JAMES BOND - Original creations

[Pixelpiper]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

The issue with Sideshow's bonds is that they're all cartoon representations. They've got more in common with Ken of Barbie and 1970's Six Million Dollar Man than they do with what Sideshow and Hot Toys produce today. In terms of realism, if not likeness, they're really not that much better than Hasbro's Star Wars of the same period. Hasbro didn't seem concerned in the least with likeness, but that's probably more to do with licensing/royalties.

 

[Raymond F.]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

I'm a bit biased because yes I've always been a big protestor against the roadshow sculpt so its logical I'd think a variation on It is piss poor. I always thought I looked like a sad baby and frankly it gives me the heebie jeebies for lack of a better word, I see less Craig in that sculpt than I do most including the new DID attempt , at the end of the day most may be willing to settle for the readily available options but In my opinion it's on the poorer scale of those even, I'd even edge the ZCWO option over that one. That being said I think it's at least good that here are so many options to choose from for Craig and enough to satisfy almost everyone, well maybe all except me! I only wish SC got this much treatment.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Sometimes I really wonder what people are looking for in a doll.

To say something is "piss poor" is as relative as it is unkind. Not picking on you, Ray, but using the judgment. All of our "stuff" that we've been collecting could look piss poor given enough time. What we all once believed to be "high-end" has proven to be "subpar" by today's standards. But people here forget we're all playing a nostalgia game, and sometimes, for some people, a "representation" is all that is needed to enjoy an obsession.

I also find that people with large collections tolerate more than people with small, selective collections, as it should be. If you want just a few key pieces then they should be of the highest quality. And if collecting enmass, then you are limited to the available.

 

[Pixelpiper]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

I'm willing to "settle" on a sculpt that doesn't have a perfect likeness if it's got great realism and high production quality. DX05 Indy as a great example. Would I like a more accurate Indy head sculpt? Of course. But nothing exists off-the-shelf and I'm not going to pay $200-500+ at this time to get and re-paint something to get closer.

The Bonds in my collection will both be bashes, so I treat them as open-ended and if a better head sculpt comes along, I'll consider it. Likewise for other components of the bash. The parts have decent resale value and at current rates I wouldn't be losing any money on any of the parts in my collection from any figure.

 

[Raymond F.]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

I definitely agree that people with large collections seem to be less discerning, mine is pretty selected that could be to why I've been very opinionated about the quality of Daniel Craig heads avalible.

It's interesting because when I look at the sideshow bond collection as a whole or never go so far to call any of the offerings piss poor, even though they are dated, I take I to consideration the time and standard to which they were produced and as collection Ibthink they are quite solid, do they stand up to the quality of figures we see now? No of course not but nonetheless they are incredibly consistent for what they are.

I really do feel that the roadshow offering is really poor by modern standards, but I actually find it a bit offensive when a company blatantly recasts a sculpt and does a few minor tweaks to avoid it being a straight recast. I think I find that more disturbing than the fact that the original head has always rubbed me the wrong way. In fact I'd go so far to say that the original roadshow head is stronger.

But again, if there's an offering that satisfies a corner of the audience I'm in support of that. The market continues to fuel other bond offerings like these sudden influx of tuxes which was sorely lacking for many years, I hope that the demand continues at its current pace, offerings good and bad...

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

The market continues to fuel other bond offerings ...

Anything that supports Bond is a good thing.

 

[yruh8n]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

I never liked the SS Bond portraits from the get go. The females were especially weak. The recent Barbie Bond girls were better portraits and that is not saying much. Best hope is that a really good sculptor with a love for Bond will provide head sculpts out of love for the subject and not be concerned with profit. Most sculptors here seem to want to be guarenteed several hundred dollars before offering a sculpt for sale.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

If you're good at something never do it for free.

That's all I learned from TDK.

 

[Raymond F.]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

It's true that with any craft especially one that requires ultra refinement most people forget that it takes time to produce, even castings cost money for material and an element of hand finishing, but good work takes tiiiiiiiime and a lot of it.

One thing I've learned in a professional commercial arts field is never sell yourself short, with everything I've done I've priced myself on the higher end of things, both because I knew it would keep me with an elite clientele, allowed me to be discerning about the projects I picked but moreover I know the time and attention I put into my work, even a minor job I could never half ***, I know that all of the extra time put into the work would equate for the higher price point made up in time spent on the craft .

It's not to say I don't often cut great deals for friends and would even do probono work for say a great cause, but generally I price my commission work very high and its made me more successful in my field.

While I make a living doing fashion art direction, web, video and print campaigns, I also paint, illustrate and sculpt. Let me tell you that I could spend a week on a 200 thousand dollar commercial campaign and put less time into that than painting one 1/6 head with the level of detail and realism that say Rainman puts in. It's exactly why i don't take paint commissions even though a lot of people ask when I post my work... I just can't justify the cost of my free time for the work even if I do enjoy it very much.

Sort of a mini rant there but I always justify the price of these hand made items. Guys like serang and Rainman, I don't know how they do it, it's awe inspiring to be honest...

