Deak Starkiller
Super Freak
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GG 12-inch Vintage Stormtrooper
- Thread starter Shropt
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Boba Fett will be Monday!
furystorm
Super Freak
Oh. I was trying to figure that shipping notice out all day. Now I know, and Boba will be to me tomorrow.
Lucky! I wish I lived closer to California!
furystorm
Super Freak
Hey! I went to school in Rochester, but just for two cold years. 
I just want to say i totally LOATHE GG, i have a new found hatred for them on top of my original hatred for them!
I cant believe i am even still supporting them!
I ordered my Boba Fett last week, and still no notifications of any kind for shipping, only the order notification, and when i type it in on the GG website to check the status, it says no order found!?
Repeated emails to GG have gone un replied.
What the hell are they doing over there, the WORST customer service!
After this i am never EVER buying anything GG again.
hate them hate them hate them...
Not to mention their ridiculous release schedules.
Sorry! had to vent!
I cant believe i am even still supporting them!
I ordered my Boba Fett last week, and still no notifications of any kind for shipping, only the order notification, and when i type it in on the GG website to check the status, it says no order found!?
Repeated emails to GG have gone un replied.
What the hell are they doing over there, the WORST customer service!
After this i am never EVER buying anything GG again.
hate them hate them hate them...
Not to mention their ridiculous release schedules.
Sorry! had to vent!
Darth Waller
Are you on the square?
Have you tried calling their customer service number? I noticed you're in Australia, so it might not be very easy, but at least you'd be able to talk to someone.
Did anyone think to ask either of the gals at the GG booth at CV how frequent each new figure will be? Its pretty amazing that they had prototypes for so many figures so soon.
They're still working with LFL to figure out the product plan, distribution, and timeline actually. SDCC was just a test run and I think they were all pleasantly surprised by how much of an instant smash hit the thing was.
Just imagine if they start releasing these things in waves. 
Just imagine if they start releasing these things in waves.
That'd be fine with me.
Won't happen, though. Maybe 1 a month.
Someone on rebelscum posted the GG Toyfare interview from a couple months back. A pretty cool read!
Here is the full interview Dev Gilmore, VP of product development for GG.
ToyFare: You guys have been doing Star Wars collectibles for eight years, but this is your first action figure line with the brand. How did it come about?
Gilmore: Last summer, at my parents' house, I went thought the garage and dug out the old Star Wars collection. There, piled under what seemed like miles of orange Hot Wheels tracks and a bazillion Legos, was my prized Darth Vader collector case. Popping open the case, figures fell out everywhere... as they always did with that old case. I picked up the Tuskin Raider - my first Star Wars figure - and thouht to myself how much I loved all of there figures, but how they just seemed so much bigger when I was 5. That was it - the moment of clarity. Could it even be possible to make this one happen? The answer turned out to be yes!
ToyFare: Are you working with current Kenner owner Hasbro at all on the project?
Gilmore: You bet, 100%. Both Lucasfilm and Hasbro have been involved every step of the way, from initial concept to packaging design and deciding which characters come out in the line plan. Chris Spitale (Senior manager of global product development at Lucasfilm) has been a great asset and longtime friend of the Gentle Giant team. Plus, I have to give a lot of credit to super collector Steve Sansweet (director of content management and head of fan relations at Lucasfilm) for helping us get rolling. He has always been a true pleasure to deal with. Guys like him and Gus Lopez (of Fan website The Star Wars Collectors Archive) are wonderful sources of information; seriously, just when you think you know all there is to know about the world of Kenner and Star Wars collectibles, these guys will take you back to school. They wrote the book... literally! Steve has written several.
ToyFare: What was the thinking behind creating the figures in a larger scale, and making them real action figures rather than, say, collectible statues?
Gilmore: Actually, statues were considered, but the goal was to make these plastic with all the working Kenner articulation. That's what really put them over the top. Sure, they are more expensive to tool up and manufacture, but it's just that much more authentic this way. We really wanted to get that classic Kenner card in there too. At the end of the day, I just couldn't see (a blister card) working with a heavy poly-stone type statue. Plastic and vinyl parts give us a lighter figure with articulation that really displays nicely on that giant card.
ToyFare: What was the design process like in terms of scanning and sculpting? How much were you working with actual vintage figures?
Gilmore: I'll tell you the hard part. We had to sacrifice one complete loose figure for each character scanned. It may seem silly, but it's hard to see any of those old toys parted out for scanning. Each one was meticulously taken apart, piece by piece, so we could accurately capture the 3-D data and scan all the original part lines or plastic seems and the under cuts. Several were from my personal collection; others were graciously donated by other employees. I know they are just inanimate pieces of petroleum byproduct, but they all were little plastic pieces of our childhood. If the end result wasn't so good, I might be devastated. just know that no MOC (Mind On Card) figures were harmed during this procedure. That would just be uncivilized (Laughs)
ToyFare: How exact are these recreations? Will the paint be exactly the same, just blown up to the 12-inch scale? Will there be soft goods, telescoping lightsabers and everything else fans associate with the classic figures?
