Don't give up the ghost yet. Where did he go? Oh, disappointment, yeah. I am disappointed with Sideshow, but not by the lack of product, but by whomever bungled my exclusive Subject 57 order. 'Tis an injustice it
is. Still no reply to my email on that. A sorry would be nice.
What can I say? Alot of tripe actually. Sideshow and 1/6th scale, hmmm. Well Sideshow have made heaps and heaps of 12 inch figures. They have seen most of the best licences come and go. Really, what new licences are there to be had? oh yeah an Indiana Jones, or a Depp pirate. Sure there's a personality or two but no really big license where they can pheasibly make a profit without mass producing such a product. Which goes against the grain. Imagine the uproar if they started charging one or two hundred dollars for a 12 inch figure, just to strive to pay back the licencing fee. Generic lines like soldiers are the go. Like the zombies, that give Sideshow the profit margin they need to move ahead.
Where can they go? I'd like to see a return of a missing figure or two from the older "no line is ever dead" lines. Barbara Feldon may have stopped her representation in the Get Smart line, but where's Hymie? How about a General Berkhalter for the Hogan's Heroes line. There's a few aliens left in the Outer Limits and Twilight Zone that are possible, and the Apes. Where's the Ape'o'nauts? Oh those lines didn't sell so well. What do you take me for? When a line depends on it's last figure to ensure it's continuaty, then don't dribble out a few carrots and expect a herd of donkeys. I have to give it to them for trying new policies, unfortunately some work and some don't.
There are more possibilities. I used to think Sideshow kept a few figures in store for a rainy day. Well let it pour down. We are having drought conditions down under.
The silver age of figures is drawing to a close. Sideshow hasn't fumbled, they've just handed the baton on. Quite resiliently they hold their focus with the collector in mind. Are they sharing licences, as someone suggested, to spread the costs, and in doing so, mustered what is only a benefit to collectors? I may not like the direction Sideshow seem to be taking, but they are on our side. Sideshow are still a collector friendly company.
Enough of that for now. As for the Toyfair that Darkness may be the first non Unimonster PF I may buy. That one is just a stunner. The Power Loader looks awesome, but Hot Toys doesn't appear to have any scruples to me, and Ripley looks nothing like her. Maybe F'Master Les can salvage something out of that horrendous sculpt. I hope Sideshows next step may incorporate a sub-company in conjunction with Hot Toys, and even Medicom, to bring us some cool sculpts with plenty of accessories and spare wonderfully sculpted hands. Onward and upward.
