Paint Apps: can you do better?

[ProgMatinee]

to be honest, ssc, the paint on flint is so bad it reminds me of your early sw releases like Anakin and Bespin Han or even your Civil War figures. Major step backwards. Not acceptible on a $100+ product.

 

[IrishJedi]

The Flint paint apps are exactly on par with Bespin Han, which was a $50 figure (and was below quality even at that price).

 

[karamazov80]

I agree that Sideshow should, if possible, outsource the 1/6 duties to Hot Toys. Better bodies, better paint apps, just better overall quality in the vast majority of cases.

Plus, if Sideshow was backing up the figures, you would have better customer service which would appease those who focus on Hot Toys' deficiencies in this area. But then, maybe that's part of why Sideshow has to go cheap with the paint--they have to deal with all the "tittybabies" who call customer service about this or that. Hot Toys just ignores people for as long as possible, and in most cases probably doesn't spend much money righting wrongs. They can pass those savings on to the paint department (probably 10 year old children paid 50 cents a day).

 

[IrishJedi]

It's not about production costs. It's about production PROCESS.

 

[Deak Starkiller]

Help me up on the bandwagon boys, yeah I think Flint is a head scratcher. These have been creeping up in price, seems the QA department stepped it up in the body/tailoring but paint is in dead last. Come on guys, DiD is kicking your ass (bodies still suck). You're better than this.

 

[Khev]

Something's not right here.

 

[devilof76]

I think the paint on Han is actually better than Flint.

Sorry Sideshow. I've defended you solidly for five years. I can't defend this.

 

[jediknight120]

"Which of these things is not like the other..."

 

[The Mike]

These topics are always interesting because there is almost always someone in them that thinks criticizing Sideshow makes them less of a fan or that because they love the company they have to settle for paint apps that are subpar. The reality is that nothing has changed or will change because its not fiscally necessary to do so. While we would all like to think that Sideshow would do so on the word of their fans but realistically its a company at the end of the day and they'll do only what they have to. People keep buying their figures and posting issues with them, people keep selling their things out without much hassle, what motivation does Sideshow have to change anything? Its the old "If it ain't broke" model and they seem to be doing just fine. Sideshow has to know that they've punted quite a few production pieces and that at times the factory seems to be painting the figures with the same care as you paint a doghouse of a pet you don't like but really there isn't a need to do anything but status quo.

 

[IrishJedi]

Sales, shmales. How about upping the quality because you can actually feel shame and have at least some pride in your work??

 

[OSCORP]

I think the paint on Han is actually better than Flint.

Sorry Sideshow. I've defended you solidly for five years. I can't defend this.

At least you know when to stop.

Sales, shmales. How about upping the quality because you can actually feel shame and have at least some pride in your work??

X2






Still upset about this set. I wanted it so bad. Can you imagine spending 200$ and coming home to open THIS?!!

 

[kl241]

Looks like Roy Neary after a Close Encounter of the Second Kind.

 

[devilof76]

How about upping the quality because you can actually feel shame and have at least some pride in your work??

As opposed to--for example--selling us a green Tactical Containment Unit zombie, and then pawning off how many variants that were changed in every way except for the rotten paint?

At least you know when to stop.

Everyone has their limit.

Still upset about this set. I wanted it so bad. Can you imagine spending 200$ and coming home to open THIS?!!

Yup. What sucked even worse is that the set followed on the heels of the Aayla Secura disaster, which followed on the heels of the Palpatine holochair, which followed on the heels of Yavin Luke. It was a fail climax.

 

[Lee in MI]

I've come to assume that they can't do better. I don't know if it has to do with being an American based company while HT, Enterbay and the like are Asian based, but for whatever reason they seem to have little to no control over the paintwork. I imagine this is why they do very little 1/6 product these days. If they didn't still have the Star Wars license, I don't think they would be doing 1/6 at all anymore.

I think if they start getting the same sales results like they did with ROTS Palpy (the ex is still available? ), they might just bow out of the 1/6th scale market. i hope they don't cause we could use the competition...but so far, where's the competition?!?!?

This is flawed thinking. HT can't even handle all of the licenses they have now. This is abundantly obvious with all the QC issues they're having with their figures. And at HT's pricepoints, it's even less forgiving. Besides, I'd rather have ____ty paint apps on a good sculpt, then awesome paint apps on a botched likeness (T-1000 as Sarah). Bad paint apps can be fixed. Botched likenesses can't.

