High end collectables killing Sideshow?

[King Darkness]

IMO ,this will go down as SS biggest year EVER!! The amount of product being pushed out by SS right now is amazing....But I dont think it will be like this forever...There will be a gradule slowing of products...I think right now SS is building for the furture...They have become very "commercial" right now, which is a good thing....For SS to endure for years to come they need a nest egg...and I think that is what they are building right now with big money making franchises like SW and Marvel and LOtR....Once the dust settles and and the smoke clears we will see SS go back to what made the great...More "off the radar" licenses with low ES and more obscure characters.....No matter what or how SS changes in the future it will be for the better....Right now I am very happy with SS and the products coming out from them.....

 

[tomandshell]

Did somebody say "off the radar"?

I wasn't expecting any of these releases!

Just looking at the SDCC exclusive list this year shows that that haven't completely moved away from the obscure items. Twisted Rabbits and Lady Sham are certainly not the most commercial use of two SDCC slots. We could easily have seen more Star Wars or LTOR stuff take their place.

I agree that this is a real time of growth and expansion for Sideshow, and I'm impressed with how often they have given us some surprise obscure items mixed in with the other popular things.

 

[SolidLiquidFox]

I think Jaws is their biggest off the radar hit so far this year. I think the true greatness of that piece won't be noticed until after is released.

 

[King Darkness]

The only thing I see wrong is the timeing of these, they are mixed in with HUGE franchise annoucements....Its easy for a Pumkinhead or Tremors release to get lost in the Lurtz's and Vader's...or ahything with a big name attached to it....With all the big name products coming out from SS right now and large cost of many of these items its hard to see threw all that....What I was saying, once the freshness wears off of SW and LOrR (and it will,they will always be big sellers but right now we only actually HAVE one SW figure and thats Luke,once there are numerous figures in hand and on ebay the demand will slow)SS can put more of a focus on smaller licences and give them a bigger push, rather than squize them in between Fett's and Frodo's....but thats just my opinion.

 

[JGouse0498]

The fact that SOTA is releasing a huge Pumpkinhead figure probably isn't helping that one any.

Yeah, but SOTA can't meet a release date to save their lives. Heck, they can't even hit the right quarter most of the time. By their original release dates, we should be into Now Playing Series 5 by now, but Series 2 is a rare find most of the time. Some items never surfaced (the Darkman bust for example).

So I doubt their version of Pumpkinhead will affect Sideshow's version. Although, is there really even that much interest in Pumpkinhead to warrant what SSC is releasing anyway???

 

[Darklord Dave]

I think SSC has decided they want to remain a certain size company so as not to jeopardize their place in the industry. If they expanded widely, adding a lot of new employees so as to develop a lot of different products it could come back and bite them in the ass. They are not only importing other companies' stuff but a lot of the development of product is out of house, such as all of those above. Star Wars, LotR and Marvel are the only ones that they develop from scratch. Perhaps they liked the business model they pioneered with Weta and have decided to do that on a smaller scale.

I too am saddened by the non-SW lines getting less attention - there's a ton more to be done with Buffy, Bond, even Universal Monsters. And I'd love to see them go after licenses that other companies are picking up such as BG. But the R&D on Buffy's The Judge would be about the same as that on OT Vader - which are you going to concentrate on, a figure that will sell 2000, or 10,000?

 

[elwood49]

It's painful to watch what Sideshow's offering as a company right now, because I don't care to buy any of it. Quite similar to what DC Comics has done. Where I used to read the majority of their offerings, now I read only a pair.

I just don't like what they're doing. Again, fortune smiles on DC as their books are selling better than they have in years. They're making money and that's their #1 goal. Can't fault 'em for that, but, like Sideshow, they won't be getting my $$$$.

This actually sums things up pretty well for me also. Sideshow's lineup this year is SEVERELY lacking for me personally. I understand they are making a nice profit from the SW 12" toys, and I don't blame them for milking that.

What I do blame them for is allowing the SW PF line and the other 12" lines to suffer so badly. I really think they need to launch a division with a dedicated team solely for the SW 12" line. Those toys are taking up most of the resources right now, and all the other lines have virtually stopped. I don't collect any 12" figures, but I feel bad for those who can't get any new figures in their favorite line.

If Sideshow can't handle the production demands of the new SW line, they should hire a bunch of new people solely to work on that project. They should commission new sculptors, rent new space for the Star Wars team, and hire more staff. This is a MAJOR operation, and Sideshow seems to be overwhelmed with it currently, IMO. When they got the SW 12" license, they should have moved forward on a major company expansion. Now that the new offices are in place, hopefully we'll see something to this effect in the very near future.

