Swamp Thing Maquette

[EVILFACE]

The Un-Man looks pretty damn good.

 

[Darth Waller]

The Un-Man prototype looks pretty damn good.

Fixed.

 

[MrSteerpike]

I’m gonna order , but I’m going to wait for the last of the Spook codes

Good for you man. I hope you get it and it's absolutrly perfect and makes you super happy!


Sent from my SGH-M919V using Tapatalk

 

[danny_addick]

Disappointed to hear it's plastic. I'm literally out of collecting due to prices and have sold everything pretty much. This was the last piece I had that interested me...and then...it's plastic!

 

[danny_addick]

(PS, yes I know polsytone is a type of plastic)

 

[Bluevoice]

Disappointed to hear it's plastic. I'm literally out of collecting due to prices and have sold everything pretty much. This was the last piece I had that interested me...and then...it's plastic!

It's not just plastic it's vinyl.

 

[BurningRage]

I'll wait for the es.

 

[nearmint]

Since Sideshow hasn't responded to our concerns, I contacted the sculptor directly. I asked him if he was concerned about Sideshow's decision to reproduce the piece with vinyl as opposed to other materials. He responded, and I asked if I could share his response with other collectors. Here's what he said...

I have to say that the company that's handling the vinyl production in Japan does exceptionally sharp work. The company is called Acro, and have made some fine products from work I've sculpted for them. To be honest, I was surprised that Sideshow had decided to take this direction, but when I was told it was Acro handling the production, I felt more at ease. I'm curious to see the results myself.

 

[GeneralZodLives]

Since I'm sure the sculptor wants to continue working with Sideshow, I don't know what other answer he could have given.

In the end, it comes down to collectors being comfortable spending $800 on a vinyl statue. Personally, I'll be disappointed if this is the direction Sideshow is heading as a company--especially at these prices. They're just making it that much easier for me to spend my money on pieces from other companies.

 

[asoundwave]

Hi guys, Im new to this forum..I have been reading all your concerns over the new Sideshow Swamp Thing. And to be honest they were my concerns as well after reading the words vinyl and pvc. Well, I did a little research. I went to their site read again what is was made of, which now says vinyl and resin. Then I researched those materials and found out that many high quality statues are actually made of these materials. I also then chatted with someone at sideshow and expressed my concern over the materials that used for Swamp Thing. This is a transcript of our conversation:

Chat started: 2017-10-27 05:19 PM UTC

(05:19:20 PM) alberto verdi: Hello just wanted to know what kind of resin is the swamp thing going to be made of?
(05:19:30 PM) Sideshow Support: Hang tight, we're running a bit slower than normal. Thanks for your patience!
(05:19:37 PM) alberto verdi: no problem
(05:31:22 PM) *** Aliesha joined the chat ***
(05:31:40 PM) Aliesha: Hi Alberto! Excellent question! Let me see if I can get that information for you
(05:32:07 PM) alberto verdi: thanks
(05:39:04 PM) Aliesha: You are very welcome! Here is what we have listed on the website which gives you an idea of which pieces are going to be made of what, but I'll be happy to answer further questions if you have them
(05:39:06 PM) Aliesha: "The Exclusive edition of the Swamp Thing Maquette includes Cranius of the Un-Men, measuring 4” tall atop a proximity polyresin base that can be displayed near Swamp Thing for an enhanced display. Cranius himself is cast in translucent vinyl, giving this formidable foe of Swamp Thing a detailed, fleshy appearance."
(05:40:50 PM) alberto verdi: So is Cranius made of vinyl and polyresin? what about swamp thing?
(05:42:13 PM) alberto verdi: Im just concerned that swamp thing the main piece is made of just vinyl
(05:42:33 PM) Aliesha: Oops! I forgot the first part of that!
(05:42:41 PM) Aliesha: "The Swamp Thing Maquette measures 24” tall on an environmental polyresin base designed to emulate the muck and mire from which he has emerged. There is a clear water feature beneath his feet, as well as a muddy embankment with trees and various swamp fauna.