This borders on hyperbole. That is just one example of HT botching (in your opinion) a headsculpt that they actually had the license to produce the actual actors image. What this Flint represents is an ongoing issue that SSCs has had that they seem to refuse to address.

It's not about production costs. It's about production PROCESS.

Bingo!!!!!!!!

Sales, shmales. How about upping the quality because you can actually feel shame and have at least some pride in your work??

...or at least them living up the their claim as fans of the products/licenses they produce. I don't think this Flint is commensurate with that claim. And unfortunately, as others have pointed out, this level of "quality" is all too common for them.

I don't buy the GIJ figs but my understanding is it has very dedicated and committed fans...I don't think they deserve this. It would go a long way for them if they actually pulled a HTs move and produced a replacement head for their fans.

 

[thenammagazine]

This borders on hyperbole. That is just one example of HT botching (in your opinion) a headsculpt that they actually had the license to produce the actual actors image. What this Flint represents is an ongoing issue that SSCs has had that they seem to refuse to address.

What else you need? Stark wasn't there. It took them until the test suit to finally get close to Downey's likeness. Wolverine was a total fail. Their Arnies are close, but they haven't nailed the length of the head yet and they're already 3 Schwarzenegger sculpts in. Sarah Connor, again, was close but no cigar. Sideshow's actually had a better likeness. A melon of a head, but a better likeness. Their first Rambo, etc.. There are plenty more examples. I think your reply was more fanboy defense than my initial post hyperbole. Outside of the paint apps, there's nothing wrong with that Flint sculpt. And again, paints can be fixed. Botched likenesses can't.

 

[kl241]

This borders on hyperbole. That is just one example of HT botching (in your opinion) a headsculpt that they actually had the license to produce the actual actors image. What this Flint represents is an ongoing issue that SSCs has had that they seem to refuse to address.

^^^

 

[King Darkness]

This shouldnt be a HT vs. SS thread. What HT does has nothing to do with Sideshows lag in quality paint apps. This is a issue with Sideshow and their apparent lack of motivation to improve. Keep the HT vs. SS stuff in one of the other 500 threads its currently in.

Lets all focus on Sideshow and their lazy "phoned in" paint apps

 

[Platty]

It is a bugger. I don't buy many sideshow items but I do have a EP2 Obi Wan figure. The paint on it isn't bad but I recently bought the headsculpt loose, so I have 2 now. It was completely different in terms of paint, his eyes were looking in a different direction even, not good.

Whereas, not to turn it into a SS vs. HT thread, I bought 2 of the Arnie T-800's and the paint on those was exactly the same.

I also can't get my head around how they think products with silly poses look good, the T2 PF, Recent Polystone Statue and Jedi Luke PF spring to mind.

 

[Lee in MI]

What else you need? Stark wasn't there. It took them until the test suit to finally get close to Downey's likeness. Wolverine was a total fail. Their Arnies are close, but they haven't nailed the length of the head yet and they're already 3 Schwarzenegger sculpts in. Sarah Connor, again, was close but no cigar. Sideshow's actually had a better likeness. A melon of a head, but a better likeness. Their first Rambo, etc.. There are plenty more examples. I think your reply was more fanboy defense than my initial post hyperbole. Outside of the paint apps, there's nothing wrong with that Flint sculpt. And again, paints can be fixed. Botched likenesses can't.

Actually ur response is more Fanboy response than mine. Its always obvious what side of the fence you're gonna fall on so that would put u squarely in fanboy territory.

Even in the face of the obvious, u seem to have a need to even defend their grossly haphazard offerings.

I agree with some of ur examples...neither company is perfect. But ill repeat this is an issue SSCs has been grappling with for years and it doesn't seem like they are capable of correcting it.

U point out some of HTs shortcomings and that is ur opinion but it is a more widely held opinion that SSCs paint apps have and are sub-par to what they're capable of...and this Flint is the essence of that shortcoming.

 

[Kabukiman]

Sadly, I think Sideshow would just get out of 1/6 altogether before significantly changing their production process. That's just my gut feeling based on the decline in quantity of 1/6 product Sideshow offers.

I got out of Sideshow 1/6 (except for Zombies) around the time the prices increased from $60 to $100+ Glad I did. I would be beyond livid if I received a Flint or stormtrooper Han for that kind of money.

The Hot Toys stuff is really incredible, but I now limit myself to one or two figures a year, whereas, in the $50-$60 Sideshow days, I was buying *everything*. It's just too much money for a figure when I could get a PF or diorama for not a whole lot more.