And of course, WHERE IN THE HELL IS A NEW STAR WARS PF?!!! It's beyond ridiculous at this point. There has been one announcement (Leia) since Kenobi was shown in early July 2005. This line is also selling very well, and it seems to be forgotten in favor of all the SW 12" toys.

 

[DarkArtist81]

Yeah, I'm hoping that SDCC is on fire with announcements outside of SW 12 inch. I would love to see a Fett PF (or any for that matter), A new Bond would be awesome as well... Maybe a Giles to finally settle all the Buffy fans fears to rest. And a continuation of some Classic Universal Monster to satisfy those fans.

Oh, and maybe a LOTR announcement or two... make everyone happy.

A guy can dream can't he? I mean, Toy Fare was huge... so I expect SDCC to not disappoint either.

 

[Viking28]

What I do blame them for is allowing the SW PF line and the other 12" lines to suffer so badly. I really think they need to launch a division with a dedicated team solely for the SW 12" line. Those toys are taking up most of the resources right now, and all the other lines have virtually stopped. I don't collect any 12" figures, but I feel bad for those who can't get any new figures in their favorite line.

Didn't they say they were going to release what was it 10-12 SW figures this year? So if they did that all at once you would hear everyone crying that Sideshow was trying to take all their money and drive them from home.
They said from the start the Lotr figure line would not be as intense as the SW 12in line.
As far as the SW and LOTR P/Fs maybe their working on the Indy, Terminator 1/4s, LOTR 1:1 busts also? I mean who knows (besides Sideshow) it's all just a bunch of crazy speculation

 

[galactiboy]

I'm personally buying a lot more from Sideshow than I ever have in the past. I only collect their 1/6 figures, and have around 30 non-SW figures, but since they've started announcing SW and LOTR figures I've been dilligently waiting by my computer for the start times. And it does seem like they have a decent amount of lines since they curently for pre-order they have the terminator figures, an Angel, Jason Vorhees, as well as a couple of Scarface Ermey and Chuck figures. Not to mention the new Freddy figure coming out at SDCC. That still seems like a lot, especially when you throw in all of the Hot Toys and Medicom releases.

As for the Pumpkinhead statue, that was probably a bad idea

 

[gambit]

As for the Pumpkinhead statue, that was probably a bad idea

You know what, for the first time I heard pumpkinhead by SS and I love movies. I totally agree that it is a bad idea

 

[Protozaius]

And of course, WHERE IN THE HELL IS A NEW STAR WARS PF?!!! It's beyond ridiculous at this point. There has been one announcement (Leia) since Kenobi was shown in early July 2005. This line is also selling very well, and it seems to be forgotten in favor of all the SW 12" toys.

I wonder if the secondary market is hurting this line. I know that you can pick up the past releases like Luke and Han for a fraction of the original pre-order price. Why pre-order now and pay top dollar when you can wait a year or so a get a deal. Like buying cars, let someone else drive the new cars off the lot and get hit with the heavy asset depreciation.

And Sideshow has taught their collectors well the fine art of waiting.

 

[Seaward]

Could anybody help me crunch some actual numbers on some of this stuff? I don't know that sales of non-Star Wars lines have significantly decreased since the inception of Star Wars 12-inch. Does the Sideshow Archive actually list real release dates, as it may be interesting to see how lines performed annually in terms of releases, just to see if things have really slowed down, or if Star Wars is just moving so fast it makes other release calendars appear glacial.

I am thinking it may be worthwhile to see how many releases Uni Monsters, Buffy, and others got annually before the SW license was announced. I know some lines may be outliers do to heavy releases in a short period, like POTA, or simply the logistical end of a line, like Platoon.

I know we all eagerly anticipate a new release, but it could be that clouds the issue!

(Forgive me if I offend any Platoon Fans, I just can't think of any other standout characters that would be saleable as toys, but hey, I would buy Ben Quadrinaros!)

 

[Poelzig]

I imagine the production cost on higher end items doesn't leave much room for profit,so a small mistake in an edition size or potential fan intrest could be an expensive mistake.On a 12 incher,it's just fabricating a new head and tailoring a new outfit,not a big risk for a few misfires...and I have to admit some of the misfires have been my favorites.(Fritz,for example...or the western figures)
I'd wager Sota's Pumpkinhead will sell out quickly,while the Winston studio version lingers eternaly.Perhaps second best,but it's a smarter piece because it is still a toy,and you wont have to eat pumpkin seed for a month to afford it.

 

[gdb]

Don't worry too much. The logical progression is that Hasbro buys Sideshow and uses it as a boutique outlet. The more bombs only speeds this progress.

 

[elwood49]

As far as the SW and LOTR P/Fs maybe their working on the Indy, Terminator 1/4s

Why would I care? I'm getting the CM T-800 and CM Indy. I wish Sideshow would make more of that type of product. The Predator Maquette is BY FAR my most anticipated SS piece ever.

