Queen Studios / InArt to do sixth scale figures

[matticus]

--

Some can and will.

Wait and see.

If Prime 1 continually churns out $1500+ statues no problem, this won't be a problem either.

 

[Remy]

My 1/6 collection have plateaued for quite a while now.
For Christmas, I got a Sideshow Gift Certificate, since my family thought I would probably like to get a figure.
I still havent used it, as I didnt want to just buy just any figure.
I've been so picky lately, and have been even gravitating towards statue.

I'm excited as I've been a fan of Queen Studios, and for a while, I was only able to live vicariously through other people's collection as they were more for people with a bigger budget.
So I think this is great as it gives a chance for more modest collectors to have some pieces from them.
I actually just Pre-ordered their 1/4 TDK Ledger Joker which I think is a steal at $640, since personally, I think its the best mass produced Heath sculpt.

My guess, this line will be $350-400. Deluxe $700.

 

[generalszabo]

All this talk of hyper realistic sculpts and paint apps on silicone skin, glass eyes, rooted hair, seamless arms, the finest tailoring money can buy is great but I want to know if InArt will finally improve upon the dreadful crotch grabber stands that are commonplace from all companies.

Will they be the ones to make clear acrylic poles the new standard or go even further and use magnets in the feet?

If their intent is to elevate the hobby then this is the simplest initial way to differentiate one of their figures on display from other brands.
There’s a reason HT seldom promote their figures with the actual crotch stand placed between their legs- because they know it looks horrid and completely detracts from the silhouette.
Characters like Joker who wear long coats look even worse with a random plastic post poking out from under them.

I’ve tried asking that question on FB but it’s not been approved.
I guess only hundreds of random requests for characters are passing the checks at the moment.

Yeah really good points, I grew out of figures as I couldn't stand the... stands

Magnets and strong ratchet knees may well be the answer

 

[Rzeznikk]

I'm tired of mass collecting.

I'd prefer to buy a few great pieces for a lot of money, then tons of pieces for a lot less that fall apart over time or are reissued, V2'd or remade.

And a few great pieces around the house look a lot better to the ladies then that strange room with 12 detolfs and 200 dolls...

Where I'm at with the collection I'm hitting a limit space wise, so I'm starting to have to adjust. This is a great way for me to do just that. I can still stay in the hobby but be more selective with purchases. And ones I can upgrade for quality.

As for costs of these things, I think this will be tricky for QS. As I think they will still want to tap into the mainstream collector for sales but at the same time push boundaries and that costs money.

My guess is $500 low end. $600 high end.

If you start getting into $800-1000 +, that's custom territory and I'd rather put that money into an artists hand than a company. But that's me personally.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Where I'm at with the collection I'm hitting a limit space wise...

You have an entire underground bunker as big as your house with 100 detolfs. How do you run out of space?

 

[Rzeznikk]

You have an entire underground bunker as big as your house with 100 detolfs. How do you run out of space?

It happens to us all

 

[Gipetto0812]

Their 1/4 Joker is/was around $610 for regular and around $1300 for Artist edition. Their 1/6 cop Joker statue with fabric clothing is $350 so I’d expect their figures to be around the same price with the artist edition probably around $8-900 seeing how the 1/4 AE was about double the price of the regular.

 

[Wor-Gar]

That's a huge spread. How much of an improvement was the Artist Edition over the regular? Twice as good?

Direct competition with HT at $350 seems unlikely to me... as does a $900 price tag for a 1/6th doll. If the price was that low (basically where HT is now nearly) I think Queen Studio would get buried by HT, who would go full-throttle to show them up.

I'm guessing they want a higher-end client, and to be separate from mass-market HT. That's why I think $400-$550 for their figures.

I'm not sure about this "Artist Edition" angle, and am curious how that will play out if that's part of their 1/6th plan.

 

[Rotfish]

I'm tired of mass collecting.

I'd prefer to buy a few great pieces for a lot of money, then tons of pieces for a lot less that fall apart over time or are reissued, V2'd or remade.

And a few great pieces around the house look a lot better to the ladies then that strange room with 12 detolfs and 200 dolls...

Late, but in agreement with this.

There are truly meaningful pieces and there are pieces that would simply be cool to have. While I always knew the second category eclipsed the first, I'm realizing with time how so many pieces I thought fell into the first category actually fall into the second.