But at the end of the day it's just still dolls, these guys and their raw talent belong in a museum but ultra realism hand made action figures just aren't understood from people outside of this small community. What people pay for is the chance to own an awesome representation of a character they may not otherwise due to Lisencing issues, lack of popularity and so on. Artists charge that much because they put that time into it, believe me a Rainman item costs what it does not because Rainman likes to gouge people it's because the level of craftsmanship reflects the time put into it!

 

[K07]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

It's interesting our varying opinions on likenesses and whether certain sculpts are good or not. We all seem to have high standards if we're discussing which Craig sculpt to get. If we didn't have high standards, we would all be happy with Andy B's or the Loading Toys head.

I don't want to "settle" and am contemplating heads others say aren't worth a second look and I think some heads that have been offered up are fugly but are loved by others.

Get whatever makes you happy and don't let others opinions influence yours. I really think the ZCWO head in a blue tux would be killer and it's what I'm likely to end up doing as my one stand-alone Bond piece in my entire collection.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Yeah, against popular opinion here, I'm leaning toward the DiD 3R head with the verycool navy shawl-collar tux... to go along with either my home-made bashed Raoul Silva (leia sculpt) or the NatChan "Enemy" depending on how it turns out and price.

 

[K07]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

I'm convinced in hand the DiD will look great for many people. I dunno if I mentioned it, but my entire collection of figures have inaccurate sculpts where customs have been made to upgrade them. BR Joker, TF Bruce, Harvey/Two-Face, Headplay Liam Neeson, and Headplay JGL. They're all "off" and I know they're "off" but when not compared directly to stills from the movie, I think they're amazing displayed with their appropriate costumes and accessories in my showcase display.

The same should be true of that DiD head for most people. The level of realism should really sell it too

 

[Pixelpiper]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

The DID sculpt as seen in the last photos isn't just off however. The paint just makes it look more like Zombie Bond than Craig Bond. I'm forgiving when it comes to these things, but I don't want my Bond looking like a Nazi war criminal.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD



Hopefully the final release version will be better. If its worse, than maybe I'll go for the ZCWO one... although to me that one has such harsh angles. But hey, until I see in-hand pics, anything's up for grabs at this point. I just want a Craig Bond amongst my twenty-two Bond characters.

 

[leia]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

So far I think I lean toward the ZCWO sculpt as a favorite of the readily available Craig sculpts.

I'm more forgiving of finishing than I am of a poor likeness. I don't care if it has perfectly sculpted individual hairs or microscopic pores if the underlying sculpt doesn't look like who its supposed to look like. Then it's just a really good sculpt of someone. Sometimes it's just in the mood of the sculpt too, and if it feels like the character.

With regard to collection sizes and matching, the only thing I really need is for the sub-sets within my collection to match each other in terms of sculpt style and realism. They'll be displayed in series-related groups, so it doesn't matter if my Dalton is much more doll-like than my eventual BBC Sherlock figures because they'll be on different shelves. I'm sculpting my own Skyfall set because while they certainly won't be the best on the market, they'll be consistent and look good together.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Tough to get consistency with Bond. For instance, I have Jaws from 2003 along side my bashed Stromberg with DiD sculpt along side my bashed Moore with that terrible Headplay sculpt (for now). All very divergent levels of realism and character likeness. I've tried my hardest to get them to mesh best I could as all of you undoubtedly have seen in my posts. I know its not everyone's cup of tea... but thanks for being kind to me.

 

[K07]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Hopefully the final release version will be better. If its worse, than maybe I'll go for the ZCWO one... although to me that one has such harsh angles. But hey, until I see in-hand pics, anything's up for grabs at this point. I just want a Craig Bond amongst my twenty-two Bond characters.

The harsh angles actually appeal to me. Usually I'm all about hyper-realism and I hate "artistic flair" renowned sculptors such as Rainman and Feng employ, but for some reason, it works on the ZCWO Bond for me. As I said, he'll be my only Bond so I have no worries. And you don't seem nearly as picky as most of us so no worries on whichever you like best and choose to purchase.

Going back and forth on the outfit. I think a BLACK tux will end up being more iconic. I like CR more than SF anyways so it'd make sense to have that outfit. But the blue is very unique and different. And then there's the gray Asmus suit still....

 

[Rogerbee]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Ah well,

Whatever happens, and whatever we choose sculpt-wise, it will be nice for us to actually display finished Daniel Craig figures and to see in hand and in pics what they all look like.

The good thing is that they'll all be different, which is what custom figures should be. When I was evolving Indy I'd get chapter and verse on what I should have been using. The thing was all the custom Indy figures that emerged at the time (Pre SSC, pre HT.) looked like they'd come off a production line. They were supposed to be custom, and for me that means individuality.

As for DC Bonds, well, that is pretty much guaranteed!

 

[LordAzrael]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

SilentSurfer finished these bond Paintups for me recently - should have in hand next week and then deciding what to do with them. Any help particularly with the unshaved Skyfall sculpt is appreciated.

 

[Rogerbee]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Nice!

The top one is what I wish mine would look like. I'm not running out of time by any means, but, I fear I'm running out of talent!