Obi-Wan's Production Photos Posted

[IrishJedi]

The thing that confuses me is how eager some are to dump this line at the first sign of a different paint app. The stuff SSC is producing is a quantum leap beyond the stuff that Hasbro was putting out in all respects, and yet people seem to be willing to quit this line at the drop of a hat. I'm not trying to condemn anyone for having an opinion, but when you look at what was coming out before SSC took over this line I'm amazed that something like darker brown hair can send people over the edge like this.

That's not a viable excuse anymore. We already knew SSC is capable of much more than Hasbro (even taking into account we're paying 2-3 times the price for these 12" figures over what Hasbro charged). But at the end of the day, it's not saying much because Hasbro is almost the bottom of the barrel.

And it's immaterial to our argument anyway, which is that it's so @$#!@ frustrating to witness the Chinese factory continue to cut corners and make the same mistakes in production in regards to these paint apps.

SSC even admitted that they were disappointed in how the Anakin paint app turned out in production. What are they doing about it?

 

[Brent72]

The SSC Can Never Do Wrong contingent can spin this all they want, but I'm sorry... NIGHT AND FREAKIN' DAY:

It's seriously heartbreaking how badly the factory can drop the ball on some of these paints apps (on characters like Anakin and Obi-Wan at that!)... even worse that SSC doesn't seem keen to do anything about it.

I agree 110%. NIGHT and DAY has never been more appropriate than when looking at those two photos side-by-side. As I said before, how many more of Sideshow's great sculpts have to be wasted by these horrible paint jobs before they give the contract to someone who can do the job right?

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

Keep expecting prototype paintjobs on mass produced pieces and your going to be disappointed everytime.

 

[Brent72]

Okay, I guess I will get labelled a "SS Cheerleader" here, but take a look at those photos. The first one looks like it was done by a professional photographer.. or at least someone who knew what they were doing. Minimal flash to his face to avoid the skin texture looking washed out. Good shadowing to emphasis the facial details. Etc. Now look at the "infamous" production photo. Obi looks like he just look directly into the Ark of the Covenant for heaven's sake. I hate to insult someone I do not know, but Sideshow needs to get a new photographer. I realize that the figure A.) is going to be lower quality than a hand-painted proto and B.) the color is much darker. However, I really doubt it is as bad as the photographs make it look. As Micheal Crawford can attest, lighting and such can drastically alter a photo image.

No amount of lighting or professional photography can make the figure on the right look as good as the one on the left. It's obvious that SS had the one on display at SDCC painted by a professional artist and it almost borders on deceptive practice to display something that looks that good when the final product looks nothing like it.

 

[DarkArtist81]

Check with Les and DA for their rates. My custom heads are $40 per.

Due to my still learning.... my heads are $10-15 depending on the sculpt.

The paint apps are not to be judged until seen, this I can attest. I was very worried about Luke and Han, but once I had them.... not a problem. Much better in person.

But no matter how you swing it, Obi-Wan needs blended cheeks....lightened hair and a warmer skin tone. Should be easy enough though....

If anyone needs anything... PM me... my workload is very light at the moment.

 

[Brent72]

Keep expecting prototype paintjobs on mass produced pieces and your going to be disappointed everytime.

Then they shouldn't decieve everyone by displaying figures with professional paint jobs in the first place if they know the final product has no chance of ever looking that good.

 

[Khev]

Fully sculpted bodies, no pesky wrist joints, dead on likenesses AND production paint apps...see you guys for the next Premium Format preorder!

 

[IrishJedi]

Keep expecting prototype paintjobs on mass produced pieces and your going to be disappointed everytime.

First of all, NOBODY is saying that we expect the production figures to look exactly like the one-off prototypes. That would be crazy. But the simple fact is that some of us think that the drop-off in quality is just too damn much, especially considering the price-point of these figures. SSC is a company that prides itself in producing museum-quality, high-end collectible pieces. We should expect more than just a few notches above what can be found at the local Toys R Us... even when it comes to the paint apps. Remember, the are no more than about 10,000 of these figures. Not in the tens of thousands (or millions) like most other mass-market SW toys.

Secondly, if this is how it's going to be and the Chinese factory is going to continue to deliver us soft, overpainted heads with the wrong colors then the least SSC can do is attempt to emulate this inferior painting technique on the prototypes as well.

The drop-off in quality from the Obi-Wan shown at SDCC to production pics on SSC's site is not just a letdown... it's a downright gut-kick to me. Seriously, my heart sank when I logged on this evening and saw these pics.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

Then they shouldn't decieve everyone by displaying figures with professional paint jobs in the first place if they know the final product has no chance of ever looking that good.

Then what should they display? An unpainted sculpt? A headless body? Nothing at all?

 

[pjam]

Keep expecting prototype paintjobs on mass produced pieces and your going to be disappointed everytime.

Luke was over 90% accurate to the proto and display, hair and eye coloring was almost a dead on match and the eybrows were flawless. It was indeed "very close" to the proto and display.

This Obi is clearly not "very close" close to the proto or display...

 

[Brent72]

Then what should they display? An unpainted sculpt? A headless body? Nothing at all?

