XM Studios Captain America

[vorpoll]

I personally can't afford the additional cost. These prices are already extremely high. I'm ok rolling the dice and returning broken ****.

And you don't think they will have to raise prices to cover their cost of people returning merchandise that is subpar? You take care of it first and not risk turning customers off to your product. Either way you will pay the cost, question is do you want the headaches/heartaches to go along with it. We are seeing this happen with SS right now IMO. I'm sure the rising prices are partly due to material and labor increase but someone is paying for all the returns and at first it may appear to be the manufacturer but in the end they can't afford to keep eating that cost so it will be passed onto the customer.

 

[Tavegg]

And you don't think they will have to raise prices to cover their cost of people returning merchandise that is subpar? You take care of it first and not risk turning customers off to your product. Either way you will pay the cost, question is do you want the headaches/heartaches to go along with it. We are seeing this happen with SS right now IMO. I'm sure the rising prices are partly due to material and labor increase but someone is paying for all the returns and at first it may appear to be the manufacturer but in the end they can't afford to keep eating that cost so it will be passed onto the customer.

Agreed. The biggest gripe I have with SS right now is their increasing prices, edition sizes, and most importantly increasing issues with quality of their product.

Someone please explain to me how 1000 Green Hulk PFs were made with perfect quality (50 lb statue) and sold for 324.99 yet a couple years later we get Rhino at 399.99 and he's so hollow I feel like I can put a finger though him of I push too hard? Apocolypse is 600 and shows up looking like my 7 year old was the designated painter for the first run we recieved? Price has increased and quality has decreased. It seems the only home runs SS has had as of recent are covered up with material. I've almost given up hope on SS being able to produce any type of quality fully sculpted statue period. Deadpool is an exception but even that run had some issues with the paint apps.

It drives me crazy because I know SS has the ability to send us a top in class product yet instead we get dozens of new products at sub par quality. It's a shame

 

[Josh-A-Tron]

Agreed. The biggest gripe I have with SS right now is their increasing prices, edition sizes, and most importantly increasing issues with quality of their product.

Someone please explain to me how 1000 Green Hulk PFs were made with perfect quality (50 lb statue) and sold for 324.99 yet a couple years later we get Rhino at 399.99 and he's so hollow I feel like I can put a finger though him of I push too hard? Apocolypse is 600 and shows up looking like my 7 year old was the designated painter for the first run we recieved? Price has increased and quality has decreased. It seems the only home runs SS has had as of recent are covered up with material. I've almost given up hope on SS being able to produce any type of quality fully sculpted statue period. Deadpool is an exception but even that run had some issues with the paint apps.

It drives me crazy because I know SS has the ability to send us a top in class product yet instead we get dozens of new products at sub par quality. It's a shame

So you don't like SSC's price increase, but, you'll pay $150-$200 more for an XM statue. Basically you're telling SSC if they upped they're QC check you'd be happy to pay a ton more for an averaged Sized 1/4 statue.

 

[savageHULK]

And you don't think they will have to raise prices to cover their cost of people returning merchandise that is subpar? You take care of it first and not risk turning customers off to your product. Either way you will pay the cost, question is do you want the headaches/heartaches to go along with it. We are seeing this happen with SS right now IMO. I'm sure the rising prices are partly due to material and labor increase but someone is paying for all the returns and at first it may appear to be the manufacturer but in the end they can't afford to keep eating that cost so it will be passed onto the customer.

That's a good point. I just can't take another price hike. Haha

What it comes down to is sideshows current prices most likely cover returns/credit predictions. It's just the matter if they want to invest that money in to the preemptive planning (pre inspections) or the possibility of damage (returns/credits)... Rolling the dice either way. One is morally correct, and one is more sided to the business "we want money" side. I honestly don't blame them though.

 

[kayorzz]

Stocks arrive within 2 weeks, then it's the QC check queue, please bear with your retailers for now.

 

[Tavegg]

So you don't like SSC's price increase, but, you'll pay $150-$200 more for an XM statue. Basically you're telling SSC if they upped they're QC check you'd be happy to pay a ton more for an averaged Sized 1/4 statue.

