Sideshow Rhino Comiquette - Link to Regular in 1st post.

[divo]

Phew, I have read another long thread regarding a problem item!

This really gives me pause about ordering the Conan Dio if it is going to be a large Fiberglass figure with a poly/vinyl skin.

Sorry, but fiberglass is an inferior product that gets brittle over time and can develop weak spots. You dont get those issues with stone, which is just one reason why it is SOOOO much cheaper to use.

I really cant believe that some are stating the price is in regards to R & D when fiberglass has been around for ages, or that composit materials are this great benefit to the art world, while ignoring that the statues are becoming close cousins to their plastic action figure counter parts...

This discussion has been enlightening, and probably saved me $500 on a thin polyester dio.

xYx, thank you for the photos of your smashed Rhino, that was much thinner than I imagined...

Exactly. This is being done to skimp on materials and add $$$ to SSC's bottom line. We get charged premium prices for eggshell statues. There is no cost savings to the customer. We will never see prices drop. It looks like eggshell pieces are here to stay. I wonder how long it'll take before they come up with a process to make their eggshell pieces even thinner? This of course, is all being done to save SSC customers on shipping costs.

No doubt we will have collectors here saying how strong & well made those pieces are as well, when that time eventually comes. The funny thing is, SSC themselves remain fairly quiet on the topic. I wonder why? I guess they have an unlimited amount of $20 gift cards (that no one will use) to instock items that nobody wants.

If hulk is 40 pounds as advertised he shouldn't come in at less than half. If rhino isn't polystone, dont list it as polystone. Whatever you may think of the end result, people make purchases based on this info whereas they may not if it was actually accurate. Its called bait and switch.

You missed my point completely. You would not accept a plastic statue at this price point, even though it would be lighter and harder to break than its polystone equivalent.

I have worked with Fiberglass on boats and motorcycles, I am well aware of its versatility...and its limitations.

I don't particularly think this is a good application, but it will surely outlive its warranty on most pieces. I have a much different opinion than you on it's longevity though. Take a hammer to that same piece in 5 years and you will get a different result.

SUPER POSTS fellas!!!! You've all clearly stated obvious truths. What blows my mind, & possibly keeps Sideshow pulling this BS, is the collectors who delude, & brainwash themselves into believing otherwise.

The simple facts are that we have been misled, the statue is of a cheaper quality & materials, & so overpriced, & our justifiable pleas are met with indifference, & insult from Sideshow. And the worst part of all this is that we won't be able to tell what the hell future sculpts will be made of, because Sideshow has grossly, & blatantly chosen to mislabel.

Regardless boys! Keep up the good fight, as it's the only hope I have left regarding this company. A sad day indeed.

 

[divo]

Again, not trying to knock a statue you love.

But there is a reason that a large majority of these showed the same foundation cracks on the same spots.

But if you are comfortable with yours, that is all that matters.

I would not buy it based on the claim that it meets the exacting standards found on aircraft or automobiles however. The processes used in the manufacture are not at all comparable, no matter the similarities shared in the compounds.

I sincerely hope that everyone reading this gets years of enjoyment from the piece, never have issues, and that all other statues made of similar design are free of flaws and provide longevity.

I also hope that SS passes along the savings they are achieving to their loyal customers.

Tbolt, I salute you man. Through simple, truthful, sound council, may you lead many towards the light.

 

[gofourindian]

The fiberglass base is much thinner. It also deteriorates in a different manner.

The blast plates used in protective armor are made of similar materials and have an expiration date because they degrade over time. They will take a bullet/shrapnel when newer, but weaken over time. The most common issue is they can develop cracks on their own. You can x-ray them if using out of date gear to check for this.

Now should SS care if they sell you a product that is amazingly light and tough for 5-10 years? Not like you will be returning it at that point.

Never mind the fact that it's basic composition is not what I would expect from an advertised polystone statue.

