Artists proof / Prototype sculpts as advertising models.

[Silas Loki]

So first up, I know this is the done thing by most companies, and I also get the fact that advertising, even in-house stuff, still has an associated "cost".........however.

We all know that Sideshow (among others) uses artist proof / prototype statues to entice and attract pre orders. This, although shady when generally compared to the final product, is the accepted norm.

But has anyone stopped to consider that, even when the product is live and shipping, these companies still advertise using the artists proof rather then a copy of the actual mass produced item, you know, the thing you'd actually be getting. Do people find this acceptable? Surely, this is false advertising?

A case in point. I'm a huge Mass Effect (ME) fan, and want to own 1:4 scale statues (hell any DECENT statues) of my favourite characters. Looking beyond the somewhat awkward posing, I find myself being continually drawn to the Sheppard statue from SS. Now here's the rub, on the one hand, based on SS advertising photos, I'd be tempted to push the button, however, a quick look at the "in hand" photos from members of this forum remind me why I was reluctant to go for it. God bless StatueForum.com.

But what if I'd never heard of this place? bearing in mind that ME fans might not be strictly statue fans, and buyers who love the game may be buying this as a nice piece of merchandising and may not even be aware of the hobby of statue collecting. Well they wouldn't necessarily know about this site and sites like it......which means all they have to go on are the photos from SS (which appear on the ME store as well).....

I don't care how rabidly an owner may love the statue, no one will convince me that what rolled off the factory line is the same as the artist proof!! So....once the mass produced product is available, doesn't SS (and the others) have a duty to update the images with the actual product?

Isn't it "telling" us something by the fact that they generally don't do this?

Your thoughts?

[risingstar]

You bring up an important question... Can we go after movie companies for promoting amazing previews of films which end up being lousy? Have you noticed that a McDonalds burger in commercials or magazine ads never quite look the same in person? How about those dating sites which all but come straight out and say that hot chicks are lining up to date guys who have been single since the Reagan administration? What about those weight loss sites which use 10/10 fitness models and hunks who are quite likely taking steroids and goodness knows what else to promote fitness? Let's talk about all those "be like me, and get rich quick" infomercials who somehow convince poor schnooks into ordering 2000 shampoos and soaps they can sell to their friends? How about all those car commercial who clearly promote unsafe driving which they incidentally also seem to suggest will mesmerize women on sight? I'm sure we can all come up with all sorts of other fabulous examples.


Sideshow isn't doing anything we haven't seen done by other companies long before any of us were born. Ultimately, the power we have is to buy or not to buy.

[Awesome]

Mcdonalds burgers don't look like the commercial ones in person because of the steam released right after cooking and stuffed in the box >_>

[Shanesg]

Mcdonalds burgers don't look like the commercial ones in person because of the steam released right after cooking and stuffed in the box >_>

:hilarious:

[Silas Loki]

You bring up an important question... Can we go after movie companies for promoting amazing previews of films which end up being lousy? Have you noticed that a McDonalds burger in commercials or magazine ads never quite looks the same in person? How about those dating sites which all but come straight out and say that hot chicks are lining up to date guys who have been single since the Reagan administration? What about those weight loss sites which use 10/10 fitness models and hunks who are quite likely taking steroids and goodness knows what else to promote fitness? Let's talk about all those "be like me, and get rich quick" infomercials who somehow convince poor schnooks into ordering 2000 shampoos and soaps they can sell to their friends? How about all those car commercial who clearly promote unsafe driving which they incidentally also seem to suggest will mesmerize women on sight? I'm sure we can all come up with all sorts of other fabulous examples.


Sideshow isn't doing anything we haven't seen done by other companies long before any of us were born. Ultimately, the power we have is to buy or not to buy.

No, you miss the point completely. And none of those examples are in the same ball park.

We accept an artist proof because, generally, when SS and others are trying to solicit interest in their project, and work out edition sizes etc, they haven't got a finish production run to show. Once the production run is available, it would make sense to advertise the actual product......unless you had something to hide.

