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Messages - Jesse James

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18166
Saga Collection '06 / Re: The Gimmick that WOULD have worked...
« on: February 1, 2006, 12:24 AM »
I've wondered why the Unleashed line went below the 3.75" line myself, but at the same time I've had the same reservations Jeff, Jesse and others have had and shared...  My fear is that Hasbro says, "You got a 3-pack, you don't need more of this SA...", which they DID say in the Clone Wars run...  They more or less were telling us to F Off, and that we got enough Clones with "all those 3-packs"...

I think what we saw with 2005 though is that articulation is generally more popular too though...  I know my area was deluged with Deluxe Clones for a while, yet the SA sculpt was steadily moving.  They had Deluxe 3-packs on clearance at Wal-Mart even, and the Clones from CW weren't terribly hard to find except the blue one for some reason...  So where does that leave us?

Well I think if Hasbro was guaranteeing a Super Articulated version of a trooper, and THEN doing pre-posed 3-packs or some such, it could maybe work...  For instance, I know I appreciate my 2002 Shaak Ti a LOT more now that I have my 2005 Shaak Ti, ya know what I mean?  I appreciate Death Star Escape Han Solo from POTJ a LOT more now that I have VOTC Han Solo...  For me, the pre-posed should only have a complementary role, not a focus...  That would be my stance.  A pre-posed sculpt shouldn't exist of a figure who isn't poseable yet...  Case-in-point, Barris Offee who has no definitive figure right now.  That kinda blows.

Would I take a pack of 3 pre-posed Stormtroopers?  If I knew the VOTC Trooper was available at a good price and in good quantity, I'd consider the 3-pack then as a complement...  Only one, and I'd only consider it.  The pre-posed Clones actually were what made me decide to say "screw it" to my completist ways with Deluxe figures actually so I'm not sure I'll buy anything out of that sub-line to the basic line...  If they looked good enough and if (and only if) I have a truly great rendition of that same figure already, then I'd consider it...  I'd love a 3-pack of Rebel Fleet Troopers but only if I have a definitive, poseable, full-featured Rebel Fleet Trooper in the line...  which I don't.

And I'd fear Hasbro would say "We just gave you a 3-pack of (Insert Random Army Builder You Want Here) figures, what more do you freaking want?", and basically they'd deny doing this figure super articulated, or that figure super articulated...

I respect your opinion Valin, but at the end of the day these are action figures and really they SHOULD feature articulation at a competitive level in my opinion.  Statues, Figurines, etc. are almost a whole other deal...  Like the unleashed line.  They're not action figures but fall more into the category of Busts or whatnot.  Even Hasbro's taken to classifying them as NOT action figures per se, but as something outside that designation...

Action figures though, should be poseable by the industry definition of the term...  I'm not against the idea of 3.75" unleashed though, I'm just against it so long as Hasbro's NOT doing 3.75" poseable...  They have to deliver on the basic line first is what I'm mostly getting at.  Then they may get my attention on posed 3.75" Unleashed figures...  Until then though, I'm doubtful irregardless of if they're arm;y builders or not...  I just need that high quality, high poseability, action figure for my opinion to change.  And with Hasbro you don't know if you're gonna get that ever, and they'd sit on those 3-packs like they did in the past and say "this is good enough"...

For me, the ROTS Clone 3-packs actually had a coolness to them BECAUSE the basic Clones existed.  That was what I liked about them...  I didn't buy the 3-packs during ROTS but it was more due to their inaccurate paintjobs than anything else.  If I find a ton of Utapau Grunts though, and hypothetically they release a Utapau Clone 3-pack...  I'd consider the 3-pack for my Utapau Clone display I think....  Not till I had my fill of the basic figure though, as that's a top-notch action figure, and what Hasbro should be delivering but tends not to...  And evne then I'd only "Consider" that 3-pack, if I didn't have the $ or my fill of Utapau Grunts I wouldn't buy it.

To me, Hasbro's in far too many gimmicks right now, I'm hoping some of this capital on the line that's spread so damn thin gets put back where it belongs in the basic line and that some of this crap like "Customs" and "Transformers" are nixed in the near future.  They're attrocious.

18167
Saga Collection '06 / Re: 2006 VOTC
« on: February 1, 2006, 12:05 AM »
I wanna see all of them but Greedo honestly. :)  Han, and Scout are probably highest on my lsit but the Tusken would be a close 3rd... 

18168
Saga Collection '06 / Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting
« on: February 1, 2006, 12:04 AM »
On the issue of quality and cost...  I'm to the point I'd take substantially less (not that I want less, I'd buy lots of stuff if I could) if it meant quality went up...  We've seen a regression in the line unfortunately between 2005 and 2006.  Somewhere in January the figures have gone backwards I'm afraid.  This trend appears to be continuing and it's disappointing.  I'd take far fewer figures if it meant Hasbro adopted a higher standard...  I just want a good quality, POSEABLE, action figure out of this company...  Leg articulation that hasn't advanced beyond 1983 though is just really inexcuseable at this point as an avid consumer of this line.  When I've got enough for one action figure, and I"m looking at a super poseable soldier in 21st's line right next to Hasbro's limited articulation figure(s), I'm just at a loss...  Plus the 21st figure is still less than $5 and from a vastly smaller company working with a lot less.

