Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim (UPDATED Oct 3)

[Wulf]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

Hot Toys is a business, and businesses are supposed to be concerned with the bottom line above all else, so I don't see what the problem is with that.

Re: Star Trek, he's no doubt speaking to the fact that any potential HT figures would be crewmen, and in the original series there really wasn't much variety apart from color of the outfit. You could do various variations like Kirk in green shirt, evil Kirk, Kirk in 1940s suit, etc., but they realistically wouldn't. Nor would they even strongly consider the aliens. From a business POV though, putting all that aside, it's a smart move to avoid Star Trek IMO. All kinds of Star Trek collectibles have had trouble moving in the past, similar to Indiana Jones stuff. Seems like it wouldn't but. . .it did. Iron Man sells. Those of us not wanting Iron Man and Joker should consider getting into custom figures, because that's the only way most characters fans of other films are going to get their fix.

All Star Trek collectibles (figures and statues) have sold poorly because they looked like crap. If a company like Hot Toys made high-end, detailed and accurate figures from Star Trek they would make a fortune. And I don't understand why the fact that the crewmen didn't have much variation of clothing (within their respective movie/tv series) would be a reason not to make them at all? Plenty of accessories to include...

 

[a-dev]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

You'd do them across the various TV/movie incarnations, not just variations within the TV show. Those TWOK uniforms would be amazing. And Khan would be very unique, plus he's an iconic villain.

Re: Kara's post

But to your point that Star Trek hasn't sold well in the past - hmmm, maybe. But then there's never been anything of the calibre of HT. I think high end figures selling to the more discerning adult collector would do better than the cheap crap they try to sell in regular toystores. I think it'd be worth the risk, but then HT doesn't like taking risks anymore does it.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

Will never happen. They make too much good stuff.

Yes.

Refer to my subsequent comment.

 

[Sidious-66]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

I know nothing about Star Trek but that is a ****ty response to an answer about making Star Trek figures from Mr Chan.

I would have thought that a shed loads of cash would have entered HT bank account if they released hi-end Star Trek figure.

 

[Topgear]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

When they mentioned the Shield this is what I was thinking

It took a few minutes for the penny to drop.

 

[Sidious-66]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

When they mentioned the Shield this is what I was thinking

It took a few minutes for the penny to drop.

If he mentioned the Vic Shield then he would have my money asap.

 

[a-dev]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

So these guys but no Star Trek. Mmkay.

Seriously what a visually uninteresting, generic noughties TV cast - and at this time completely unproven. But because its set in a comic book world that has Iron Man in it it gets consideration over the entire 40+ years Star Trek franchise.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

When they mentioned the Shield this is what I was thinking

It took a few minutes for the penny to drop.

I thought the exact same thing and Marvel's Shield didn't even cross my mind!

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

So these guys but no Star Trek. Mmkay.

Not enough face palms in the world for that.

 

[a-dev]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

Not enough face palms in the world for that.

But dammit we'll try:

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim



..& to add to Karamazov's earlier point about going to customs for our faves - I agree somewhat.. but not entirely.

They've managed - very recently in fact, to show that they can still pull their finger out if they try.

Eric Draven came out of NOWHERE.

 

[screamingmetal]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

His comment on Trek is pretty narrow minded.
I can understand not liking it, but to say there's no characters to explore or that the costumes are all too similar so there's no interest are very poor excuses.
I think Chan dismissed Star Trek before really giving it any chance for consideration.

If you include the movies, there's plenty of different cool looking costumes in Star Trek. I'd love to see Klingons in their regalia, Borg, the new Trek space suits seen in the platform skydiving scene from 2009 as well as from Into Darkness, and the costumes from Wrath Of Khan, not to mention the crew uniforms from the Original series, Next Gen, DS9, and the new trek films.

 

[karamazov80]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

Though it's true that Star Trek has never had a Hot Toys quality product out, a business has to look at historical trends of consumers. They aren't always going to assume that things would be different for them because they can make a better product than others from a franchise with a lukewarm sales history. And when they think they can. . .Hot Toys gives us the DX Indiana Jones, and it's a flop What lessons do you reckon they took from that? Not simply "we shouldn't let Arnie Kim sculpt for us anymore" I would bet.

I would love to see classic Star Trek, but even Iminime is skeptical of its ability to sell, and that's a pretty small operation, where something like Patrick Bateman can be a huge success.

They've managed - very recently in fact, to show that they can still pull their finger out if they try.

Eric Draven came out of NOWHERE.

That's true, but those kinds of things are completely out of the blue and unpredictable with HT, usually apparently based on personal preferences of Howard. I'm sure the T2 focus has something to do with that. He was clearly a fan of the franchise from the early days, seeing as how the first two MMS figures were from the first film. But it isn't like the older days of HT when classic geek franchises would consistently get a lot of love. Now, it's about what is popular at this moment in time. And that is Iron Man and Joker/Batman (and Predator in a distant 3rd place).

 

[screamingmetal]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

Though it's true that Star Trek has never had a Hot Toys quality product out, a business has to look at historical trends of consumers.

Though they don't make figures, QMX far surpasses Hot Toys in quality, and I do think their Star Trek stuff sells quite well.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

And when they think they can. . .Hot Toys gives us the DX Indiana Jones, and it's a flop What lessons do you reckon they took from that? Not simply "we shouldn't let Arnie Kim sculpt for us anymore" I would bet.

Dude! If the face is bad, it kills the figure most - if not every time. The DX05 looked like an ape with guy liner.. otherwise I'd have jumped on it.

It's like a-dev said earlier - apart from the high end models, replicas & actual film / show props that went on auction.. the other mass produced Trek stuff has been rubbish for the most part - of course it'll sell badly.

I get your points regarding supply & demand.. but I think the fact that a huge percentage involved in this hobby, is well to do adult collectors / borderline obsessed fanatics, isn't remembered enough sometimes.

 

[karamazov80]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

What are their edition sizes like? Keep in mind that Hot Toys seems to pump out thousands and thousands of figures in the more successful lines. My guess at this point is that production runs less than 7-8,000 wouldn't even be considered.

 

[karamazov80]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

And I'm not saying Star Trek won't sell, though I'm not convinced they would. I'm saying that Howard probably assumes this based on the available evidence, and rightly so. You guys are asking him to take a gamble, and Hot Toys just doesn't gamble very much. I wish they did!

 

[Kibagami]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

Nice. Guns of the patriots! Raiden. And RE6!

 

[screamingmetal]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

And I'm not saying Star Trek won't sell, though I'm not convinced they would. I'm saying that Howard probably assumes this based on the available evidence, and rightly so. You guys are asking him to take a gamble, and Hot Toys just doesn't gamble very much. I wish they did!

I'd call the Storm Rider figure, the 2 made of the Asian singer guy, Michael Jackson, and even the Crow figure taking a gamble.

Chan just dismisses Star Trek because he doesn't care for it, I don't believe it has anything to do with sales.

 

[Kibagami]

Re: Howard Chan Interview Session - Toy People - trans. by Charles Lim

I'd call the Storm Rider figure, the 2 made of the Asian singer guy, Michael Jackson, and the Crow figure taking a gamble.

Chan just dismisses Star Trek because he doesn't care for it, I don't believe it has anything to do with sales.

These more so, not so much the crow.

That's a lot of wasted plastic and cloth for a couple of pop star singers and a comic book character.