The examples you provide are flawed in comparison, because in the case of the movie, the car as, the Shampoo and weight loss, the seller is selling an ideal. The idea that by doing A through Z you can reduce weight, the ideal that based on the previews the movie will be something you enjoy, or the ideal that money can be made doing whatever. The ideal that by purchasing the car you will become desirable to the opposite sex and become a better driver.

To introduce those things to the context of this discussion, you would need to imagine that car companies were selling the car with 6 wheels, while the actual car only comes with four. That by following the weight plan you would lose exactly X amount of weight in X amount of days, or that you would make exactly X amount of money following the get rich quick plan.....those would be examples of false advertising if those products did not deliver on their promises.

The McDonalds burger is perhaps the closest similie to the Statue scenario, and actually this very thing has come under intense criticism in the past.

So my question stands. This isn't simp!y a case of buy or don't buy. If you think you're spending $400 and are expecting what's in the photo, then the only point you'll realise you've been duped is when you open the box. Effectively SS and others that are using these advertising methods, are removing the very choice you seem to think we all enjoy.

[Shanesg]

I would like to believe most of you have tried McDonald's. I don't know about you guys, but I think it tastes as good as the pictures look. Plus it's cheap as hell, as opposed to a $400 statue.

[built2shred]

Actual production photos would be nice but SS would still use lighting tricks and photoshop to enhance the pictures so you still wouldn't get a 100% true representation of the item.... Plus SS would have to hire people for another photo shoot which costs money so I doubt they will every change the photos...

I know people always get seduced by those EX items but if you don't want to take a chance on getting burn wait for the in hand photos to be posted up on sites like this one.. Pretty much all you can do..

[risingstar]

Silas, there is no difference at all. The Sideshow promo pic illustrates the ideal too. Like in all those examples I provided, there is a belief, or at the very least a hope, that what you see is what you'll get. We go in knowing that we probably won't. We basically hope that what we get will look good enough, will taste good enough, will score decent enough chicks, will make enough shampoo sales, and so on. The "ideal" motto has been used as a marketing tool since the days of the caveman.

[Silas Loki]

I know people always get seduced by those EX items but if you don't want to take a chance on getting burn wait for the in hand photos to be posted up on sites like this one.. Pretty much all you can do..

Totally agree, and that's why I thank the Lord for sites like this, AND more importantly, those brave souls who spend their hard earned coin to bring those pictures and reviews to us.

My point was, what about those people who aren't necessarily statue collectors and therefore don't know these sites exist.....they're gonna get burnt.

[dao2]

:hilarious:

You laugh but that actually is one of the reasons. Also they are cut and stacked in a certain way to show off all the ingredients which is actually not something that you would really want to eat (it looks stupid from most angles they don't take shots from :P). It is cooked in the same (or similar) way with the same ingredients which is why it's not false marketing. It also would be a point if being aesthetically pleasing was the primary purpose of their goods but it's not.

As for everything mentioned (weight loss, beauty products, whatever). What it is representing is a possible outcome which is possible, the product itself is present as is and the effect is generally achievable. And yes some of them are scams, and they do also sometimes get shutdown. But a lot of time people don't go after them because A) they do actually refund and people let it go (kinda like SS, though still false advertising) and B) Some are small and get away with it (also like SS, which is big with statues but in the grand scheme not that huge of a company).


The real issue I have with SS vs other statue companies is that in more recent years it seems pretty clear that they are picking jobs that CAN'T be reproduced by a factory. Their primary concern on the protos is being an advertisement, not being reproducible (which is what it's really supposed to be). Nobody expects the factory to be the same as proto but they are supposed to be painting something that can, in theory at least, be reproduced by the factory. For example take the Dredd that PCS did and sold through SS. Originally the factory said it could not follow through on the paints so it was repainted AND ADVERTISED WITH THOSE PHOTOS. With SS it's like paint the best possible and if the factory can follow through is a secondary concern after the PO's.

[dao2]

Silas, there is no difference at all. The Sideshow promo pic illustrates the ideal too. Like in all those examples I provided, there is a belief, or at the very least a hope, that what you see is what you'll get. We go in knowing that we probably won't. We basically hope that what we get will look good enough, will taste good enough, will score decent enough chicks, will make enough shampoo sales, and so on. The "ideal" motto has been used as a marketing tool since the days of the caveman.

