Sideshow Hoth Han Solo (Echo Base)
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After Drake (and to some degree the very underwhelming Snake,) if Han Hoth is another disastrous head, then SSC should probably officially move on from lead character figures and squarely be focussed on non-human or second/third tier humans like Dengar or Imperial officers, maybe Lando Skiff.
A disastrous Han Hoth head would at least clarify the relationship between HT and SSC - because whether SSC officially decides it or not, no one will buy many of their human characters again based on a proto that doesn't in any way resemble what they're getting, and it makes you wonder just how well the $240 Luke X-Wing's production head will actually turn out.
And you pay $240 for a pretty basic figure and the head comes out Han Hoth'd... you will not be disappointed, you will be ANGRY.
A disastrous Han Hoth head would at least clarify the relationship between HT and SSC - because whether SSC officially decides it or not, no one will buy many of their human characters again based on a proto that doesn't in any way resemble what they're getting, and it makes you wonder just how well the $240 Luke X-Wing's production head will actually turn out.
And you pay $240 for a pretty basic figure and the head comes out Han Hoth'd... you will not be disappointed, you will be ANGRY.
That's my secret. I'm always angry.
Pixelpiper
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Why not just change their production process? Seems like it's a better long-term move than abandoning a significant portion of a license. Sideshow's in-house staff and contracted artists produce some amazing work. Whomever is in charge of their design for manufacturing and processes needs a serious reality check if they believe they can compete (for quality) with what we've already seen in the past few figure releases.
What's obvious, up until this point, it that they've been competing well for dollars, making decent money, so if they continue to produce a more toy-like result, fans will have to step up their efforts to make their opinions known or nothing is going to change.
But hey, it's not all roses for HT either, because while they have production locked down pretty well, their art direction isn't strong enough to avoid showing prototypes, and eventually producing products, that bear little to no resemblance to the likenesses they're licensing. Honestly, Sideshow just needs to buy Hot Toys and re-integrtate the design to production process.
Poor Trevor Grove. Seems like his headsculpts are always being messed up by Sideshow in one way or another.
Pixelpiper
Super Freak
Hot Toys could do worse than giving Grove a call for some upcoming figures.
Sideshow could change everything with a great Han sculpt...
I said months ago that HT has been delivering the "new generation" ultra-realistic heads for over 5 years. SSC has had all that time to "change their production process" - and didn't. The fact we can point to HT John Connor from five years ago and SSC Drake from a few months ago is the proof. Maybe it's because SSC rarely directly competed with HT - well, now they do.
SSC has an opportunity in that HT has dropped the ball to varying degrees with Chewy, Han and Ben. And it's interesting that "where is HT Leia and Luke?" question still hasn't been answered - ie. they were supposed to be revealed a month or two ago, but they are tweaking them. So HT hasn't swooped in with ultra-defnitive sculpts as was expected. So if SSC can nail Luke X-Wing...
It's possible that Han and Luke Hoth will be the transition figures - not as bad as Drake or as bland/toy-like as Snake, but still not at the level they need to be (that is, roughly on-par.) So all eyes turn to Luke X-Wing.
However... if HT hadn't dropped the ball on the first SW releases, SSC's (assumed) failure on Han Hoth would indeed be the end of the line for them in terms of main character humans.
It's over for me if Han Hoth sucks. If its somewhere inbetween good and OK, I'm still done. I have to be. Money's growing and room is shrinking. Something has to give. And I believe at $240 I should be getting something to be proud of... not something that "works for now".
stshammgod
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Yup! ....
mattdorris
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This is the first time I've heard leia and luke were supposed to be revealed months ago, where did that info come from?
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mattdorris
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You're correct for $240 you should feel like what you got is just decent at best
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Pixelpiper
Super Freak
But it wouldn't, because you don't get to determine that. And all eyes don't turn from one figure to the next to see if Sideshow have perfected their process or have achieve some particular echelon. Their success will be determined by their continued and cumulative ability to iterate and innovate while capturing the minds (and wallets) of collectors at large. I don't think they're going to have a problem selling out of these releases, just as they sold out of Drake and will sell out of Snake.