Another thing. Both small and big budgets can help one figure out what their priorities are in this game. If you can't afford much, you're likely going to focus on what's really important to you (unless you have problems buying consolatory pieces when the grail is out of reach). But on the other hand, if your disposable income goes up, you might find you're willing to go to greater lengths to acquire or improve certain pieces over others. You may start wondering why you even bother with the others if you'd never go as far for them.

I think the reason a lot of us are getting a little excited and probably ahead of ourselves is because there hasn't been this kind of "shake up" in the 1/6 community in quite awhile.

Would feel more like a shake-up if all these companies weren't making the same characters.

The new Batman film just released and we're already aware of multiple large-format statues and 1/6 figures, all of which will likely be done to similar high-end standards. QC can vary and they won't be identical, but generally speaking, you've got plenty of options if you want a high-end Pattinson Bats and you're aware of their existence within a week of the movie being out.

To say nothing of the obsession companies seem to have with Ledger's Joker. Sure, some pieces from 10 years ago have started to show their age, but 1. they still look great and 2. they were near-perfect upon release. Maybe I'm biased because I'm not a massive fan, but hasn't the Ledger likeness mountain been conquered? Or is it more of a rite of passage at this point?

 

[Gipetto0812]

That's a huge spread. How much of an improvement was the Artist Edition over the regular? Twice as good?

Direct competition with HT at $350 seems unlikely to me... as does a $900 price tag for a 1/6th doll. If the price was that low (basically where HT is now nearly) I think Queen Studio would get buried by HT, who would go full-throttle to show them up.

I'm guessing they want a higher-end client, and to be separate from mass-market HT. That's why I think $400-$550 for their figures.

I'm not sure about this "Artist Edition" angle, and am curious how that will play out if that's part of their 1/6th plan.

Well the Artist Edition has the headsculpts being rooted by Viper and I think painted by him as well but not sure about paint as production photos don’t show the paint being any better than QS normal production paint (which is still great btw). However, I think most who know of Viper’s work know that it is isn’t cheap the double price is more about paying him for his work more so than QS making that much more off it. I see it more of Queen Studios being the middle man in that instead of you, the collector, sending your statue to him to get hair (and maybe repainted), they’re taking care of that step for you. QS is obviously making their cut for being the middle man, but I’m sure Viper isn’t being paid pennies to hair hundreds of those statues either. And I think that’s why their 1/6 Joker teasers showed one sculpt with rooted hair and one with sculpted hair, just like their 1/4 statue where the regular edition had sculpted hair and the artist edition had rooted hair. OR maybe it will be like their 1/3 TDK statues where they have a standard version with sculpted hair and a premium version with rooted.

I still think $350-$400 as base is a potential starting point for them though, at least for a regular sculpted hair version(s). I know we’re rounding HT prices to $300 but the average HT base price these days is still around $275 depending on the character; so, I don’t see QS starting at $350-$400 as direct competition to HT as it’ll still be a higher starting price for a potential bare bones figure. The HT figures that are above $300 are usually the Iron Man figures, larger figures (Thanos, Venom What If Hydra Stomper) and deluxe figures. At the end of the day, we won’t know until they tell us. But if you look at the pricing of their other stuff, I see no reason to believe (yet) that these 1/6 figures will be the same prices as their larger scale pieces.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I hope you're right.

Batman hit $300 for the regular version, so I've upped my HT prices to reflect where we all know they are going.

 

[Shoo]

 

[Victοr]

I really hope they share some new, actual info.

By the by, I've never watched HBO-Men, but I'd buy a Jeremy Irons Ozymandias in a heartbeat. I'd buy the Snyder version too. Ozymandias is one of my actual grails.

 

[Gipetto0812]

Would feel more like a shake-up if all these companies weren't making the same characters.

The new Batman film just released and we're already aware of multiple large-format statues and 1/6 figures, all of which will likely be done to similar high-end standards. QC can vary and they won't be identical, but generally speaking, you've got plenty of options if you want a high-end Pattinson Bats and you're aware of their existence within a week of the movie being out.

To say nothing of the obsession companies seem to have with Ledger's Joker. Sure, some pieces from 10 years ago have started to show their age, but 1. they still look great and 2. they were near-perfect upon release. Maybe I'm biased because I'm not a massive fan, but hasn't the Ledger likeness mountain been conquered? Or is it more of a rite of passage at this point?