No the Sideshow promo illustrates a product that you won't get. In those other commercials you will actually get the product as promised, the effect varies though. There is a very key and important difference. Your bowflex looks like just the bowflex in the commercial, and it works just like the bowflex in the commercial as well, and that's because that's an actual bowflex.

What you're describing is like if Sideshow had a commercial of a statue and everybody was amazed by it and thought the person who owned it was cool (like for example video game handhelds) but actually used a production statue in that self same commercial.

In reality what it would have to be like to be similar to SS' situation is if Nintendo had a commercial where everyone was crowded around a 3ds having fun and what they showed was a prototype is 2x more powerful than what you actually buy. It isn't, it's actually what you buy. The fun and amazement will very by person, but they deliver on the product they are advertising.

[DynamicMenace]

the sculpt itself (a production piece mind you) is an exact copy of the original prototyp. so it has the potential to look like the prototype if painted up professionally.
ill tell you right now. if you want the production pieces to turn out like the prototypes (painted) that are shown then be prepared to dish out double, maybe triple the amount of any statue you want to order.

its not false advertisement. because they clearly state on the products page prior to ordering that the "product is subject to change". whether that be the paint app a light up feature or a complete resculpt of a portrait (as we have seen with Psylocke and Superman) or the entire piece.

so no, they dont have a duty to update the images becasue they state "product is subject to change" from the prototype.
no its not telling us anything we dont already know. we all know that the production piece will not be an exact duplicate (paint app wise) of the original prototype. again if it was. we all would be paying double maybe triple of what they cost now and would be waiting two to three times longer for its release.

and what you have to realize is, no matter what is advertised no matter what it may be. it will always look immaculate in the advertisement than what you will actually get. its call marketing strategy. :thumbs2:

[dao2]

the sculpt itself (a production piece mind you) is an exact copy of the original prototyp. so it has the potential to look like the prototype if painted up professionally.
ill tell you right now. if you want the production pieces to turn out like the prototypes that are shown then be prepared to dish out double, maybe triple the amount of any statue you want to order.

Actually it's not, it can't be the exact copy of the prototype unless the prototype was casted and painted up using the same molds as the factory because casting makes some changes from the original sculpt (shrinkage, lines, some details get a little blurred etc).

its not false advertisement. becasue they clearly state on the products page prior to ordering that the "product is subject to change". whether that be the paint app a light up feature or a complete resculpt of a portrait (as we have seen with Psylocke and Superman) or the entire piece.

Grey area actually. That is to denote that their may be unannounced changes not a blanket YOU'RE NOT GETTING WHAT IS PICTURED DEAL WITH IT. If you could prove that SS is purposefully using products of a higher quality to advertise the product then it is in fact false advertising.

so no, they dont have a duty to update the images becasue they state "product is subject to change" from the prototype.

You're right, they don't have a duty to update those images because in fact they should not be using them at all in the first place.

no its not telling us anything we dont already know. we all know that the production piece will not be an exact duplicate (paint app wise) of the original prototype. again if it was. we all would be paying double maybe triple of what they cost now and would be waiting two to three times longer for its release.

Just because it is known and accepted practice does not make it a legal one.

and what you have to realize is, no matter what is advertised no matter what it may be. it will always look immaculate in the advertisement than what you will actually get. its call marketing strategy. :thumbs2:

True however depending on what is being marketed there are a lot of different things that constitute false marketing. SS and most statue companies get away with it for a few reasons.

One is that we want their products, they are not obligated to sell to us (unless they can prove it is discrimination of a sort for specific reasons like race and gender, which it isn't and if you win once they can stop selling to you in the future). Another being that nobody is really going to sue them, especially cause it's not worth it. And also very importantly is that they offer full refunds, however if it was not as advertised and they did not offer a full refund then that would be something else (shipping not included, NRD is a maybe depends on the wording of the agreement you accept but of course even those can be contested and sometimes won against).

