The Watchmen Figure Thread.

[D. Martin]

Honestly I would say wait a couple of weeks and you'll find it cheap. The economy isn't helping much as Manhattan can be found for as low as $30 and I've seen The Comedian go in the high 60s.

I'll be publishing an interview shortly that will bring up the topic of waiting for clearances and how much it is negatively effecting our community. If you want a toy, bite the bullet and buy it. If we don't support the companies we like during this recession, we won't have them after the recession.

 

[The Mike]

This kind of argument always makes me laugh. People have been waiting on clearances for years and companies haven't gone anywhere. Not buying at full MSRP usually hurts the retailers not the overall companies. Most of the time they sell it at cost just to move product and break even, that doesn't hurt DCD they've already been paid. It hurts the brick and mortars because they didn't make profit just break even, sometimes lose out and their shelf space was taken up by product that rotted. Waiting to buy Rorschach for cheap ain't hurting DCD, their product much like Gentle Giant's and a flurry of other companies have been selling dirt cheap on market for years and those companies move without fail.

 

[Buttmunch]

...


hurm

You are such a tease! You gotta get me in contact with your sources. One mod to another?

 

[Hydeous]

This kind of argument always makes me laugh. People have been waiting on clearances for years and companies haven't gone anywhere. Not buying at full MSRP usually hurts the retailers not the overall companies. Most of the time they sell it at cost just to move product and break even, that doesn't hurt DCD they've already been paid. It hurts the brick and mortars because they didn't make profit just break even, sometimes lose out and their shelf space was taken up by product that rotted. Waiting to buy Rorschach for cheap ain't hurting DCD, their product much like Gentle Giant's and a flurry of other companies have been selling dirt cheap on market for years and those companies move without fail.

^ what he said.

 

[Ursus3978]

I'll be publishing an interview shortly that will bring up the topic of waiting for clearances and how much it is negatively effecting our community. If you want a toy, bite the bullet and buy it. If we don't support the companies we like during this recession, we won't have them after the recession.

I kind of feel like waiting for clearance or eBay is a way to send a message about certain products being overpriced.
For example, I like the DC Direct 13" deluxe figures but I haven't seen one worth almost $100. The ones I've gotten on eBay, I got for around $30 -$50 which is how much I feel like they are worth.
I've seen the Watchmen figures in TRU and they look nice but are basically statues. For me, I won't buy them at $17. I'd pay around $10 for them if they ever get down to that price.
To each his own.

 

[KBA]

Im hoping for a silk spectre most in this line. Ror is pretty much confirmed but out of the ones still in the dark I'd like her and the doctor the most.

 

[The Mike]

I kind of feel like waiting for clearance or eBay is a way to send a message about certain products being overpriced.
For example, I like the DC Direct 13" deluxe figures but I haven't seen one worth almost $100. The ones I've gotten on eBay, I got for around $30 -$50 which is how much I feel like they are worth.
I've seen the Watchmen figures in TRU and they look nice but are basically statues. For me, I won't buy them at $17. I'd pay around $10 for them if they ever get down to that price.
To each his own.

Here is the thing if it were an example of showing these companies what you are willing to pay then it'd be great but like I said DC Direct has already been paid. They charge their full price to retailers who then are stuck with it to sell at a profit or at a loss. What actually happens you get some retailers who will buy anything that they put out and take the loss on the off chance they'll take the profit, they'll raise the prices of sure sellers where you'll get Rorschach at $150 and Silk Spectre at $75 or they'll skip licenses they don't think they can sell. Even that doesn't show DCD anything because for every one store that doesn't buy their stuff there are four that buy it all.

If you want to argue that this practice hurts retailers like brick and mortars or even online ones like Joe (Mista 305) or Bob (Fireside) or Mike (Razors Edge) then fine, I agree because they are left holding the hot potato. They are the ones who paid full price then are liquidating at a loss more often then not. I agree with that 110% and say support them. Do not bring the tissues and wave the flags for DC Direct or Gentle Giant because they haven't been hurting in a long time and even when they have subpar products that seem to have sold for damn near 85% off MSRP because the final product was horrid they change nothing, they continue business as usual and prices continue to go up. When they provide figures at damn near Sideshow and Hot Toys prices they need match that quality and they are more than happy to just spit out what they have been with the prices raising considerably.

I'll be buying Rorschach on Wednesday not to support DCD but because I'm a fanboy who can't wait but I will have no problem shopping clearance for items I feel should have been clearance racked priced from the beginning.

 

[Buttmunch]

My top three would have been Rorschach, Comedian, and Doctor Manhattan (in that order). So if the rumored three is true, 2 out of 3 isn't bad for the inital wave!

I think Rorschach, Comedian, and Ozzy would have been a good first wave as they are all fairly connected together.

For wave 2, Manhattan, Silk Spectre II, and Nite Owl II. They are connected through Laurie.

I don't think we'd see anything beyond variants of these 6 characters (or maybe not even all 6 of them) so no point in speculating.

 

[The Mike]

Nite Owl and Rorschach were actually no brainers because both have been getting quite a push, look at the End is Nigh video game. HT must be chomping at the bit for Nite Owl and Rorschach well, he was the only given through the whole line. The Comedian makes sense as well because he has been the center of the trailers and hype as much as Rorschach has been for about a year. It also doesn't help that DCD chose both Rorschach and Nite Owl in the 6" Series 1 and Rorschach and The Comedian as Series 1 of the 1/6.