If knee articulation weren't proven to be so possible and easy over the last 2 years or so, I'd maybe feel different, but they can and should deliver better figures...

As far as playsets go, again I don't know that quality is the question.  2002 saw a $40 Gunship that by all intents and purposes is a GOOD toy (I don't care for the scale, but my opinion there aside it was a great toy), and yet it didn't sell...  It saw clearance at multiple stores.  Can Hasbro deliver really high quality at $30?  The ARC Fighter was...  It didn't sell well.  The Jedi Fighters are $20, they're amazing really even by my standards, and they didn't sell great...  I think Hasbro's seeing those kinds of trends and saying that despite price and quality, they don't necessarilly have a hit, and thus it's a gamble, and thus they don't want to roll those dice...  If they do a great Death Star in a modular style I'm first in line to get one but I'm not hopeful on it...  They might though, I just am not hopeful.

18169
Saga Collection '06 / Re: Battle of Hoth Wave
« on: January 31, 2006, 11:55 PM »
I'm really hoping retail breaks soon too.  WM is holding its own but I fear a back-up there at some point, and Target usually doesn't order QUITE as much but they'll maybe be the last resort to find anything at some point.

I got a Gonk today, and I'm quite pleased with this figure.  You get two, and the Treadwell looks to have seen better days and does look different than Luke's Treadwell so I think it was nice of Hasbro to mixt hat up some. 

The Gonk is sweet though.  A nice reworking of the mold to give us a basically new figure but with distinctly different looks... 

And I say again, remember to keep those clear rubber bands that hold weapons in hands.  I use them to keep my Gonk's legs straight so he stands normal.  Love this figure though, and he's as good as the AT-AT Driver overall IMO.  Then Derlin, then Veers...  A better wave than Carkoon but not by a whole lot I'm afraid.

18170
Saga Collection '06 / Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« on: January 31, 2006, 11:52 PM »
I sorta hope for a set with all the R5's now that they'll have that dome...  I think it'll be hard to get just one set of just R5's though but man they have catching up to do on that model considering it's just now gonna get a nice new dome.

If they don't do the red/black rebel pilot R5 unit, I just don't know how I'm gonna paint one up myself...  So I'm being greedy and just hoping for R5's at some point in a set like this.

18171
I may actually buy Bossk because he's sort of a figure focus of mine...  I mean, Trandoshan's DO gets all da ladies...  Jockin' the Wookiee's and slappin' the ho's, that's livin' Trandoshan style.

That said, man...   Unless there's a removable helmet on the Sandtrooper that reveals someone with the black bodyglove hood on, I can't justify buying it...  Evne then it'd be hard to justify.  Any of these would be...  They're comically weird and a waste of capital that could be going into FRIGGIN' KNEE JOINTS on the basic figures.   >:(

18172
Saga Collection '06 / Re: Battle of Geonosis Wave
« on: January 31, 2006, 11:48 PM »
The Utapau grunt looks fantastic.  I'm completely happy except that once again he obviously doesn't come with the rifle and it's getting sorta comical that Hasbro won't give us the rifle...  It's the most seen weapon the Clones have but yet most of us have them in limited supply, haha.  :)

I've been scarfing up loose ones I see at Toy Shows just to try and outfit my troops...  The paintjob is one of Hasbro's more heavily weathered but it looks good I think. 

The Republic Commando's a huge disappointment in that this, an army builder extrordinaire, has such limited leg articulation.  The upper body's fantastic, the sculpt's good I think...  I like the gear.  Hasbro taking the dickishly cheap route by not articulating the legs any better than a 1983 Star Wars figure though, is just ****** on their part.

What the hell happened to toys with this company?  Every toy line in this scale has 10 times the articulation Hasbro does at this point...  2006 has seen a huge regression in quality simply because Hasbro's cut back on articulation I'm afraid.  Till it changes, a lot of figures get a disappointing rating from me...  Just put some F'n knee joints on the figure and let's get back to the quality we were seeing in 2005 for the most part.  Figures like Veers or Derlin have been disappionting, but a Clone Commando is a HUGE disappointment when the articulation's cut like this at the legs. 

They're so close to perfect in my eyes, and yet they're so far simply because of this.  This blows, but was expected so it's not a huge shock at this piont, it's just  dejecting about the line overall at this point.  I want action figures, not statues... 

18173
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: Bald or grey?
« on: January 31, 2006, 11:34 PM »
Your image isn't showing, but I know Paulie Walnuts all too well...  Love the Sopranoes.

I'd take that hair...  You see that hair coming and yeah you want to laugh, but at the same time you bite your tongue and realize that whoever has that mop attached to his head is also capable of beating anyone to death with a ballbat and stuffing them in the trunk of his gaudy Cadillac.

18174


I think I saw this one cheering wildly at the last wrestling pay-per-view I went to see at Hooters...  The skintone is off, but I know I saw a guy with those teeth and that clap pattern at the show... 

18175
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: Bald or grey?
« on: January 31, 2006, 11:25 PM »
Outstanding!