As it boils down to it what Statue companies do kinda sucks, especially SS cause it seems like they try EXTRA HARD to make the proto look so good as opposed to something reproducible but honestly there isn't anything to do about it other then vote with your wallet or whine about it enough on social media sites/forums so they take notice and do something about it. /end

[darren1228]

Statue collectors trying to rid the world of flippers and prestine products in advertising :hilarious:

[dr.banner]

I think of SS prototypes are like some women fake boobs with a push up bra, butt implants, hair extensions with highlights, fake nails, face that has been waxed and a ton of make-up. Then when you get them home and unwrap them total train wreck. It's all trickery.

[dao2]

I think of SS prototypes are like some women fake boobs with a push up bra, butt implants, hair extensions with highlights, fake nails, face that has been waxed and a ton of make-up. Then when you get them home and unwrap them total train wreck. It's all trickery.

With make up women it's not when you get home but the morning after that is the nightmare ;p

[DynamicMenace]

Actually it's not, it can't be the exact copy of the prototype unless the prototype was casted and painted up using the same molds as the factory because casting makes some changes from the original sculpt (shrinkage, lines, some details get a little blurred etc).



Grey area actually. That is to denote that their may be unannounced changes not a blanket YOU'RE NOT GETTING WHAT IS PICTURED DEAL WITH IT. If you could prove that SS is purposefully using products of a higher quality to advertise the product then it is in fact false advertising.



You're right, they don't have a duty to update those images because in fact they should not be using them at all in the first place.



Just because it is known and accepted practice does not make it a legal one.



True however depending on what is being marketed there are a lot of different things that constitute false marketing. SS and most statue companies get away with it for a few reasons.

One is that we want their products, they are not obligated to sell to us (unless they can prove it is discrimination of a sort for specific reasons like race and gender, which it isn't and if you win once they can stop selling to you in the future). Another being that nobody is really going to sue them, especially cause it's not worth it. And also very importantly is that they offer full refunds, however if it was not as advertised and they did not offer a full refund then that would be something else (shipping not included, NRD is a maybe depends on the wording of the agreement you accept but of course even those can be contested and sometimes won against).

As it boils down to it what Statue companies do kinda sucks, especially SS cause it seems like they try EXTRA HARD to make the proto look so good as opposed to something reproducible but honestly there isn't anything to do about it other then vote with your wallet or whine about it enough on social media sites/forums so they take notice and do something about it. /end
yes that is true but your talking microscopic shrinkage and loss of detail here. nothing major that the naked eye can determine.
but you could be right. it may not be an exact copy because we do not know if they ship out the actually sculpted model for the company to mold and cast. because we all know that SS themselves mold and cast their sculpts to get the prototypes to be able to buld and paint one for advertisement. now if they do ship out the model after molding and casting then it would be an exact copy. but that might not be the case due to the model possibly getting broken after its taken out of the molds. this is a possibility when molding and casting. more than likely they may be shipping out a casted copy of the original model to the factories and then they mold and cast that. so in that case it wouldn't be an exact copy. but close enough.
my point is, if you painted up a production piece just like the prototype you'll get the same results.

ok ask yourself this. if it was faluse marketing. why in the hell are they allowed to do so? HUH? why? simple.. becasue it is not false advertisement/marketing. becasue if it was they wouldn't be doing it.

the prototypes aren't vastly different form the production pieces sculpt wise. only the paint apps are slightly off or different from one another. not enough to warrant a false advertisement "legally".

i understand where your coming from. and i would love for the production pieces to look liek the prototypes just as much as you do. but they aren't false advertising. at least i dont see it that way. becasue the sculpts are exactly the same. and have the potential to look like the proto if painted professionally.

[Silas Loki]

ill tell you right now. if you want the production pieces to turn out like the prototypes (painted) that are shown then be prepared to dish out double, maybe triple the amount of any statue you want to order.

its not false advertisement. because they clearly state on the products page prior to ordering that the "product is subject to change". whether that be the paint app a light up feature or a complete resculpt of a portrait (as we have seen with Psylocke and Superman) or the entire piece.

so no, they dont have a duty to update the images becasue they state "product is subject to change" from the prototype.
no its not telling us anything we dont already know. we all know that the production piece will not be an exact duplicate (paint app wise) of the original prototype. again if it was. we all would be paying double maybe triple of what they cost now and would be waiting two to three times longer for its release.

and what you have to realize is, no matter what is advertised no matter what it may be. it will always look immaculate in the advertisement than what you will actually get. its call marketing strategy. :thumbs2:

First up, I loathe the way in which we as the hobbyist justify our own financial rape. Take the newly announced Wonder Woman by SS. Everyone is getting a chubby for it, why? Is it just because SS is doing a WW statue? Or is it because what we're seeing so far is hitting the right buttons? We all know it's the second reason.

