JediDefender.com Forums
Collectibles => Kenner Retro Collection => Topic started by: Rob on May 26, 2019, 11:04 AM
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I don’t know if it’s real, and I can’t figure out how to post it here from my phone, but in the RS thread for this line someone has a screen grab from Home Bargains showing a retro collection Bantha and Sand Person. I can’t find it on the site but it LOOKS legit.
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The image in question...
(https://up.picr.de/35841735vk.jpg)
I can't verify it, but this picture is calling to my mind a custom Bantha I've seen before that was solid fur sculpted on top of the POTF2 Bantha. The telltale was the reuse of the saddle. But for all I know, that's how modern Hasbro would do it, too.
I dunno, but it would be neat if true!
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If that is real, I will FLIP.
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I don’t know if it’s real, and I can’t figure out how to post it here from my phone, but in the RS thread for this line someone has a screen grab from Home Bargains showing a retro collection Bantha and Sand Person. I can’t find it on the site but it LOOKS legit.
That does look legit. Would be cool to get a Tusken, let alone the Bantha. US price translates to about $40.
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I knew it looked familiar...
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9a/fb/80/9afb80b5fc5927cd9034f90eb45e7101.jpg)
The custom was even on display in a Vintage Star Wars toy museum show last year, displayed as if it was a Kenner prototype, but as you can tell by the familiar "Kenner Sandtrooper" custom, it is a modern recreation:
(https://greencardback.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/img_1663.jpg?w=620)
(https://greencardback.files.wordpress.com/2018/10/img_1664.jpg?w=620)
Its creation as a custom was confirmed during the show.
Lots of great pics and a write up at this site: https://greencardback.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/star-wars-irl-2-may-the-toys-be-with-you/ (https://greencardback.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/star-wars-irl-2-may-the-toys-be-with-you/)
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So probably fake? I’d f’ing love one of those.
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Dammit, I would buy that in a heartbeat. :-\
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Yeah, that listing had to have been faked, the picture is the custom-made one. Hasbro may be doing one, who knows, but this isn't evidence of it.
Put your money back in your pockets, everyone. :P
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Nice detective work. I wasn't in love with that Bantha design anyway, but love for Hasbro to take a swing at something like this.
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Man, I'd be all over that too. How do we think that the retro figure line is selling so far? I know personally, I don't think that these have even made it to the floor at our Targets. I got a set there that was brought from the back, and I think a couple more went that way as well. I don't know that they are still listed on the Target app, while the exclusive Han and Luke figures have been pretty well in stock. Seems like they are well received.
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I think its selling well enough for them to do additional waves. I have yet to see them on the pegs anywhere, which is generally a good sign I would think.
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Yeah, I think they are a hot seller right now. Part of it is just straight up collectors chasing the nostalgia and doing what we have all been programmed to do. I think the other big part of the heat right now is the entire wave in one case with no duplicates, no chase figures. It's not an assortment of $10 figures so much as it's a $60 multipack. And then folks want multiples of the multipack, and store supplies dry up insanely fast.
Once Hasbro realized this (data from the Target website presell, I am guessing) they went back to the factory to do another run, and announced just prior to the line's "street date" that more are coming in the fall, which is probably as fast as they could get a factory turnaround. This tells me they knew the supply of the intial run was not going to hold out.
I have hopes for a wave 2, but I can't imagine it just being the "other 6" of the first 12 since all the heavy-hitters were already cherry picked. And the droids are a problem in and of themselves because Hasbro doesn't vac-metallize anymore. The selections could get interesting, I have no idea how to even formulate a guess as to where they will go.
I do expect retreads to knock out variations like small head Han, tan-hair Farmboy Luke, maybe even green-limb Chewie. My hope is we could get some retooled figures like removable helmet Vader, a Luke without the lightsaber built in, Sandtrooper, etc. And that is only working within the 6 figures already made.
I am also wary of Hasbro using the brand-new Retro figures as an upsell for larger items like they pulled off with Tarkin. It would be conceivable to get, say a Stormtrooper Han and/or Imperial Scanning Tech with a Death Star (extra points if it is a Palitoy Death Star, but I'd take a Kenner version too.) Cantina Band Member with the Creature Cantina, Sandtrooper with Dewback, Wedge or Biggs with X-Wing...they could really make a lot of interesting combos that the collectors would gobble up.
And really, it is only a matter of time before we get Retro prequel and sequel figures. I just hope they don't come to dominate the release schedule.
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The only way this line has any real draw for me is if they sprinkle in never-before-made stuff with the re-dos. I want that Bantha!
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The only way this line has any real draw for me is if they sprinkle in never-before-made stuff with the re-dos. I want that Bantha!
If that's all you want, it's up for presale already! (https://www.thefansstrikeback.com/375-vehicles/vintage-custom-4-lom-boxed-complete-12-inch-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-doll-large-size-action-figure-knnrh-nlst8-7w7sl-x6n23-2ph8z-gj7mt-dc9fs-dxr7r-m2t73)
(Sand Person not included!)
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The only way this line has any real draw for me is if they sprinkle in never-before-made stuff with the re-dos. I want that Bantha!
If that's all you want, it's up for presale already! (https://www.thefansstrikeback.com/375-vehicles/vintage-custom-4-lom-boxed-complete-12-inch-star-wars-the-empire-strikes-back-doll-large-size-action-figure-knnrh-nlst8-7w7sl-x6n23-2ph8z-gj7mt-dc9fs-dxr7r-m2t73)
(Sand Person not included!)
Whoa... that's incredibly tempting. I'd rather have it at the kind of $30-$40 price Hasbro would charge, but... my birthday is coming up...
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I got a raise this week, and my gift to myself is the Bantha. They claim it'll ship around the new year. I hope it turns out as good as the sample they were showing.
(https://i.imgur.com/D7pngLz.jpg)
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Good for you, man! I'm glad someone around these parts will have one to show off!
From everything I've seen and read, he does great work. His runs on vintage remakes and his recent vintage-styled Han Solo Stormtrooper have been very well received.
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Yeah I’m really excited about it. Of course now that I’ve ordered one, Hasbro will make a $39.99 version. :)
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So I gotta ask, did you buy it loose or spring for the boxed version. They just released the box art and it looks really good...
(https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/68756817_909939349383512_7463176554986602496_n.jpg?_nc_cat=101&_nc_oc=AQnkGWV-ALIKBlHTiQ8bwsoD-jssxF8l_TnP9B2Xx9sb5zfkf5cVjAjVqJiK-dK-gTYgpocTIdJHmItBVb2gSS2u&_nc_ht=scontent-ort2-1.xx&oh=10e64c4eead81f563b5b2711031fb9cc&oe=5DD09FEE)
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I was going to open it no matter what, so I bought the loose version at the pre-order price, it was like $208 after tax and shipping.
(https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/d3dabad5f7091bdd98b37479e77f18b50d4c6cb9/c=1-0-560-420/local/-/media/2017/06/07/Phoenix/Phoenix/636324562238014099-treatyoself-main01.jpg?width=540&height=405&fit=crop)
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So regarding that Bantha... I emailed them about when it would ship since he'd originally told me around Christmas, and then the website said sometime in Q1...
Now it says it's not shipping until Preorders hit a certain threshold, and that they're at 57% now. I pre-ordered in August, which tells me they've got a ways to go. I'm a little disappointed, because when I emailed them before I bought I asked specifically if there was a number of pre-orders they had to hit to get it made and this was the reply: "...in essence, no. Worst case scenario would be pre-orders dont cover production costs, and only backers would get their orders. (None available after to stock) And that funding gap scenario would seriously effect future projects."
So I was kind of expecting this to get made and be about done by now, but instead it looks like we're months away form it going into production at all. :(
Have any of you guys ordered stuff from The Fans Strikes back before?
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Sucks that you don't have this yet Rob, but patience is a big part of this hobby.
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Yeah I totally get that - I'm just not super happy about being told that it was happening regardless of pre-orders and now being told that it'll happen when pre-orders hit a $25k threshold. I did ask directly about that. I'll stick it out, but at some point that is rapidly approaching, Paypal no longer guarantees the $230 deposit.
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That sucks and I’d be wary if I paid in advance and was lied to about the benchmarks. It’s why I’m wary of backing a lot of stuff on crowd funding services. What happens when they don’t fund?
I see guys think they can get anything funded and made that way, and stuff fizzles.
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I feel guilty that I pointed the whole thing out in the first place.
I am in business with Chris from Fans Strike Back right now, when they were just starting up in late 2018 they requested an exclusive Cardboard Galaxy piece they could sell in their store and around Thanksgiving we were able to hit on something I could supply for their customers to buy, so my perspective is probably skewed...
I would say they seem to usually do runs of their custom figures before putting them up for sale, so the pre-sell method is probably something they are still on a learning curve for. It stinks that you are coming up on the limit for PayPal protection though. That makes the purchase tougher to justify.
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That's something I don't like about PayPal. I don't think my Credit Card has a time limit.
I know a lot of people who are fed up with Anovos that have been able to get refunds through their Credit card companies.
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I feel guilty that I pointed the whole thing out in the first place.
I am in business with Chris from Fans Strike Back right now, when they were just starting up in late 2018 they requested an exclusive Cardboard Galaxy piece they could sell in their store and around Thanksgiving we were able to hit on something I could supply for their customers to buy, so my perspective is probably skewed...
I would say they seem to usually do runs of their custom figures before putting them up for sale, so the pre-sell method is probably something they are still on a learning curve for. It stinks that you are coming up on the limit for PayPal protection though. That makes the purchase tougher to justify.
I mean, $200 isn't anything I want to lose, but it's also not going to bankrupt me. If the guy's generally considered trustworthy, I'm okay letting it ride. I could also possibly ask him to refund me and then repurchase it... I'm just past 5 months now, I think Paypal's protection caps at 6.
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Now might be the time to take some action. I've seen circumstances (albeit in the musical instrument business) with prolonged pre-orders where entities like PayPal couldn't intervene. But in those cases there were orders that had been in the works for YEARS without any progress or indication of pending delivery.
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I understand PayPal's POV on the matter, but yeah it definitely is something that sucks. I've supported lines on crowdfunding things that I know I can trust (Marauder Inc., our own Paul's CFT Dime Novel Legends, etc.), but I've seen other dudes try crowdfunding stuff (cool stuff) in less upfront ways and with little track record. Some of them are really averse to being transparent too. I don't know who's making the Bantha though, so can't say them. I've seen other guys who seem to come through try crowdfunding and it fizzle, and I don't know what happened to the $ they did get... And some of them got thousands but just didn't make their goal. Stuff like that would weird me out. I'm super cheap too though, so I'd be pissed about $20 or $200 haha.
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I went back and checked and I actually did pre-order the Bantha with a Credit Card. So I'll just be patient and hope it gets made, and if it doesn't, I'll get a nice $208 refund at some point.
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I know of a project over in the video games part of the internet. It is an add on device for the Atari 7800 that expands the memory and adds high score saving. It costed $150. That device had a preorder over fifteen years ago and still hasn't shipped. People never got their money back and are still waiting on it. The guy making it has been sending updates a few times a year since and rarely answers email. He is known to be pretty grouchy. People try not to bad mouth him in fear of never getting the device. No one is getting their money back because development costs ate it a long time ago. Just beware that internet projects rarely get completed and the chances of you getting your money back is rare.
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I'm comfortable with it, it's $200 and if this doesn't pan out and he refuses a return, the bank will take care of it.
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I got a raise this week, and my gift to myself is the Bantha. They claim it'll ship around the new year. I hope it turns out as good as the sample they were showing.
(https://i.imgur.com/D7pngLz.jpg)
A year and two weeks later, the website says this thing is 100% funded... looking forward to getting it in another year.
https://www.thefansstrikeback.com/thebantha
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Very cool Rob! Patience will pay off for you!
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Very cool Rob! Patience will pay off for you!
At the rate this is going, Hasbro will beat them to the punch. :)
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If anyone was interested in this Bantha, the cut off for ordering one is October 31.
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Rob, did you ever get your Bantha??
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I actually was wondering about this a few days ago and went back to the website only to learn that because the final samples differed from the original images, they're asking everyone to write them to verify that they still want the Bantha, and are offering store credit if you don't want it.
I'm not on facebook, so I have no idea how I was supposed to know this other than to go look and find it myself, but I emailed them and they wrote back yesterday and said that mine would be in the next batch to go out.
So no, but hopefully very soon.
https://www.thefansstrikeback.com/status
-the Bantha: The factory is producing Banthas as fast as they can, and we are still processing requests. *PLEASE NOTE*——we will process Banthas as we hear confirmation from each individual. We don’t want to send anyone anything, only to have them say they wanted the other option. For more, visit: backthebantha.com
Personally, I prefer the original images to the final product, but don't hate it enough that I don't want it at this point. I've been waiting 3 years to get it... I just want it done.
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Rob, I don’t want to alarm you but you might want to check out this review from an initial release about a month ago... (there might be an ad at first.) https://youtu.be/_zGQ0s69UKc?t=571
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Rob, I don’t want to alarm you but you might want to check out this review from an initial release about a month ago... (there might be an ad at first.) https://youtu.be/_zGQ0s69UKc?t=571
Yikes. That looks like something that was made by someone who almost knows how to make things.