Swamp Thing has an intricate tangle of vines, roots, and tendrils emerging from his body, capturing the movement of his ever-changing natural form that balances humanoid musculature with living, growing vegetation. His sturdy body is made with vinyl, with PVC for his smaller parts to capture and preserve the immense detail in each layer of his form."
(05:43:35 PM) Aliesha: So in other words, it's going to be a mix of polyresin as well as vinyl for the more intricate parts such as the detailed vines.
(05:44:39 PM) Aliesha: It will certainly not only be vinyl though. We took this approach in order to capture the detail that wouldn't be able to be achieved in the same way if only done in polystone. This also helps avoid breakage as well.
(05:46:33 PM) alberto verdi: Oh ok, makes me feel better..I just envisioned a weightless piece without any feel of substance and weight to it, you know like a statue is supposed to feel
(05:51:46 PM) Aliesha: Yes, many collectors feel that weight means value, which, at one point, I did too to be honest! Then once it was explained to me by production, it made complete sense on why they use multiple materials. What I was taught in the process of making this piece is that in order to achieve a those realistic edges and wrinkles and areas on the piece that are so detailed, vinyl is the way to go. In fact, this material is far more expensive than polyresin! Which is why the entire piece is actually not made with this material. Additionally, polyresin would make the detail much more fragile, so breakage during transit would be inevitable.
(05:52:33 PM) Aliesha: That's what I understood that weight does not equate value. I'll give you an example as well with two polystone pieces.
(05:55:02 PM) Aliesha: So our Bane statue currently on our website is an extremely large premium format figure due to the character itself. However, this piece is must lighter than our Lex Luthor Premium Format Figure that is a smaller premium format figure. The reason for this is because large muscles and big base actually allow for more cavities, which makes the piece lighter.
(05:55:39 PM) Aliesha: Now our exclusive Bane sold out very quickly, so the value of that still withholds despite the weight.
(05:56:10 PM) Aliesha: To me what determines the value is the execution of the piece itself.
(05:57:43 PM) alberto verdi: Wow, learn something new everyday, not that I was an expert, you definitely eliminated all my concerns about this statue..its definitely gorgeous!..Thank you so much for taking the time to explain it the way you did..you guys are great!
(05:58:07 PM) alberto verdi: You have a great day!

After that I pre-ordered...and you know what I feel good about my decision. Hope this helps those in the same boat of doubts about this piece.

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

Hi guys, Im new to this forum..I have been reading all your concerns over the new Sideshow Swamp Thing. And to be honest they were my concerns as well after reading the words vinyl and pvc. . . . After that I pre-ordered...and you know what I feel good about my decision. Hope this helps those in the same boat of doubts about this piece.

The vinyl/PVC looks and feels like a cheap Funko POP! toy - no coincidence because that's what Funko use too!

Sincerely hope you don't regret your pre-order - but I suspect you will.


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[Darklord Dave]

Today's Facebook live from Chronicle Collectibles address this materials issue.

And you all do know that it costs a LOT more to make something out of PVC than it does to make it out of polystone? The cost of materials is almost immaterial when considering the source of the molds. PVC requires steel molds - thousands of dollars to produce, rather than silicone molds for resin/polystone.

https://www.facebook.com/chroniclecollectibles/?hc_ref=ARTMi92pXU9dgA5lKLcwUmLQfAmQd_9cBcnkxmDnMIsDws7PuEgRSWnrJncsCgi6AUQ

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

. . . And you all do know that it costs a LOT more to make something out of PVC than it does to make it out of polystone? The cost of materials is almost immaterial when considering the source of the molds. PVC requires steel molds - thousands of dollars to produce, rather than silicone molds for resin/polystone . . .

Hopefully the numbers of people finding out that the metal molding process is expensive has increased already over the last 2 weeks.

But so what? - who cares? (aside from them trying to justify the prices they then charge).

What Sideshow need to realise (and they are STARTING too ) is that people do not want to pay high sums of money for bits of plastic.

The backlash on the Wolf Predator LSB should have opened their eyes a bit.


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[MrSteerpike]

I think my plan will be to wait and see what the shipped result is and the reviews and opinions are from those who got it. There are some good argument ts all around. Frankly, the result "should" be all that matters, so I'll wait and see
Congrats, as always to those who purchased him. I hope you absolutely love him!

