yup that's him! so how come you know so much about him? im already leaning towards purchasing it. im just asking for a better price since it doesn't have the box and just the styro. how much would you buy if you were in my place?
thanks for your help.
Okay bro, this is how it works.
These collectibles are MADE in the Chinese factories, right?
So the molds, the casts, the painting, even the color boxes and brown shippers are all manufactured there. EVERYTHING.
Also common sense tells you that Sideshow must have them make an extra 10-20 percent above the limitation to cover for returns, damages, etc. Makes sense?
So this Mark II Iron Man lifesize bust with a limitation of 100, they probably make an extra 20 or so.
Okay . . . so what's to stop the people at the factory from making in secret say . .. 30? or 40? And just keeping the extras in reserve?
Or maybe they're supposed to destroy a few with minor imperfections or flaws but rather than do it, they just keep them and touch them up.
Are these recasts? Ummm, not really. They are being cast from the original molds in the original factory.
BUT they are not legit and definitely not legal.
That's why so many of these pieces are "artist proofs" or "unnumbered" or "special" blah blah blah. Much harder to track down this way you see.
In the beginning when these guys were more inexperienced, they got caught doing a Grey Hulk PF when the number they made up matched a number already owned by one of the Freaks here I believe. LoL.
As time passes, they'll also run out of the color boxes shippers so of course all they have are the styrofoam.
How much would I pay? Knowing that these pieces are not a legitimate part of the initial run but also knowing that they are indistinguishable in quality from the "real thing" I would pay 50% of market value . . . if that sorta thing doesn't bother you in the first place.
There are multiple Ebay dealers who must have "contacts" in the factories. They may in fact be the same company under different handles. This 2009promiscuous guy has been around for awhile and always puts up Sideshow grails with an occasional Cinemaquette thrown in.
Anyway, that's what I think is going on. There was a RASH of "artist proof" Balrogs, 1:1 black and white Universal busts, etc, etc which started the discussion about a year or so ago and this was the most rational and logical conclusion we reached about the source of these pieces.
Dennis