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I actually was wondering about this a few days ago and went back to the website only to learn that because the final samples differed from the original images, they're asking everyone to write them to verify that they still want the Bantha, and are offering store credit if you don't want it.
I'm not on facebook, so I have no idea how I was supposed to know this other than to go look and find it myself, but I emailed them and they wrote back yesterday and said that mine would be in the next batch to go out.
So no, but hopefully very soon.
https://www.thefansstrikeback.com/status
-the Bantha: The factory is producing Banthas as fast as they can, and we are still processing requests. *PLEASE NOTE*——we will process Banthas as we hear confirmation from each individual. We don’t want to send anyone anything, only to have them say they wanted the other option. For more, visit: backthebantha.com
Personally, I prefer the original images to the final product, but don't hate it enough that I don't want it at this point. I've been waiting 3 years to get it... I just want it done.
The Fans Strike back are getting a lot of flack for this Bantha. It's a resin pour and it looks terrible. Rob, if you can get a refund, jump on it and check out Stan Solo's Bantha. It's a much better and looks just like what Kenner would have produced!
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Good grief.
They’re not doing refunds, just store credit and it would take me two more years to buy something else. I’m just going to glue the legs on and move on with life I guess.
For whatever it’s worth, TFSB is saying that that review isn’t reflective of the product… but I don’t know how that’s possible.
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I would still get in touch with Stan Solo....Chris was offering his Bantha at a discount for people who got burned by TFSB.
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Good grief.
They’re not doing refunds, just store credit and it would take me two more years to buy something else. I’m just going to glue the legs on and move on with life I guess.
For whatever it’s worth, TFSB is saying that that review isn’t reflective of the product… but I don’t know how that’s possible.
It has been a horrible fascination of mine to see TFSB stumble so hard on their two big projects. I feel bad but can not look away, and I feel WORSE for their customers, because the company just absolutely refuses to own up to their difficulties and obscures and gaslights at every opportunity.
The only silver lining I see here is if you get the thing and you sit on it for a few years, the notoriety and mass cancellation by other burned collectors may actually make it a rare and valuable piece. (But still never worth all the money paid up front and years of drama in the making.)
As for the validity of the review...perhaps it caused them to tighten up the leg cords in future copies? But the owner of TFSB was on a call-in show with customers, arguing with a customer that the Bantha they had in their hands did not have the defects they described to him. Of the product they had. In their hands. That he could not see. It was not a good look for him.
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Yeah, I’m going to just let it ride and see what happens. If I can get it to stand on its own, realistically that’s all I need. It’s not like I’m going to play with it or anything. Also, I paid for it three years ago, so it’s not like I’m missing the money. And like you’re saying, even if I don’t break even on it, I’m sure I could recoup SOME of the price later if I really hated it.
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Wow, that was a fascinating video…had no idea the whole backstory on this thing, or that there was another one available now too. What a complete mess.
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My favorite part is the upholstery nail taking the place of the harness buckle; creative if you're a 7-y.o., mind-numbing for $180 profesionally produced toy.
The more I think about it, the more I believe there will be a niche market and it will become a sought after item in the future.
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What it should've been! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL0G7C7sFig)
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It has been a horrible fascination of mine to see TFSB stumble so hard on their two big projects.
What was the other one that didn’t go well?
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What was the other one that didn’t go well?
In Summer of 2019 they offered a wave of 12 vintage styled figures that Kenner didn’t get to from A New Hope, things like Owen and Beru. Fleet Trooper, Sandtrooper, etc. At the time they said it would ship in December 2019. Price was like $300/$400 depending on loose or carded, iirc.
There was also a mystery 13th figure that turned out to be Grand Admiral Thrawn, which did ship, and is the only thing that has been released so far.
Meanwhile, TFSB changed all the language on their website to say that this purchase was actually a crowd funding investment and that there is no guarantee the figures will ever get made. Oh, and also no refunds even if they don't get made.
So it is 3 years in on that with no end in sight. They keep making and selling other figures, or sets with things like Fleet Troopers and Sandtroopers that were ordered separately from the bulk wave. They are just now saying that if they get enough interest from their "investors" that maybe later this year when 6 of the molds have been completed they could possibly send out half the set.
Like I said, a horrible fascination.
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I waited until I was back at my desk to type this all out... but that's crazy. And it's got me doing a bit of a double take because when I first backed the Bantha in 2019, I emailed them to ask if it was getting made regardless or if this was a kickstarter style thing, and they told me that it was happening no matter what, and would probably be in production by about October or November of 2019. So I paid the $200 or whatever it was, and in the fall I emailed and got a reply from someone else telling me that it was an expensive piece and wouldn't get produced until it was fully backed. Which was like TWO YEARS later.
So I'm not surprised at all to hear that that 12 pack of figures involved changed language. I get it, they don't have up front money... but it's insane how loose their entire process is. I'm looking forward to being done with this Bantha business, but I'm glad I didn't buy anything else.
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Wow that is ass.
Retro Blasting is too a lot of the time but he’s not wrong at all. He’s even being kind since you can tell that’s all resin. It’s not even good resin casting as it’s done with single part molding (thus the big flat shiny parts) to save money.
That’s a shame. I’m not gonna say that it’s not that much resin in terms of cost, as it’s big, but it’s not super high quality. 😕
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That Stan Solo Bantha looks pretty amazing. But I'm sorry to hear that the guys you backed are totally dropping the ball, Rob. It sucks.
This is unfortunately one of the pitfalls of this kind of boutique / third party producer that isn't an official licensee. Hell, even when a company actually manages to become a licensee, like GTP did, there's no guarantee that things are going to work out. Even people who know what they're doing, like the guys behind Blue Milk and the TVC book, can run into issues that delay the delivery on their projects.
And it's because small operations tend to be lacking in the investment capital that can help them weather the unforeseen problems that arise when you're developing new products or dealing with supply chain issues like we're seeing globally right now. I want to be able to support this kind of small operation that offers a niche product - like Muftak's Cardboard Galaxy, or guys that are making stands or aftermarket softgoods. They're all delivering something worthwhile to the collecting community. Maybe it's the current climate, where this sort of project is more challenging to see through.
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And it's because small operations tend to be lacking in the investment capital that can help them weather the unforeseen problems that arise when you're developing new products or dealing with supply chain issues like we're seeing globally right now. I want to be able to support this kind of small operation that offers a niche product - like Muftak's Cardboard Galaxy, or guys that are making stands or aftermarket softgoods. They're all delivering something worthwhile to the collecting community. Maybe it's the current climate, where this sort of project is more challenging to see through.
It has really changed since the pandemic on so many fronts. I had my long term print shop close because of the loss of business, and the two I am bouncing between now are facing shortages in paper stock to the point that sometimes I have to wait a significant while for what are not large orders. I have had to scramble a few times, and push preorder windows out significantly a couple of times. And this I'd just getting cardstock prints, nothing complex like factory molding. I mean a real factory, not the TFSB kind.
But then, you have to tell the customers that is happening and offer them refunds if they can't wait. Revolutionary, I know.
Stan Solo has an amazingly cool Retro Ball Speeder coming out next, I might cross that line into 3rd party vehicles finally.
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The difference between you and TFSB Muftak is that you will regularly communicate with your customers about issues that cause delays. TFSB and Anovos before them did not do that and that's why they receive the backlash. Unlike Anovos that did put out a good product, TFSB is producing crap that is not at all what they advertised.
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I finally looked up Stan Solo’s Etsy page…. His Bantha does look really nice, and for less than the other. I’m thinking about just ordering one then selling the TFSB one for whatever I can to cut into the price of Stan’s version.
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Also, I’m a sucker. I just ordered the Stan Solo speeder. I don’t know if he just orders more or
if this is it, but Etsy said only 3 left (2 now) and I love it.
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That Ball Speeder really is like a Mini Rig I never knew I wanted as a kid. I haven't pulled the trigger yet, and if it sells out so be it, but it has been hovering at the end of the on hand for a while now so I think he is just doing preorders for now and keeps adding more to the stock as they sell through.
And honestly, all of this stuff would be perfectly sellable by Hasbro too. Is it that Lucasfilm has them on a very tight leash as far as what they can sell in the Retro format? I have been saying since the beginning that the Retro format needs more not-done-by-Kenner things. But when that makes its way to reality, it becomes Disney+ stuff, which is not what I meant.
And I look at what Super7 did with the 5POA GI Joe stuff, multiple ethnicities of troop builders for both sides, comic-only characters, a vehicle pack that is a dog sled from one scene of the first cartoon miniseries (!) ... Hasbro at least adjacently has to see the stuff that collectors will go for just by being involved in all that.
I try to purposefully not list want lists anymore, so can I just say a Retro style Valance or Dani or Vlix or Kneesa or Antilles or Figrin D'an would go a long way towards showing me they have some kind of plan for this.
But instead I expect Owen and Beru...from the new "entertainment" obviously. And I will have mixed feelings.
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I'm fairly certain that there's another third party guy who is also offering the ball speeder. Stan Solo's version looked a little pricey to me.
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Not to derail the thread, but I have a lot of Stan Solo’s products and you won’t be disappointed in any of it if you choose to buy it. I recently received Oola and Garindan and he’s cracked the Kenner code. These things are amazing. There’s a seller on eBay named onebad07 that sells them stateside and will save some money and time on shipping.
I ordered his Bantha in January and I’m still waiting for it, but they’re being shipped in batches and it takes a while for your number to come up.
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I'm fairly certain that there's another third party guy who is also offering the ball speeder. Stan Solo's version looked a little pricey to me.
Hole in the Ground Productions does a Ball Speeder too, but I'd equate theirs to a TVC version. Modernized and detail-heavy. Also, their stuff is sold as kits that you need to assemble and paint yourself. Stan Solo's is ready to go out of the box...and it even comes in a vintage style box!
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There are some nice 3D resin prints of the ball speeder out there too. 3rd party stuff is nicely taking off since printing is becoming lesss difficult/expensive.
My buddy got a printer and is already printing a really nice Jabba palace that’s huge.
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You should check out the Mighty Jabba's Collection YouTube channel. That dude has 3-D printed some vintage style Jabba the Hutts and made one that looks like the puppet used in filming Return of the Jedi! He even made action figures of the operators to go inside!
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I like Mighty Jabba's Collection YT vids.
He gets a lot of the files from Desert Octopus on Cults. Mainly retro style but some can pass for modern. And the files are inexpensive. Anyone into printing should check it out. https://cults3d.com/en/users/DESERT-OCTOPUS/creations.
Hasbro will never make the Hutt twins. I might finally set up the printer I have sitting unopened for 1-1/2 years and have a go at it.
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I like Mighty Jabba's Collection YT vids.
He gets a lot of the files from Desert Octopus on Cults. Mainly retro style but some can pass for modern. And the files are inexpensive. Anyone into printing should check it out. https://cults3d.com/en/users/DESERT-OCTOPUS/creations.
Hasbro will never make the Hutt twins. I might finally set up the printer I have sitting unopened for 1-1/2 years and have a go at it.
Woah, there's so cool stuff on there for sure.
I about had a seizure from all of the the overly fast, unsynced rotating GIFs though... they should look into a better way to display their models on their site.
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So am I just having bad luck with these? I ordered that Ubrikkian 9000 from Stan Solo on May 11. It said ships in 6 to 8 weeks.
It’s been 11 weeks and I haven’t heard anything. The Etsy page says they’re “taking a short break”… the product page for that item is gone… they didn’t respond to an email asking for an update.
I know this 11 weeks is a far cry from the THREE YEARS I’ve been waiting for the bantha… but this third party business hasn’t exactly been a great experience.
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He hasn't started shipping them to anybody yet. They are in production now, and I've seen the boxes completed now as well. They are on track as far as Chris's expectations and are projected to be about 6 weeks from shipping.
I think the Etsy shipping dates were just as far out as he was allowed to go on Etsy, even if they weren't realistic dates for his timeline.
He set up his own web page to sell on since listing the Speeder, after what he described as many headaches about the structure he was trying to work in on Etsy.
He has a really short temper and is really peeved when people ask about shipping, etc. He loses all control if you offer constructive criticism. If you mention Fans Strike Back you are forbidden to buy anything from Stan Solo anymore. It's basically the Soup Nazi episode from Seinfeld.
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Uh oh. I did email him asking for an update not knowing this. I also did mention TFSB, but only in the context that I was asking him when he might be taking more Bantha preorders because I still haven’t gotten mine from them.
Do you know what the other website is? Whenever I google him I just get results for Etsy.
Edit: Never mind, I found it this time.
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Uh oh. I did email him asking for an update not knowing this. I also did mention TFSB, but only in the context that I was asking him when he might be taking more Bantha preorders because I still haven’t gotten mine from them.
Lol. No wonder you didn't get a response!
It's a long convoluted story, but he initiated the TFSB Bantha before selling Smith Lord Creations to them and subsequently coming back to start Stan Solo. TFSB saw this as unfair competition and tried to get him shut down at the China factories for being unlicensed product. That ultimately screwed them all over because the legal attention caused the factories they were both working with to either quit or charge more for the hassle.
Now any adversity at Stan Solo is blamed squarely on TFSB. On his Facebook he literally names and shames anyone in the group who leaves feedback at TFSB, then bans them as a customer.
