Sideshow 1/6 R2-D2

[devilof76]

Didn't IrishJedi get his hands on one a few weeks back?

 

[pjam]

Wow had no idea this guy was shipping so soon, the dock strike is over! (It is, right?)

Anyone doing a pack out for this guy?

I might. I just hate crap on my shippers. Hmm, that sounds funny...

 

[pjam]

dang.... should i get this or wait for hot toys.......zzz

THAT is the question. Wor-Gar and I banged this around. My point was NO-ONE will ever produce an R2 with this much are and detail for 150 again. EVER. I don't even think when HT gets around to him, you will see this level of detail and effort. How can they top that, honestly. WG was saying all HT has to do is a Diecast piece or add metal dome (and make sounds) and they'll get $250 -- they can jack it up with just a meta; dome and prolly get $250.

Did I get most of this right, Wor-Gar?

Anyway, you WON'T ever find a piece like this for this price again. I think it's a $179.99 piece as is.

 

[ebor]

Why would you open the doors with giant man hands when it comes with a lightsabre with magnet?

 

[Took]

To be fair, those white-box "reviews" are more advertisement than review. They're decent overviews, but without any criticism and not having bought the figures themselves, I can't take them seriously.

there's two sides to that coin. Yes, there are some that get the stuff for free and then post a positive (video)review just so they will get some more free stuff.

But on the other hand, when people pay $200 (or more) for a figure, they don't really want to say "look, I bought this thing but it's actually a piece of crap. I'm an ***** for spending that much money on it."
No, instead they would rather not mention the faults it has.


I actually get a lot (and I mean a lot...) of cds from record companies. But they all know that if they send an album that isn't any good, they will read about it in the reviews. And they actually appreciate it if you're honest about it.
Unfortunately, the stuff Sideshow and Hot Toys make are a lot more expensive so people will usually fall into one of the two categories I described above. Sure, there are a few who will post actual objective reviews, but most reviews will rather leave out the bad parts.

 

[Wor-Gar]

THAT is the question. Wor-Gar and I banged this around. My point was NO-ONE will ever produce an R2 with this much are and detail for 150 again. EVER. I don't even think when HT gets around to him, you will see this level of detail and effort. How can they top that, honestly. WG was saying all HT has to do is a Diecast piece or add metal dome (and make sounds) and they'll get $250 -- they can jack it up with just a meta; dome and prolly get $250.

Did I get most of this right, Wor-Gar?

Anyway, you WON'T ever find a piece like this for this price again. I think it's a $179.99 piece as is.

Yep. SS could have easily charged $179-$189 for this piece and we'd still think it a bargain. Fortunately, this is one of the last, great deals I think we'll see until we get used to the new price level.

And there's no way HT won't do the droids. It's just a matter of when. HT R2 will be in its usual price range -- which means nearly $100 more than the current R2. It will likely be better overall. But $100 better, who knows, that's subjective. Some people would love a brushed aluminum dome and sounds and think the extra cash is worth it. But either way, HT's R2 will be $200plus and likely not in your hands for at least two more years.

 

[ZE_501]

[...]But either way, HT's R2 will be $200plus and likely not in your hands for at least two more years.

This is the thing...my 1/6 pieces are being slowly integrated into my front room/studio as a design element. There's an end game, and I don't want to be forever waiting on this or that "perfect" item. I could care less what Hot Toys or some other company may or may not do in two years time.

If something comes up that I think is a genuine upgrade I'll buy it, but I'm not going to worry about it when a perfectly good - actually great - product is right there in front of me.

 

[TheFiend]

And there's no way HT won't do the droids. It's just a matter of when. HT R2 will be in its usual price range -- which means nearly $100 more than the current R2. It will likely be better overall. But $100 better, who knows, that's subjective. Some people would love a brushed aluminum dome and sounds and think the extra cash is worth it. But either way, HT's R2 will be $200plus and likely not in your hands for at least two more years.

Word. I love R2 but I really dont feel like paying $250+. Besides, I dont share the new obsession of everything having to be die-cast etc. And I dont think HT will be any more accurate than this one. Just look at their Vader. Hot Toys doesn't really do accuracy. They do quality.

Anyway, 7 day notice. Woo-Hoo! That was a fast turnaround. These last 7 weeks went FAST!

 

[K1NG J0RDAN]

I might. I just hate crap on my shippers. Hmm, that sounds funny...

I definitely agree. Rarely trust UPS to handle with care when they aren't double boxed, too. They destroyed the corners on my DX13 box.

 

[K1NG J0RDAN]

Agreed, personally I think overall people's expectations of figures in general is just to high

That's putting it rather mildly.

People's expectations are extremely obsessive & unrealistic. I know these figures are expensive, but you can't always expect them to nail every single detail.

 

[jedijim3002]

Yup. $14.63 to me here in Virginia.

 

[loki2371]

I actually get a lot (and I mean a lot...) of cds from record companies. But they all know that if they send an album that isn't any good, they will read about it in the reviews. And they actually appreciate it if you're honest about it.
Unfortunately, the stuff Sideshow and Hot Toys make are a lot more expensive so people will usually fall into one of the two categories I described above. Sure, there are a few who will post actual objective reviews, but most reviews will rather leave out the bad parts.