Um, how about a figure painted by their factory over in China just like the one they're selling as the final product?

 

[Poggle the Greater]

It'd be nice if somebody from Sideshow would comment on what the hell is going on with the painting in the factory and what, if anything, they intend to do about it.

I seriously can't believe they saw this finished product and thought, "yeah, that looks great".

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

First of all, NOBODY is saying that we expect the production figures to look as good as the one-off prototypes. But the simple fact is that some of us think that the drop-off in quality is just too damn much, especially considering the price-point of these figures. SSC is a company that prides itself in producing museum-quality, high-end collectible pieces. We should expect more than just a few notches above what can be found at the local Toys R Us... even when it comes to the paint apps.

First of all, these aren't premium format or museum pieces, they're $50 1/6 dolls. Secondly, just a few notches above what can be found at TRU is a gross exaggeration in my opinion.

 

[sebcanadaceo]

Up to this point, I have never really complained or voiced a negative opinion about any of the previous Star Wars 12" figures...

That being said, I am disappointed with the new pictures of the finished product for "Obi-Wan"...

He does not look bad by any means, in fact I'd say he looks rather good. The problem here is that he was supposed to look outstanding! He looks nothing like the pictures taken at the SDCC... Those pictures looked so good and so dead on that it was scary! Those pictures plus the fact that this figure has been delayed for so long made it (at least for me), the figure I was looking forward to the most!

The color of the hair and beard is somewhat too dark as some have already mentioned, however... That is not my major complaint about him. The face itself has lost something... I'm not exactly sure what that is but there is definitely a loss in detail here. Also, the eyes are just not the same and not as they should be.

I am still going to get this figure but for the first time since I have started to collect these (and I have them all), I am somewhat concerned about the figures to come... Especially with "Leia/Boushh". Her pictures look so dead on, I even heard that "Carrie Fisher" herself was pleased with the figure. However, I now am starting to believe that the final product will not look anywhere near as good... I think we'll all be disappointed here.

Another one will probably be "Darth Maul". His production number was probably around 9000 just for the "Inclusive" edition. I used to collect DC Direct Statues that were limited to much smaller numbers. Because of this, most of the time they came out looking like they should. I understand if they have to mass produce the figure to 9000 or even 5000 that the quality will suffer... They can't take the time to hand paint every single one with precision at that scale... This is why I have never been a fan of the "Inclusive" edition and would rather that every single figure be limited to no more than 1500 pieces.

Anyway, this is just my opinion and I still think he looks good but I am disappointed as he should have looked much better...

:emperor

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

Um, how about a figure painted by their factory over in China just like the one they're selling as the final product?

Somehow, I don't think it would be cost effective to fly just the prototype to and from China to have it painted.

 

[Poggle the Greater]

Luke was over 90% accurate to the proto and display, hair and eye coloring was almost a dead on match and the eybrows were flawless. It was indeed "very close" to the prot and display.

This Obi looks is clearly not "very close" close to the proto or display...

I get the feeling that since Luke was to be the first example of this line that anyone would see, they followed it's production with extra enthusiasm and perhaps now that the line is already a huge success (I would assume it's their biggest moneymaker now?) they have taken a more lax approach and figure the completist in most of us will continue to buy all of them to pose next to that first great example.

Hopefully I'm wrong but I just can't wrap my head around how after almost a year of production time to get this figure out, they allowed the factory to really mess it up.

He could have been so much better with just a little bit more effort.

 

[IrishJedi]

First of all, these aren't premium format or museum pieces, they're $50 1/6 dolls. Secondly, just a few notches above what can be found at TRU is a gross exaggeration in my opinion.

I've seen mass market figures with better, more detailed paint apps than this Obi-Wan.

And, for the record, I am one who thought that the production Luke looked much better than the prototype. Aside from Kit and Mace the paint apps have gone to pot since then, though. Anakin was butchered and Obi-Wan is a dropped ball, at best.

 

[wookilar8]

I definitly see a big difference from proto to production, but remember lighting is a huge factor. I've worked professionally with paint for 17 years and the difference in lighting is misleading. What I mean is certain lighting washes out color and direct or distance in lighting changes certain hues. The figure at Toy Fair is shown with distant lighting, colors blend better and shadow created effects look better.
Now after saying all this, I think the contrast in the hair color and flesh tone is what's bothering me the most. Oh and yes, the hair needs to be blonder.

 

[Matt S]

The 'night and day' comparison pictures are truly heartbreaking. Sideshow better get a new damn factory to paint these figures...botching this figure may be the final straw for some.

I am a person that generally hates 'rant and rave' type posts, but damn it, when you see a final piece this bad, sometimes you gotta get it off your chest.

I really wish Sideshow would no longer show prototypes - it gets old getting your hopes up, to have them dashed.

 

[IrishJedi]

Somehow, I don't think it would be cost effective to fly just the prototype to and from China to have it painted.

You're kidding, right?? SSC isn't making enough money on this line to justify something as simple as shipping protoype figures between their home office and the factory??

At the very least, they really do need to figure out QC on these paint apps... and fast.