For the second wave I think you'll get Manhattan, Silk Spectre II and Ozymendias. They'll definitely knock out the initial six. For some reason I really think we'll get Silk Spectre I and a Minutemen Comedian by the time the line is done.

I think Rorschach will come with an unmasked sculpt, Nite Owl will not but possibly have a Snow Owl variant or "attachment" where like the film you can swap heads to the Snow Owl suit and jacket that goes over his initial suit. The Comedian will come with older and younger sculpts, the older one masked and the younger unmasked. Just following a hunch.

For

 

[Dally]

If the line does well then Hot Toys would have plenty of variants to make, like the Classic Comedian for example. I wouldn't have the money to buy them all, but it would certainly make the line interesting.

 

[KBA]

I sure hope we get all six. It'd be murder on the wallets but in no other franchise would missing out on a character make the collection that incomplete for me. They're all important cogs in the plot. Equally so.

 

[DKDetective14]

I also wouldn't have the money to buy many (or any) of these, but if Nite Owl came with the Snow Owl stuff that might just be too hard to pass up. Good idea The Mike.

 

[The Mike]

Originally I would have thought that a Snow Owl would have to be a variant but after seeing the film it shows that its really a glove, "jacket" and helmet difference and it all went over the standard Nite Owl suit. Since his suit will no doubtedbly be more like TDK Batman it wouldn't be too out of the realm of possibilities to have the guantlets removable like TDK's and have additional hands and guantlets to snap in and have the suit go over because the movie suit has zippers in the sides for the arms to come out.

Its doable but it wouldn't look like the promo shots:

But as you know in the film the Snow Owl suit didn't look like that anyway since it was completely removable once he reached Karnac.

 

[Dally]

I'd definitely buy a Nite Owl if he came with the Snow Suit too.

 

[Star Puffs]

I sure hope we get all six. It'd be murder on the wallets but in no other franchise would missing out on a character make the collection that incomplete for me. They're all important cogs in the plot. Equally so.

I totally agree. I will be reluctant to commit to the line (or rather order from a non-penalty pre-order cancellation site like BBTS) unless they make all six. As a female fan, leaving out Silk Spectre would not sit well with me in particular.

I did order the Medicom Kubrick sets from BBTS today. They are so cute.

 

[CelticPredator]

I agree with Mike. I can't wait....plus I think it looks decent enough.

 

[Buttmunch]

Originally I would have thought that a Snow Owl would have to be a variant but after seeing the film it shows that its really a glove, "jacket" and helmet difference and it all went over the standard Nite Owl suit. Since his suit will no doubtedbly be more like TDK Batman it wouldn't be too out of the realm of possibilities to have the guantlets removable like TDK's and have additional hands and guantlets to snap in and have the suit go over because the movie suit has zippers in the sides for the arms to come out.

Its doable but it wouldn't look like the promo shots:

But as you know in the film the Snow Owl suit didn't look like that anyway since it was completely removable once he reached Karnac.

I agree. A few pages back I listed what each figure should come with and the Nite Owl snow gear was part of it. When it was just an extra cape, gloves and mask it reall would be a low blow variant. I mean, there isn't a whole lot else for him to come with besides his owlarang, which just sits on his belt anyway.

 

[D. Martin]

This kind of argument always makes me laugh. People have been waiting on clearances for years and companies haven't gone anywhere. Not buying at full MSRP usually hurts the retailers not the overall companies. Most of the time they sell it at cost just to move product and break even, that doesn't hurt DCD they've already been paid. It hurts the brick and mortars because they didn't make profit just break even, sometimes lose out and their shelf space was taken up by product that rotted. Waiting to buy Rorschach for cheap ain't hurting DCD, their product much like Gentle Giant's and a flurry of other companies have been selling dirt cheap on market for years and those companies move without fail.

Sadly, while that is the popular opinion, it isn't based on fact. The manufactures are charged back when stores like Walmart put things on clearance, so when the economy is this much in the tanker, it could kill the smaller companies that can't find other ways to balance the lose. Honestly, why do you think SSC stopped selling to the big toy stores?

I don't know why everyone thinks that the stores are all stuck with the lose. Bizarre notion, that one.

 

[The Mike]

I'm not talking big toy stores like TRU or FAO or even Wal-Mart I'm talking stores like Fireside Collectibles. Do I really think that my LCS goes back to Bowen and charges back money when they can't sell something? Or DCD? Absolutely not, they are stuck with it. I see the point of selling to big time chains but honestly in this collecting field that is a rarity. I'm still shocked when I see DCD at TRU and if they DO charge DCD back when they clearance something it hasn't hurt that company one bit because I've seen their stuff clearanced at TRU for years and they're still going strong.

As for your "bizarre" notion you haven't said one thing to prove otherwise other than tease some interview.

 

[ozzfan84]

I'm going to buy it for whatever I think it's worth. I blind-ordered The Manhattan figure for $100 plus tax. After it came out and I held it in my hands, I decided I never would have paid that much for it. I got the Comedian for much less. I will pay for Rorschach whatever I think it is worth.

I'm not going to "save" the toy companies by paying more for something that isn't worth it to me. Maybe DCD Direct will eventually get the message and realize that a $100+ figure needs to look like it's worth $100.