

It might very well work and there are probably a half-dozen or more other similar funding models, but you know "he" (who will not be named) will not do that. The man has already spoken about his disdain for crowd-sourcing, or anything that tries to fund a company's projects from the end-buyer. He follows some old business models that enjoy high stakes, investment, risks, gambling and the thrill of payoffs. That's how he tabulates the success of the company.

In his old-fashion model the liability remains with the company rather than the buyer (i.e. buyers putting money into a project can lose their investment if the company folds/bankrupts before producing their product). Well, that's pretty much how traditional businesses have run for centuries... millennia. It's an old model that has recently been upturned, but alternatives tend to resemble a crowd-fund profile when buyers have to "buy-in" to the project development. With him everything is played close to the chest and it looks like this Section 31 is much the same. To be honest, I don't know what the heck he's doing with Section 31, because he really hasn't said anything about it for us to understand it anyway, but you can see how he's playing this one close and personal and typically cryptic and bewildering.

The problem is obtaining a license across the entire ST universe cannot be cheap.

I get he has to “sell” the figures we know are not really in demand and even the high demand ones or with production cost per unit will wipe him out with all the inventory sitting and his capital . And you just can’t make based on order alone only or there will not be enough scale to make any production worthwhile. There must still be a scale because you just cannot make a few or even a few hundred to make a ROI on the said figure . This is why I cannot see how selling to “ a few hundred or X followers “ will work in this business model he is openly saying let alone some high demand figures he is suggesting he want in a secret club like the Gorn. Don’t for a minute think he is doing this only for the love of making figures and he doesn’t care about return on investment. He is a business guy and knows his numbers.

In business 101, everyone knows there is the risk and reward formula . If you invest X, you want X+Y or you can’t do it. I stand in salute he is able to sustain as no big company will take on ST because they know it is not SW and the risk is very high but the idea of this new model in my opinion is not sustainable.

 

[QuiGonFishing]

 

[S. Griffin]

Again with the extra wrinkles. WTF?

 

[davejames]

That's a really good Valeris sculpt. Can't wait to order.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Kim was fantastic as Valeris. One of the highlights in an amazing Trek film.

 

[Adama]

Nice sculpt. Although that high turtleneck collar (used on Saavik) is likely making a return.

 

[davejames]

Yeah I can't wait to hear the explanation as to why us Experts are totally wrong about the high collar....

 

[S. Griffin]

Wrinkles, dude. That Valeris looks about ten years too old. Kind of a repeat of the Kira situation, except we can be reasonably certain her uniform won't be pink.

 

[histrionics]

The problem is obtaining a license across the entire ST universe cannot be cheap.

I get he has to “sell” the figures we know are not really in demand and even the high demand ones or with production cost per unit will wipe him out with all the inventory sitting and his capital . And you just can’t make based on order alone only or there will not be enough scale to make any production worthwhile. There must still be a scale because you just cannot make a few or even a few hundred to make a ROI on the said figure . This is why I cannot see how selling to “ a few hundred or X followers “ will work in this business model he is openly saying let alone some high demand figures he is suggesting he want in a secret club like the Gorn. Don’t for a minute think he is doing this only for the love of making figures and he doesn’t care about return on investment. He is a business guy and knows his numbers.

In business 101, everyone knows there is the risk and reward formula . If you invest X, you want X+Y or you can’t do it. I stand in salute he is able to sustain as no big company will take on ST because they know it is not SW and the risk is very high but the idea of this new model in my opinion is not sustainable.

I admire the fact that he got such a huge and broad reach of a license from Paramount, from the TV shows to the movies to cartoons, covering almost 60 years from 1966 to today. And he did this with an unheard-of startup company. Maybe Paramount just didn't care about making figures and gave him the freedom to do whatever he wants, without compromising the license along the way. It looks like he also has some authority to make whichever character he chooses without getting approval. Doing Trek "my way" has been the footnote of EXO-6, going back to his departure from QMX.

My only guess is Section 31 is the place where EXO-6 can sustain losses without jeopardizing the license arrangement. It's his secret place where really bad business decisions can happen. He even boasts - or warns - about his tendency for crazy high-risk thinking that often takes over. These figures won't go to Sideshow, BBTS or any other reseller, so he can mess up in this buffer zone. The guy has had a few other third party 1:6 companies in the past that came and went, so he seems to know how to fail just as much as win. I stopped worrying or wondering about how he conducts his business a couple of years ago and now just focus on my job as a collector/buyer in anticipation of the figures. So far they're coming and it looks like the next couple of years are going to be promising. I can love without a Gorn if I get my core crew.