Hey now. Read my post again buddy. I don't like price increases while the quality is decreasing. Obviously the sticker price is not a deterrent for me Josh. I'll gladly pay more money for something if it's done correctly. You and many others may not feel the same but personal finance isn't a factor in this hobby for me. Quality work is the only thing that matters to me

 

[Josh-A-Tron]

Hey now. Read my post again buddy. I don't like price increases while the quality is decreasing. Obviously the sticker price is not a deterrent for me Josh. I'll gladly pay more money for something if it's done correctly. You and many others may not feel the same but personal finance isn't a factor in this hobby for me. Quality work is the only thing that matters to me

Hey, I'm just saying, if they up their QC check then it'd be A.O.K. with you, but many others don't feel that way. Me Personally, I don't like this XM Cap, he looks like an Oversized Bowen, which is to say, He's a bit too Cartoon looking for my tastes and for this amount of Money. The reason I like most, and it is most and not all, Sideshow sculpts is they tend to add a bit of realism. For my money the Sculpt as to be what I like, now XM may change my mind, but I've only got one statue to really base that on so far. I still don't know if I ever see myself paying $550-650 for a regular sized 1/4 Scale, and I can only imagine what larger characters would cost.

 

[Custo]

If Sideshow started pumping out perfect quality statues but charged $600 minimum, I wouldn't bite. These XM statues are beautiful but at the cost they're demanding it only targets a small percentage of the market.

 

[Tavegg]

Hey, I'm just saying, if they up their QC check then it'd be A.O.K. with you, but many others don't feel that way. Me Personally, I don't like this XM Cap, he looks like an Oversized Bowen, which is to say, He's a bit too Cartoon looking for my tastes and for this amount of Money. The reason I like most, and it is most and not all, Sideshow sculpts is they tend to add a bit of realism. For my money the Sculpt as to be what I like, now XM may change my mind, but I've only got one statue to really base that on so far. I still don't know if I ever see myself paying $550-650 for a regular sized 1/4 Scale, and I can only imagine what larger characters would cost.

Hey bud. Your entitled to your opinion and I've got nothing but respect for you Josh. I own several Bowen pieces and rest assured XMs cap look nothing like a Bowen piece. Comic/cartoony? Absolutely. I like that look and so do others. Nothing wrong with having choices sir. However XM has listened to the masses and we got a new realistic portrait out of it in the form of black widow. Will they continue to improve and try to accommodate everyone's tastes? Only time will tell but as of right now that's exactly what XM is doing. When I pointed out the quality and price of the original hulk pf compared to the price and quality of the rhino Cq it was just that, a comparison. As far as larger sculpts are concerned Hulk is priced identical to cap. Many people aren't favoring the Hulk right now. I love it and other then paying the difference in shipping cost I got a green monster almost double the size of cap coming for the same exact price

 

[savageHULK]

Hey, I'm just saying, if they up their QC check then it'd be A.O.K. with you, but many others don't feel that way. Me Personally, I don't like this XM Cap, he looks like an Oversized Bowen, which is to say, He's a bit too Cartoon looking for my tastes and for this amount of Money. The reason I like most, and it is most and not all, Sideshow sculpts is they tend to add a bit of realism. For my money the Sculpt as to be what I like, now XM may change my mind, but I've only got one statue to really base that on so far. I still don't know if I ever see myself paying $550-650 for a regular sized 1/4 Scale, and I can only imagine what larger characters would cost.

If Sideshow started pumping out perfect quality statues but charged $600 minimum, I wouldn't bite. These XM statues are beautiful but at the cost they're demanding it only targets a small percentage of the market.

Exactly! $400-$550 is already hard enough to dignify. I'd much rather roll the dice on QC than get prices out of the game.

PS: I also agree that their early statues look far too cartoony. Magneto is the first that looks legit sculpted. Cap and BW look straight out of a anime comic, not what I particularly like. And I think their hulk is disgusting... (I mean no offense, just an opinion)

 

[Snadinator]

Agreed. The biggest gripe I have with SS right now is their increasing prices, edition sizes, and most importantly increasing issues with quality of their product.

Is this really an increasing issue? Apoc had a lot of issues but when was the last time this happened? Black Widow, Punisher, Master Chief, Superman, Batman, Harley, Conan Fury of the Beast, Deadpool, the Spidey comiquettes... they all turned out great. You might find a few stragglers with some issues, but that has happened to XM's one, and only one, release too... when the vast majority are fine, it falls under an acceptable fail rate.

Someone please explain to me how 1000 Green Hulk PFs were made with perfect quality (50 lb statue) and sold for 324.99 yet a couple years later we get Rhino at 399.99 and he's so hollow I feel like I can put a finger though him of I push too hard?

The economy is very different since the release of the original Hulk PF (which was prior to the 2008 recession). Prices went up. So have the prices for everything... fuel, food, lodging, power, housing... you name it.

As for a higher ES, they have been very high for DC stuff. They are still very low for marvel stuff. 1500, 2000... that is still very low for an ES. You did not see the Bowen and GG es for their stuff back then did you? 10,000es and up. Had the XM cap at 500es been sold through SSC, it would have been gone in an afternoon. They sell on an international scale with a much larger customer base.