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Good grief. This is all good to know.
Hopefully because I only mentioned them in the context of wanting to buy his Bantha and being annoyed at not having the TFSB one after three years, he won’t blacklist me.
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No Bantha for you!!!
(https://i.gifer.com/naH.gif)
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Seems like a big opportunity for someone who is not a shady a-hole to set up shop and succeed working in that space. It’s really not that hard to run an honest business with transparency.
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I just got a shipment from TFSB. Not the Bantha, but the Fett three pack and shadow trooper and Black R2. One bonus I didn't know about, is the black R2 must be modeled off the R2 with saber because it comes with a pop up red saber. Still waiting on Bantha, slave Leia, and set of 13 figures with Thrawn.
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Amazing that they actually mailed you something!
I emailed them the other day about the Bantha since it’s been three years and they’ve allegedly been shipping them since November… they said I was 26th or 27th in line in this next batch of 50. I don’t understand how it could be this slow. Are they really getting 50 at a time from a factory!? If they have this batch of 50, are they mailing two a week??!
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Their factory talk is a smokescreen. They have someone in the Chicago area handmaking them, it was said they can produce 10-20 a week. They then get shipped to Georgia, where the sculptor/project manager ships them out to customers. At least that was the official line in May.
I would say the output from their "factory" must have decreased greatly in the last 3 months for them to still not have gotten around to yours. But also you can't trust anything they say, so the surprisingly low 10-20 units they claimed was probably just as much an exaggeration as is the status of their toy factory.
It's just sad at this point.
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Good grief. I live in Chicago... can I just go pick it up?
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Good grief. I live in Chicago... can I just go pick it up?
I'm sure they wouldn't allow that, it would spoil the mystery. This is definitely a sausage where you don't want to see how/where it was made.
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Where is the Chicago to Georgia info coming from? For what it is worth, my items shipped from PA. I believe the main guy from the site is from PA. From what I have been able to gather, it seems this is a business run out of the home and probably just him and maybe one or two other people who are shipping items out via USPS twice a week.
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Where is the Chicago to Georgia info coming from? For what it is worth, my items shipped from PA. I believe the main guy from the site is from PA. From what I have been able to gather, it seems this is a business run out of the home and probably just him and maybe one or two other people who are shipping items out via USPS twice a week.
They had a call-in show featuring the guy who runs TFSB and the guy who sculpted the Bantha on Retroblasting's channel right after said channel lambasted the product in a review. In it they talked about their "factory" and when pressed said that it was located in the Chicago area.
Chris, the main guy, lives in Pennsylvania, and he handles all the non-Bantha orders. Then there's Kevin, the guy who sculpted the Bantha and took over that project when things stalled out with the Chinese factories and Chris had decided that he was just going to scrap it. At that point it became kind of its own entity under TFSB and they ship out from him in Georgia.
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Hoping that all this Stan Solo Creations stuff goes more smoothly, I bit and ordered Garindan, Slave Leia, and Oola. It’s pricey, but I like the idea and they look as good as what Hasbro is making, and Hasbro doesn’t seem interested in making new OT characters.
Also, I couldn’t help but notice that www.stansolocreationsusa.com is alive and well, but www.stansolocreations.com was taken down for copyright infringement… like it has an FBI splash page now with warrant info any everything, so it sounds serious.
Anyone know the story there and if it’s only a matter of time before he gets shut down again?
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Looks like it is possible the site without the usa in the url expired and someone took it and is redirecting it to a shady site, at least that is what I'm getting through my work firewall. It won't let me get to the site due to high risk potential. From what I have gathered, selling items in low quantities gets around copyright stuff, but that could just be hopeful thinking on the side of the sellers.
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Seems like he’s in the UK and has someone mailing US orders…
All this said, I just got the Garindan that I ordered and I actually really like it. I’m in any time he wants to sell a custom figure of a never-before-made character. I’m probably going to order the Black Death Star droid and the ghost Obi-Wan and Yoda next.
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Stan Solo is run by Chris Smith (it's named after his son Stanley Smith,) who is in the UK. He creates all the figures and gets them produced in the Chinese factories. In the US his main distributor is John Kelly who runs the US Etsy shop and the StanSoloCreationsUSA site.
I haven't bought from the site or the etsy, but on eBay. Over there, John Kelly is in charge of the OneBad07 account. There is also another guy under FoxFireSales who imports figures direct from Stan Solo into the US to resell. I have bought from him the most.
As far as "new" figures, I have the Black Chrome DSD and the Stormtrooper Han Solo. Both are really good. I also have the repro Blue Snaggletooth (first figure I got from SS) Luke Skywalker Stormtrooper, and the vinyl-caped Jawa, since I don't ever expect to own originals of those in my lifetime.
Of note, Chris just this week announced that he is partnering with FoxFireSales to do a run of Repro Marion figures from Raiders of the Lost Ark which will be available any day now, and probably Indiana Jones in the near future. FoxFireSales is going to sell them loose in the US, while Stan Solo will sell them carded out of the UK.
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Ah, thanks for the backstory. I feel like I'm doing a lot of catching up here, but that all makes sense. I did see the FirefoxSales stuff on eBay and almost bought Leia and Oola there, but it was ultimately $20 less to buy right from the USA website. I did find his Instagram now, so I saw the Marion... I don't know if I'm interested in any reproduction stuff, even if I never get around to buying originals like I'd like. I'm lucky enough that I bought all my Last 17 and Blue Snaggletooth back when a pristine Yak Face and Blue Snag were like $150. The only reproduction thing I have where an actual original exists, is a $6 vinyl cape for the Jawa. I coudn't justify $800 or $1000 (last time I looked, no idea what they go for now) for just that when I could display the same thing for next to nothing.
New figures though in the old style though, I'm super into that at this quality level.
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I will never foget my disappointment as a 5 year old kid finally finding a Jawa figure at the local Toys R Us and completing my Star Wars collection (of 12 figures!) only to find it was wearing that cloth robe. I hated that they had changed it, and I never saw a vinyl robed one as a kid. Last year when I got the repro it was like a tiny scar on my psyche had finally been repaired.
In my 20s and 30s I wasn't worried about collecting the actual Kenner figures, I had pretty much had them all as a kid (even Blue Snags, who I believe is still in my parents backyard, buried where my sandbox used to be!) and wasn't looking to recollect them. Then I thought, well I'll get good copies of the Original 12, and okay the first 21...plus the bounty hunters, of course...and now I use them in advertising and sales (and accordingly write off the purchases as business expenses!) so I find myself justifying any figure that works for a Death Star scene, or Cloud City characters, or the Hoth figures...so yeah, I am falling back into collecting the Kenner stuff as I near 50, and trying to do so on a budget with no real concern about whether they are repro or not -- I seem to find lots of originals in good condition (weapons be damned!) for far less than the Stan Solos cost, but the likes of an Imperial Gunner might need to be from him.
As far as all the straight-up Repros, a couple of the first figures he did were the Blue Snag and Yak Face, and the violently anti-repro people were so up in arms about it and being really brutal and nasty to him. So his response was basically "Screw you, I'm going to make a point of it to repro the entire Last 17 just because you are being such idiots." But he has always said his real passion in it was getting to the never-before-made-figures which he seems to be getting back to now.
Even there, look no further than the fact that once he did General Lando from the Last 17, he also made a version of him in movie-accurate colors. And he repurposed Amanaman with Darth Maul-like red and black Sith tattoos to an original character he calls Amaulaman. And as you said, he made Force Ghost Ben and Yoda in the matching style of the Kenner Anakin once that figure came up. So even as he took his revenge detour, he was still using it to make new stuff and not just repros.
He has done lots of astromechs and protocol droids, though the protocol droids have mostly dried up now. And he has a really nice looking Droids cartoon version of R5-D4, if you are into the Droids line.
And at the end of the day Hasbro could be cranking any of this stuff out for $10-$15 a pop and totally eat his lunch but they don't and most of us are resigned to the fact that they never will.
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I just went ahead and ordered a Stan Solo Bantha on his UK website. They're marked as sold out on the US site, but the shipping from the UK was like $14, so what the hell.
The three year anniversary of my TFSB order was two weeks ago and I'm not holding my breath. I'll just sell whichever one looks less interesting to me.
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The Fans Strike Back posted new information on your long-delayed Bantha, Rob. This is getting even more convoluted:
-NEW! Bantha 2.0: The factory commissioned to produce the first run of Banthas were not able to produce them in a satisfactory timeframe, and in the manner agreed upon by both companies.
**sidenote: one of the advantages of casting the Bantha the way we did (resin plastic vs. PLA plastic), in addition to giving the Bantha the long-term strength that Kevin wanted…was that we controlled the moulds. Had we gone the other route, the moulds would be non-transferrable, retained by the factory, and their property. This is industry standard for China, USA, everywhere…**
So, we have taken the moulds to a new company that will be filling the remaining orders. Also, we have maximized the transition time by working with Kevin on an updated Bantha that will be our ultimate and final version, that we are calling Bantha 2.0! Features include:
-dual-spring trapdoor
-redesigned saddle latch
-redesigned leg hinge system
-enhanced sculpt details
-more Bantha-accurate black color eye (pupil) detail
-pads on bottom of feet now textured instead of smooth
-misc inner and outer Bantha body/shell improvements
(see pics for some of the updates) Please keep in mind these are pre-production photos, and we will post additional images from the factory as production goes. The trapdoor will have 2 springs (instead of the original 1 on the Dewback) for added long term quality. The saddle latch will also now mimic the Dewback with an easy to use loop, and the metal pin is no longer needed. The legs will now be on a tighter “hinge” system, that was designed into the mould to eliminate even intentional wobbliness and instability. You will no longer be able to recreate these issues even if you tried to. For added Bantha realism, the eye pupil will now be colored black. All of these and more have been painstakingly added to ensure the Bantha is the best it’s ever been.
So how do you get the new one? Everyone who has yet to receive their Bantha will automatically be getting the new version, (loose or boxed) at no additional cost. Even if you purchased at the reduced price, or took the customer loyalty reward, you will still get the new Bantha. Also because the Bantha replacement program was so infrequently used (98% have opted against it—showing the true value of the Bantha), we are phasing out that option. Additionally, when extra Banthas become available for general sale, we will be going back to the original prices.
Also please note——-we have perfect record of where the shipping que stands, and NO ONE will lose their place in line.
In closing, Kevin (Bantha creator) is THRILLED to be able to offer this new Bantha to everyone, and we share his sentiments. We cant wait to get them out to everyone.
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Good ******* grief. It’s been three years at this point, what’s another six months if it’s an improved version…
That said, I have a preorder for the Stan Solo one now too, so I’ll either have both versions or will just sell whichever one I don’t like as much.
If the new version really is nicer, that kind of sucks for the people who already got one.
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Got my vintage style Slave Leia from Stan Solo and it looks amazing. Pricey for sure, but these guys got it to my house in like 48 hours. I'd order from them again - maybe when I get my annual bonus from work...
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My annual bonus is small, but I did get a promotion and a large raise in June, so I spent a small fortune on Stan Solo stuff this past few months getting caught up before more stuff is gone. Garindan, Slave Leia, Oola, Ghost Obi-Wan and Yoda, the Black Death Star Droid, Droids Threepio, the Bantha, and maybe 8 or so astromechs…if it was in the movies and I didn’t already have a real one, I bought it. The only thing I can’t buy that I want is R2-Q5, which seems to have come and gone. The eBay site also has a sold out K-3PO listed, but it’s also sold out. I’d love to get those two.
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Do you know if Chris gets mad if you re-sell his products on eBay? They sent me a free Vinyl Cape Jawa with each of two orders I placed and I don't need them, I was thinking about listing them but don't want to incur any wrath...
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I haven't heard as much, though he did shut down conversations that showed when people were reselling the Banthas on eBay.
What are you looking to get for them? Shoot me a PM and maybe we can make a deal without resorting to an eBay listing?
Also he has a production Ball Speeder in hand now, so those should be coming along soon.
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Right on, I’m not going to tempt fate and get myself in trouble… the whole thing has a very soup nazi feel to it. I shot you a PM. :)
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Unexpectedly got a shipping notice for the Stan Solo Ubrikkian 9000 just now. Looking forward to getting it.
Do any of you know what’s going on with the Bantha’s? They’re on eBay for like
$500… so some have shown up.
I ordered one a few months ago through the UK site since preorders were closed for the US site…
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I have been seeing lots of those Ball Speeders showing up. I ultimately passed on it for now...
The Bantha's original run shipped out just about a year ago. I imagine anything you are seeing on eBay is people selling from that batch. I haven't heard anything about his next run of those, except that he is doing one. It may be a while before that order gets filled.
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Ah okay… didn’t realize it was two runs of Banthas.
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Ball Speeder's here:
(https://i.imgur.com/aMA9r4b.jpg)
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How is it? Does it look and feel like a Kenner toy close up?
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I think so. It's really light weight and pristine, so that makes it stand out a little bit, but to me it fits with everything else around it. The interior is cool too. The base is maybe not how Kenner would have designed it, but you don't really notice that at all.
I'm happy with it. I'm surprised to find that I'm really enjoying adding customs to this part of the collection...
