Sideshow 1/6 R2-D2

[Lejuan]

Sideshow's C-3PO was always going to be plastic though, so despite being the same character you could argue that Tama's diecast pitches at a slightly different segment of the market.

 

[Invictus Sol]

Yep. Even at today's prices, Tamashii's MSRP of $400.00 would be considered very expensive.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

At first, I thought that by "comp" you meant "composite." Then I realized you meant "comparison."

Breathe, Terry. Breathe ...

Yep - comparison.


Regarding that HT Q&A.. so what.

I agree with Tali; how does 'we will see' equate to 'be prepared to wait for a really long time'.. ??

They can say anything & change their minds later. It doesn't mean much.

 

[bransen2099]

How's the wait list on the exclusive?

 

[davejames]

The biggest issue with the R2 3po height is 3po. He is to tall. They say he is 12" tall if thats true he is 2/3" too tall.

So wouldn't that make R2 too tall as well? I thought the issue was he was not tall enough? Because they do look proportioned right together at least.

 

[ksteezy]

still no word on when this will release?....

question....why would the dock strikes affect this??...isnt this coming directly from SSC and not Hot Toys?....pardon my ignorance...

 

[epitaph04]

Stuff still gets made in China.

 

[Lejuan]

So wouldn't that make R2 too tall as well? I thought the issue was he was not tall enough? Because they do look proportioned right together at least.

Look closer. R2 is three tenths of a millimetre too short. It's not just the height, it's the volume - 3/8 cubic millimetre out.

Sorry mate - once you've had this pointed out you won't be able to unsee just how wrong Sideshow got the proportions.

 

[TaliBane]

The biggest issue with the R2 3po height is 3po. He is to tall. They say he is 12" tall if thats true he is 2/3" too tall.

But how precise are those heights they quote on the site? I mean do they measure the production figure and make it accurate down to 1/4" or less? I think they're pretty rough.

Sideshow's C-3PO was always going to be plastic though, so despite being the same character you could argue that Tama's diecast pitches at a slightly different segment of the market.

What about all the diecast stuff HT is doing? It's part of a 1/6 line. I mean if the Tama was a cast metal statue I'd agree, but it's an artilculated 1/6 figure.

So wouldn't that make R2 too tall as well? I thought the issue was he was not tall enough? Because they do look proportioned right together at least.

There is no doubt this SSC R2 is not only a whisker too short, but a whisker too small all around - the R2 "shoulder width" is too small compared to 3PO. It's not just about vertical height. The question is, will the too-small aspect be so slight that it's not really noticeable from a majority of iconic poses. I'm gambling that it will be okay.

 

[Invictus Sol]

Yep - comparison.


Regarding that HT Q&A.. so what.

I agree with Tali; how does 'we will see' equate to 'be prepared to wait for a really long time'.. ??

They can say anything & change their minds later. It doesn't mean much.

Well, the speculation previously by some here was that HT was going to pay no attention at all to SSC's schedule, so this proves that obviously they are (along with common sense). It doesn't mean it'll be four years or something but we can assume they will at least wait for SSC's versions to sell through on their site before throwing up a pre-order... Anyway, have to say it's a pretty tedious discussion in that respect. They are obviously splitting the license and will not be going at each others' throats until only one is left, so I wish people would just stuff the speculation and see how things play out. We won't know for a couple years how they are going to divvy up releases in practice.

What about all the diecast stuff HT is doing? It's part of a 1/6 line. I mean if the Tama was a cast metal statue I'd agree, but it's an artilculated 1/6 figure.

Tamashii was a one-off, though, at a price point that was unheard of outside of HT's most expensive figures like Iron Monger. Even now, the only equivilent price from HT's diecast line is Iron Whiplash Mark II. When this was announced, the discussion in the thread was that it wasn't intended for the same market at what Sideshow was pursuing. All 1:6 doesn't mean one homongenous market, from NECA to Tamashii.

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Anyway, have to say it's a pretty tedious discussion in that respect. They are obviously splitting the license and will not be going at each others' throats until only one is left, so I wish people would just stuff the speculation and see how things play out. We won't know for a couple years how they are going to divvy up releases in practice.

Agreed.

I haven't really banged on much about that myself anyway, but yeah.

They're helping each other out it seems, so that should make folks happy.

 

[Captain Britain]

Well, the speculation previously by some here was that HT was going to pay no attention at all to SSC's schedule, so this proves that obviously they are (along with common sense). It doesn't mean it'll be four years or something but we can assume they will at least wait for SSC's versions to sell through on their site before throwing up a pre-order... Anyway, have to say it's a pretty tedious discussion in that respect. They are obviously splitting the license and will not be going at each others' throats until only one is left, so I wish people would just stuff the speculation and see how things play out. We won't know for a couple years how they are going to divvy up releases in practice.