While SS is releasing all these 12" figures, I'll be taking my money elsewhere and ordering the CM Alien later this month. When you count the above 2 pieces, that's $4,500 that SS is missing out on.

As for Sideshow, with a few exceptions such as Jaws, the ONLY pieces I want are LOTR PF's, SW PF's, and Stan Winston Studios pieces. Maul is likely the only 1:1 bust that I'll ever buy.

I imagine the production cost on higher end items doesn't leave much room for profit.

I don't think that's necessarily true.

300 Predator Exclusives times $1,000= $300,000. Consider that Sideshow sells the regular Predators wholesale for $600 each. That means that they cost FAR less than $600 each to produce. If they cost far less than $600 to produce, then imagine the profit margin for those sold at full $1,000 retail.

Additionally, let's say that 1/2 of the 750 ES regular Predators go to dealers and 1/2 are sold from the SS website. That means 325 * 0.60 * $1,000= $195,000 + 325 *$1,000= $325,000.

$300,000 (Exclusive Predator) + $195,000 (Regular Predator for dealers) + $325,000 (Regular Predator from SS site) = $820,000.

Let's take the Anakin 12" as the counter example:

1,750 * $55 = $96,250 + 3,500*$55 = $192,500 +3,500*0.60*$55= $115,500

Total = $404,250. Again this is based on half of the regular edition being sold to dealers and half being sold on the SS site.

Of course, the Predator has a higher overhead cost, but this is also a comparison to a Star Wars figure. Imagine the same comparison of the Predator maquette to say... a Buffy figure.

There IS room for high-end products in the marketplace.

 

[The Josh]

Why would I care? I'm getting the CM T-800 and CM Indy. I wish Sideshow would make more of that type of product. The Predator Maquette is BY FAR my most anticipated SS piece ever.

I don't see why they won't make more stuff like the Predator or 1/4 Indy. I think they are taking their time doing it though to make sure they have it right. No point in rushing that stuff and if CM has them ready well then good for them. Also I think they know their niche and want to keep that collector happy as well.

While SS is releasing all these 12" figures, I'll be taking my money elsewhere and ordering the CM Alien later this month. When you count the above 2 pieces, that's $4,500 that SS is missing out on.

Well, with all the 12" and SDCC items they are selling lately I don't think they'll be missing that $4,500 bucks much.

As for Sideshow, with a few exceptions such as Jaws, the ONLY pieces I want are LOTR PF's, SW PF's, and Stan Winston Studios pieces. Maul is likely the only 1:1 bust that I'll ever buy.

Really, other than needing to mix in some more SW PF pieces and get LOTR (both lines) off the ground some more they are going a pretty good job. There have been several Marvel pieces offered over the last few months as well as stuff from other lines and new lines.

What I think maybe you're wanting Elwood is for SS to go totally like CM and only go at the very high end collector. I just don't think that would be a good idea. For collectors like me who are in the market of the 12" to PF pieces going the CM way where items are 1k plus is just not a good thing. That's how I'm taking what your post meant. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[occulum]

I think things are just perfect the way they are.
I dont care about the SW or LOTR lines really. Love the movies, but not interested in the product. But what I DO like is everyone elses' interest in the product.

I'm a horror fan for the most part and i really like the low-run hi-end stuff. And its just a guess but I agree that the profits reaped from those things have got to be miniscule when compared to the SW, LOTR's stuff. So the way I view it is that the popular products enable SS to do the hi-end stuff and maybe even lose a little profit on them. But its those products that make SS so cool. They do the mass products, cash in, and then also the occasional obscure pricey stuff. Its what sets them apart IMO.

So SS please keep cranking out the SW, LOTR lines and throw me a UniMonClassic/Jaws/Reign of Fire bone every once in awhile. Im no money bags and have plenty of patience to spare.

PS: now I'll admit I did have a PF Lurtz on order, but just cancelled it. awesome piece though

 

[Shai]

As for the Pumpkinhead statue, that was probably a bad idea

Actually, It wasnt a bad idea, the 850$ price was a bad idea....

 

[gambit]

I feel that another thing that killing SS produts is the high ES. Take the Obi Wan PF for example. It is 275 $ but still SS having difficulty to sell all Obi wans. As far as I know they couldn't even sell all the exclusives yet which has an ES of 1250. This shall be something to think on imo.

I know the exclusive item is not so a necessary one but still, we are talking of SW here not elektra. and the regular versions are only selling for 200 $ in ebay.

but dr. doom, on the contrary, increases its price and even the regular is selling for at least 15 % more in ebay. Because the ES is much more lower than Obi wan and also it is a better statue than Obi imo.

So it's like this