Now let's not forget, the pricing is decided by SS. So if SS shows me that picture and states it will cost $400, who am I to argue? You're saying, that SS would need to charge $1200 in order to deliver that piece (as advertised), so don't you see a problem here? Imagine the look on your face as you walk into the Porsche dealership because the new Porsche GT is advertised as costing $20K, and as the dealer drives your new Porsche round the store front it's actually a Ford Focus......as your jaw hits the deck he smirks and says "really? You honestly thought you'd get a Porsche for $20K?....no no sir, for that Porsche you need to spend at least $90K".

If the damn statue cost $1200 to get the product as advertised, then sell it for $1200.....hell, Gentle Giant did it with Honey Trap, it was a bitter pill to swallow, but ultimately its better then this constant bait and switch.

As regards "duty".....well, maybe that's the wrong word. Maybe moral obligation is closer to the mark. We'll accept an artist proof if that's all the company has, but when stuff starts shipping, it just makes moral sense to advertise the actual product customers will get. Why any collector would argue against this is beyond me.

[Silas Loki]

Just to clarify. When I use the term "False advertising", I'm talking about the actuality of the companies dealings from a consumer perspective, NOT from a legal perspective. I have no knowledge of the law and what constitutes an infringement of said law.

It's very possible to feel (as a consumer) that you've been ripped off, without any of the parties involved contravening the relevant legal systems.

[loricstone]

I would like to believe most of you have tried McDonald's. I don't know about you guys, but I think it tastes as good as the pictures look. Plus it's cheap as hell, as opposed to a $400 statue.

They sure have the best sweets in out of any fast food joint hands down. McDonalds frapps blow away Starbucks. The cookies are the best in the business along with Subway. Their Cinnamon Melts are the bomb. And they have the perfect tasting (acidity, sweetness, etc.) Coke in the world.

SO I AGREE!!

[built2shred]

As long as SS continues to offer a 100% money back guarantee within 30 days of purchase, there's nothing you can really do about it.


As a customer of theirs I'm pretty happy with all the statues I have bought from them, I've yet to have to return anything...

Poison Ivy, Black Widow, Captain Rex, Shaak TI, Darth Malgus, Storm, Jessica Rabbit and all the Star Wars Mythos statues have all came out really great and extremely close to their prototype pictures IMO... I know some people got really bad versions of Poison Ivy so sometimes it's just the luck of the draw, I got lucky and got a really good one...

[loricstone]

Serious talk....I actually think SS pretty much hit their statues out of the ballpark. Let's be honest, not even a professionally painted second statue is going to match the proto.....something will always be different. So in essence, as long as the product is by and large a 90% - 95% match to the proto, then its a success and therefore, the statue does not have to be reshot to show the public what it is getting.

Now, IF the product CHANGES (Star Wars Mythos Obi Wan lack of lightsaber, or any other similar situation like that), then I feel it is the duty of SS to inform all customers and companies about a change in the product from what was shown originally when it was put up for order. SS has taken steps to do that with the recent change to Sinestro PF (the lack of light up from the original proto pics).

But for the most part, SS knocks it out of the park with their releases. They have had some clunkers and changes that should have been made known (Rogue butt change, etc.).

[DynamicMenace]

First up, I loathe the way in which we as the hobbyist justify our own financial rape. Take the newly announced Wonder Woman by SS. Everyone is getting a chubby for it, why? Is it just because SS is doing a WW statue? Or is it because what we're seeing so far is hitting the right buttons? We all know it's the second reason.

Now let's not forget, the pricing is decided by SS. So if SS shows me that picture and states it will cost $400, who am I to argue? You're saying, that SS would need to charge $1200 in order to deliver that piece (as advertised), so don't you see a problem here? Imagine the look on your face as you walk into the Porsche dealership because the new Porsche GT is advertised as costing $20K, and as the dealer drives your new Porsche round the store front it's actually a Ford Focus......as your jaw hits the deck he smirks and says "really? You honestly thought you'd get a Porsche for $20K?....no no sir, for that Porsche you need to spend at least $90K".