It's thinner cause the glass fiber is woven and therefor stronger than a bunch of ground stone. The resins are the same and are the binding agents in both, one isn't a higher grade of resin than the other. Were talking collectible statues here not military grade hardware. Polystone resin degrades just like fiberglass resin....no difference.

 

[Webb]

The sideshow costumer service that posts here must be on vacation uh ?

 

[gofourindian]

The sideshow costumer service that posts here must be on vacation uh ?

You sure won't here from them.....

Anyone get those gift cards yet?

 

[Tbolt]

It's thinner cause the glass fiber is woven and therefor stronger than a bunch of ground stone. The resins are the same and are the binding agents in both, one isn't a higher grade of resin than the other. Were talking collectible statues here not military grade hardware. Polystone resin degrades just like fiberglass resin....no difference.

Of all the various issues that have occurred with certain SS products, exhibiting hairline cracks in the same locations repeatedly is not something I am aware of as being a common issue.

I am not talking breakage, but cracks as exhibited multiple times in this thread on new items.

Military grade hardware...you mean fiberglass plates used in PPE that expire because they develop cracks on their own...Your right, that example has no basis for comparison, but somehow a Corvette frame and a Rhino Maquette are basically the same thing...

 

[divo]

Can't wait for, but dread, the release of Galactus. At $800.00, if this sublime sculpt comes up empty, the fallout will be cosmic (pun intended).

But sadly, even a cosmic BOOM, would seem to fall on the deaf ears of Sideshow.

 

[Webb]

Galactus will be a hollow fiberglass wonder with 1mm of polystone coating...

 

[gofourindian]

Of all the various issues that have occurred with certain SS products, exhibiting hairline cracks in the same locations repeatedly is not something I am aware of as being a common issue.

I am not talking breakage, but cracks as exhibited multiple times in this thread on new items.

Military grade hardware...you mean fiberglass plates used in PPE that expire because they develop cracks on their own...Your right, that example has no basis for comparison, but somehow a Corvette frame and a Rhino Maquette are basically the same thing...

You can throw out all these comparisons that have no basis you want but the bottom line is this. Both are comparable resins and one is infused with a woven cloth for strength and one has fine slag infused which has no cohesive properties and if anything breaks down the cohesive nature of the resin. The reason they made polystone thicker is because they had to out of necessity.

 

[Mqhuynh]

Guys,

I got this email from SS today and they opened up my Rhino to inspect and these are the pictures they gave me.
Can you please tell me for those that have the statue are the cracks or lines the same. I am most worried about the second picture where there is a crack near his shoulder.
Not sure if I should accept this piece or not.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[gofourindian]

Guys,

I got this email from SS today and they opened up my Rhino to inspect and these are the pictures they gave me.
Can you please tell me for those that have the statue are the cracks or lines the same. I am most worried about the second picture where there is a crack near his shoulder.
Not sure if I should accept this piece or not.


Any help is appreciated.

Hard to tell from those pics. But the cracks are of varying length generally inside the lines on the left shoulder. Can you circle the area your worried about? Also what did Sideshow say about what they saw?

 

[Mqhuynh]

Hard to tell from those pics. But the cracks are of varying length generally inside the lines on the left shoulder. Can you circle the area your worried about? Also what did Sideshow say about what they saw?

Here is the area I'm concerned about.

Cheers.

 

[gofourindian]

Here is the area I'm concerned about.

Cheers.

That part there is an indentation that is part of the sculpt. What did Sideshow tell you what they found when they inspected it?

 

[Mqhuynh]

That part there is an indentation that is part of the sculpt. What did Sideshow tell you what they found when they inspected it?

Here is a copy of the email from their returns dept. They wanted to inspect my piece before shipping it out.

"We want to follow up with you today regarding your order TB#### for the Rhino Comiquette Exclusive. Upon inspection, we felt there were some minor imperfections that may not be up to your standards. Because we do not want you to be unhappy with your purchase, we provided you pictures of the best piece we had available from our inspection process for your approval, prior to shipping you the item.