 

[savageHULK]

Is this really an increasing issue? Apoc had a lot of issues but when was the last time this happened? Black Widow, Punisher, Master Chief, Superman, Batman, Harley, Conan Fury of the Beast, Deadpool, the Spidey comiquettes... they all turned out great. You might find a few stragglers with some issues, but that has happened to XM's one, and only one, release too... when the vast majority are fine, it falls under an acceptable fail rate.



The economy is very different since the release of the original Hulk PF (which was prior to the 2008 recession). Prices went up. So have the prices for everything... fuel, food, lodging, power, housing... you name it.

Prior to the recession, and prior to this comic loving world going super main stream media. Completely different times. Haha

 

[PeepsChicken]

Stocks arrive within 2 weeks, then it's the QC check queue, please bear with your retailers for now.

View attachment 118314

Oh good, so another month then at least.

I'm looking forward to this thing, but it never should have been listed as "in stock." It clearly, clearly wasn't. Edit: and I wouldn't be near as miffed if I hadn't been fully charged for this thing as if it was truly in stock.

 

[Snadinator]

Prior to the recession, and prior to this comic loving world going super main stream media. Completely different times. Haha

For all we know licensing is higher now too. Marvel is a much bigger property now then it was back in the early-mid 2000's.

 

[savageHULK]

For all we know licensing is higher now too. Marvel is a much bigger property now then it was back in the early-mid 2000's.

For real. There's an uncountable amount of factors that could apply. But, hopefully we are in a peak right now, and not a valley. Haha

Much more and I am going to be forced out...

 

[Snadinator]

For real. There's an uncountable amount of factors that could apply. But, hopefully we are in a peak right now, and not a valley. Haha

Much more and I am going to be forced out...

It is a ridiculously expensive hobby. Especially if you indulge in some pieces you missed on the secondary market. I bought my share of "grail" pieces like the Spidey Comiquette, Lurtz, and Thor. Also bought some very expensive pieces like the Dark Rider of Mordor, Apocalypse. Many people probably want to punch me if/when they find out how much I pay for some of this stuff.

And regarding the economy of things... My salary has more than doubled since 2008. My wife's has increased by about 40%. My disposable income has not increased by that much though (mind you I have a kid now and a second to pop out soon). It sucks as there is very little that SSC, PCS or whatever that put out that I don't like. And now I have to contend with space as an issue. I have a room dedicated to this stuff and it is filling up fast.

 

[Josh-A-Tron]

Hey bud. Your entitled to your opinion and I've got nothing but respect for you Josh. I own several Bowen pieces and rest assured XMs cap look nothing like a Bowen piece. Comic/cartoony? Absolutely. I like that look and so do others. Nothing wrong with having choices sir. However XM has listened to the masses and we got a new realistic portrait out of it in the form of black widow. Will they continue to improve and try to accommodate everyone's tastes? Only time will tell but as of right now that's exactly what XM is doing. When I pointed out the quality and price of the original hulk pf compared to the price and quality of the rhino Cq it was just that, a comparison. As far as larger sculpts are concerned Hulk is priced identical to cap. Many people aren't favoring the Hulk right now. I love it and other then paying the difference in shipping cost I got a green monster almost double the size of cap coming for the same exact price

Hey Tavegg, I respect you as well. I'm simply stating what I'm seeing. And I happen to agree with Snad, people say things about Sideshows quality because it effects a specific piece they buy, but they don't buy the 40 other pieces that came out perfect. I understand that its a matter of perspective. I'm just looking foward to see that if this price model works, its not going to be long before others follow, and I don't like it.

 

[Tavegg]

Is this really an increasing issue? Apoc had a lot of issues but when was the last time this happened? Black Widow, Punisher, Master Chief, Superman, Batman, Harley, Conan Fury of the Beast, Deadpool, the Spidey comiquettes... they all turned out great. You might find a few stragglers with some issues, but that has happened to XM's one, and only one, release too... when the vast majority are fine, it falls under an acceptable fail rate.



The economy is very different since the release of the original Hulk PF (which was prior to the 2008 recession). Prices went up. So have the prices for everything... fuel, food, lodging, power, housing... you name it.

As for a higher ES, they have been very high for DC stuff. They are still very low for marvel stuff. 1500, 2000... that is still very low for an ES. You did not see the Bowen and GG es for their stuff back then did you? 10,000es and up. Had the XM cap at 500es been sold through SSC, it would have been gone in an afternoon. They sell on an international scale with a much larger customer base.