If the damn statue cost $1200 to get the product as advertised, then sell it for $1200.....hell, Gentle Giant did it with Honey Trap, it was a bitter pill to swallow, but ultimately its better then this constant bait and switch.

As regards "duty".....well, maybe that's the wrong word. Maybe moral obligation is closer to the mark. We'll accept an artist proof if that's all the company has, but when stuff starts shipping, it just makes moral sense to advertise the actual product customers will get. Why any collector would argue against this is beyond me.
not the same thing man, its the paint apps that are what is in question here,. not the sculpt itself. thats what im trying to tell you. im not justifying anything for myself for i look at the sculpt itself to determine whether it be worthy for me to fork over the price they are asking for the piece. not the paint apps like others do. although i would like to see the production pieces painted up like the protos. and in some cases they are. pretty damn close. but thats exactly what is in question here. its the paints not the sculpt. your analogy of the Porsche and Focus isn't the same thing man. two completely different cars. you should have used as an analogy of the paint jobs on two porches. one with a custom job and another with a factory paint job. and no my jaw would hit the floor if they told me that the one advertised had the custom paint job and costs more becasue dealerships pull that sh!t all the time. because as i stated before. companies always advertise the best looking (or more expensive) item to draw the customers in. and if you read the fine teeny tiny print at the bottom of the advertisements it will always say what is being shown or "subject to change". why? so that it isn't false advertizing..:laugh:
bottom line is the sculpts of the prototypes and the production pieces are exactly the same. your not purchasing a statue and then receiving a completely different sculpt or character.
like i said. i understand where you guys are coming from. but it all comes down to the paints. and its the paints that are in question and in which doesn't warrant false advertisement like you think it may. why? becasue they cover their asses and sate "subject to change"
does it suck? yeah it does. would i like to see the production pieces painted up like the prototypes? hell yeah i would. but its just not feasible for them to do on such a large scale or number of pieces that are being produced.

but they aren't doing anything illegal. becasue if they were. they wouldn't be in business.
if you guys are so hung up about it contact the better business bureau and ask them about it.
but im pretty sure they will say they aren't doing anything illegal.

[dechirico7]

All the collectible companies do this. I actually think Sideshow comes closer to their protos than companies like Gentle Giant and Bowen.

[DynamicMenace]

Just to clarify. When I use the term "False advertising", I'm talking about the actuality of the companies dealings from a consumer perspective, NOT from a legal perspective. I have no knowledge of the law and what constitutes an infringement of said law.

It's very possible to feel (as a consumer) that you've been ripped off, without any of the parties involved contravening the relevant legal systems.

ok noted. right on man.
like i said. i understand where your coming from. and it would be great if the production pieces turned out like the prototypes. but its just not going to happen at a factory on a production line that has deadlines to keep. and that is making hundred upon thousands of pieces at a time.
but i also understand where SS is coming from and what they need to do as a company.
i dont feel ripped off. becasue im getting the same sculpt that was created by the artist. if the paint app is off a little or even a lot and i completely hate it. i can always have it repainted to my specifications or like the prototype that was initially shown by SS. will that cost me more money? yes it will. but in return will double, or even possibly triple the value of my statue (depending on who is painting it) at the same time. :thumbs2:

[Silas Loki]

You're right about the Porsche example, it was a poor one. I also agree that this discussion is really about paint apps, as SS (and others) rarely, I think, deviate on the sculpts themselves. That said, I think we'd all agree that the paint apps represent a large percentage of the final "look" of the statue, a statue will be considered a pass or fail on how well that aspect is executed.

[DynamicMenace]

As long as SS continues to offer a 100% money back guarantee within 30 days of purchase, there's nothing you can really do about it.


As a customer of theirs I'm pretty happy with all the statues I have bought from them, I've yet to have to return anything...