Gilmore: Insanely exact! The old Kenner Boba Fett had a seem line that ran straight through center of his face and mask. It's still there. Stuff like that always varies, so we used three or four of the same figure as reference to ensure common shared elements are all included. There are a good amount of variations within the entire Kenner line. Head sizes, hair colors, telescoping light saber variations, blasters, who got what at what time and in what colors. For example, it might be common knowledge to the die-hard collector that in the original 12-back series (the first 12 characters pictured on the back of the blister card), Han was shipped with 2 different head sculpts, the Jawa went from a vinyl cape to a fabric pullover parka and that Obi Wan was later re-released with gray hair instead of the original white hair. That's just some of it; trust me, there's a lot more. We really need to consider all these small elements in making these as accurate as possible to the first release back in 1977.
We didn't try to "improve" or modify the sculpting at all. That would take away from some of the magic and essence of what we are setting out to do. Let's face it, when someone says "vintage action figure," you think Star Wars. The Kenner line is iconic as is, hands down. Hasbro has done a great job of releasing the classic characters with modern sculpts. I have dozens of them in my home and office here at Gentle Giant. But what we are doing here is preserving some toy history and showcasing it in a much larger, grand format.
ToyFare: When will the figures star hitting?
Gilmore: We are launching with two very important characters in honor of the big 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back. San Diego Comic-Con will debut the ESB-carded Stormtrooper, and Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla, will get the Troopers and the ESB Boba Fett! Both come sealed on traditional ESB backer cards with an outer clear plastic display clamshell and stickered for the 30th anniversary. This will be followed up with the classic, first 12 actions figures- Lucasfilm was pretty adamant about nailing them down. This makes a lot of sense as it is chronological and all the core characters are represented. I'm pretty excited about each of them, but just wait until Series 2. That's when Greedo, Walrus Man, Snaggletooth, and Hammerhead will hit the streets. I absolutely love all the cantina creatures. I'm looking forward to the Jawa and Sand People, too. Since I sacrificed mine, I'm in need of a nice big replacement! I really hope we can eventually get up into Return of the Jedi; I'd like to see a Gammorean Guard in this scale.
ToyFare: Is This Gentle Giant's first time releasing collectibles that are based on scans of previously released collectibles? It seems like something that 3-D scanning would be uniquely suited for.
Gilmore: Well, quite frankly, that's how the business got started. We did so much sculpting for Disney and during the approval process they would say, "Make it look more like the maquette." The maquettes were Disney-approved sculptures that were their cornerstones for consumer products and tangible 3-dimensional versions of their 2-D characters. The other challenge was when someone said they approved the piece but need it 10% bigger or 20% smaller. By scanning the maquette first, we can use our 3-D printers to make the approved piece at any size necessary for the job. It radically changed the sculpting process in its day. Now, we mostly use the scanning equipment for film productions like Thor, Captain America, Sickerpunch, and Tron. Not so much for toys anymore. Just about everything is digitally sculpted in Z Brush; of course we still have our brilliant traditional sculptors in the mix too. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the tow styles in the end product. So the Kenner figures took us back to the old days, in more ways than one.
--
Looks like we should be seeing a classic 1978 Death Squad Commander before too long after all!
Here is the full interview Dev Gilmore, VP of product development for GG.
ToyFare: You guys have been doing Star Wars collectibles for eight years, but this is your first action figure line with the brand. How did it come about?
Gilmore: Last summer, at my parents' house, I went thought the garage and dug out the old Star Wars collection. There, piled under what seemed like miles of orange Hot Wheels tracks and a bazillion Legos, was my prized Darth Vader collector case. Popping open the case, figures fell out everywhere... as they always did with that old case. I picked up the Tuskin Raider - my first Star Wars figure - and thouht to myself how much I loved all of there figures, but how they just seemed so much bigger when I was 5. That was it - the moment of clarity. Could it even be possible to make this one happen? The answer turned out to be yes!
ToyFare: Are you working with current Kenner owner Hasbro at all on the project?
Gilmore: You bet, 100%. Both Lucasfilm and Hasbro have been involved every step of the way, from initial concept to packaging design and deciding which characters come out in the line plan. Chris Spitale (Senior manager of global product development at Lucasfilm) has been a great asset and longtime friend of the Gentle Giant team. Plus, I have to give a lot of credit to super collector Steve Sansweet (director of content management and head of fan relations at Lucasfilm) for helping us get rolling. He has always been a true pleasure to deal with. Guys like him and Gus Lopez (of Fan website The Star Wars Collectors Archive) are wonderful sources of information; seriously, just when you think you know all there is to know about the world of Kenner and Star Wars collectibles, these guys will take you back to school. They wrote the book... literally! Steve has written several.
ToyFare: What was the thinking behind creating the figures in a larger scale, and making them real action figures rather than, say, collectible statues?
Gilmore: Actually, statues were considered, but the goal was to make these plastic with all the working Kenner articulation. That's what really put them over the top. Sure, they are more expensive to tool up and manufacture, but it's just that much more authentic this way. We really wanted to get that classic Kenner card in there too. At the end of the day, I just couldn't see (a blister card) working with a heavy poly-stone type statue. Plastic and vinyl parts give us a lighter figure with articulation that really displays nicely on that giant card.