I get what you're saying but I also think maybe you misunderstood the point of my post? Before we pretty much only had 1 option and that was/is Hot Toys and you either liked what they put out or you didn't. And you either purchased b/c you genuinely liked it or b/c it was the only option and you'd rather have that than nothing at all.

HT has been top dog for a while now and there has been no one who could compete with them. Maybe Queen Studios who can step up to the plate? And what better way to compete with them than to make an arguably better looking figure of a character that HT has has trouble getting right for awhile now. Just b/c you think the previous efforts were good enough, and "near perfect" doesn't mean that the 1/6 community thinks so. I mean no offense, but since it's a character you don't too much care about, then this news/reveal will obviosity not matter that much to you, and be more "yawwwn'" than "wow!" With that said, there is plenty wrong with the HT offerings even if their packages as a whole have been good for what you were paying for. I think the accessories with DX11 alone make it a great package, but there's still a lot wrong with it in terms of accuracy. If HT had already hit it out of the park, we wouldn't have so many collectors still looking for better with this one character. There are still countless custom headsculpts, clothing runs, a handful of shoes and even new hands being made for TDK Joker.

It's almost like saying what's the point of Medicom, SH Figure Arts and Mezco all making the same character in the 1/12 scale market? Isn't the point to compete for the buyer's money for that character so the buyer chooses one company's product over the other?

Same thing happening with all The Batman merch. Buy mine, not theirs. Is having options all of a sudden a bad thing? TDK Joker might've been done to no end already, but it's still a popular character and a great one to come out of the gate with to not only show you can stand up to Hot Toys, but also get money in to make more figures. You got to make money with the ubber popular and guarantee money makers to then make the less in-demand characters with potential loss in sales.

I hope you're right.

Batman hit $300 for the regular version, so I've upped my HT prices to reflect where we all know they are going.

True, I get that. But the standard The Batman is a bit like a DX without the DX label so, to me, I don't see that as the new standard but I could be wrong

 

[Bo Shrek]

Will this be NECA to Mcfarlane?

 

[JacktheRipper]

I get what you're saying but I also think maybe you misunderstood the point of my post? Before we pretty much only had 1 option and that was/is Hot Toys and you either liked what they put out or you didn't. And you either purchased b/c you genuinely liked it or b/c it was the only option and you'd rather have that than nothing at all.

HT has been top dog for a while now and there has been no one who could compete with them. Maybe Queen Studios who can step up to the plate? And what better way to compete with them than to make an arguably better looking figure of a character that HT has has trouble getting right for awhile now. Just b/c you think the previous efforts were good enough, and "near perfect" doesn't mean that the 1/6 community thinks so. I mean no offense, but since it's a character you don't too much care about, then this news/reveal will obviosity not matter that much to you, and be more "yawwwn'" than "wow!" With that said, there is plenty wrong with the HT offerings even if their packages as a whole have been good for what you were paying for. I think the accessories with DX11 alone make it a great package, but there's still a lot wrong with it in terms of accuracy. If HT had already hit it out of the park, we wouldn't have so many collectors still looking for better with this one character. There are still countless custom headsculpts, clothing runs, a handful of shoes and even new hands being made for TDK Joker.

It's almost like saying what's the point of Medicom, SH Figure Arts and Mezco all making the same character in the 1/12 scale market? Isn't the point to compete for the buyer's money for that character so the buyer chooses one company's product over the other?

Same thing happening with all The Batman merch. Buy mine, not theirs. Is having options all of a sudden a bad thing? TDK Joker might've been done to no end already, but it's still a popular character and a great one to come out of the gate with to not only show you can stand up to Hot Toys, but also get money in to make more figures. You got to make money with the ubber popular and guarantee money makers to then make the less in-demand characters with potential loss in sales.


True, I get that. But the standard The Batman is a bit like a DX without the DX label so, to me, I don't see that as the new standard but I could be wrong

Oh, HT are testing the waters with the price of their Batman figure. I'm not swimming.

 

[Gipetto0812]

Oh, HT are testing the waters with the price of their Batman figure. I'm not swimming.

could be. We won't know until the next couple figures go up for PO to compare.

