Brian from Super7 responded on the CoolToyNews forum about the Alien stuff. Some interesting things said here. I reproduced the whole thing here, but you can see it in forum format here: forum.rebelscum/t1105598-35/#post19421295 I will jump in for a few moments just to address the concerns, so you know I am actually listening. You may not agree with me, but most people have differing opinions on many ideas, and this will most likely be no different. But at least you know why we are doing what we are doing. In my responses, they are not combative, so please read as an impartial response. Text has no tenor or tone to help convey meaning or impartiality. ----------------------------- Quote Originally Posted by ij_thompson View Post Yeah, that price is insane. For one piece of formed plastic and a cardboard backdrop? ----------------------------- Actually, these are all hand made. The tool alone for making the base injection was going to be $38,000 and that is before we inject plastic, print cardboard backers, print boxes, die-cut, assemble, ship on a boat and pay royalties. It was basically impossible to make this a production item that was affordable, but we wanted to make it, as we wanted it for ourselves. We worked through a variety of ways to make it and came back to a solution with a temporary mold we could pull off, but we could only make a few pieces before the molds were unusable, and it was expensive as hell. So instead of just talking about it, we went ahead and made it (in the US no less), but the costs were still crazy. For us it is a break even project, a labor of love. The idea that you could actually make a full blown retro base and cardboard for Alien is still a crazy idea. This is not a mass market item, it is a glorified fan project. So, yeah, it is limited, and expensive, but that is the nature of actually making something like this. It is not easy and it is not cheap to do. Sorry. ----------------------------- Quote Originally Posted by MonkeyCrumb View Post According to the interview, it confuses Super7 why companies produce enough to sell after SDCC. Does this company have its head lodged up its rear? Do they truly fail to understand why it might be a bad idea to cheat their customer base out of buying their product at retail prices versus paying unreasonable ebay markups? It seems their solution is to make so few that they rarely show up on ebay. Thats not going to help the costs, and they are utterly foolish to think this will be helpful. Well, I think you misinterpreted my point, or I did not clarify properly. I would argue that there are almost no SDCC exclusives, merely SDCC debuts. There is nothing unique or special about these releases, they are simply sold as something they are not, and over the years they become something that no one values in their collection, and are just oddball toys made for the sake of getting you to buy another variant for fear you are going to miss out on something. For example: Star Wars Darth Vader 2004 Action Figure | eBay ----------------------------- Over the years the trend has increasingly become to make as many possible of something, which is what a regular release is for. For us, we are making 60+ figures this year in ReAction, all of which you will be able to get. Once a year, you can come see us in person, talk to us in person, and we are making 3 items that are special to that time. We are making enough that we believe everyone who comes to the event can get one. I really dont think that is unreasonable. We arent telling you that you cant have them -anyone who comes to SDCC can have them, but it is limited to a time and place, just like any good memory is. It seems that this could also be less about flipper rage and a bit more at jealousy that someone else is getting an opportunity that you are not, which I can understand, Ive missed a lot of things over the years as well. Trust me, I wish you were here as well. I think you would have a great time. Maybe one year you can come, I think you will find it is less bloodthirsty and predatory than you think it is. ----------------------------- Quote Originally Posted by MonkeyCrumb View Post They refer to this as sport. Kenner had a collect them all mentality, Super7 seems to have a collect them if you can approach. Ive been so supportive of this whole retro revival, but this kind of bs is going to make me quit altogether. The sport you are referring to, is my reference to not letting you know what the secret in the egg is, not the collecting of it. Its the same as not telling you what is in your Xmas present, you just have to open it up and find out. You can either decide that it is a fun thing or a frustrating thing. I personally enjoy unexpected and pleasant surprises, and then look forward to finding out what it might be. Everyone at SDCC should be able to get their eggs, and then trade them at our Deep Space Rescue party on Friday night. ----------------------------- Lastly, we do have a collect them all mentality, every sculpt will be available at some point, and you can collect them all, that will never be an issue. The main, widely available line is 99% of our focus within ReAction. Along the way, there may be a variant or odd item that not everyone can get. Kenner made exclusives like the blue Snaggletooth Cantina and the Cloud City Playset, etc. and you see where those figures are now, and they are highly prized possessions. Sorry you find it so frustrating, I only can assume it is because you care, and I appreciate that you are emotionally invested in the line. I just dont have a better answer for you. ----------------------------- Quote Originally Posted by Darth_Jawa View Post I am so glad that I never took the plunge and started collecting this line. The less than stellar post-Alien figure sculpts were a massive disappointment. Having read the article above, it is now obvious they dont care that many of us cannot afford to make the trip to SDCC solely for purchase their overpriced and under-produced exclusives. Translation - they are about as out of touch with collectors as Hasbro. The retro figure line was a great idea, just poorly executed. ----------------------------- Actually, other than Rocketeer, nothing has been released into the wild. The early sculpts were first pass protos for NYTF. The finals are pretty awesome. I think you will find they have been executed in stellar fashion, but it sounds like you were not very interested anyways. Secondly, its not that I dont care, (see post above), but the mentality that you somehow deserve to buy every piece from a line you dont even collect (or appear to like) is a little odd to me. Once again, it seems more like you are looking for a reason to be upset with the line, whereas if you really didnt care about it, you could care less what we were making and why. I hope that you give the figures a chance when they come out, but if you do not, I understand. ----------------------------- Quote Originally Posted by TheRealDub View Post The other option is rage filed insanity. ----------------------------- I actually think there is something here. Not to be weird, but I cant have everything I want. I want a vintage Jaw Smith Powell spin art deck, but its $2500+, same with a Lance Mountain Future Primitive 1 or 1.5. I can either be mad at that, or psyched for the guy who has it. I prefer the latter. Im not mad at Gus Lopez or Steve Sansweet for having J/L-shaped prototype Boba Fett figures, I am psyched for them! Do I want one? Sure, am I going to get one? Nope. I can live with that. Am I mad that some dude paid $50k for a prototype Droids figure? Nope. I am glad he got what he wanted regardless of the price. It was his money, I hope it makes him happy. I did not get the Luke Kubrick released at the Medicom anniversary show last month either. I can either pay for it on yahoo japan, or be okay with the fact that I dont have it, and hope one day I can get one reasonably. That is what makes it unique and special —it was for a specific time and place, and if I get it, I will know and remember it as such. Just because I wasnt invited to that party doesnt mean they hate me or are conspiring against me as a fan of theirs (and I know them), it just means I dont live in Japan and that is where the event was. So it is unfortunate you are not able to be at SDCC, but that is where the event is. I am happy to clarify if you guys have more questions, but within reason. No one needs a forum flame war. If you have legit questions, ask away and I will get to the answers as I can, but we are going like crazy getting ready for SDCC. Thanks for checking everything out. -brian
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 19:31:52 +0000
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