The future of "High End" Statue Collecting - 2023 onwards?

[Silas Loki]

Originally Posted by Gyro Zeppeli

I'm not sure how viable 3D printing will be for the future of figure collecting, but if it ever becomes something affordable then I don't see a point supporting a lot of these sellout companies pumping out soulless Batman statues or derivative main character releases. I could see people just spending money on independent unlicensed files for 3D sculpts that they would then take to a local 3D Printer to have it printed out, and then take somewhere else to have it painted. Why would I waste my time and effort with Prime 1 when I could actually just get characters I want made by others, especially without constant political correctness in the designs?

Edit: It would also remove shipping fees from the equation. Right now there seems to be a growing market of unlicensed statues made in the East. They range from relatively low quality to being better than a lot of the official stuff that is produced. Having to import them and pay the shipping fees can be brutal, but imagine if their storefronts were just for encrypted 3D model files that you downloaded and took to a local place to have printed for you. It would likely still be lots of money, but at least you would no longer have to think about shipping and packaging and all that stuff. Don't like the base? Just use a generic one instead. Could even lead to people being able to customize their statues to some degree. You'd be able to go into the files and change the colors or certain details if you would prefer.

Careful: if your prediction actually happened, we'd run the risk of this becoming an actual creative hobby - where we actually need to do more than simply "unbox" a product after a 36 month wait......imagine.

[Asgard]

Originally Posted by Gyro Zeppeli

I'm not sure how viable 3D printing will be for the future of figure collecting,

Yes, that's my way.
I wanted to buy the new Sideshow Psylocke and just happened to find an STL file of a 1/4 Psylocke. The Psylocke statue in museum pose looks great.
And because I do everything myself, I'll soon have this Psylocke in my collection

Personally, I currently have the Samurai Batwoman on pre-order and I'm excited to see what else Divine will deliver.
But I'm starting to say goodbye to collecting such expensive statues.

[67L88Stingray]

Why do we need another of these same threads every 6 months?

[Gyro Zeppeli]

Originally Posted by 67L88Stingray

Why do we need another of these same threads every 6 months?

No one forced you to click this thread

[67L88Stingray]

Originally Posted by Gyro Zeppeli

No one forced you to click this thread

That's not an answer...

I was hoping for something more substantive than just the same old "prices rising" "Poor us" "I am done" discussion that gets endlessly repeated. If you want to participate in that cycle be my guest.

[Silas Loki]

Originally Posted by Asgard

Yes, that's my way.
I wanted to buy the new Sideshow Psylocke and just happened to find an STL file of a 1/4 Psylocke. The Psylocke statue in museum pose looks great.
And because I do everything myself, I'll soon have this Psylocke in my collection

Personally, I currently have the Samurai Batwoman on pre-order and I'm excited to see what else Divine will deliver.
But I'm starting to say goodbye to collecting such expensive statues.

I could see this becoming a very healthy direction for some people - effectively becoming a creator of one of a kind pieces, made by yourself for yourself.

However, for a lot of people - realistically, they may not have the time (or skills) to dive into such a thing - which is a pity.

If more people did this, the hobby could really look different in the future (in a positive way).....we can dream.

[candyrocket786]

It's going to be multiple companies pursuing the same license, pumping out numerous versions of Characters X, Y and Z, with the customs groups doing more/less the same thing.

I say continue with the oversaturation and mindless competition and I'll pick-up what I like once the dust has settled.

NO FOMO.

[Silas Loki]

Originally Posted by 67L88Stingray

That's not an answer...

I was hoping for something more substantive than just the same old "prices rising" "Poor us" "I am done" discussion that gets endlessly repeated. If you want to participate in that cycle be my guest.

I don't think it hurts to revisit topics which have a significant impact on our shared hobby. We have a platform for debate, we know certain companies view the threads on this forum - maybe some type of message filters through.

People complain about rising prices all the time, they also rage quit and see themselves as victims - I don't disagree with you on that point. But we could also use this thread to signal ways in which companies might better serve us, while still being able to make money themselves.....e.g.maybe we as a group are ready to embrace 1/6 scale statues (again) - costing less, and being easier to ship.....sending a ceLear signal that 1/3 is no longer a viable option for us (customers) and therefore for them as sellers.

[Mister H]

Originally Posted by Silas Loki

e.g.maybe we as a group are ready to embrace 1/6 scale statues (again) - costing less, and being easier to ship.....sending a ceLear signal that 1/3 is no longer a viable option for us (customers) and therefore for them as sellers.

I keep thinking about the 1/6 thing. The Tweeterhead Supes 2.0 is fantastic but it takes up as much space as my SS Captain America PF. Those pieces from TH are great but they are at least $500 now. XM pieces are steep as well. Whatever we choose, we will have to give up something besides just money. Not a bad problem to have really, some folks are trying to figure out how to pay for gas.

[67L88Stingray]

Originally Posted by Silas Loki

I don't think it hurts to revisit topics which have a significant impact on our shared hobby. We have a platform for debate, we know certain companies view the threads on this forum - maybe some type of message filters through.

People complain about rising prices all the time, they also rage quit and see themselves as victims - I don't disagree with you on that point. But we could also use this thread to signal ways in which companies might better serve us, while still being able to make money themselves.....e.g.maybe we as a group are ready to embrace 1/6 scale statues (again) - costing less, and being easier to ship.....sending a ceLear signal that 1/3 is no longer a viable option for us (customers) and therefore for them as sellers.

It would be less repetitive and also interesting to see how the discussion evolves if it was in a sticky thread. I am all for the discussion itself, that isn't the issue, I just don't want to have the same basics hashed out over and over in different threads.