Prime 1 NLE Showcase getting reworked

[qz33]

Originally Posted by jinkazama

Is this thread in regards to P1's next Next Level Showcase?

I assume Event/Showcase to be interchangeable.

[SONICobra]

Originally Posted by qz33

I don't find them taking up much more space than height. 1/4's usually compensate with more base while 1/3's tend to trim it down. Now that is most pieces. Then there's the Hush Superman which is just dumb it easts so much space.

Polystone is a dirt cheap material.

Problem is 1/3 has to deserve it. Nice statues of moderately popular characters aren't worth the sacrifice.

No way I'd think they change the advertised Predators' scale but they might cancel some outright.

Well youre not wrong - about any of that

I will say though I prefer 1/4 scale (hell even 1/5 scale) with smaller simpler bases like the ones youre referring to that come with 1/3 scale pieces

Also personally speaking I only have three 1/3 scale pieces - they take up an entire 30 x 36 shelf - only three statues where I could probably fit twice as many 1/4 scale pieces with modest footprints. Theyre just big statues, impressive but big

In the end it’s all personal preference - I would rather have three amazing statues than six mediocre statues but these companies are doing entire lines in 1/3 scale. I just don’t see it being feasible for the majority of collectors. 1/4 scale to me has always been the sweet spot of being impressive size and detail wise but space conscious enough to create a nice display with several characters

[qz33]

Originally Posted by Gyro Zeppeli

I just don't get what this company is trying to achieve. ...

I'm afraid to ever buy one because they keep trying to one-up themselves multiple times a year. ...

It's like their biggest competitor is themselves. They are flooding this market with derivative garbage that all looks the same. ...

At some point I hope people stop wanting these "epic" "masterpiece" "diorama" 1/4 and 1/3 statues with massive bases and details and swap outs added just for the sake of padding out the price. ...

Prime 1 initiated and announced their designs starting in pre 2016. Things were definitely different then.

They ARE in competition with themselves because they've got to get the same customers to buy AGAIN and AGAIN.

Like with Alita. No character from that will sell as well as Alita, duh you know. Few people would have a collect 'em all mentality for Alita's cast but those that do are likely interested in the same character different designs shenanigans Prime 1 makes their calling card. Plus they'll pick up some newbies that passed them by before.
Also they want to utilize the licenses while they have them.

Look at the Predators! How many slight variations of the SAME alien will customers buy? Apparently Lots. LOTS!

They just keep driving by looking in the rear view mirror. "People bought this so they'll buy more!!" But it isn't a sustainable business model and few companies are willing to plan to shrink with the market.

The real problem is us. Collectors are just buying more than they can keep and it's too easy for these companies to scratch every varied collector's itch. Statues in general just aren't rare anymore.

[Yamato]

No other character from Alita will sell close to what she could. She's really the only relevant character for a statue in excess of $1,000.

The issue is just how narrow the window is between each reveal and statue of her. It's just too much, too fast.

On 1/3, Prime 1 should not abandon 1/3, but they made need to change their direction on it.

For one, there needs to be a level up in quality standards compared to their competitors.

Second, the gigantic bases have to go.

[qz33]

Originally Posted by SONICobra

Well youre not wrong - about any of that

I will say though I prefer 1/4 scale (hell even 1/5 scale) with smaller simpler bases like the ones youre referring to that come with 1/3 scale pieces

Also personally speaking I only have three 1/3 scale pieces - they take up an entire 30 x 36 shelf - only three statues where I could probably fit twice as many 1/4 scale pieces with modest footprints. Theyre just big statues, impressive but big

In the end it?s all personal preference - I would rather have three amazing statues than six mediocre statues but these companies are doing entire lines in 1/3 scale. I just don?t see it being feasible for the majority of collectors. 1/4 scale to me has always been the sweet spot of being impressive size and detail wise but space conscious enough to create a nice display with several characters

1/4 sizes just won't grab eyes the same way something bigger will.
Most folks would get even bigger versions of their fav statues.
1/4 PCS Filmation He-Man? I'll take that in 1/2 yes 1/2 scale please and dump a few 1/4s if need be.

You're thinking with a true collector's mindset. "What and who will I buy to KEEP" "What's my plan?" "How will my COLLECTION look"

But for the past several years the market's reactions have been: "Oh wow look at that!" "Day one!" "Oh look there's another one, okay I'll just sell one after I see which I like best." "Oh they're gonna do this whole other line? Well time to scratch everything bought the past 3 years and do over"

None of this is sustainable or eyed for the long game.

[Gyro Zeppeli]

Originally Posted by Yamato

No other character from Alita will sell close to what she could. She's really the only relevant character for a statue in excess of $1,000.

The issue is just how narrow the window is between each reveal and statue of her. It's just too much, too fast.

On 1/3, Prime 1 should not abandon 1/3, but they made need to change their direction on it.

For one, there needs to be a level up in quality standards compared to their competitors.

Second, the gigantic bases have to go.

They don't have to be $1000. Prime 1 forces that price tag because of how overblown their stuff always is. And yes the real issue is how quickly they release the same character again. I feel like I'll never end up actually buying an Alita because they just keep making her. I'm sure there will be a 1/3 Alita announced soon enough.

[Cmac]

Prime 1 definitely has to make some changes to their business model. Some things off the top of my head:

Large Bases - These were getting out of control (Harley) and still seem to pop up from time to time. Personally, I think large bases take away from the piece as the character should be the focus of attention. Also, a lot of these 1/3 statues could fit in a single box if they reduced the bases.

