Fred barton 1:1 Robocop bust

[Bezzerkerr]

I notice that Sideshow has a 4th quarter release date on these.

Do you guys think Sideshow will create their usual colored box with pictures...similar to all their other products? Why I ask this...months ago I asked Fred whatcwill the box look like, he said the most basic, brown shipper box you've ever seen (as an attempt to keep costs down). If Sideshow offers a colored collector box it may be yet another incentive to place an order through Sideshow...

 

[INFECDEAD]

I tried to place an order thru him too but when he said he would get back to me about shipping and didn't, and then all these other complaints about communication started I didn't bother chasing it up. It sucks for people who have orders with him. I hope you get refunds or you get a better product to make up for the switch out expression and reward points missed out on.
Really the only option from here seems to be to refund all existing orders from Fred and place orders thru SS?

 

[INFECDEAD]

I notice that Sideshow has a 4th quarter release date on these.

Do you guys this Sideshow will create their usual colored box with pictures...similar to all their other products? Why I ask this...months ago I asked Fred whatcwill the box look like, he said the most basic, brown shipper box you've ever seen (as an attempt to keep costs down). If Sideshow offers a colored collector box it may be yet another incentive to place an order through Sideshow...

Yeah I am not sure on this one. Some of the ADI Predator and Alien boxes were bare bones so I don't know what to expect there. In the end I could give two ____s over the box as long as the product quality is there.

 

[Reinhardt]

I find it unlikely that the Sideshow product will be better than if ordered directly from Fred (box included). But I've been wrong before.

 

[INFECDEAD]

I find it unlikely that the Sideshow product will be better than if ordered directly from Fred (box included). But I've been wrong before.

That depends entirely on whether Fred supplies SS directly from the same batches to the same standards or if these go to China.

 

[Bezzerkerr]

That depends entirely on whether Fred supplies SS directly from the same batches to the same standards or if these go to China.

who wants to call him to find out? i would but i am going to a graduation party...the soonest i will be able to call him is early Sunday evening.

I am interested to see if a refund is possible...and i want to know if he sold sideshow blank busts or completed busts (of same quality as finished at his studio).

 

[Reinhardt]

I'll try, but I won't be able to until another 2 hours or so. If someone can before, and he is available, great. I imagine he is either bracing for an onslaught of calls, has an email explaining the situation ready to send out to all those who have pre-ordered, or is cancelling his business phone number temporarily!

 

[INFECDEAD]

I'm sorry you guys, I hope it is easily sorted soon.

 

[Warrior Alien]

What materials did they create this bust with? None listed on site but states weight as only 10lbs...???

 

[Reinhardt]

It's roto-cast urethane resin. It's lightweight due to it being roto-cast. I don't know much about urethane resin, but apparently it's quite strong.

 

[Warrior Alien]

It's roto-cast urethane resin. It's lightweight due to it being roto-cast. I don't know much about urethane resin, but apparently it's quite strong.

Thanks for your reply! Do you know if its hollow or solid?

 

[Reinhardt]

Thanks for your reply! Do you know if its hollow or solid?

If the whole thing is roto-cast, then I would imagine it is hollow (roto-cast basically means hollow). Essentially, instead of simply pouring the mold and filling it, a little is poured and the item is spun so that the urethane covers the "outside parts" of the sculpt. This is my very very limited and lack of experience explanation. I'm sure someone could explain it much better.

I'm pretty sure Fred did this to keep shipping costs down.

 

[evangelinus]

 

[Darknight]

Awesome! Looks like i'll be getting one after all...from Sideshow.

 

[Atheris]

Notttttt coool...

Ok this is kind of unsettling. I thought for sure Fred wouldnt do something like this. So what the HELL was the point of me pre-ordering this thing 7 months ago with a money order as per Fred (I also had to pay an extra $20 to get the money order because he didnt take CC) to reserve it at the $850 price point?. Only to have it delayed 3 months (now I know why) and put it up as a PO on SS's site at the same PO price for everyone!

They could have at least kept it at the $950 price to offset and justify the SS points people are now going to lose who PO through Fred. Further, I may also have to pay more in shipping going directly through Fred.