ToyFare: What was the design process like in terms of scanning and sculpting? How much were you working with actual vintage figures?
Gilmore: I'll tell you the hard part. We had to sacrifice one complete loose figure for each character scanned. It may seem silly, but it's hard to see any of those old toys parted out for scanning. Each one was meticulously taken apart, piece by piece, so we could accurately capture the 3-D data and scan all the original part lines or plastic seems and the under cuts. Several were from my personal collection; others were graciously donated by other employees. I know they are just inanimate pieces of petroleum byproduct, but they all were little plastic pieces of our childhood. If the end result wasn't so good, I might be devastated. just know that no MOC (Mind On Card) figures were harmed during this procedure. That would just be uncivilized (Laughs)
ToyFare: How exact are these recreations? Will the paint be exactly the same, just blown up to the 12-inch scale? Will there be soft goods, telescoping lightsabers and everything else fans associate with the classic figures?
Gilmore: Insanely exact! The old Kenner Boba Fett had a seem line that ran straight through center of his face and mask. It's still there. Stuff like that always varies, so we used three or four of the same figure as reference to ensure common shared elements are all included. There are a good amount of variations within the entire Kenner line. Head sizes, hair colors, telescoping light saber variations, blasters, who got what at what time and in what colors. For example, it might be common knowledge to the die-hard collector that in the original 12-back series (the first 12 characters pictured on the back of the blister card), Han was shipped with 2 different head sculpts, the Jawa went from a vinyl cape to a fabric pullover parka and that Obi Wan was later re-released with gray hair instead of the original white hair. That's just some of it; trust me, there's a lot more. We really need to consider all these small elements in making these as accurate as possible to the first release back in 1977.
We didn't try to "improve" or modify the sculpting at all. That would take away from some of the magic and essence of what we are setting out to do. Let's face it, when someone says "vintage action figure," you think Star Wars. The Kenner line is iconic as is, hands down. Hasbro has done a great job of releasing the classic characters with modern sculpts. I have dozens of them in my home and office here at Gentle Giant. But what we are doing here is preserving some toy history and showcasing it in a much larger, grand format.
ToyFare: When will the figures star hitting?
Gilmore: We are launching with two very important characters in honor of the big 30th anniversary of Empire Strikes Back. San Diego Comic-Con will debut the ESB-carded Stormtrooper, and Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, Fla, will get the Troopers and the ESB Boba Fett! Both come sealed on traditional ESB backer cards with an outer clear plastic display clamshell and stickered for the 30th anniversary. This will be followed up with the classic, first 12 actions figures- Lucasfilm was pretty adamant about nailing them down. This makes a lot of sense as it is chronological and all the core characters are represented. I'm pretty excited about each of them, but just wait until Series 2. That's when Greedo, Walrus Man, Snaggletooth, and Hammerhead will hit the streets. I absolutely love all the cantina creatures. I'm looking forward to the Jawa and Sand People, too. Since I sacrificed mine, I'm in need of a nice big replacement! I really hope we can eventually get up into Return of the Jedi; I'd like to see a Gammorean Guard in this scale.
ToyFare: Is This Gentle Giant's first time releasing collectibles that are based on scans of previously released collectibles? It seems like something that 3-D scanning would be uniquely suited for.
Gilmore: Well, quite frankly, that's how the business got started. We did so much sculpting for Disney and during the approval process they would say, "Make it look more like the maquette." The maquettes were Disney-approved sculptures that were their cornerstones for consumer products and tangible 3-dimensional versions of their 2-D characters. The other challenge was when someone said they approved the piece but need it 10% bigger or 20% smaller. By scanning the maquette first, we can use our 3-D printers to make the approved piece at any size necessary for the job. It radically changed the sculpting process in its day. Now, we mostly use the scanning equipment for film productions like Thor, Captain America, Sickerpunch, and Tron. Not so much for toys anymore. Just about everything is digitally sculpted in Z Brush; of course we still have our brilliant traditional sculptors in the mix too. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between the tow styles in the end product. So the Kenner figures took us back to the old days, in more ways than one.
--
Looks like we should be seeing a classic 1978 Death Squad Commander before too long after all!
Maybe when Ashly gets back from her trip to China (she wasn't at CV because she was overseas checking in on the factories) I'll run some questions by her about these. So, post them here.
Deak Starkiller
Super Freak
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2006
- Messages
- 14,297
- Reaction score
- 33
Post them along with your eF/X Q&A.
Post them along with your eF/X Q&A.
That sounds like a good idea, actually!
(Which reminds me... I still need to transcribe all that SDCC stuff.
)
Hey! I went to school in Rochester, but just for two cold years.
Where did ya go?
Deak Starkiller
Super Freak
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2006
- Messages
- 14,297
- Reaction score
- 33
That sounds like a good idea, actually!
(Which reminds me... I still need to transcribe all that SDCC stuff.
No pressure.
furystorm
Super Freak
R.I.T., got my BFA in photography with a minor in print management, which I only partially used for three years before moving to the intellectual wasteland of Las Vegas.
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