Edition Sizes - Prime 1 might be of the mindset that all edition sizes need to be large. XM has been doing small edition sizes for their Transformers line for some time now, so it must be profitable or else they wouldn't do it. Recently, a bunch of Prime 1's latest comic pieces have small edition sizes compared to what they used to do. If they want to move towards 1/4 scale, that's fine, but they shouldn't leave their previous customers without some 1/3 options on existing lines. Hush Catwoman comes to mind.

Duo 1/3 Statues - They did it with the Joker/Punchline pieces and then did it again with Penguin/Batman. The second round with Penguin/Batman didn't do as well and the Batman piece has an edition size of 130 per version. Hopefully, they've learned their lesson and don't go down this route again. These pieces balance each other, but the problem is most people don't have the shelving depth to display them like that. Also, how many Batmans do people need? It's like they add him to characters they don't think will get them a high edition size. They mentioned doing a duo of Hush Catwoman with Batman - ugh.

Supporting Characters - They are making these pieces for profit, but as I stated above, I have a feeling that Prime 1 either wants edition sizes to be large, or they built their business based on that assumed income level. Using Batman as an example, they keep releasing Batmans. Yes, Batman sells well, but not the most recent ones - Batman Triumphant has an edition size of 130 per version. The customers who have been buying into their 1/3 lines will only have so many Batman/Jokers. After that, if you want to keep them purchasing, you'll need to move onto other characters. The problem is that those characters aren't going to get them the thousands of units they seem to want/require.

Customer Service - It's pretty horrible. Their reps can do basic things, but when it comes to issues on their end, they completely drop the ball.

[SONICobra]

Originally Posted by qz33

1/4 sizes just won't grab eyes the same way something bigger will.

i guess everyones experience is different but when friends and family look at my collection they seem more interested in the 1/4 scale pieces. they think the thanos bust is cool and the 1/3 scale batmans are impressive but they spend more time looking at the 1/4 scale statues pointing out details and asking questions. not saying youre wrong but i dont think theres an umbrella statement like "bigger is better" that applies here

Originally Posted by qz33

You're thinking with a true collector's mindset. "What and who will I buy to KEEP" "What's my plan?" "How will my COLLECTION look"

i mean yeah i suppose but also looking at this as a business - what will sell more statues? the 1/4 scale market was established years ago, there are far more people invested in it. also its more likely for people to spend $700-900 shipped vs $1600-2000 shipped

not knocking 1/3 scale pieces at all, they are no doubt impressive im just not surprised that P1 may be moving away from them. like you said though, this whole hobby is insane and there has to be a ceiling somewhere that were going to hit eventually

[Mercy]

Prime1 hasn't adapted to the current market conditions, doesn't surprise me coming from a Japanese company. There was less competition years ago in the statue market, but now there are many companies chasing the same dollar. In fact, there are many non license companies selling statues that indirectly compete with what official license can't or won't produce.

I don't know why Prime1 and Sideshow though it was good idea to release a Powergirl with a smaller chest size. That was never going to sell well, shouldn't have even bothered making a statue like that if the statue design was going to be censor. Finally, why the hell are they making so many batmans, wonder woman, and so forth? I know there are lot of fans out there, but you can only sell a character so many times before the market becomes saturated at current prices. Keyword is current prices. We not talking about a product that is consumed here. Then, there is the secondary market to consider. This isn't early 2010 anymore.

I think statue companies are going to have to diversify the statues produced. I don't see how companies can keep selling the same characters over and over at the current prices.

I find XM doing far more interesting and diverse statues than Prime1. Earlier in the year, Prime1 released a list of many new statues they said were planned. Yet, all I see are the same characters being announced for preorder over and over. They haven't even released that Nier 1/3 outside of Japan for preorders. I have low expectations from Prime1.

When it comes to size, I always think it depends on how your collection is organized and displayed that plays a bigger part on the wow factor when people see the statues.

[Cmac]

Originally Posted by Mercy

I think statue companies are going to have to diversify the statues produced. I don't see how companies can keep selling the same characters over and over at the current prices.

I find XM doing far more interesting and diverse statues than Prime1. Earlier in the year, Prime1 released a list of many new statues they said were planned. Yet, all I see are the same characters being announced for preorder over and over. They haven't even released that Nier 1/3 outside of Japan for preorders. I have low expectations from Prime1.

When it comes to size, I always think it depends on how your collection is organized and displayed that plays a bigger part on the wow factor when people see the statues.

They're going to have to do something if they want to survive. As I said above, there are only so many Batmans one is going to have in their collection unless that is the only character you collect (and this is coming from somebody who has been collecting Batman since the late 80's). It really applies to any IP with a main character - if they want to keep the customers buying, they will either need to offer more supporting characters, or market towards mainstream appeal like Sideshow (though I'm not sure that is going to last either). I'm pretty sure Prime 1 would've went for 1/4 scale DC statues to begin with, but that license was locked by Sideshow. Something must have happened with the terms of that license somewhat recently as more companies are offering 1/4 scale DC characters outside of the Asian markets.

XM definitely seems to spread out more than Prime 1. They just announced Prowl from the Transformers and nobody saw that coming. That said, Prime 1 originally offered a larger selection of DC Comics characters than Sideshow. Only after that did Sideshow start branching out.

How a collection is presented has a major impact on first impressions. If you want the most "wow factor", the pieces in the collection need space to breath; otherwise it can end up looking like a large mess. Most people don't have huge rooms to devote to this stuff, so you either control the size of the collection to help the presentation or you don't and try your best to make it presentable.