Poison Ivy, Black Widow, Captain Rex, Shaak TI, Darth Malgus, Storm, Jessica Rabbit and all the Star Wars Mythos statues have all came out really great and extremely close to their prototype pictures IMO... I know some people got really bad versions of Poison Ivy so sometimes it's just the luck of the draw, I got lucky and got a really good one...

Serious talk....I actually think SS pretty much hit their statues out of the ballpark. Let's be honest, not even a professionally painted second statue is going to match the proto.....something will always be different. So in essence, as long as the product is by and large a 90% - 95% match to the proto, then its a success and therefore, the statue does not have to be reshot to show the public what it is getting.

Now, IF the product CHANGES (Star Wars Mythos Obi Wan lack of lightsaber, or any other similar situation like that), then I feel it is the duty of SS to inform all customers and companies about a change in the product from what was shown originally when it was put up for order. SS has taken steps to do that with the recent change to Sinestro PF (the lack of light up from the original proto pics).

But for the most part, SS knocks it out of the park with their releases. They have had some clunkers and changes that should have been made known (Rogue butt change, etc.).

good posts guys. B2S makes a really good point about the money back guarantee. and i feel the same way about SS lately as Stoney has stated.
and i agree with him on SS should notify the customers if there is a change in something that "isn't" going to be included.
and i do have to give props to SS for fixing the darth vader mythos power of the darkside fist. they could have easily not fixed the problem. and handed out money back. but they didn't. they took the extra mile to make thier customers happy.

[DynamicMenace]

You're right about the Porsche example, it was a poor one. I also agree that this discussion is really about paint apps, as SS (and others) rarely, I think, deviate on the sculpts themselves. That said, I think we'd all agree that the paint apps represent a large percentage of the final "look" of the statue, a statue will be considered a pass or fail on how well that aspect is executed.

absolutely. a paint job can make or break a piece for a consumer.
and as Stoney said. even a professional paint app will be slightly different than the prototype shown. but will most definitely be far superior than any factory paint job hands down.

[gagaliya]

So....once the mass produced product is available, doesn't SS (and the others) have a duty to update the images with the actual product?

Isn't it "telling" us something by the fact that they generally don't do this?

Your thoughts?

If sideshow showed the production pieces no one would order those crap, and sideshow is in the business of selling statues for max profit however they can, so this thread is pointless.

[mrslick32]

I think that the factories produce the quality in accordance to what the statue companies pay them to churn out. For example, I have some artist proofs of the Gentle Giant Sucker Punch statues and IMO the pictures of the actual production figures look almost the same as the artist proofs I have.

I've also read that most people who have the production statues are happy with how they came out. I think that Gentle Giant hit a home run with those statues and it's proof that Chinese factory workers can produce good quality if they are paid to do so.

Just my 2 cents... :)

[Silas Loki]

If sideshow showed the production pieces no one would order those crap, and sideshow is in the business of selling statues for max profit however they can, so this thread is pointless.

This thread would be pointless if I were hoping to change things, I'm not, it's just a harmless debate.....nothing more. This is also not intended (directly) to be a bash up of SideShow as they do produce some good stuff (HALO Master Chief for example).

[Shanesg]

Damn, this thread got serious real quick.

[built2shred]

I think now that GG is starting to produce 1/4 scale stuff it's going to put a lot more pressure on SS to step up their game... I think we saw some of that with Iron Man Patriot.

[DynamicMenace]

well i think that had a lot to do with SS working with legacy.
when GG starts to do Star wars 1/4 scale . then that will give us a good indication if SS is stepping up their game. but i think they have been the past couple of years anyway.

[gagaliya]

I think now that GG is starting to produce 1/4 scale stuff it's going to put a lot more pressure on SS to step up their game... I think we saw some of that with Iron Man Patriot.

Yes look at the panic SS went through with iron patriot maquette lol...$400 price point for legacy license(unthinkable in the past), 2x reward point, unfinished prototype, and heavy handed accept no imitation promo...all because GG released their 1/4 iron patriot last week.

IMO every 1/4 GG has done so far - sucker puncher and honey trap has been outstanding quality wise - true works of art. If they can continue this level of quality in the marvel 1/4 it will knock SS and their overpriced marvel crap on their feet.

Very happy there are finally some real competition against SS, GG black widow will be the grand opening, hope the final product does not disappoint.