Maybe SS can address the weight and balance of the piece in a future live stream and address all kinds of the concerns addressed and associated with this piece.

Sent from my SGH-M919V using Tapatalk

 

[Darklord Dave]

Hopefully the numbers of people finding out that the metal molding process is expensive has increased already over the last 2 weeks.

But so what? - who cares? (aside from them trying to justify the prices they then charge).

What Sideshow need to realise (and they are STARTING too ) is that people do not want to pay high sums of money for bits of plastic.

The backlash on the Wolf Predator LSB should have opened their eyes a bit.


.

Then collectors need to be better educated and open their eyes. Does the look of the piece change when it's made from plastics rather than resin? Yes, it does - PVC holds paint better and allows for more subtle paint applications. Probably not a factor on this piece, but something to look for in anything with flesh tone.

The saving in shipping costs, the reduced danger of breakage and the fact that it looks just as good or better should be the deciding factor in buying a collectible. Not on weight or perceived value due to weight.

 

[asoundwave]

I know that they will not be using the same kind of quality that Funko uses. Its definitely much higher quality as all other materials (wood, metal, cloth) also have higher quality indexes in their respective categories. The fact that it is a much more expensive process says that they are using these materials just for the reasons aforementioned by the rep from sideshow and thought it out. If not they might as well made it from poly stone with a drastic reduction in detail on the piece, save on the manufacturing process and still charge the $800 on top of knowing that fans perceive poly stone as higher quality. Logically looking at it I dont think they are trying to skimp on anything here. The character just requires these types of materials to look what they envision him to be. And Im sure it will have a high quality look, feel and weight knowing they are not making him just out of some low quality **** plastic. And no.. I know I wont be disappointed.

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

Then collectors need to be better educated and open their eyes. Does the look of the piece change when it's made from plastics rather than resin? Yes, it does - PVC holds paint better and allows for more subtle paint applications. Probably not a factor on this piece, but something to look for in anything with flesh tone.

The saving in shipping costs, the reduced danger of breakage and the fact that it looks just as good or better should be the deciding factor in buying a collectible. Not on weight or perceived value due to weight.

Sorry Dave - you probably didn't mean it, but your initial statement comes over as a little patronising dude (needs humour perhaps )

The bit in red is specious at best, or just plain wrong.

I'm unsure about the saving in shipping as I don't know how how much difference a weight of 8lb vs. 40lb makes when it comes to "dimensional weight" price calculations. Do you? (sincere question).

Risk of breakage I can understand, but that's where good packing should come into play.

PVC/vinyl does NOT look "just as good or better" on the Wolf LSB, and I have no reason to believe it will on anything else they produce.

As someone else far wiser than me said earlier in the week "there are several words related to quality that come into play when I think of statues - vinyl & PVC are not among them".

If you like cheap-looking lightweight collectibles that cost more than a polystone equivalent - go for it - but based on responses so far, people that do will be in a VERY small minority.


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[Heavy Metal Spike]

I know that they will not be using the same kind of quality that Funko uses. Its definitely much higher quality as all other materials (wood, metal, cloth) also have higher quality indexes in their respective categories. The fact that it is a much more expensive process says that they are using these materials just for the reasons aforementioned by the rep from sideshow and thought it out. If not they might as well made it from poly stone with a drastic reduction in detail on the piece, save on the manufacturing process and still charge the $800 on top of knowing that fans perceive poly stone as higher quality. Logically looking at it I dont think they are trying to skimp on anything here. The character just requires these types of materials to look what they envision him to be. And Im sure it will have a high quality look, feel and weight knowing they are not making him just out of some low quality **** plastic. And no.. I know I wont be disappointed.

Apologies - but your post carries about as much weight as one of Sideshow's PVC statues (oh yeah - I went there! )

You admitted you are new to the forum, and your questions to Sideshow show you didn't know much about said materials.

But 1 conversation with Sideshow and now you're an expert?

You also have a lot to learn about the "used car salesman" approach that Sideshow use.

You will learn youngling - you will learn (damn - now THAT sounded patronising )

.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Dude, nobody cares

 

[Heavy Metal Spike]

Dude, nobody cares

We have a loser . . . step this way to collect your prize



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