I've worked in the world of consumer electronics for the better part of the last 20 years. Before the internet when you had to rely on magazines for reviews of the latest and greatest models or go demo it yourself. When the internet came sometimes it was still hard to find a review of that new home theater receiver, speakers or TV. Reason why? Advertising dollars. All these manufacturers were the biggest contributor to the money these publications and internet sites earned. So there was an "unspoken rule". We give you the products to review but please don't post anything discrediting it if you don't like the product. So if you couldn't find a review in any magazine or on any website it usually meant it wasn't good!!!

 

[davejames]

That's putting it rather mildly.

People's expectations are extremely obsessive & unrealistic. I know these figures are expensive, but you can't always expect them to nail every single detail.

Well I think there's a difference between noticing or pointing out inaccurate details, and letting that detail be an absolute dealbreaker for you. Or letting it be something you get overly nasty and vicious about online.

I mean I may not be thrilled by the short periscopes or plasticky look of this R2, for instance, but that's not keeping me from really wanting to get one anyway. Or realizing it's still the coolest R2 figure that's ever been made.

 

[K1NG J0RDAN]

Well I think there's a difference between noticing or pointing out inaccurate details, and letting that detail be an absolute dealbreaker for you. Or letting it be something you get overly nasty and vicious about online.

I mean I may not be thrilled by the short periscopes or plasticky look of this R2, for instance, but that's not keeping me from really wanting to get one anyway. Or realizing it's still the coolest R2 figure that's ever been made.

Yeah, this is still the best R2 figure in existence right now. While I will go for the eventual Hot Toys version down the road, it's nice to have a great R2 on the shelf until that day comes. Could be years, so better to enjoy an R2 now than to wait forever for that.

 

[Captain Britain]

^^ What he said - Cap Britain gets the figure pretty much before anyone, hates it and then doesn't take a single pic, if only to prove/show the problems? This is one of the weirder situations I've seen on this board. People usually scramble to be first to post pics, no matter whether they love it or hate it (hey, the bad Drake pics were a race.)




Understood, but... a bit strange.



Someone has a screen name "The Nam"?

Well, I.m... stunned. I hardly ever post pictures and since there's already some good quality pics out there I just didn't think of it. I don't scramble to post pics, and nobody called me a liar when I said I had the armoury but didn't post photos for a couple of months. I'm willing to bet no one would be calling me a liar if I'd liked this product. But in any case, I didn't slate it I just said I didn't like it.

Anyone posted a photo of the black and white piece of paper with photos that gives you instructions on how to use R2? It has a number of photos on it (about six to eight) and weirdly shows you how to put the dome on but not how to take it off. This calls the product fragile, so I'm just quoting the manufacturer.

As for how I got it, for UK fans it can make financial sense to buy from HK, less so for US collectors. A number of people are selling this already and it only takes a week to get here (here in the Old World we don't have quite so many Union problems anymore).

 

[Wor-Gar]

The man doesn't like it, can't fault him for that. If you disagree, just wait for a review that you like. That's what the internet has become, right? Seek out only the opinions that agree with your world view.

Me, I'm hoping he's wrong (IMHO), but I'm glad to know of the potential issues upfront to manage expectations. This hobby is all about managed expectations.

I've seen people rave about an Avengers figure only to sell them as soon as the next new thing comes along. So opinions vary, even amongst the same individuals.

 

[Captain Britain]

Yep. SS could have easily charged $179-$189 for this piece and we'd still think it a bargain. Fortunately, this is one of the last, great deals I think we'll see until we get used to the new price level.

And there's no way HT won't do the droids. It's just a matter of when. HT R2 will be in its usual price range -- which means nearly $100 more than the current R2. It will likely be better overall. But $100 better, who knows, that's subjective. Some people would love a brushed aluminum dome and sounds and think the extra cash is worth it. But either way, HT's R2 will be $200plus and likely not in your hands for at least two more years.

The amount of features and moveable parts on this thing are phenomenal, I would be astonished if anyone ever attempts something of this complexity again with this character. I certainly didn't criticise the ingenuity that went into it.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I certainly didn't criticise the ingenuity that went into it.

Hey, I wasn't offended by your review. I welcome it. Read my post above. I think I'm your only supporter right now.

 

[Captain Britain]

The man doesn't like it, can't fault him for that. If you disagree, just wait for a review that you like. That's what the internet has become, right? Seek out only the opinions that agree with your world view.

Me, I'm hoping he's wrong (IMHO), but I'm glad to know of the potential issues upfront to manage expectations. This hobby is all about managed expectations.

I've seen people rave about an Avengers figure only to sell them as soon as the next new thing comes along. So opinions vary, even amongst the same individuals.

Thanks mate. What gets me is that I didn't think there was anything malicious about my original post. I was interested to hear that people thought the Probe droid was fragile but that no one's had any QC issues yet. Like I said to Pixelpiper, I hope everyone who gets this figure likes it and I'm proved wrong about its fragility. Otherwise I'd be hoping that you've all wasted your money, which is not really what I'm about. What I wrote was all about the 'feel' of it, which is about the most subjective thing you can say about a figure.

 

[momaw]

The man doesn't like it, can't fault him for that. If you disagree, just wait for a review that you like. That's what the internet has become, right? Seek out only the opinions that agree with your world view.

Me, I'm hoping he's wrong (IMHO), but I'm glad to know of the potential issues upfront to manage expectations. This hobby is all about managed expectations.

I've seen people rave about an Avengers figure only to sell them as soon as the next new thing comes along. So opinions vary, even amongst the same individuals.

His issues weren't problems with the figure per se, but his own opinion on how a figure should feel in hand. To me, it was less a review and more a list of things he doesn't like in figures. This R2 is just not built to his tastes.