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Very cool
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Who is the little grey astromech next to the TIE Fighter?
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Who is the little grey astromech next to the TIE Fighter?
Another Stan Solo droid.
https://stansolocreationsusa.com/Stan-Solo-Custom-R2-Q2-p469800068
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Good grief, there’s an auction for that Ball Speeder asking $350 with 40 people watching it.
You can preorder one on his site right now for £108.
There are also Bantha auctions asking $500… nutty.
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My annual bonus is small, but I did get a promotion and a large raise in June, so I spent a small fortune on Stan Solo stuff this past few months getting caught up before more stuff is gone. Garindan, Slave Leia, Oola, Ghost Obi-Wan and Yoda, the Black Death Star Droid, Droids Threepio, the Bantha, and maybe 8 or so astromechs…if it was in the movies and I didn’t already have a real one, I bought it. The only thing I can’t buy that I want is R2-Q5, which seems to have come and gone. The eBay site also has a sold out K-3PO listed, but it’s also sold out. I’d love to get those two.
Try emailing them if there is something you want that isn't listed. The Slave Leia was sold out for a few months and I kept checking back. Then I finally emailed them and they had some available that they just hadn't gotten around to posting. Really cool stuff, but so expensive!
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Right on, I’m not going to tempt fate and get myself in trouble… the whole thing has a very soup nazi feel to it. I shot you a PM. :)
Spot on. The majority of the FB page posts are small wars with other 3P producers or people that look at them funny. Not worth making the naughty list with these guys.
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Oh awesome. I’ll shoot them an email about those two.
The Stan Solo Bantha got here today. It’s rad. Very heavy, it’s not hollow. I wasn’t expecting that. I’ll get a photo or two up here tomorrow or the next day.
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https://imgur.com/GY4IaUw
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Glad you got it Rob! That thing is incredible!
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Yeah. I love it.
I wonder if I’ll ever get that TFSB version.
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Hey Rob, thought you might be interested to know that NeMA Studios is producing a custom Gorax figure from the Ewok TV Special. It’s supposed to go up for sale tonight or tomorrow I think. No info on their website yet, I just saw a Facebook post about it.
The thing looks rad though, probably right up your alley. I am planning to get one too if the price isn’t too high. :)
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Oh cool, I'll keep an eye out. I'm not familiar with them but I'm definitely curious to see it.
I'm waiting for them to get here, but I ordered Paploo and Weechee from ProCustomFigures recently.
https://procustomfigures-online-store.ecwid.com/Paploo-p429756691
https://procustomfigures-online-store.ecwid.com/Weechee-p429788008
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There are a handful of Stan Solo droids that seem to have totally come and gone before I discovered this stuff... One of them is K-3PO and one finally popped up on eBay, it's at $101 with over a day left and 35 people are watching it. I bet it gets $200+
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I was tempted but the price tag was 85 pounds, which feels a little high to me. Those Ewoks look amazing though!
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The Gorax? Yeah. I don’t mind the price tag too much, but something about it feels like it doesn’t fit the Kenner stuff. It’s built like a He-Man figure or something. It’s also way undersized compared to what it would need to be to work with regular figures. I’m going to pass.
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A Stan Solo R3-M3 popped up the other day and sold for $150 or so. I regretted not bidding and set a search, and another one popped up yesterday. It ended today and apparently everyone else wished they'd bid yesterday too because it just sold for $273. :o
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If you follow his FB page, he is not that pleased with people reselling his stuff. Many of his droids are now at low inventory as well.
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I don’t follow the FB page, I don’t use FB. I do still have Instagram and follow him there but haven’t seen him saying anything.
What’s he expect though? He’s got a following, the stuff is collectible, the older ones are somewhat rare and sold out. The only way to prevent that would be to restock and keep things available, which also probably isn’t practical for him.
I want an R3-M3 and an R2-Q5 and I don’t expect to ever get one other than finding a reseller and paying a lot more than $40 each.
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I could see him grumpy about people flipping new stuff that he is slowly making but still in production, but he shouldn't have any qualms about people selling old stuff he isn't going to restart production on.
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Some of it is legit. One instance was a guy who said his Bantha box showed up damaged, he then sent the guy a new box, and then the guy put the "damaged" box up for auction at a crazy price. As for his sold out figures, he says they no longer have the molds for them so they can't restock. Also stated that items like the protocol droids sat there for a long time and only went crazy once they sold out. His said his purpose for doing this was to make these items affordable for the collector and he doesn't like seeing them selling for 5x the cost. There is also a lot of animosity towards Smith Lord Creations/The Fans Strike Back. Supposedly they put up some disclaimer that has since been removed that all their presale items were essentially crowdfunding projects and there was no guarantee of products. I'm not sure how much that really holds water considering the items I have ordered included receipts with shipping totals. Granted I think any one of us who has ordered from him has seen very slow shipping. From them I have received the black R2/Stormtooper set, the 3 Boba Fett set, Slave Leia, and the first 2 of the 13 wave (Thrawn and Han ST). I'm still waiting on the other 11 plus the Bantha. So if it is a scam like some have been saying, it is only a partial scam which I could dispute with my credit card company or with paypal.
As for Stan Solo, my girlfriend got me a couple of droids for Christmas. I just ordered a few figures and the vehicle he put out and those are already shipping. I'm just hoping to finally get the other stuff from Smithlord at this point.
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Someone over at Rebelscum mentioned that there are talks about recreating those lost Astromech molds... regardless, after seeing what they're selling for once they're gone, I just panic-bought the ones that are available that I hadn't bought yet. I'm not going to wait anymore, I'm just going to get stuff nice and early.
Just ordered Yavin Threepio, B0-B4, R5-M2, and R2-X2.
As far as I know the main stuff I'm missing that I want to get is R2-Q5 and R3-M3... if it ever happens.
R-3PO and K-3PO got here today...
(https://i.imgur.com/ynRK73L.jpg)
As did the Weechee and Paploo from Mark Poon:
(https://i.imgur.com/kI5Nfcl.jpg)
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Those are nice!
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Those are nice!
:)
Separate note... have any of you guys bought any of these?
https://www.thenext17.com/
I don't think they do it for me... the Stan Solo sculpts are just too perfect in terms of fitting the original line and these feel a little more out of place. I like the effort though...
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He reached out to me a couple weeks back wondering if I would do a trade of some of his figures for some Cardboard Galaxy stuff, so I took him up on it (it will get my stuff exposure to his fans, so why not?)
I will be receiving a Baby Wampa and a Toothface (J'Quille) soon, I will let you know what I think of them when they arrive. If the new wave had been announced when we did the deal I probably would have made different choices.
His figures definitely have their own style which is a bit askew from what I see as the Kenner aesthetic, but if he does a Kenner style Muftak down the road I don't think I would be able to resist it, no matter the style.
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Cool, and yeah, let me know. I'm curious. There are a handful that I think might be worth one-off purchases.
Meanwhile, the Stan Solo USA site has removed all but three of the astromechs and one of the remaining 3 is sold out... there are a few on the UK site that were in stock a couple days ago and are marked as sold out now. It looks like those eBay-induced panic buying was real.
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I've looked at the next 17 stuff, but hadn't made a purchase. I was also wondering what they looked like in person. The newest wave from them has a bunch of the cantina aliens and I was wondering how they looked.
For Stan Solo stuff, he has been saying that he was running out of astromechs and that once they are gone they are gone. Still waiting to see if he announces anything new.
I reached out to the Smith Lord guy about the status of the Bantha and wave of 13 and he said that they were going to have an update posted soon.
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Well last night on Instagram he was threatening to quit all together because people were saying things about his family online. Short fuse that guy, although I can understand not liking that. I hope
he can ignore the trolls, but that doesn’t seem to be his thing.
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He went further than threatening to quit: he also showed a letter of intent from the Chinese factory where his toys are made, saying that if he quits they will take his molds, replace the SS on the legs with a facsimile Kenner COO and date, and pump them out for a lot cheaper than Stan Solo can do. Effectively creating perfect and purposeful repros of all the Last 17 POTF figures Stan Solo made over the past couple years, in an attempt to tank the market on loose POTF figures.
I am hoping he hangs in there long enough to get the Dagobah Luke he previewed for this year out. He looks really good.
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Ah okay, I didn't quite follow him on that part, but that makes sense. I could definitely see him doing it just to spite people. Hopefully he settles down and keeps making cool new stuff like Garindan and Oola.
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He quit before, which is what wound up giving The Fans Strike Back control of their Bantha project and the legacy of quality that Smith Lord Creations used to have that persuaded people to prepay for the 13 figure set that has never been completed.
But it's like with the way his droids just dried up: he has said he can't rerun them because he had to switch factories and lost the tooling, but also he is (rightly so) very reluctant to do second runs of any of the figures, because he doesn't see that the market will buy a full second run and he would be losing money in the transaction. Can't ask him to do that, but it seems to me there are plenty of reasons for him to consider tooling that astromech up again at the new factory and continuing to do smaller runs of those and of course getting to new, different, unique ones.
And then the caveat, if Hasbro lets the flood gates open up on their Retro collection now that they've done the Artoo, too, he's out of business on it anyway. I know he took a hit last year tooling up Retro Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood figures. He only got the the Marion out just ahead of Hasbro's announcement and scrapped his Indy release plans...that's an a lost investment that would probably make me second-guess decisions in the future too.
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Yes, he seems to be going off the rails a bit. He is sending death threats back to the people coming after him. I would think both the astromech and protocol droid molds could be reused for several figures.
As for the Chinese factory making bootleg last 17 figures, I wonder if they would even bother. I'm not sure how much Hasbro/Disney has cracked down on this stuff in the past.
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I guess things have calmed down some... today he's talking about his Dagobah Luke custom, and the WIP sculpt looks really cool.
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There's a new small batch of Bantha's being made... preorders are up now if anyone missed it who wants one:
https://stansolocreations.company.site/PRE-ORDER-NOT-IN-STOCK-Custom-Vintage-Style-Ban-Fodder-with-Box-do-NOT-order-anything-else-on-same-order-p464722654
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We'll see if it holds, but Chris posted on RS and said that Dagobah Luke will be the last Stan Solo product:
https://forum.rebelscum.com/threads/3-75-professionally-made-kenner-style-customs-repros-discussion.1147498/page-7#post-20590282
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He's like the Howard Hughes of the Star Wars bootlegger set. I guess Dagobah Luke will be his Spruce Goose.
Here the business just hit another level of notoriety in the last week with the panic sell outs of all the astromechs, and rather than being thrilled and trying to parlay that into more sales and lining up future stuff, he is out because fans aren't supporting his war against a goofoff youtuber?
Which, by the way, has to be more than coincidence. Getting roasted by the guy brought a whole bunch more eyeballs to his stuff, period. No such thing as bad publicity.
Oh well, maybe someone else will be spurred on to pick up where he left off. Or the other personality will surface tomorrow and reverse it.
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Who's the YouTuber giving him crap?
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No idea but if you go to the RS link and read back a bit he’s posting links and screengrabs. People really do need to find better stuff to do with their time, but Chris seems particularly bad at ignoring ******** on the internet. It’s not a great combination.
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Who's the YouTuber giving him crap?
The Junkman.
They're a toxic pair...Chris goes full rage at the suggestion that his figures paint color is a little off, and Darin's stock in trade is trolling for laughs.
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That explains it. I stopped watching Junkman a long time ago.
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It's getting crazier. A set of listings popped up this week for older OOP Stan Solo Figures. Of the ones I was watching, there were 2 Imperial Weapons Techs, 2 U-3PO's (mis-listed as K-3PO's), 2 R2-Q5's, and 1 R3-M3.
Imperial Weapons Tech A sold for $410.00
Imperial Weapons Tech B sold for $610.00
U-3PO A sold for $179.02
U-3PO B sold for $214.26
R2-Q5 A sold for $513.71
R2-Q5 B sold for $233.50
R3-M3 sold for $542.00
7 Action Figures: $2,702.49
We've jumped the shark.
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I hope Hasbro is watching this and catches on that collectors want new figures...
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Honestly I don't think this applies to the Retro line. This isn't hundreds of people trying to get them, it's probably half a dozen or a dozen wealthy collectors knowing that it's tough to get a chance to buy one of these. I bid on the 5 droids in that list and lost every single one of them, so someone was putting in huge numbers at the last second hoping to nuke everyone else.
I set out thinking maybe I’d be willing to spend $600 to get the three droids I’m still missing and it turned out I wasn’t able to land a single one of them.
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These are the kooky collectors though, the ones that collect this kind of one-off "boutique brands." He makes hundreds of each, not several thousands.
Still, Hasbro has the Retro artoo and threepio molds now. Maybe Adam Pawlus will get them to do more EE droid packs. Hmph. That could be our best chance.
If I had any of those droids or figures, I would be really tempted to be selling now, that is a pretty sizable return.
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The point I was trying to make wasn't that we need Hasbro to make expensive short run figures, the point is that creating new Retro (or TVC) figures is what people are likely interested in. I think these Stan Solo figures are cool, and I'd love to have them, but I've got no interest in paying probably over $50 for a custom figure. I'm guessing you want these figures because they're cool, not because they're short runs or expensive and if you could buy them for $40 you would prefer that to $200.