Black Widow, Punisher, Superman, Batman, Harley are all mixed media covered up mostly by material. They all look fantastic!! I own every single one of them however this list would not have been as astounding if they all would have been fully sculpted. Master Chief? I know how awesome he is brother!! I bought him from you. It only took three years to get him done. QC had to be perfect or there would have been an outrage. Deadpool is another homerun. One of my favorites of last year. Still had plenty of rub marks or dulling of the paint (mine included) and complaints from collectors. Campbell line? Best thing SS has going for them right now! I will agree with you beyond a doubt that whatever factory is painting those up is doing a fabulous job.
Now on to the bombs. Spiderwoman? Remember her? Rogue will forever be burned into the heads of SS collectors. Psylocke? Paint cracks anybody? Apocalypse!!!!! Lets not even mention that sculpt because I could type six paragraphs about the atrocious abomination he turned out to be. Wolverine LSF toppling over on collectors as of recent? 2k into a statue that has leaning problems with scattered reports of him falling straight to the ground? Shoddy paint jobs. Strings coming loose on the fabric portion? Lets not forget about Batmans pits and cajun beard problems that everyone was in an uproar about. Are some of these issues expected? Sure. Some of them dont even phase me! Love my bats. Love my deadpool. Hell I even have a perfect Psylocke and somewhat nice looking Rogue. Lets not pretend that SS has it altogether though buddy. They just dont. You cant point out 10k in superman statues that have a boot, hands, and portrait painted, and use that as a fair comparision. They only had to get a couple body parts right!!!

Ive seen one XM statue with an issue. One. And it was sent accidentally to the collector. Read up on the thread and youll find out that he was offered a full replacement less then 24 hours later. SSs first response from a rightfully so pissed of collector that got the raw end of the stick on Apoc was take this $65 credit or get bent???? Are you kidding me? Not my idea of how a mature company of 20 years should be handling a major quality issue with a paying customer.

The battle will rage on until XM cant perform the quality they have shown in Cap or SS steps up their game and gives us the quality we rightfully deserve. You can have your opinion and I will have mine. Just remember I am buying from both companies. This isnt a biased opinion. This is coming from someone that collects everything from Bowen to Koto and onto to SS, GG, PCS, SS. You name it. I love the hobbby and all the amazing works of art that have been made available to us but I refuse to support BS customer service and crap quality at $600 a pop. Im not the only one that feels this way Snad. If you dont think people are noticing jump into the Magneto thread for a minute or any other release they have teased. There are lots of people interested in what other companies other then SS have to offer

 

[Custo]

Ive seen one XM statue with an issue. One. And it was sent accidentally to the collector. Read up on the thread and youll find out that he was offered a full replacement less then 24 hours later. SSs first response from a rightfully so pissed of collector that got the raw end of the stick on Apoc was take this $65 credit or get bent???? Are you kidding me? Not my idea of how a mature company of 20 years should be handling a major quality issue with a paying customer.

I'm just going to touch on your point here. Yes XM responded in a timelly manner, but imagine how many emails Sideshow gets a day. Thousands? Tens of Thousands? To expect a response within 24 hours is a little unreasonable. Also Sideshow can't anticipate these QC issues. They surely do not have enough replacement bodies/parts/full statues to make everyone satisfied. And if I'm not mistaken, those that were offered a credit were told that replacements wouldn't be any better than what they already had.

Sure we can throw out the point of Sideshow's QC issues and how it wouldn't have happened if they increased their QC. But the fact of the matter is these are all what ifs, and presented with the current situation Sideshow is trying to do their best by offering a credit.

 

[Snadinator]

Now on to the bombs. Spiderwoman? Remember her? Rogue will forever be burned into the heads of SS collectors. Psylocke? Paint cracks anybody?

None of these are recent Tavegg. That is my point. You said it was an increasing issue. The stats don't add up that it is getting worse. In fact, up until Apoc, things were getting much better.

You may not have seen Conan: Fury of the Beast in person, but that thing is IMO one of the best fully sculpted collectibles ever released. Paint app, sculpt, art direction, you name it, it has it.

Ive seen one XM statue with an issue. One.

I've counted at least 2 on this forum and it isn't fully sold out everywhere yet. It has a much smaller ES too. For sure they will put in the extra effort to ensure that first release is a knock out. One release, one license. They aren't even moving a fraction of the product that SSC is. Time will tell if they can really hang with SSC, PCS, GG etc...

... or SS steps up their game and gives us the quality we rightfully deserve

Most of the time they do.

You can have your opinion and I will have mine.

Of course

Just remember I am buying from both companies.

Don't assume I only buy from one source.

If you dont think people are noticing jump into the Magneto thread for a minute or any other release they have teased. There are lots of people interested in what other companies other then SS have to offer

You must be assuming I am not interested in XM's magneto. I have posted there a bit myself.

As for XM's customer handling... let's see how they do after years of abuse by posters who make demands over the most ridiculous minutae and/if they expand into different scales, products, licenses etc...