Unfortunately, we found that these cracks are consistent with this statue. Because of these, we do not believe we will be able to provide you a statue that would be any improvement. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Please know, we have found that the small cracks are limited to certain cervices of the exterior skin and are not expected to expand. Additionally, these cracks do not extend into the interior polystone of the statue, and do not threaten the structural integrity of the statue.

If you are satisfied with the piece, we will ship it to you as soon as possible. Please know if you accept this piece, if it is not satisfactory on arrival, the only option for return will be for a full refund.

If this item is not satisfactory, you may decide to cancel the order now and receive a full refund."

 

[Mqhuynh]

That part there is an indentation that is part of the sculpt. What did Sideshow tell you what they found when they inspected it?

I guess I'm glad they are taking the time to inspect the piece before shipping it out so I don't get any nasty surprises.

Anything else from the pictures that you can see that I should be concerned about?

Thanks for your help so far gofourindian. Much appreciated.

 

[gofourindian]

Here is a copy of the email from their returns dept. They wanted to inspect my piece before shipping it out.

"We want to follow up with you today regarding your order TB#### for the Rhino Comiquette Exclusive. Upon inspection, we felt there were some minor imperfections that may not be up to your standards. Because we do not want you to be unhappy with your purchase, we provided you pictures of the best piece we had available from our inspection process for your approval, prior to shipping you the item.

Unfortunately, we found that these cracks are consistent with this statue. Because of these, we do not believe we will be able to provide you a statue that would be any improvement. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Please know, we have found that the small cracks are limited to certain cervices of the exterior skin and are not expected to expand. Additionally, these cracks do not extend into the interior polystone of the statue, and do not threaten the structural integrity of the statue.

If you are satisfied with the piece, we will ship it to you as soon as possible. Please know if you accept this piece, if it is not satisfactory on arrival, the only option for return will be for a full refund.

If this item is not satisfactory, you may decide to cancel the order now and receive a full refund."

Thanks.

I guess I'm glad they are taking the time to inspect the piece before shipping it out so I don't get any nasty surprises.

Anything else from the pictures that you can see that I should be concerned about?

Thanks for your help so far gofourindian. Much appreciated.

Not a problem. So what are you going to do?

 

[Mqhuynh]

I might get it and inspect it for myself. I would be really bummed if I missed out on this great piece. If the lines are identical on all of the pieces then its just a casting from the mold.
So you're saying yours looks identical to the ones that SS supplied me in the pictures?

 

[gofourindian]

I might get it and inspect it for myself. I would be really bummed if I missed out on this great piece. If the lines are identical on all of the pieces then its just a casting from the mold.
So you're saying yours looks identical to the ones that SS supplied me in the pictures?

Yes, most of the cracks on this are. And as long as they pay return shipping I would do exactly what you intend to do. BTW, the cracks are a very easy fix....check out post 3130

 

[ActionJackson83]

It's extremely easy to fix, I would take it if you really want to own this statue. I can barely see the cracks anyway even if they say they're there.

 

[Mookeylama]

well mine has the "cracks" in the same spots as others but i'm pretty sure they aren't really cracks.
we have a cat w/ diabetes (wow, way off topic lol), and we have these tiny syringes for giving it insulin. the needle is about the size of a human hair. in fact i've seen thicker hair lol. so i took one and put the needle in the cracks (with room to spare!), and the needle would NOT go all the way thru into the hollow statue.
pretty sure it's not actual flaws, but where whoever was doing the lines of the texturing just went too deep at those points.
i'm not worried about the "cracks" but i hate that it's so thin and hollow. i really don't think there's ANY polystone to it at all. not even a coating. can't tell if the solid heads are polystone or not.
i think i'll send it back. i'm just wondering if my complaint of it being hollow and not poly, will be enough to get the full refund, shipping, and deposit