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Of course. I’m just saying that I’m not sure that the high demand for such a limited niche product indicates that Hasbro could scale this up and make a lot of money. The Obi-Wan wave was all new stuff and my Target just cleared them out for $4 each. And honestly, I like these because he’s making stuff that IMO slides seamlessly into the original Kenner line. The two “new” Retro OT figures Hasbro did were Tarkin and Snowspeeder Like, and I don’t think the sculpts on either were very inspiring in terms of matching the Kenner look.
They seem much more interested in price creep and prototype cash-grabs anyway.
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Honestly, even though the SS figures are "more rare" due to lower production numbers, if I were to spend that amount of money on a figure, it would be a vintage last 17 that I'm still missing. I could get a loose Yakface with original weapon on ebay for ~$500 just looking at it this morning. It is nuts what these are going for. I know he says he no longer has the molds for the astromechs or protocol droids, but imagine if he somehow got them back and did limited small runs like he is doing for the Bantha.
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I mean at some point why not just make new molds? He's got his digital sculpts or scans of the droids I'd think... they're clearly popular in the quantities he works in. I'm surprised he hasn't just started them again. But he's a small operation and probably is more interested in new stuff... while he's still interested at all...
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He said more or less that very thing in the Stan Solo Facebook group today. He would rather work on new stuff than go backward...and he is not confident that there are enough new blood buyers to justify the runs he would have to do at the factory.
Case in point, he also said he is pulling the plug on the GITD Jedi Spirits because they aren't selling well, so he is not going to have the factory run the second half of the planned batch. Expect those to dry up real quick once people learn the run is done.
Lastly he seems to be suggesting he is going to unplug from social media and focus on working with the factory to get stuff done. I applaud that, if you get so bothered with the outreach, hire someone to do the PR and focus on your passion.
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Those all sound like smart decisions. I don't want to get into trying to psychoanalyze the guy, but he doesn't seem to have the best track record when it comes to ignoring the trolls, he'll probably be a lot less frustrated if he finds a way to do that.
Regarding new molds for Astromechs, I just meant that he could do other droids with those molds that haven't been done yet. There are always more droids.
I did order the glow in the dark Jedi Spirits when I ordered the last of the available droids that I didn't already have, they shipped a few days ago. As far as I know, I'm current. I just need to find a way to get U-3PO, R3-M3, and R2-Q5, and then I'm just waiting for Animated Fett... the new Jawa... and eventually Dagobah Luke.
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I will be receiving a Baby Wampa and a Toothface (J'Quille) soon, I will let you know what I think of them when they arrive.
I received my "TheNext17" figures a while back but hadn't had time to futz with them much. They are pretty close to Stan Solo figures as far as construction goes, the joints feel good and they are injection molded plastic as opposed to a heavier resin. The design aesthetic is a bit stylized in a way that does its own thing and is not really what I think of when I think of the Kenner style. It works really well for his original creation Baby Wampa, though. Super cute figure.
The big difference to me is the 3 I got ( I picked J'Quille and Baby Wampa but he threw in a Tanus Spijek as a bonus) are all fully painted figures, and that is a huge visual difference to a molded in color figure. It might just be my luck (they are also all fur-covered creatures) but that choice makes them seem more custom and less factory-made, even though I know they were.
I also got my Rebel Fleet Trooper and Sandtrooper from ProCustomFigures. They are much closer to Kenner style in my eyes, though they have their issues. It seems they struggled a little bit with proportions on the RFT. He feels just a hair too big. The limb joints feel a bit iffy and on the loose side, too. Also, the Sandtrooper struggles to balance, probably due to the backpack being grafted straight on to a Kenner Stormtrooper template, and not compensating the leg stance for a new center of gravity. He has to lean forward a bit to stand on his own.
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Thanks for the scouting report. That lines up with what my impression was from looking at them. I think I'm going to pass... if they don't fit into the regular Kenner line on this shelf, I don't really have a spot for them.
I just ordered some more of the Pro Custom Figures stuff... ordered Dondonna, Antilles and 6 pilots: Luke, Biggs, Garven Dreis, Wedge, Porkins, and Dutch.
I'm going to wait a month or so and order another batch. After seeing what his White Witch is selling for on eBay, and seeing what the Stan Solo stuff goes for once it's gone, I want to get caught up on the ones I want and avoid risking missing them.
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Damn, I would really like a White Witch… :'(
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Me too. I wonder if he could make more of them.
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Damn, I would really like a White Witch… :'(
I shot him an email this morning and asked if there was a chance he’d ever do a second run if White Witches. He didn’t commit, but hinted that he might this year and said he’d put me on the list.
So, if you really want one and don’t want to spend $2500, emailing him to get on this list is probably your best bet.
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I bit the bullet on a $200 U-3PO last night... I think I'm down to just R2-M3 and R2-Q5 to have every one that I'd like to have.
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I guess $200 doesn't sound so bad in light of that one having been gone for a good long time. 2 Astros left doesn't sound insurmountable, either. Good luck!
I finally bit the bullet too and got the Stan Solo Ball Speeder when it came back in stock last week. I do love it, fits right in with the Kenner Mini-Rigs.
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Yeah that Ball Speeder is great.
I was reading an interview with Chris where he said the small runs are 400, the larger runs are as much as 1,000.
Not big numbers no matter how you slice it and it seems like the popularity of his pieces if growing rather than shrinking.
I'm not paying $600 for either of those droids though. If things calm down and I can get them in that $200-$250 range, I'll do it.
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I stumbled across this SLC R2-Q5 just now but want a Stan Solo one on principle… wondering if this is something different or are they the same thing from the same molds back from before things fell apart
?
Not knowing might lead me to missing out at this price…
https://www.ebay.com/itm/304828621858?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ciEwGUL6Qq-&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=VeQYiKDeRYm&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Edit, never mind… I found pictures and it looks like at a minimum they are different stickers.
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I can confirm that, when I worked with Chris Krahn after he took over SLC, he wanted me to develop a playset that could be sold alongside the upcoming R2-Q5 figure. I sold the item from December 2019 - March 2020 on the Fans Strike Back portal, and he offered a deal to bundle the droid with the playset for customers.
Suffice it to say, the deal wound up not being worthwhile for me. I was doing it to gain exposure through his website, obviously, but his business practices left a lot to be desired as a partner and it increasingly became more work for me than I signed up for. When the pandemic started I had to shut down business for a time, and I used that opportunity to end our partnership.
I can not confirm in what capacity the R2-Q5 was produced prior to Chris Krahn's involvement, only that he told me he was launching the figure in November/December 2019, which I took to mean it hadn't been offered before.
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I didn't realize you were actually working with them on stuff...
Looks like maybe the fact that a few SLC R2-Q5's showed up at the same time as the Stan Solo one might have driven the price down. One just sold for $158...
The R3-M3 still went for over $400.
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Stan Solo's UK site has the Rebel Fleet Trooper up for preorder.
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Saw that. I only found that one a few days ago scrolling through his old Instagram posts.
He also had digital sculpts of a Bo Shek and a Vader with a removable helmet. I wonder if those are still possibilities.
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It's a strange marketing approach, he could have been hinting and teasing for the last month that this was coming. Instead, he was raving about quitting after the Dagobah Luke figure. A strange guy who gets the asthetic for the old Kenner figures.
I do like the looks of this Fleet Trooper better than the Procustoms one. But the Procustoms guy is already in my collection now so there is very little urgency for me to preorder this from the UK. If it presells out (which they claim it may due to army builders) I won't be upset, but if it shows up with my US hook-up I will likely get one.
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At this point, it will be interesting to see the continued feud between him and Smith Lord Creations. SLC has sold slave leia, sandtrooper, RFT, Death Star Droid, Black R2, ST Han and Luke, and many others that Stan Solo has done. Essentially almost everything from SLC has been done by Stan Solo. If SLC finally puts out the rest of their wave of 13, then they will finally hit some new figures not covered by Stan Solo. So far, only ST Han and Thrawn have made it out, so they have one unique figure. The feud seems to be pretty one sided, with Stan Solo ranting and SLC essentially saying, don't believe what is said, we will ship our products. Only time will tell at this point.
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I hope they do someday! I’d like sell the Bantha I paid for in 2019 to get my $200 back.
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Really not sure what is going on with their Bantha. They just had an update on the wave of 13. Essentially boils down to factory problems delaying stuff and whomever receives the product in the USA having "storage issues" and therefore items are being held at the plant in China. They are shipping Thrawn and ST Han from the wave of 13. However, that is really old news since I received those two probably two months ago now.
My personal opinion is that SLC is just overwhelmed and doesn't know how to run things. While Stan Solo is based in the UK, he does have the his US partner. Anything I have ordered from the USA sites has shipped extremely quickly. I just ordered the last few items that he had that I hadn't picked up yet. Placed the order around lunchtime on Friday and received it on the following Monday. Less than 24 hours between receiving the order and putting it in the mail. With SLC, I will probably not see the rest of the order in the next year. He supposedly has ESB and ROTJ waves planned out already. I would hope he waits until everything is complete for the ANH wave before listing others.
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Well the last update was that they switched factories and are improving the tooling and springs and blah blah blah.
I'm not holding my breath anymore. I won't preorder anything with them... especially since I was able to just order the Thrawn on Etsy a few weeks ago for $48.
In other news, and I'm not on Facebook so maybe everyone already knows this, but I emailed Mark Poon to ask if he was ever going to do other four unreleased Ewoks and not only is he doing them, but Morag and Chief Chirpa are already under way, and Chiruhr and Bondo are getting done later this year:
(https://i.imgur.com/B2jIdlX.jpg)
I've had this image saved for a decade or more and reproductions or not, it's amazing to think I can have them in the collection after all this time.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZtOw2T8.jpg)
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(https://i.ibb.co/4TbYd1v/F45-FF163-2-DB4-40-C1-B253-E4-FBEB19-C823.jpg) (https://ibb.co/mqnX8NZ)
I have observed enough of the behavior from both Stan Solo and FSB to keep far away from their products. Instead, when I have an itch to buy a custom figure (instead of making my own), a couple guys on IG - hasnotalent and plastic vomit customs - is where I have gone. Above is PVC’s custom Uzay Head Man and Blue Stars with hasnotalent’s Chrome McQuarrie Stormtrooper (you can see some of his other figures in the back). They are all 3D printed with a lot of attention to detail and high quality paint apps. In the case of the custom Uzays they are designed so you can tell they’re not originals which is a big plus. Definitely worth checking these guys out.
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/134508778159 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/134508778159)
Looks like these went quick. Saw a post on FB last night about them and they are already gone. I'm glad I snagged a couple before going to bed instead of waiting for the morning. The post did say these would also show up on Stan Solo's UK site.
Additionally, the Bespin Luke is coming soon. They have their first shot prototype in hand so expect that one to show up in the not too distant future.
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I saw a post on Rebelscum about the baby banthas but thought it was a joke.
I don’t get it. For $39 I might buy one buy why a baby Bantha? Seems like a lot of extra work for a $40 item.
I’m ready for Bespin Luke… holiday special Fett… rebel fleet troopers… grey Jawa… but I don’t want to preorder individually from his site and pay international shipping prices on each, so I’m waiting for them to show up in the US.
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The individual preorder thing is kind of a pain. I can understand not ordering in stock items with preorder items, but multiple preorder items shouldn't be an issue. I guess it is a matter of stuff coming in at different times. The shipping isn't cheap from the UK so getting several items individually adds up. I guess the hard part is not knowing if the items will show up in the US. I would think they would, but I could see at least the RFT selling out since I think it would be pretty popular.
As for the baby Bantha, I think it will fit in nicely with the large version. $39 isn't a bad price based on the prices of the other figures.
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Yeah makes sense. He probably doesn't want to deal with 200 open orders too and having to cross reference all that and hold it all...
I managed to get a Baby Bantha last night... not sure why, but I decided I didn't want to pass for now, decide I want one later, and find out that it was a really small run.
Meanwhile, second batch of ProCustomFigures stuff just got here. I bought 6 of the pilots last time I did an order, but the first image and last two pilots in the second got here today:
(https://i.imgur.com/ESYNJzN.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0HApxpg.jpg)
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Stan Solo has certainly built up the "once they're gone, they're gone" hype so I don't blame you for ordering one. I preordered the RFT and Holiday Fett from his UK site to be on the safe side. I think I may try waiting on the US site for when the Degobah Luke is made.
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Stan Solo Holiday Ferptt and the Grey Jawa are available on the US site now.
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Got my shipping notice for the Fett from the UK. On the fence about the Jawa currently. Not worried about that one selling out based on the all the vinyl cape jawa freebees that they send out.
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So did anyone else read the latest Fans Strike Back update about the Bantha? It does not get any more surreal and disgusting than this.
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Please share - I have no idea where all this retro 3rd party stuff takes place but have grown enthralled by the stuff you guys share in here...
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Please share - I have no idea where all this retro 3rd party stuff takes place but have grown enthralled by the stuff you guys share in here...
Agreed. If it weren't for you guys I wouldn't know it existed or there was drama.
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After seeing all this cool stuff I caved and bought a baby Bantha.
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After seeing all this cool stuff I caved and bought a baby Bantha.
I am still on the fence. It helps that I didn't get the adult Bantha. But I do have the Baby Wampa, and it is adorable. I could see them being a pair...