18176
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: Bald or grey?
« on: January 31, 2006, 11:20 PM »
Distinguished grey streaks on the sides would be nice...  It'd make me look important.

18177
I'll chime in that I don't PERSONALLY agree with selling customs.  If we're talking ethics, it's simply an act that is infringing against another's intellectual property for profit which isn't "right" I guess...  I don't personally care if people do though, if they are good members of the customizing community, as Gregorbian more or less stated.  That to me is where selling customs becomes an irritant in my eyes and where I simply lose respect for the customizer.

When I was at C3, the www.FFURG.com booth busted ass to make this hobby better and show it off to a broader audience.  There were a few people in the group who were camped out at the booth the majority of their weekend there, and they were doing that to simply better this hobby and get new people into it...  They were representing this niche of Star Wars collecting to the mass Star Wars fandom community.  You have to respect that, and that they did this on their time and their dime at the show.

And there's lots of guys who post their wares and share all their knowledge (recipes, techniques, tips, etc.) in all the various forums.  The customizing community goes beyond one forum that way, and it's a big positive...  However, like all hobbies there's people in there who really simply use the forums as a means of advertisement, which I don't care for on any site much less the two I work at to keep clean of this behavior...  If you're only here to show your stuff and ask people how many they want to buy, you're not part of the community.  You're a bootlegger, plain and simple, and I can't see anything to contradict that.

If you're here to share though, and perhaps sell stuff (from your own site), well that's your thing...  And you are at least giving back by sharing how you did this or that, what your recipes are, what your tools you use are, etc...  That's a positive.  That doesn't make customizing sales "right" in my eyes as it is something that can be ceased if Hasbro wanted to...  Hell they came down on Lego even, haha, but they've also swept through Ebay when they've felt like raising a stink...  That's just my personal stance, I don't hold it against people on a personal level though so long as they are the kind of people who really give back to the hobby.  I respect that...  People who share knowledge, ideas, or help are always good to have in the hobby, so that's cool.

I think if you want to Ebay some things Fritz, I wouldn't personally disrespect you for it...  I don't agree with it, but I also think you're pretty good in this hobby overall and you are helpful and add to the hobby.  Even if I don't agree with you deciding to sell some stuff, I still think you're a good guy in the hobby and am glad to always check out what you make and I know you'll reply to any critiques or questions with positive thoughts.  That's good man.

I hope that covers my opinion well enough without it being offensive or anything.  

Oh, and there's also a secondary circumstance where you sell customs due to necessity.  Sometimes you just NEED money...  At that point I still hold firm to my belief it's not ethically "right", but at the same time I think when you have to do what you have to do to survive or whatnot, you may as well sell...  Though I think when people get to a point they can't afford to live as they want to live and feel they "need" to sell this or that...  I think it's time to re-estimate financial sitautions, budgets, etc...  I'm not sure "funding" the hobby is such a great excuse since this is the same argument I see scalpers make about collecting...  "Well I'm a collector and I only sell stuff so I can fund my hobby of collecting..."  Well yeah, but that's still scalping (just making a general argument with this point).  I'm not sure I agree then that you NEED to fund a hobby by selling customs, but again like I said, if you're adding to the community, if you're free with knowledge and tips...  This changes my opinion some.  I still view custom sales as not overall "good" or positive for the hobby, and customizing sales are what  I believe has led to bootlegging, recards, frauds...  Vintage collectors have often looked down on customizers for that reason and they have some basis for this.

At the same time though, as I said, good people in the hobby are appreciated irregardless of what they do with their customs generally.  It's at least someone trying to build the community upward, instead of just taking from it what they can and not giving anything back.  That's my stance on it...  It's an old debate.  I remember arguing this back in the 90's during the old listserver days, haha.  It's been around as long as this hobby's had any sort of organization to it.

18178
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: Happy Birthday Darthshader & iFett!
« on: January 31, 2006, 08:34 PM »
Happy belated birthday to Jadesfire, and happy birthday to Darth Shader and iFett...  Hope you all have (or had) good ones and got lots of what you wanted.

18179
Toy Reviews / Re: New JD Review: Han Solo
« on: January 31, 2006, 06:41 PM »
When I said that I meant to compare the Han with the Han, not Han with the block...

I put the figure toe to toe with the figure in the block (on the outside of the block) comparing to get the height variance there.

18180
Now they are but the line's been done for a while.  How hard or easy to find they were depended on how often you went out, what stores you hit, when you hit them, and also just how lucky (or unlucky) your region turned out to be.

For instance I know Rob's seen shitloads of them at his local shopping treks, but for me I didn't see so many.  I really lucked out when I found a passel of them for $7 each at an area Wal-Mart once, but it was only like 7 or so, not a lot... 

I saw them a few times at Toys R Us but in no huge quantity.  At most I think I saw 4 at one TRU once.

Target I don't recall seeing any...  I got most of mine at TRU, then a handful at WM, and the rest I've traded for online.  I got one at KB too in an act of desperation for more.

For my area they were NOT common.  Nor was the Evolutions line.  These items were not shipped heavily up here at all.  Even the local scalpers don't have these things in abundance it seems.

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