 

[Rotfish]

I get what you're saying but I also think maybe you misunderstood the point of my post? Before we pretty much only had 1 option and that was/is Hot Toys and you either liked what they put out or you didn't. And you either purchased b/c you genuinely liked it or b/c it was the only option and you'd rather have that than nothing at all.

HT has been top dog for a while now and there has been no one who could compete with them. Maybe Queen Studios who can step up to the plate? And what better way to compete with them than to make an arguably better looking figure of a character that HT has has trouble getting right for awhile now. Just b/c you think the previous efforts were good enough, and "near perfect" doesn't mean that the 1/6 community thinks so. I mean no offense, but since it's a character you don't too much care about, then this news/reveal will obviosity not matter that much to you, and be more "yawwwn'" than "wow!" With that said, there is plenty wrong with the HT offerings even if their packages as a whole have been good for what you were paying for. I think the accessories with DX11 alone make it a great package, but there's still a lot wrong with it in terms of accuracy. If HT had already hit it out of the park, we wouldn't have so many collectors still looking for better with this one character. There are still countless custom headsculpts, clothing runs, a handful of shoes and even new hands being made for TDK Joker.

It's almost like saying what's the point of Medicom, SH Figure Arts and Mezco all making the same character in the 1/12 scale market? Isn't the point to compete for the buyer's money for that character so the buyer chooses one company's product over the other?

Same thing happening with all The Batman merch. Buy mine, not theirs. Is having options all of a sudden a bad thing? TDK Joker might've been done to no end already, but it's still a popular character and a great one to come out of the gate with to not only show you can stand up to Hot Toys, but also get money in to make more figures. You got to make money with the ubber popular and guarantee money makers to then make the less in-demand characters with potential loss in sales.


True, I get that. But the standard The Batman is a bit like a DX without the DX label so, to me, I don't see that as the new standard but I could be wrong

Fair enough. I do agree with your points. To clarify mine: while I do appreciate the iterative pursuit of perfection (you won't see me complaining about new Predator or Alien stuff), another way for a company to set themselves apart is by pursuing fresh licenses. I'm just disappointed to see that's the road less taken. Unfortunately it's not only about standing apart, it's also about making money and most companies will do their best to maximize that end. A new 1/6 company putting out Conan, Legend and Blade Runner figures could find success, but not as much as they would if their catalog consisted of Marvel characters.

But hey, credit where credit is due. Though many of the figures in Queen's initial announcement are retreads (except for Matrix 4 Neo, don't know what they're thinking there if the objective is to make money), there's already a wider variety of licenses in that teaser image than HT's released in the last several years. That could bode well. Maybe in time, we'll get some niche stuff too.

 

[Gipetto0812]

Fair enough. I do agree with your points. To clarify mine: while I do appreciate the iterative pursuit of perfection (you won't see me complaining about new Predator or Alien stuff), another way for a company to set themselves apart is by pursuing fresh licenses. I'm just disappointed to see that's the road less taken. Unfortunately it's not only about standing apart, it's also about making money and most companies will do their best to maximize that end. A new 1/6 company putting out Conan, Legend and Blade Runner figures could find success, but not as much as they would if their catalog consisted of Marvel characters.

But hey, credit where credit is due. Though many of the figures in Queen's initial announcement are retreads (except for Matrix 4 Neo, don't know what they're thinking there if the objective is to make money), there's already a wider variety of licenses in that teaser image than HT's released in the last several years. That could bode well. Maybe in time, we'll get some niche stuff too.

I completely agree with you 100%. My hype is honestly not really b/c of TDK Joker (it's not my favorite interpretation of the character) but more so in hopes that we do get some of those niche characters or even not so much niche, just ones that HT (and other companies) has pretty much forgotten about. I really want a badass T2 Arnie from the Galleria scenes as I feel HT just never got it quite right as well as a better mass produced Raiders Indiana Jones (even though I have a custom that I'm building). Like you said, hopefully in time, they go for something hasn't done or hasn't done in a while, but I understand them needing to come out the gate with something hot that a vast majority of collectors will ooo and ahhh over.

 

[Wor-Gar]

there's already a wider variety of licenses in that teaser image than HT's released in the last several years.

Yep. Here's hoping the new guy is good AND offers wider variety.