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I can't paraphrase the TFSB post, I wouldn't know where to begin. So here it is as posted by them to their FB group...
Inquiring minds want to know……”where the hell is my Bantha!!??”
We couldnt agree more, and the time for answers is TODAY! Want to know where your Bantha is? Want to know why it is taking so long? Want to know when you can expect it? We are going to let you know just where you can find answers to those questions and more. But more on that in just a second…
Basically, we don’t have them to send to you. Here is why:
At the end of last summer, we put together a deal with RAVENSTAR STUDIO in Texas, to deliver us Banthas by OCTOBER 14th. (a date selected based on information from and agreed to by THAT company) It was only with this agreement in place ahead of time that we authorized production to start and paid the factory. After the agreement we made our announcement on the site in September. When asked if they would be here by Christmas, we felt good saying yes based on that OCTOBER 14th agreed upon date. Even with a possible extra 2 month or so delay, Christmas still would have been possible. (As you can see those and subsequent dates were all missed)
Leading up to October we began to become very concerned as we did not receive the samples, as they also promised we would receive. Naturally our questions, queries, and contact with the factory increased. Yet we were always met with requests for more time, excuses, delays, excuses ABOUT delays, or untimely responses.
This is now about accountability, and we are at the next step in the process of holding the proper party accountable. So we are going to put YOU in contact with the factory! They think making constant excuses, dodging and ignoring us is going to hold all of you off. Or perhaps they think you all will just go away. But we know this community, and that wont happen. It is time to make THEM known of that. Accountability. This was a community funded project, and it’s time the community gets answers!
So, want to know where your Bantha is? Here is exactly who to ask:
Redacted on repost, not really relevant to the situation
Here are some question suggestions for what you might want to ask:
-where the Bantha that you paid for long ago is
-why they feel no responsibility in timely fulfilling your order
-why they see no problem making you wait by making excuses and ignoring inquires
-why they missed production dates they helped set and agreed to
-when can you finally expect yours
-how they are going to compensate you for extended or further delays
We are very excited to hear what they tell you, because we want answers too. We sincerely hope they start shipping Banthas as soon as possible so that we can quickly get them out to everyone. But, we cant send Banthas when there are none in our possession to send. We literally AND figuratively have Bantha boxes and Bantha accessories lined up and ready to be sent. We just need Banthas from the factory.
*(Quick, but important reminder, again, that we do not make toys and are always at the mercy of factories like these. Our business is a 3rd party facilitator between the customer and the factory, and this is why we clearly state we can only relay what they tell/give us as far as information and products. Our job is to advocate on behalf of the consumer, and that is exactly what we are doing)*
In related news, we are retiring the Bantha replacement program for two large reasons. One, due to very low interest. We understand why…people want their Banthas, not product replacement! Two, this is also VERY important to what is going on currently with this situation. If that program remained open, it would only further encourage that factory to delay, stall, and further inaction by re-directing people to that resolution instead of making Banthas. So we aren’t going to provide that “out” to them, in what will only be a reason to NOT finish and a further delay to all of you.
You did your part by backing the Bantha. We did our part by giving the factory everything needed to produce them. Now it’s time THEIR company delivers THEIR part.
We are very disappointed in this situation, and want to get all of you your orders as quickly as possible. Our company is and will always be on the side of the consumer and we will continue to fight along side you. And this post is going to stay up until customers get their Banthas.
May the Force be with all of us.
smithlordcreations.com
thefansstrikeback.com/status
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This is so ******* maddening I don’t know what to say. That’s not an update. It’s not my job to harass the factory. I paid them to produce this thing, ducking produce it.
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Wow is that a load of **** right there. They didn’t get the thing made right the first time and scammed so many people. Then they convinced many to wait and now went to another factory which has scammed them? Makes you wonder if they ever went to that second factory in the first place.
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Well they’re asking people to call the factory so that’d be a bold lie if there isn’t one… but surely they’ve spent a ton of money at this point with no Banthas to show for it. So at what point is the jig just up…
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Wow. I thought Anovos got bad with excuses and blaming the factory, but they never washed their hands of it like these morons just did! So unprofessional!
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I just wish there was some way I could do a charge back or get my money back, but we’re way past the window. Four years in May since I ordered this stupid thing.
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It really makes you wonder what the hell is going on with these people. I haven't received everything from them that I have paid for, but I have received some of it. I imagine there is going to be tremendous backlash after that post. Sure, I bet some people will call the factory out of curiosity, but I don't think that will do anything. I'm also quite skeptical about a factory in Texas. I didn't think that was really a thing anymore for this type of manufacturing. I figured all this stuff was overseas. There is reason that comments are turned off on the FB post.
As for people getting their money back, that may be possible depending on the method of ordering and if SLC are willing to give refunds. Quite some time ago I preordered a self published book. It was supposed to be one of those complete Star Wars line toy books that detailed everything. It went on forever. Excuse after excuse about delays, adding new stuff, etc. It was only around $70 at the time so I just let it roll. After probably close to a decade total and no updates for years, I started hunting down the guy. Finally got ahold of him via email, and did get a refund through paypal. Now, I doubt it will be as easy in this case. I can almost guarantee I will get my Stan Solo Bantha from the second batch order he put up recently before seeing this one or any of the other wave of 13 figures from SLC. I would still inquire with paypal and or credit card company to see if anything can be done at this point. It looks like all the on-line battles over making repro stuff is justified after this post from SLC. It boggles the mind that their approach is "screw it, you do it. You want it? You get an answer from them".
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Not sure if it's true, but according to Chris Smith, someone someone demanded a refund a few months ago and SLC decided to just cancel the guy's order and not refund him anyway.
I think, that they think, that they're untouchable here.
Meanwhile, the transaction for me was so long ago I can't even look it up in my online banking. I might give them a call on Monday to see if I have any recourse at all, but I'm pretty sure I don't.
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I'm waiting for the point when someone posts his address and phone number like he did to the Texas "factory".
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Oh, he got doxxed in 2020 or so when some customers discovered he had bought a new house while refusing to give refunds for the preorders that he reclassified as crowdfunding donations.
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So that’s where my money is.
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I find it odd he has shipped some stuff, but not everything. The Bantha just seems to be a debacle. Supposedly he shipped out some from the first Chinese factory that had some problems with the item and gave people the option to keep it or get it replaced with the "new and improved" one. For the wave of 13, I have received 2 of 13 figures. All the "in stock" items I have ordered arrived from them, but not as quickly as anything I have ordered from Stan Solo. Just an update on his Holiday Special Boba Fett, I preordered that from his UK site, but it was shipped from the US even though I was charged the UK shipping rate. I didn't bother saying anything due to his volatile nature with on-line posts. I didn't want to end up on the "no soup for you" list.
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They have basically stopped responding to my emails but that’s what they told me the last time they did. They said I was about 20th or 30th in line and my Bantha would ship with the next batch and then that batch never came and they did the switcheroo. I didn’t do the replacement program mostly because I had no faith that any replacement item would arrive in the next five years, so I left it alone and am waiting. They’ve publicly interpreted and promoted the disinterest in the replacement plan as an indication that everyone trusted them and really wanted this Bantha and that’s just not the case. If they’d offered a cash refund I’d have taken it in a heartbeat.
I went ahead and bought an in-stock Thrawn because they had it on Etsy for less money a month or two ago, it arrived quickly and with no problems. So I would consider an in-stock order if there was something I liked, but I’ll never preorder with them again. In that sense this debacle has probably really ****** up crowdsourcing for their future projects.
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I would think so. I had DM'ed the owner on facebook and he indicated that had plans for both an ESB and a ROTJ wave after the first 13 wave was completed. I have my doubts at this point that any other product will come out.
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I bit the bullet and spent way too much money on an R3-M3 this week. I'm restoring a beat up vintage R2 to throw the Jabba's drink tray onto... and I skipped 0-0-0 because I don't care about Dr. Aphra...but I think I'm all set. I have the Droids R5 but forgot to pull him down for the group photo...
(https://i.imgur.com/D8285rG.jpg)
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That looks so great Rob, I envy the dedication and cash it took to get there...even at $40 each I was unable to pursue that set!
But I really wish Hasbro would pay attention and figure out a way to do something like this in their Retro line. They could pull Kenner collectors who have been done for decades back in to cough up some cash that they are otherwise not receiving, I think to an exponential rate over what they are getting with straight up Retro rereleases.
It might not be as profitable per figure as a nonpainted "prototype" variant like they are doing currently, but I think they could do higher runs and get more sales overall by doing droid and trooper repaints that fill out the Kenner line a bit. (As well as the occasional variant, I know I will buy the Retro Jedi Luke again with the black cloak, but not the Mando with Darksaber in the same wave.)
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If you go on the SS FB group, someone made a visual guide for the figures. Like you noted, you didn't get 000, but there is also a Glasslite C-3PO. Essentially flat gold paint and not vac metal in appearance. You have all the unique astromechs. He did make a Yavin version of R2 which looks very close to a vintage R2. Not sure if the only difference is dome paint colors. There is also an R5-D4 which looks identical to vintage. Others are pop-up saber R2 which looks like the vintage counter part. Droids R2 which I'm not as familiar with in the vintage realm, but his version has a pop up saber, glasslite R2 with pop up saber, and R2 Uzay version. There are also three death star droids, silver (which looks like the vintage version), black, and gold.
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Yeah I’ve skipped stuff that I own real versions of. So no pop-up Artoo or R5-D4 or Silver Death Star Droid for example.
I’m pretty sure the Droids R5 (which I do have but forgot to snag for the photo) is just a custom idea and not based on anything.
I did buy the black DSD and got a gold one that I’m using it as a vintage style RA-7.
My understanding is that the Uzay and Glasslite astromechs are from before the split with SLC and are technically SLC offerings. So I haven’t worried too much about that stuff.
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I'm also unclear as to where the split occurred and I have never seen the glasslite and uzay stuff on either site. I do have the black R2 with pop-up saber from SLC. Don't have a SS one to compare to see what the differences are.
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I can’t speak to the uzay stuff but the R2-Q5 style droid differences seemed to just be print on the sticker. At least, that was the easy way to tell one from the other. I held out until I could get a proper Stan Solo one, which is what’s in that photo up there.
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Stan Solo talkin' about a movie accurate Greedo coming up. I guess he isn't quitting.
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Haha, I was just coming here to post that. I guess he’s cooled off now that his Facebook group is private.
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He is still ranting. Don't give him any suggestions unless you are willing to put up $30K of your own money. I'm getting a real soup nazi vibe. He threw someone out of the group for buying from SLC and leaving them a positive review.
The first shots of Greedo do look good. It looks like his current focus is movie accurate figures with offerings on POTF card with coin and also on alternate cardback that would be either SW, ESB, or ROTJ, and then loose. Still trying to decide if I go with blue or yellow saber Degobah Luke. I'm leaning towards yellow because of Bespin Luke.
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Funny thing, after his rant about no suggestions, he posted a thread about give me your suggestions. I put a post about removable helmet Vader since that is the figure I wanted as a kid after getting Skiff Lando and Boushh. As luck would have it, he put up renderings of a removable helmet Vader that is in the early stages of production. He said it is a few months off. I think he wants to get the second batch of Banthas out as well as RFT and preorders for Degobah Luke first, then Greedo, then Vader.
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Yeah if you scroll far enough down into his old IG posts that Vader was something he started a year or two ago and has resurrected now. There was also a Bo Shek sculpt way down there and I asked if there was a chance that one would get produced and he responded in the affirmative.
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I am certainly enjoying this new part of the hobby since I've quit buying most stuff. Really down to Hallmark ornaments, books and comics, retro collection, and these types of custom vintage stuff. I have bought a few vintage pieces in the past year, but not sure how much more I will pick up due to cost. I'm really considering ditching Hallmark as well due to the cost and the fact they go on the tree for one year then get packed away.
For his upcoming stuff, I pre-ordered Holiday Fett, RFT and Bantha from the UK site. I think going forward I will just wait for the US site to get stock in to save on the shipping. I think I'm down to the new jawa and slave leia for what I don't have that are still available. I have also passed on any remakes of Hasbro figures thinking I might some day fill the last 17 holes in my collection.
As for the man himself, I don't know why he continues. He posts rants every two or three days. I can understand being mad seeing ~$40 items being listed on ebay for 5 to 10x, but you can't control what people will do. I never liked the scalper mentality myself. I have never bought any SW item with intent to quickly flip it. Currently, I have an extra Oola and Girindan because I ordered those two and my gf also bought them for me as birthday gifts when I thought everything would sell out when the astromechs were getting all sold. I haven't bothered trying to sell the extras at this point. In the past four years, I have sold a bunch of my collection and still have a bunch to sell. I'm certainly trying to sell for as much as I can get. Granted, all my items are generally older, but still, I'm not going to sell say a MR saber hilt for the ~$300 MSRP if I can get five to ten times that amount now. Essentially it comes down to having different priorities, bills to pay, and a different focus in my collection. In an ideal world, I would sell stuff I don't want and convert it to stuff I do. One of the bigger attractions to vintage besides the nostalgia, is that it is finite. There are just so many vehicles and figures. Even hunting down the few variants isn't as bad as all the modern Hasbro craziness.