Hot Toys have had numerous likeness and sales failures in the past 5 years, so let's not turn this into a historic battle. Or a battle at all. One doesn't need to look at the successes and misses of one company to find process issues with another. At the end of the day I want both companies to produce great products and to succeed. I would never want one to flourish at the expense of another.
Sideshow were producing sculpts in a traditional manner with quite some success, what let down those sculpts were the paint application - that was a design/direction choice. They certainly have the money to hire the production talent required to achieve realistic finishes. Now they've changed over to a more assembly-line style process and this is what we're questioning. At least it's what we should be questioning.
Throwing in the towel is not a solution to this kind of business problem nor is it a solution that would be welcomed by collectors at large. For one thing, if you think Hot Toys would (or even could) pick up the slack and release the variety of characters/figures we get from Sideshow, you're mistaken.
If these figures suck, I'll skip them. I'll evaluate every figure as it comes. And you better be sure I'll let Sideshow know via all possible avenues why I made my decision(s).
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Captain Britain
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Some great discussion here 
No one wants Sideshow to fail, I want them to make great figures. I want a Hoth Luke I love, not a Hoth Luke I buy for parts or reject in favour of a Hasbro outfit and knock off HT head.
No one wants Sideshow to fail, I want them to make great figures. I want a Hoth Luke I love, not a Hoth Luke I buy for parts or reject in favour of a Hasbro outfit and knock off HT head.
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Where's some pictures? Someone out there put us out of our misery....please!
Captain Britain
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That's when things will really start getting interesting.
Pixelpiper
Super Freak
Exactly. I trimmed off the last part because no matter what SSC does with this Han, HT doesn't make a head suitable or of a close-enough likeness to be swapped in. With the Hat on this release, I have a feeling that a repaint could rescue most maladies. But obviously that's something no one should expect to have to do going in.
And don't get me wrong. I own a number of Hot Toys that range in likeness from remarkably amazing to "has the artist ever even seen the subject?" I was willing to buy some of those misses because, like some of Sideshow's offerings, they were not only the one option available, but because overall they were just to difficult to pass up. Resident Evil's Alice and Indy DX05 being two great examples here.
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If Sideshow was keeping their figures below $175 I would have no problem with them continuing to produce simpler, less detailed figures like Snake. Because I don't think every company should be required to meet the same high-end level as HT (and it is nice to have other, more affordable options out there).
It's only these new figures over $200 where I think they really need to step up their game, and create a better product that's worthy of the price.
It's only these new figures over $200 where I think they really need to step up their game, and create a better product that's worthy of the price.
Exactly. Although you just know that the first pics will be more confusing and uncertain.
Pixelpiper
Super Freak
My Occam's razor cheat-sheet tells me the reason we don't have pictures is because there aren't many people with this in hand. And referring back to that same cheat sheet, I think it's more likely because it's not being sold rather than only not being bought.
"been available for a week" in HK is something I've seen passed around a bit. Well, I'm not in Hong Kong to check the stores myself, but so far I'm not inclined to believe that this guy is sitting there on the shelf waiting for people to walk in and buy him. I call BS on that. If reviewers have these in hand, they're not saying and not showing because Sideshow has told them not to (publication embargo for instance).
On eBay there is exactly ONE seller who claims to have it in hand and ready to ship. But still "this item has an extended handling time and a delivery estimate greater than 10 business days."
So we wait.
"been available for a week" in HK is something I've seen passed around a bit. Well, I'm not in Hong Kong to check the stores myself, but so far I'm not inclined to believe that this guy is sitting there on the shelf waiting for people to walk in and buy him. I call BS on that. If reviewers have these in hand, they're not saying and not showing because Sideshow has told them not to (publication embargo for instance).
On eBay there is exactly ONE seller who claims to have it in hand and ready to ship. But still "this item has an extended handling time and a delivery estimate greater than 10 business days."
So we wait.
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