All this compounded by the fact I've had "0" communication from Fred for the last 3-4 months really ticks me off.

Chris

 

[thx217]

It is real, lol! Money really talks. Now question is, is this still a limited at 250 pcs. If not, then that's a major WT_.

 

[Reinhardt]

Alright folks, I just got off the phone with Fred. We chatted for some time, but here are some high level points that came out of the discussion:

1. This was planned to be a Fred Barton exclusive, and apparently Sideshow originally didn't want it (or wanted it at a substantially discounted rate, that wouldn't necessarily benefit Fred), but then Comic Con was coming around and I guess they contacted him and really wanted to show it at their booth. It sounds like they came to a deal that was agreeable by both parties.
2. The Sideshow version will be the same item, the only difference being that those who order from Sideshow won't get the item until Q4, where if you have ordered from Fred, he is starting to ship these after Comic Con.
3. The delay is partly due to the bolts, and partly due to the fact that these are all done with much more care than items that are mass produced overseas. He mentioned all the different paints that are used, all automotive (so therefore the best quality around), all the different layers of paint, the fact that the teeth and gums are hand painted, etc... I have to admit, I was really getting excited when he was talking about the whole process of making these. As a result of all this work, they are made in batches of 25 or so, so they won't all be available at the same time.
4. He said they are almost already sold out, so I'm not sure how many Sideshow will be getting.
5. Not sure on edition size, but my impression was that it might change, but it sounded like he didn't want it to.
6. These will not be made overseas, so for those ordering from overseas, it won't be cheaper to order through Sideshow
7. Another delay was in him getting the best shipping rate possible. You could have received it earlier, but you would have had to pay much more in shipping.
8. He said that for those that take a magnifying glass to the item, you might find it not looking perfect. This is for a few reasons. One was that he was actually going for something as realistic as possible. He said Robo himself didn't look perfect, that the metal parts were cut and each part wasn't necessarily perfectly cut. He introduced that into the bust in certain places to add realism to the piece. It sounded like if it was perfectly clean, it might not look as realistic. At the same time, he isn't a machine, so there might be little imperfections, but nothing like what you get if it were coming from a mass produced factory overseas.
9. Anyone who ordered from Fred WILL get their item and it won't ship out until he is happy with the item. He said he's been doing this for many many years, and knows what he is doing. He did also say that no matter how good they are, there will always be people that will be unhappy, and he can't do anything about that.

Hope this helps. I have no doubt that this will blow away almost anything that we normally get from overseas. I still remember all the QC issues with the Iron Man bust. I don't see this happening at all. I for one am still massively excited about the item.

I have to run in about 30 minutes or so and won't be back at a computer for some time now, but if you have any questions, I'll try to answer as best as I can either in the next 30 minutes, or later tonight.

 

[Reinhardt]

Ok this is kind of unsettling. I thought for sure Fred wouldnt do something like this. So what the HELL was the point of me pre-ordering this thing 7 months ago with a money order as per Fred (I also had to pay an extra $20 to get the money order because he didnt take CC) to reserve it at the $850 price point?. Only to have it delayed 3 months (now I know why) and put it up as a PO on SS's site at the same PO price for everyone!

From my conversation with Fred, it sounded like the delay had nothing to do with Sideshow, but more to do with the bolts and all the work involved in the production process. Also, a lot of the delay was in dealing with the different shipping companies to get the best shipping quote possible. See my post above.

They could have at least kept it at the $950 price to offset and justify the SS points people are now going to lose who PO through Fred.

It sounded like this had a lot to do with Sideshow really expecting the lower price point. It did say that he unfortunately couldn't do anything about the points.

Further, I may also have to pay more in shipping going directly through Fred. I feel like I just had my wallet stolen.

I got the impression that shipping costs would not be cheaper through Sideshow.

 

[Reinhardt]

One other interesting this I found out... while the Detroit statue is being modeled from Fred's 1:1 statue, Fred actually has nothing to do with the Detroit statue, so it could end up looking a lot different to his 1:1.

 

[thx217]

Thanks for the info, Reinhardt.