As for the custom stuff, I think I may just stick to SS from now on. I have the Bantha and wave of 13 on "preorder" from TFSB. If I could go back, I think I would have just went with SS from the beginning, but TFSB is who I found first. I can't see myself doing a preorder from them again even if I receive everything from them. The Bantha excuses are pretty thin, but the fact they have only sent two of the 13 other figures is nonsense at this point considering how quickly SS gets stuff out. For SS, I preordered the Bantha from the second batch 2/15 and the RFT 3/17. Both are getting ready to ship soon, so we are talking about three and two months for custom made stuff. By contrast, I was really late to TFSB Bantha, but I preordered that on 1/15/22, and I know people preordered much earlier than I did and still don't have it. I preordered the wave of 13 on 12/30/21 and have received Thrawn and ST Han. It has taken way too long. I just hope to get everything and just move on. No way I can go with another wave, no mattter what it is.
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I am certainly enjoying this new part of the hobby since I've quit buying most stuff. Really down to Hallmark ornaments, books and comics, retro collection, and these types of custom vintage stuff. I'm really considering ditching Hallmark as well due to the cost and the fact they go on the tree for one year then get packed away.
Wrong thread, I know.
I cleared all my Hallmark ornaments out over the last two Christmases on eBay. I had nearly all of them from the first 15 years that they were issued. I probably broke even or made a little profit on selling them, so if you make the decision to simplify hopefully you'll break even.
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Ultimately, there's a huge difference between selling your stuff for fair market value and scalping. If I know a hot new toy sells for more on eBay and I buy them up, that's kind of ******.
If I have something I've collected and it has more value now than when I bought it, there's nothing weird or wrong or questionable about selling it for it's going rate.
I love the Stan Solo stuff, I just paid an arm and a leg for a few of the ones I'd missed, and I'm lucky that I got into them when I did. Even ones I got for $40 a few months ago are $150 or $200 now... Someday when if I sell them, it'll be for whatever they're worth when that day comes.
As for ditching stuff... 3.75" Star Wars will be the last to go for me. If I sell those, it means I straight up quit collecting.
I quit collecting ReAction figures about 3 years ago, I have 450 of those I'm getting ready to throw onto eBay.
If I decide to keep pairing down, Gentle Giant Mini-Busts are on the chopping block next. The costs have gone up dramatically, and the sculpt quality has gone down dramatically (on some of them at least... some look great still).
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As for ditching stuff... 3.75" Star Wars will be the last to go for me. If I sell those, it means I straight up quit collecting.
If I decide to keep pairing down, Gentle Giant Mini-Busts are on the chopping block next. The costs have gone up dramatically, and the sculpt quality has gone down dramatically (on some of them at least... some look great still).
Totally agree on both counts.
I had about 75 mini-busts. I kept my favorite 15 and sold the rest earlier this year, most for a fairly handsome profit.
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I counted the other day. I have 238 mini-busts in TEN Detolf cabinets.
I don't have room for an 11th. So when these are full, I'll have a problem.
At the moment my plan is to stop pre-ordering uglier busts (Endor Han, Bespin Luke) and picking them up when they're clearanced out later because no one wanted them. But once these cabinets are full...
I've toyed with keeping just OT... I could get rid of a ton of them and still have a collection that way...
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I really try to avoid ebay for selling, but I may have to resort to it. Sales have slowed dramatically, but I think that could be due to the state of the economy. I'm down to the last few items of my 3 3/4" Hasbro stuff. I was having success with Sideshow 12", but that has died off. I was trying to unload all the prequel stuff first and haven't tried any OT yet. I have just begun selling lego stuff. While prices look great on the sites that track that stuff, making sales has been very difficult. I don't think a lot of people want to spend the money right now. Hopefully things pick up soon.
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I’ve always just sold on eBay. The fees suck, but the buyers are there… that’s kind of what you pay the fees for.
I also like the ease of getting shipping labels and getting paid.
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RFT is shipping from SS and is available in the US shops. Mine should be arriving on Thursday. That is my last preorder besides the second batch of Banthas. I'm waiting to see if I can just order Degobah Luke, Vader, and Greedo when they are in stock in the US instead of paying for UK postage.
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Awesome. Just ordered a RFT. Waiting for them to get to the US is what I’ve been doing. Each time that I’ve ordered from the UK site and paid for international shipping, it’s shipped from inside the US anyway. I’ve seen that dismissed as helping cover the cost of getting the larger batch to the US… but I’m not really looking to subsidize the bulk shipping unless I have to.
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I noticed that the last time with the Holiday Fett preorder which is the same time I preordered RFT, hence why I'm waiting for the new ones to show up in the US shop first. Unless something sells out before hitting the US, I will stick with that method from now on.
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So here is a development...
The Fans Strike Back website now shows "sold out" on every product. His most recent communications shunted blame for the unfulfilled Bantha orders to his subcontracted "factory" and claimed the factory had all the money.
He also recently sent out the Stormtrooper Han figure that was a part of the infamous 13...and while I didn't participate in that, I did see that when he invoiced that one figure he did so with language indicating 13 figures. Maybe this was a way to cover his ass as best he could legally if he doesn't get any more figures out there?
Because signs are pointing to his business being finished.
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Nothing would surprise me at this point. That ******* owes me $208 or a Bantha though.
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I stumbled upon a facebook page about his business practices. Apparently he has been sued around seven times in the past several years and lost six of the cases to the tune of around $30K total. The thoughts are that Thrawn was something that was in production before he even announced the wave of 13 and that the ST Han is essentially left over product from when SS was running the company. It seems that if you email customer service, that is when you actually receive something. I did that around six months ago, and I got my loose Thrawn and ST Han at the same time. It seems odd I got both at once while others were only getting Thrawn and then Han months later. Supposedly, RFT and Sandtrooper are "in storage" in China. Thoughts about these are they are leftovers from the multipacks he sold of these figures. He claimed issues with Wedge and Biggs. There are pictures of the prototype of those two. Someone found an auction for a Beru and Owen that are thought to do be from the wave of 13. They don't look all that hot.
I'm not surprised his site is showing out of stock. Supposedly his etsy store is now closed as well. I emailed customer service again last night to ask where my stuff is. He also has done the third part of his update. He had stated the updates were in three parts: first was wave of 13 (no progress really), part two was Bantha (you guys need to contact the factory for me), and third was supposed to be "everything else" which I have no clue what that could be.
I sent him a FB message about a year or so ago, and he claims they already had an ESB and ROTJ wave planned out. If he isn't just a straight up thief, he is incompetent at business. If SS can bang these things out, then TFSB should have had a lot more stuff completed by this time.
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I am attempting to get my money back, but I'm sure it isn't going to go well. I started with a paypal dispute. They immediately closed the cases because it has been past 180 days. I then called my credit card company that I used through paypal. They said there should be a resolution within 60 days. Hopefully I get lucky. I know it seems like a silly idea, but I wonder if some sort of class action lawsuit would be possible. I think all the money would go towards paying the lawyer since they are quite expensive these days. Not really worth their time most likely. Even if 1,000 people ordered both the Bantha and wave of 13, that is around $500K in stolen funds.
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Go to the RPF and look for their Anovos thread. There were lawsuits filed against them to varying degrees of success. It might be an option, but I think your Credit Card company is your best bet to get your money back.
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What's RPF?
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What's RPF?
Replica Prop Forums. (https://www.therpf.com/)
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Just got these guys in the mail. :)
(https://i.imgur.com/PXaOqed.jpg)
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Just received my SS Bantha. Very solid and the box art is amazing. Preordered on 2/15 and in my hands four months later. That is how you run a business.
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I ordered a second one when they went back up for preorder and got it yesterday as well.. I love the thing.
I'm not sure if I'm going to open it or chuck it into the closet and forget about it for a few years... but I wanted another one. Maybe because I'm never getting my SLC version.
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We are never getting the SLC version if any of what I have been reading the past few days is true. I never thought buying custom made figures would lead to this kind of insanity. Just got a letter from my CC company requesting more info on my claim. Just basic stuff like a detailed summary about what happened and any receipts from SLC. The only difficult thing is that you have to send it via fax or regular mail, no ability to just upload everything.
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Yeah I'm reading along too, total insanity.
What kind of credit card did you order on? I used a VISA and it's been nearly four years, I wasn't even able to initiate a chargeback because of how long ago it was.
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I used a MC, but order stuff December 21 and January 22 so it hasn't been as long. We shall see how it goes.
I never thought the vintage custom world would be so crazy.
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This end scenario for TFSB has been visible on the horizon for a couple years to me. It still sucks, but ever since they changed the language on their website from pre-order to crowdfunding and acted like it had been that way all along, I felt like the money was already gone. I feel horrible for everyone who lost money to this jerk.
I was much more shocked when GTP imploded and took everyone's preorder money for the Tantive IV set with them. They seemed very solid til they weren't.
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I had emailed before backing the Bantha and got an email back from Chris saying it was going into production soon no matter what, so I backed it. Then the sale to the other Chris happened and there was no movement and I emailed to check in to be told it wouldn’t get produced until it was funded…I wrote back to explain he’d told me the opposite and he was like, that was a different Chris. Same email address though…
I didn’t even know there were two Chris’s at that point I was so confused.
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And that anecdote goes exactly to the point that Krahn was scamming the whole time, he was never trying to be careful and thoughtful with his customers. Of course we know Chris Smith was planning the SLC Bantha before he sold the company, and of course we know Chris Krahn was going off of Smith's plans when he started taking money for the project. He could have taken responsibility and been transparent in answering your follow up question by admitting he was having difficulty with the factory or whatever was the issue. But instead he chose to use the switch of company owners to imply you contacted different people, which was most likely not the case, just better than admitting the project was already troubled and giving you reason to ask for your money back.
It was always about keeping the money to him. When the thing wasn't happening in the first six months like he originally thought it would, he had an opportunity to call it off, give everyone their money back or some kind of credit, and be real. He chose to obfuscate and tighten his grip on the money.
In my business dealings with him, after he asked me to create a set to be sold only on TFSB, he "forgot" to cover extra costs on shipping and packaging when paying me for orders received. I called him out on it and he acted insulted that I made him give me the agreed upon amounts. It soured the relationship and I ended it as quickly as I could thereafter. He was always about more money for him.
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No big surprise, but one of my two CC claims were rejected. Not sure why they didn't reject both at the same time. Essentially they are defaulting to paypal's policy to file a claim and saying it is past the time allowed. I guess using your CC through paypal doesn't actually give you an extra layer of protection for something like this. Not the best policy for long lead preorder items in general. Oddly the first claim rejected was the wave of 13 that I was trying to get a partial refund of since I received 2 of 13. Bantha is still under research, but I'm not expected a different outcome.
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SS had some leftover droids that he put up today if anyone was lucky enough to snag any. Seemed like just a few hours of notice. He said he would be randomly putting up additional ones if he finds any more. Keep your eyes peeled. Also, in pretty huge news, he said he was going to list the Tonnika sisters for preorder. I think I might have to jump on those instead of waiting for them to hit the US shop. I want the Degobah Luke, Greedo, and Vader, but was going to experiment to see if I can just get them on the US shop. Everyone who loves vintage will want the sisters.
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I assume these are pay on front end pre orders?
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Yeah his are. I usually wait until they show up at the US site to save on shipping, but I’m thinking about just preordering these two.
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I preordered. You just get banged on the shipping because any US preorders on his UK site get shipped from his US partner anyways. I guess it is conceivable he receives everything in the UK and then bulk ships stuff to the guy in the US. Still waiting for stock in the US shop for Luke, Vader, and Greedo, but I didn't want to miss out on these two. I figure if items like Slave Leia, Girindan, and Oola are still available, the other three won't sell out immediately.
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Same, just preordered. I don't know that he's ever had something sell out immediately, but if the Tonnika Sisters started that trend I'd hate to have missed out.
I thought about ordering the 3D prints these are going to be based on, but ultimately hand painting my own with brush strokes and imperfect paint just doesn't do it for me. There are so many cool 3D printed sculpts you can buy, but I just never do. If this idea works out and he can start producing some of the stuff Trash Compactor makes... I'd be all about it.
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I am the same way about 3D prints. Last winter Funky McClunkey offered up some Chewie's family prototypes all printed and painted and I jumped at them, but otherwise I don't want to do the paintwork. It's been 20 years since I painted a figure! Edited to add a pic:
(https://scontent-ord5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/358154866_730164645786799_2766659221011233881_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p526x296&_nc_cat=111&cb=99be929b-3346023f&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=eOVvaRjFRzAAX-0d6Kz&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-1.xx&oh=00_AfAesRdVLdhaPripYdlBKRVlkHNa3bLyu1jZVu0hitkLvQ&oe=64B1F211)
Stan Solo updated on FB that the deal with DallasVintageToys for R4 fell through so he is just going to fund it himself. And he seems to be getting uneasy about how many preorders he currently has going...he doesn't want anyone to feel like he is getting ready to cut and run...wonder why people would be antsy about that?
He also said Greedo will likely beat Dagobah Luke out of the factory as the next release.
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Stan Solo updated on FB that the deal with DallasVintageToys for R4 fell through so he is just going to fund it himself. And he seems to be getting uneasy about how many preorders he currently has going...he doesn't want anyone to feel like he is getting ready to cut and run...wonder why people would be antsy about that?
