It doesn't make sense to me that AMC wouldn't approve of the likenesses? And if they didn't approve of the likenesses why didn't 3zero show tweaked head sculpts like every other manufacturer does? Does the Rick Grimes that seems like it is actually going to be released have a spot on likeness? Not to me he doesn't. AMC approved it but not the others?
Why doesn't it make sense that likenesses wouldn't be approved? It happens frequently.
I've dealt with two TV licenses in particular, we signed deals for the license, but once we sent in heads, the talent kept rejecting it, saying this or that was off. After a few months it became apparent through their actions, plus through the grapevine amongst other licensing agents that certain people just don't want to be action figures. The catch is that they signed merchandising agreements, but it's still contingent on the talent's approval.
So, if Danai Gurira doesn't like the head, then it doesn't move forward. Why is she okay with the McFarlane head and not threezero's?? I got the impression that at a smaller scale, expectations are lower, so they're more forgiving. I worked for three years (well, I was only with the company for two, but the license was signed before I joined) on a license, where busts, mugs, bobbleheads and small scale figures were all approved, but our larger scale figure wasn't. And all the merch for that license looked awful. I may be looking back on it with rose colored glasses, but when I first saw our "rejected" head, I was wowed, it was a great sculpt.
I've been where threezero is at, we had to take it on the chin for years. I asked the licensor if we could make some sort of announcement about why it's taking so long, so we could get the chip off our shoulders. Of course, they said "No", so we just had to take it. The licensor isn't going to allow a licensee to say "Hey guys, it's not our fault, the star of the show isn't approving the figure." In our case, the talent was literally not accepting anything, and using approval as a bargaining chip in contract negotiations.
I mean, I was a Sideshow Freak before I joined the company. I had no idea what went on behind the scenes. After two years, it's really soured me on the whole thing, especially with how much work goes into making a figure, and how ungrateful and impatient most collectors are, at least the opinions I read here, on OSW and Facebook. I do my best to be understanding of companies' positions on these sorts of things, and try to give manufacturers the benefit of the doubt.
Frankly, it's plain to me that the majority of people on this forum, especially in this thread, do not understand how the industry works. I only spent a short time in it, but I do think I have a better understanding than most about what goes on. I hope my experience wasn't typical of the industry as a whole, as it was pretty awful. I've found that most people don't really want answers, they just want to complain. So, I can tell you the truth about what goes on, but it won't change anything, you'll still be back here complaining in a few weeks about delays. That's just what people do.
In conclusion, just rest assured that threezero is doing everything they can to get Walking Dead stuff out, but it's really out of their hands.
