Sideshow 1/6 Imperial Probe Droid

[canadaclone]

I really don't understand how they can make this before Chewie, R2 and 3PO. This line is what, 7 years old now, almost 8 and we get this 2 minute screentime droid over 3 iconic characters?

I'm desperate for a Chewie

They made 3PO (Tash Nation) and the deal with R2 (Tash Nation again)fell apart and last time SS mentioned Chewie they said they had not "figured out" how to do real looking hair with a figure.

 

[shocktrooper_au]

No. It's between 10 and 11" tall. A probot is shorter than a human, around 5' tall.

I was thinking on the stand total height

 

[Joshimus]

Usually only collect the 1:1 stuff but couldn't help myself and ordered this lil guy.

 

[Vonhahn]

I gotta admit I'm not one for those kinds of gimmicks, but I like the fact that it makes sounds! I've always liked that weird language it speaks. In fact, the iPhone comes with a ringer sound that sounds very similar to it, so it's the ringer I use! So I really hope the droid comes with the "speaking" part of his transmission.

Sideshow has updated the sound to the correct chatter....

 

[PopCultKid]

I hope not I'm hoping to get a tauntaun + Han or Luke for under $500, though my biggest issue is Luke or Han, I think Luke is more iconic

Unfortunately, I think you may be right.

I haven't been following any talk on the Tauntaun. Do we know if it articulates yet or is it static like the Dewback?

I'd say I'm most probably wrong if it's static but I may be right if it articulates

 

[shocktrooper_au]

I believe its static with interchangeable heads for Luke or Hans tautaun

 

[CaptnRex]

Not interested in this but it looks like they did a good job on it.

If this is $250 then what's a Tauntaun going to be?

 

[That Ghoul Ava]

I don't know...I share the concerns: my 1st was why are we getting this before the "real" characters, & my 2nd was thinking it's a tad pricey, especially w/ shipping thrown in. I hate these gimmicks that are cool a few times then never used ( if at all) affecting the price. And I just can't figure out why they used a metal pole. As a designer, that just seems like a no-brainer.

But who am I kidding? Thy lady doth protest too much? I only wanted to collect a few figures when I started, & I know I'll end up with it. Ugh we're suppose to saving for a bigger house this year. My husband's gonna kill me....

But I'm going to hold off a bit, just to see if they fix the pole up its metal woo-woo parts. I'd rather have a Taun-Taun 1st anyways. My hasbro fill ins are not cutting it.

 

[jkno]

This piece will be epic to own. You don't even have to commit to the Hoth 1:6 line to have this as a stand-alone piece.

 

[Puay]

likely getting one...

 

[devilof76]

I want one, but it's low on the list of priorities right now.

Looks absolutely incredible, though. Not sure I'd have ever wanted one if it didn't look this good.

 

[shocktrooper_au]

I wonder what the relevance here is with people passing or buying being mainly rebel or empire fans? I can't say if it was a rebel robot I'd be so keen

 

[Pixelpiper]

If this is $250 then what's a Tauntaun going to be?

You can't derive the price of the TaunTaun based on this because the manufacturing processes are so different.

I can guarantee that tooling for this droid cost much more than for the TaunTaun. There are so many separate plastic parts on this that each need their own mold. Assembly is going to be more complicated as well.

For the TaunTaun you can look at the Dewback and other poly-like offerings for price guidance. I fully expect it to be $300 or so, but not $400.

 

[Joe Prince]

At first I was going to pass. But now with the light up and sound chip. I'm sold!
My reward points going to this. was going to new mythos but have not heard anything yet.

 

[Keenan]

This is unique and really cool looking- it's a must have for me.

 

[Commander Cody]

This is unique and really cool looking- it's a must have for me.

Its a must have for me to. im taking the risk of waiting though!

 

[CaptnRex]

You can't derive the price of the TaunTaun based on this because the manufacturing processes are so different.

Manufacturing process doesn't always determine final selling price, it's one of many factors.

What about the fact that the Tauntaun will be more popular than this Probe Droid, that won't determine final price?

 

[Pixelpiper]

I didn't provide any speculation on how Sideshow determines their final price, only that the apparent scale/substance of each product can be misleading. The droid is a more complex piece.

Instead of using contrasts, it's a better idea to base speculation on similarities in this case. There are already products available more similar to the TaunTaun to use as a starting point for speculation.

 

[Mad Old Lu]

Yeah, but the probot is a big jump in price from the closest things Sideshow has released: the E-web canon and IG-88. The probot is kinda between those two figures. It's not REALLY a full-fledged figure, but it's not really just an accessory either. It falls somewhere in the middle. the E-web canon was more expensive than was expected at $150 for just an accessory. It came out great from what I could tell, but still it isn't anything essential and it didn't really have that many moving parts. IG-88 may be closer to the probot, but came in at $175. Granted that was already 2 years ago, so I understand prices are gonna go up. But still, a $75 price jump on this seems a bit excessive. The probot has the sounds, but I really don't think that would warrant that much of an increase.

Anyway, the dewback was $275, and that was maybe 2 years ago now too. So based on the probot's increase in price from IG-88 (and the high price the E-web canon came in at), I think the tauntaun will end up costing at least $350, but most likely more.

 

[Pixelpiper]

$250 is too much for me for this guy, but not for the next person. And...

You guys need to remove emotion from this kind of price-forcasting speculation.

There's no $75 price jump because this item had never been priced before. It's not the same product as IG-88, costs to produce and amortize are going to be primary contributors to the final cost, and no one knows precisely what those are. Suffice it to say that this looks like a significantly more complex piece to produce.

The Dewback was $300 and is currently discounted at $275. At one point it was discounted at $279 if I recall.

What would be the reaction if we found out that this probot costs Sideshow $150 in manufacturing and packaging? What if it costs them $30? Now what if it cost them $1-5 million to develop it?

At the end of the day however, none of this is important to the collector - only the final price and one's own perceived value, which may have a very different and very skewed monetary representation. If you're into turning items around, then you may also care about market value and production numbers for exclusivity and rarity.

I have items that originally cost under $10 that I wouldn't let go for $500 or $5000 today - and it's not because they're widely bought/sold for those prices.