He also said Greedo will likely beat Dagobah Luke out of the factory as the next release.
First, LOL on the cut and run thing.
Second… I’m perfectly happy to buy R4 directly from him. I wonder if having a new astromech body is going to lead to him doing new versions of popular… long-sold-out astromechs.
Bonus… I can go unfollow Dallas Vintage Toys in IG now.
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I saw a few Tonnika sister kits and I really don't have the time or the skill to assemble and paint figures myself. The ~$40 a figure range isn't that bad for a finished figure considering the current price point of loose vintage figures and Hasbro figures are over $10 a figure.
For SS, I think he doesn't want to have too many projects going on at the same time. He certainly doesn't want to get caught up in the SLC craziness. I really wish I had found SS first before SLC.
Looking through SLC offerings, he essentially has only released SS product for the most part:
Bantha (no need to discuss this one)
2019 products - Han and Luke Stormtrooper, Yakface, Blue Snaggletooth, R2-D2 (pop up saber, Droids, Uzay), Stormtrooper, R2-Q5, Shadow Trooper, Yak Face
2020 products - ANH Luke Trooper, Stormtrooper (ESB, Droids, Glasslite, Uzay, POTF)
2021 products - Boba Fett and EV-9D9
2022 products - Rebel Trooper and Sandtrooper packs, Slave Leia, Thrawn, Droids and Uzay Boba Fett, Fett Throne
Planned Wave of 13 unreleased - Owen, Beru, Biggs, Wedge, R4-M9, Motti, Holo Leia, Captain Antilles, Spaceman (other four are Sandtrooper, Rebel Trooper, ST Han, and Thrawn - first two released in 4 packs only, last two made it to some customers)
Now that SS is doing the R4 figure, there isn't much that SLC has that are unique to them. Really just Thrawn, Fett Throne (if it even shipped), and Uzay Fett. This would lead me to believe most of SLC product was started or branched off of work by SS before he sold it to Krahn. I would say that leads more to the theory that Krahn was just a thief the whole time.
These are the SLC products I actually received: ST Han, Thrawn, Slave Leia, R2-Q5, Fett 3 Pack (Tri Logo, Uzay, Droids), Shadow Trooper
I would definitely say that SS's Fetts are better. ST Han is a bit disappointing because the helmet is hard plastic and doesn't have the feel of say the vintage Boushh or Skiff Lando helmets. Never had a vintage ST Luke, so can compare to that. Haven't got the SS Slave Leia yet, but everything I hear is that it is the superior version. R2 and Shadow aren't bad. Don't have the SS R2-Q5, but I think his astros are better overall from the ones that I have.
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I honestly can’t believe the list of actual SLC releases is that long whether he was just finishing SS work or not. I have his Thrawn, Fleet Trooper, Leia, and ST Han. I bought all of them on Etsy or eBay, and never preordered any after failing to have the Bantha shop. The Thrawn is probably the best of the bunch, the Leia is the only one that’s truly awful.
For whatever it’s worth, the vintage helmet for ST Luke is a hard helmet, not soft like Boushh or Skiff Lando.
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Just to poke the bear a little, I sent a FB message to Krahn asking on shipping status. For someone supposedly on the run from the law, he seems to show up on FB messenger quite a lot.
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I keep wondering (and I might have said this already) if anyone has actually taken Krahn up on his idea to call the factory and ask what’s up.
I wonder who you’d speak to and if they’d say he was nuts.
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I would be someone has, but I haven't heard about anyone doing it. I wonder if he really engaged the factory or not.
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Their website is so bad I don’t even think it’s a factory. Looks like a single person who occasionally produces miniature unarticulated resin ships for board games and such.
I’m going to see if they have an email address and shoot them a note if they do.
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There is certainly nothing on that website that shows they would be capable of making the Banthas. It looks more like a guy who bought a couple 3D printers and set up his on website to sell stuff.
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I just emailed them. I'm not expecting a reply, but I'll of course let everyone know.
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Got a quick reply this morning… 🤷♂️
hi yeah sorry , i have nothing to do with the sales of the Bantha , we have only had the production for a short while. the project is in the works and we are a little behind. but the project will be done soon. Chris did not contact me before he posted my information , and yes we have been contacted , and actually threaten saying we have had the job for 4 years. I have not. I am a one man company and we are working this job in between. i had hoped it would be done in june but looks like August . I'll make a announcement once i am done . but these will ship to chris and you will be dealing with him. I have no ideal how many he sold but he has only ordered so many and I will not produce for him again.
also i have made these better than what was shipped to me
hope that helps.
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Kind of a dick move to post the guy's contact info if he really isn't the hold up. I like that the production guy says he's not going to work for him again - that should speak volumes...
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I feel bad for anyone who gets sucked into the Bermuda Triangle of Chris Krahn and wish this guy the best if and when he completes his obligation and shifts it back to TFSB to uphold their self-identified "middleman" role.
I wonder if there is a sort of VP to send things out with Krahn being essentially out of the picture.
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Yeah in a follow up email he said I was one of the only people who wrote him and was actually nice. Sounds like plenty of morons ate it all up and wrote this guy like any of this is his fault.
Like how hard would it have been for the last SLC update to have said "we were expecting July but now it looks more like August, thanks for your patience, we'll keep you updated."
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I'm surprised this guy responded at all. That being said, I have severe doubts of any date being made. Granted this is what Krahn said, but his update claims that the "factory" was supposed to finish these in October and Krahn promised a shipping date around Christmas. By August, we will be almost a year off of that. The other end of this is can this "factory" actually handle something like this?
From his website:
We are here for you, a full service Commercial and fine Art resin casting company.
A complete studio for mold making, Resin casting, sculpture, prototype and model making with 30 years of experience.
We can take your art work or prototype and reproduce as few as 1 up to 1000
with the highest precision.
We are located in Fort worth TX but we have customers all over
the USA, Canada, and the UK. We produce high quality
urethane resin castings , from small gaming miniatures to life size figures.
Garage kits, Dinosaurs, animals, and western sculptures.
We have over 20 years working on architectural art work, fountains, moldings,
statues, and fireplaces for cast stone.
We can easily take you rapid prototype , make a silicon mold and
cast in resin in a short time.
We can work with all most any material, wax, clay, wood, stone.
There is not much we can not mold and cast.
We also have a complete sculpting house in case you have a ideal but
don't know how to bring it to life, let us help.
Contact me if you have any questions or wish to have castings or molds made.
-Christopher Lynch
Static resin models doesn't really line up with what the Bantha is supposed to be. Looking at his product for sale, I would say the quality is on par with those little holo figures that were pack ins with Star Wars figures all those years ago.
As I'm going down this rabbit hole, I reread some of the updates from TFSB. He claims the wave of 13 was one of the most ambitious crowd funding projects of all time and a lot of them take this long to be finished. Of the 13, I would say Beru, Owen, RFT, Antilles, Spaceman, and Thrawn are more or less unique sculpts. RFT and Antilles are pretty close to each other. So the remaining 7 are rehashs of existing. Holo Leia is just a vintage Leia. Sandtrooper is slight mod to Stormtrooper. Wedge and Bigss are X-Wing Luke with new heads. The astromech is just R2 with a new head. Motti is just imperial officer with a new head. ST Han is just ST Luke with a new head. Not as ambitious as he makes it out to be. SS has put out a ton of product in the same timeframe. Granted, a lot of his stuff is vintage replicas or based off of R2, C-3PO, or Death Star Droid. However, he made Garindan, Slave Leia, Oola, and RFT which are all new sculpts. That is four new sculpts right there compared to the six new sculpts in the 13. I believe his Fetts are also a new mold compared to the vintage one. He also made the speeder and Bantha and got them out to customers.
At this point the excuses are pretty lame and don't hold water. Even if this "factory" completes some sort of Bantha. I doubt they see the light of day. Krahn is done shipping out anything else at this point.
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Chris Smith
Chris Krahn
Christopher Lynch
Is like every guy involved in this named Chris? Are you sure it's not just one guy with multiple personalities, Moon Knight style?
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I've asked myself the same thing.
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Our GPS Flight Ops team has more guys named Josh than women. I an almost certain the Lockheed/Martin hiring process is:
LM: "Hi, what's your name?"
Dude in for the interview: "My names Josh --"
LM: "You're hired!"
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I've never bought from Stan Solo or any of the 3rd party companies, but with Stan Solo's pre-order for the Tonnika sisters happening, and the fact that Hasbro probably won't ever make these, I think I'm going to pull the trigger.
What are people's recommendation on the best way and time to get these? Just pre-order them from the UK (42 pounds each) and pay shipping, or try and buy them elsewhere?
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There is a US site where he bulk ships to a guy who sells them in the states. You can save money that way. I usually wait for him to get them, but with the Tonnika Sisters I just ordered through the UK site. Often when you do that it still gets bulk shipped and then mailed domestically. But at least I have a preorder in that way.
https://stansolocreationsusa.com/
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Just a note, even if you preorder in UK and live in US, you will be charged the UK shipping rate, but the item will ship from the US. That being said, I have begun preordering some stuff in the UK. I've held off on the last few minus the Tonnika sisters because I'm beginning the process of moving and didn't want to rock the boat with an address change mid preorder, which I might still have to do. Greedo is shipping. However the first couple shipments have been solely preorders. It has not gone up on the US site yet as in stock. I have waited on that one, Degobah Luke, and removable helmet Vader. However, I should close this Friday and might preorder the latter two once I have the new address. Old house isn't on the market yet at this point, but these preorders are just unpredictable with shipping dates.
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Greedo is up on the US site. Just ordered one…
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I don't know why other than Kenner Greedo is Greedo to me, but I have had no interest in the Stan Solo version at all. I even tried to psyche myself up as it could be Beedo from Jabba's Palace instead since it looks more modern than 79 Greedo, but to no avail.
Last year I felt the same way about his updated Fetts, but I eventually did get the ROTJ version by justifying it as a POTF figure. The ESB version I just could not justify.
Weird the philosophical avenues this hobby can take you down.
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I kind of feel the same way about the "Next 17" line of figures. I like the characters they are making, but the aesthetic seems just a little off for me to want to buy them. I have a Greedo on the way. I love the original vintage version, but I had to see how this compares. The upcoming Degobah Luke looks really good. The face looks like vintage Luke, but with messy hair.
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That’s where I’m at. The Last 17 don’t quite fit the bill to me, but basically everything Chris Smith had done I love.
I also like the vast majority of what Pro Custom Figures does, although I don’t think they’re quite as perfect a match to the original line as Stan Solo.
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Agreed as well. Stan Solo > Pro Customs > Next 17. Chris Smith almost looks like he is starting his sculpts with Kenner figures and building off of that, if that makes sense.
This last week has seen a bounty of 3D print files for 5POA style figures based on the Ahsoka series. Not professionally produced of course, but it seems a sea change has occurred. Not only are fans jumping in to do it, but it happens fast and seems obvious. This whole new wing of action figure collecting is really threatening to become a large part of the hobby in multiple ways.
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Stan Solo has his R4-M9 up for preorder. His FB post says this and the next item he offers may be it for him. Also said he would be making this one in lower quantities. Not sure if this is just his typical rants or not.
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His recent Instagram post says he’s got a redone r-series mold and is doing R3-T2.
He also said he was quitting before announcing movie accurate Greedo, removable helmet Darth Vader, Bespin Luke, Tonnika Sisters, and both of those droids
Someday he will I suppose, but I’ll believe it when I see it.
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Krahn is holding on. TFSB website has been stipped to bare bones with only an update screen and nothing about any product at all. His update is the typical BS that the Bantha isn't his fault, they are only a third company payment processor and that the place in Texas he "paid" to create the Banthas are at fault. Completely silly since he stated making these things in China. He also states that there will be an upcoming update on the wave of 13. I can't believe he is actually still trying to save face on all of this.
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The third party payment processor part is the most infuriating bull**** part of all of this.
Apple hires Foxconn to make their phones but I’m not in any kind of contract with Foxconn.
Fact is he designed (or Smith did) the Bantha, and he took my payment. It is 100% his problem to find the right vendors to produce that product and the idea that he can wash his hands of responsibility with such nonsense is maddening.
One of his primary responsibilities is to charge enough to be able to afford a reputable factory that can actually deliver, and if his claims along the way have been true, then he’s completely failed to do that.
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Separately, I got a shipping notice for Bondo and Chituhr today. Can’t wait to complete the set.
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:)
(https://i.imgur.com/E1d72gt.jpg)
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I've been sorely tempted by these 2nd wave Ewoks figures, but $80 each is a lot of scratch. They do look great, though.
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It was definitely pricey, but I absolutely love that I can finally have my own version of this one-of-a-kind collection. $80 is a lot, but nearly every real figure from those lines was significantly more, so it's not terrible.
(https://i.imgur.com/ZtOw2T8.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/EDYugPC.jpg)
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TFSB webpage has now expired. Not that big of a shock, but I guess that finally ends things.
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Yeah no surprise, but he’s a thief and a liar and hopefully never shows up again.
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And the page is back, with a promised update coming soon.
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Gotta say, THAT is the biggest surprise over the last four years of this mess.