WDCC Walt Disney Classics Collection Ends

[ReplicantSavior]

Sad news, I would always check the WDCCDuckman.com site for the statues coming up for the year. When nothing was posted for 2013 I just thought the site wasn't getting updated. I searched around and found out that the line is ending.

http://wdccduckman.blogspot.com/2013...two-cents.html

I can't believe Disney is letting this line go after some 20 years. That they can't find a suitable partner or just do the line officially themselves. I really don't get Disney, they are such a big company yet many times it seems like no one is really in control and knows what's going on.

[mickey]

Originally Posted by ReplicantSavior

Sad news, I would always check the WDCCDuckman.com site for the statues coming up for the year. When nothing was posted for 2013 I just thought the site wasn't getting updated. I searched around and found out that the line is ending.

http://wdccduckman.blogspot.com/2013...two-cents.html

I can't believe Disney is letting this line go after some 20 years. That they can't find a suitable partner or just do the line officially themselves. I really don't get Disney, they are such a big company yet many times it seems like no one is really in control and knows what's going on.

I'd like to have Disney character figures too with the same quality anime and game figure has. I wish Disney would allow Japanese toy and figure makers make scale figures of their characters.

[nbr3bagshotrow]

Yeah bummer. I was hoping for Violet and Dash from Incredibles. Guess I may need to commission them.

[dfchang]

I have collected WDCC for over a decade. I own every Beauty and the Beast piece released.

A closer analysis of the situation will reveal significant issues and by no means are things clear-cut.

First of all, WDCC is on an entirely different level than the normal statues we collect and talk about on here.

These things are like Rolls Royces.

Not cheap resin, polystone, cold-cast polystone.

These are PORCELAIN works of art painted and heated in kilns. Porcelain was once called the "art of kings" and some research into the process will show you why.

It takes an incredible, ridiculous amount of workmanship to craft a porcelain piece . . . especially one that is true to the spirit of Disney characters.

WDCC ran into a lot of issues because in the beginning they had no edition sizes. Likely in order to recoup the high cost of making these collectibles, they needed to make A LOT of them. Also the price point of these pieces were often very high . . . artifically inflated one could argue.

Typically, whole sale cost of a WDCC piece was 50%. Dealers often offered 10-15% discounts from MSRP but on-line business would go as high as 25-30% off.

When coupled with the unlimited nature of the pieces, many earlier released saw their value plummet on Ebay. It wasn't unusual at all to score pieces for 50% off if one was patient enough.

As time passed it become more and more obvious that economically it was simply impossible to create these fine art porcelain pieces at a price point and in numbers that could allow the line to continue.

Enesco gave up the license and it was passed to Precious Moments which was simply not ready to live up to the high standards of the WDCC legacy.

As an example of what I am talking about, check up Pinocchio's The Finishing Touch on Google or WDCC Duckman website.

Porcelain piece with over 200 individual plussing elements. Several HUNDRED individual molds that needed to be hand cast and then hand assembled. Then HAND PAINTED and MULTIPLE trips to the firing kiln.

MSRP: 2000 dollars.

I bought one on Ebay recently for 850 dollars.

It is one of the most breathtaking and detailed pieces I've ever owned . . . and also exhibit A for why the line in 2015 ultimately could not be economically sustained.

[ReplicantSavior]

Originally Posted by mickey

I'd like to have Disney character figures too with the same quality anime and game figure has. I wish Disney would allow Japanese toy and figure makers make scale figures of their characters.

I would be interested in a Japanese company making some Disney charactes.

Originally Posted by nbr3bagshotrow

Yeah bummer. I was hoping for Violet and Dash from Incredibles. Guess I may need to commission them.

Too bad they didn't finish The Incredibles. With a sequel coming we should see another attempt though.

Originally Posted by dfchang

I have collected WDCC for over a decade. I own every Beauty and the Beast piece released.

A closer analysis of the situation will reveal significant issues and by no means are things clear-cut.

First of all, WDCC is on an entirely different level than the normal statues we collect and talk about on here.

These things are like Rolls Royces.

Not cheap resin, polystone, cold-cast polystone.

These are PORCELAIN works of art painted and heated in kilns. Porcelain was once called the "art of kings" and some research into the process will show you why.

It takes an incredible, ridiculous amount of workmanship to craft a porcelain piece . . . especially one that is true to the spirit of Disney characters.

WDCC ran into a lot of issues because in the beginning they had no edition sizes. Likely in order to recoup the high cost of making these collectibles, they needed to make A LOT of them. Also the price point of these pieces were often very high . . . artifically inflated one could argue.

Typically, whole sale cost of a WDCC piece was 50%. Dealers often offered 10-15% discounts from MSRP but on-line business would go as high as 25-30% off.

When coupled with the unlimited nature of the pieces, many earlier released saw their value plummet on Ebay. It wasn't unusual at all to score pieces for 50% off if one was patient enough.

As time passed it become more and more obvious that economically it was simply impossible to create these fine art porcelain pieces at a price point and in numbers that could allow the line to continue.

Enesco gave up the license and it was passed to Precious Moments which was simply not ready to live up to the high standards of the WDCC legacy.

As an example of what I am talking about, check up Pinocchio's The Finishing Touch on Google or WDCC Duckman website.

Porcelain piece with over 200 individual plussing elements. Several HUNDRED individual molds that needed to be hand cast and then hand assembled. Then HAND PAINTED and MULTIPLE trips to the firing kiln.

MSRP: 2000 dollars.

I bought one on Ebay recently for 850 dollars.

It is one of the most breathtaking and detailed pieces I've ever owned . . . and also exhibit A for why the line in 2015 ultimately could not be economically sustained.

I didn't know this. I know that many of the statues were fairly cheap. But after they stopped making them prices shot up on a bunch. I'm going to check out the complete line. See what I might put on my list...

[travis]

I need one more Fantasia piece