And yet, we're getting a 1/4 Fett hot on the heels of the Premium Format.

 

[Captain Britain]

Agreed.

I haven't really banged on much about that myself anyway, but yeah.

They're helping each other out it seems, so that should make folks happy.

To be honest, I'd rather see Hot Toys have the licence to themselves. I can't think of another instance where competition feels like a bad thing, but this is surely it.

 

[Pixelpiper]

And yet, we're getting a 1/4 Fett hot on the heels of the Premium Format.

One is an action figure, the other is a statue. Customers of each format know the difference.

I can't think of a worse outcome for this hobby and this license than to have only a single company producing product. Specifically Hot Toys, but YMMV.

 

[TurdFurgusonsHat]

One is an action figure, the other is a statue. Customers of each format know the difference.

I can't think of a worse outcome for this hobby and this license than to have only a single company producing product. Specifically Hot Toys, but YMMV.

Also one is from empire, the other is Jedi. The look is quite a bit different when you compare them. Which to me is a good indicator that they are at least trying to play nice.

 

[Captain Britain]

One is an action figure, the other is a statue. Customers of each format know the difference.

I can't think of a worse outcome for this hobby and this license than to have only a single company producing product. Specifically Hot Toys, but YMMV.

I wouldn't normally be opposed to competition, I just don't see how it benefits anyone when the competition is Sideshow. That obviously reflects my anti-Sideshow bias.

And yet, I've been thinking seriously about getting this figure just to display him with my Jedi Luke custom. It would be great to be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Pixelpiper]

I'll take a Sideshow Ep.4 Ben Kenobi over what Hot Toys has shown - I'd get it repainted, but at least the sculpt looks like the actor. With respect to the newer stuff, Sideshow's prototypes are looking far better than Hot Toys, but no one knows what they'll turn out like. Yes, Nathan Drake turned out like crap head-wise. Comparatively, Hot Toys Solo already started at crap. It's a toss-up.

Comparisons aside, there's also simply no chance Hot Toys would be able or willing to produce every figure wanted by fans, so with two producers, at the very least we'll have a bump in quantity.

 

[Captain Britain]

I'll take a Sideshow Ep.4 Ben Kenobi over what Hot Toys has shown - I'd get it repainted, but at least the sculpt looks like the actor. With respect to the newer stuff, Sideshow's prototypes are looking far better than Hot Toys, but no one knows what they'll turn out like. Yes, Nathan Drake turned out like crap head-wise. Comparatively, Hot Toys Solo already started at crap. It's a toss-up.

Comparisons aside, there's also simply no chance Hot Toys would be able or willing to produce every figure wanted by fans, so with two producers, at the very least we'll have a bump in quantity.

All good points, and HT haven't exactly wowed me with their prototypes so far, but I do think by the time they release 2.0 or 3.0 of every figure they'll be on the nail. With regard to quantity if would be a great idea if HT did the main characters and Sideshow did the background robots and aliens. I love the idea of a 1:6 Yakface or Ree Yees.

 

[TonTon]

This was the home of all sorts of port talk a few days ago, with some uncertainty as to the cause, etc. Anyway, just came across this article that seemed pretty interesting in terms of clarifying some of what is going on. For some reason though the article doesn't get into the fact that R2 and all of our other toys are being held hostage! Maybe some freaks can go protest and demand our Shadow Troopers and Snake Plisskens:
New signs of labor strife at Southern California ports

 

[TaliBane]

Anyway, have to say it's a pretty tedious discussion in that respect. They are obviously splitting the license and will not be going at each others' throats until only one is left, so I wish people would just stuff the speculation and see how things play out. We won't know for a couple years how they are going to divvy up releases in practice.

It isn't some kind of HT vs SSC speculation and trolling game. It's about whether a collector wants to pay $220-240 for a Sideshow version of a character/outfit/movie, only to have HT do the same character/outfit/movie 12-18 months later (for yet another $250.) It wouldn't have been such a big deal if we were talking $125 per figure.

The recent HT protos have obviously proven that HT is anything but infallible (Ben IS pretty awful,) but HT does have the hyper-real finish heads, so if both HT and SSC do nail a sculpt, HT in general will more likely be the product that becomes the defining one. Until HT reissues it of course.

But speculation is about all we have - drawing from whatever experience people on the boards have - because there is nothing officially stated so far that says the above scenario (HT does version of same character, same outfit, 12-18 months after SSC version) couldn't happen.

All of the reasoning as to why the above scenario wouldn't happen - "but they distribute for one another" "It isn't in Disney/LFL's interest" "it's in their best interests to have complementary releases" - is just fans guessing. It's logical, but it's guessing.