My Anakin Skywalker 12" Review

[pjam]

Nice review, Josh. I suspect I won't be quite as nice on the figure as you, largely in the paint department, but I have to still get mine to be sure.

Looking forward to your unbiased review Michael as always

 

[Michael Crawford]

Reviews are good for those that are considering the purchase of the piece or are awaiting the shipment of the piece . If you've got the piece in hand already, reviews are pretty much worthless.

Well, I agree that for many people a review before purchase is important. But to claim it's worthless after ignores an awful lot of people that like to see what others think. For example, I never read any movie reviews BEFORE I see a movie, but enjoy them once I have.

 

[FlyAndFight]

Well, I agree that for many people a review before purchase is important. But to claim it's worthless after ignores an awful lot of people that like to see what others think. For example, I never read any movie reviews BEFORE I see a movie, but enjoy them once I have.

The forums are the best place to see what others think about a piece. That's pretty much what forums are for. A review (in an official capacity) is simply one person's opinion and can be biased or influenced one way or another be it due to company loyality/enmity or paid advertising. Within a forum, one gets not only different opinions but many times different photos of the pieces, providing different aspects that may not have been touched upon or perhaps grossly exagerated by the reviewer. When several posters say and/or provide photos about a certain problem or issue, for example, then there's more credibility in that the problem is not unique to one person or reviewer but an actual flaw with the piece.

As for film reviews, I don't actively search them out prior to seeing a film but definitely don't after I've seen the film. Never really gave them much credence in influencing my decision to see a film in the first place, and once I've seen the film, I know first hand if it was good or not.

 

[BDboystoys]

honestly, i unless i look at custommikey's pics i cant even notice the lips weird color.

Well he painted then a natural colour, looks far better now

 

[Protozaius]

When it comes to toy reviews, I generally read them both before AND after I've purchased the figure. I mainly read the reviews that have load of pictures as reference. If it's a big ticketed item, I like to read as much as possible before I take the plunge.

Sometimes a review reveals something aboput a figure that I had yet to discover. After I purchased the 12" Angel figure I read MC's review and found out that there was a tattoo on Angel's back that I would not have noticed before. Unless there is a probelm with how the clothes sit on a figure, I don't normal de-clothe my figures.

But I do understand that ALL review are subjective. I remember buying the first wave of Toy Biz's 12" LOTR based on MC review of them. He scored them pretty high. After I de-boxed them, I immediately re-boxed them and returned them the following day.

Let's just say that MC and I didn't see eye to eye on that one.

 

[FlyAndFight]

I just want to state that in no way was I referring directly to or exclusively to MC's reviews, but just similar types of "official" reviews in general.

Again, I can see how useful and informative reviews are prior to making a purchase or when expecting the piece's arrival. But once the piece is in hand, the most important reviewer, oneself, is passing judgement on the piece.

 

[Michael Crawford]

Hey, even I admitted in my review of the second series of 12" LOTR stuff that I was overly generous with wave 1...

 

[Seaward]

I think reviews are kinda neat, especially as a barometer of opinion. While the point of a review as a tool to make a purchase is moot when one already has the figure, seen the movie, whatever, I think reviews are always enlightening and fun to read to see what Mr. Crwaford, Mr. Ebert, or whomever had to say on a subject. Given that almost everything I buy these days has to be pre-ordered months in advance, reading reviews to inform a purchase isn't really worhtwhile, but I always enjoy seeing other's opinions, especially when they are insightful, informative, and well-written.

 

[Deak Starkiller]

I have a few figs Mike has reviewed and even though I have them, I still enjoy reading his reviews. I don't always agree with him, but they are a consistent fun read. But I disagree with the blue background comment to a point, Mike's back drop is a lighter more complimenting blue where as Rebelscum the blue is too intrusive to the colors of the piece at hand. I also think photography is key to pictures along with some and I mean some photoshop for color correction. Contrast is good, but should not be overbearing.

 

[Michael Crawford]

You're right about dark blues - pretty much any darker color works poorly. I just hate the completely white background so common for people who plan on photoshopping the figure out, because it has so little depth. Things always look like stamps on a page.

 

[The Josh]

Nothing like an unbiased opinion.

Can't please everyone.

Nice review, Josh. I suspect I won't be quite as nice on the figure as you, largely in the paint department, but I have to still get mine to be sure.

Thanks I'm sure you'll be a tad harder than I was. It's all good though

As to background color, blue is the single best color for the widest range of figure colors you can use. Please don't switch it to white - I'm not a fan of white. I could do without the pattern in the blue, but that's a personal thing, and your photos are clear, focused, and show off the figure nicely in a normal setting. Great job!

Oh, I don't think we'll be using white anytime soon. I'm very pleased with how the photos came out this time.

 

[carbo-fation]

Like most people here already mentioned, very nice review Josh. I just got mine in mail today, and I must say that I agree with your score. This is my very first 12" figure from SS and I am really excited to get other ones in this line. The detail on this piece is fanatastic. The arms don't really seem that long to me either.

 

[Matt S]

Nice review, Josh. As a fan, I do love reading all types of reviews and almost never miss a MC review anymore. I am sure I will love this fig, but the lip issue does bug me, personally. Do I lose sleep over it? Heck, no....I do wish the factory issue could have been caught first. I just don't want Sideshow to have an easy way out of problem figures by just saying 'it was the factory!'

 

[galactiboy]

Hey Michael what happened with the turf you were using for a little while? I kinda liked that, seemed especially fitting with some figures like the GG Speederbike.

 

[Michael Crawford]

It's around. It worked well with larger figures, rather than smaller.

 

[The Josh]

Thanks guys! It's not a perfect review but it's me and that's all I can do with it.

 

[pjam]

Thanks guys! It's not a perfect review but it's me and that's all I can do with it.

And that's a good thing Josh. I received mine today and it truly is a remarkable piece, I would have rated it about the same as you had the paint apps been more representative to the proto because let's face it, Hayden does have lighter brown hair and the lips throw off the effect too, all things SSC is very much aware of and not overly thrilled with I'm sure -- remember they are just as fussy as we are and were probably just as surprised.

 

[The Josh]

And that's a good thing Josh. I received mine today and it truly is a remarkable piece, I would have rated it about the same as you had the paint apps been more representative to the proto because let's face it, Hayden does have lighter brown hair and the lips throw off the effect too, all things SSC is very much aware of and not overly thrilled with I'm sure -- remember they are just as fussy as we are and were probably just as surprised.

Well, I'm not sure a few out there would agree with ya. That me being me is ok.

He does but I also noticed watching that a few times his hair does look much darker but overall it probably should have been a smige lighter.

I can imagine when Brant, Chicky, Dusty, Matt Falls, Greg, Tom, all saw the change they probably freaked and cussed like a sailor.

 

[Deak Starkiller]

You're right about dark blues - pretty much any darker color works poorly. I just hate the completely white background so common for people who plan on photoshopping the figure out, because it has so little depth. Things always look like stamps on a page.

Here is an example of a picture I took of Luke, you think this looks like a stamp on a page? Just curious.

 

[Darklord Dave]

Lighting is king and flash is the devil!

But to get back to the value of reviews...

I avoid movie reviews like the plague until after I've seen the movie. I can think of maybe twice when a review has stopped me from seeing a film, and I usually saw it anyway later.

For toy reviews, no review will stop me from buying something I think I'd like. But I have been influenced by reviews, probably Michael's, to get something that I'd dismissed at first. I don't think I would have gotten into the mini-figs if it weren't for reviews.