I'm back, but most likely briefly, haha...

Thanks for the post Jeff.

REviewing Veers just was another 2006 figure that reinforced my opinion that we're getting shafted on poseable figures once again.  The real irritating thing with Veers for me though, is that he has boot articulation for no reason but no knee joints.  Much like the upcoming SOra Bulq review, it's a case of Hasbro articulating points ona figure that reallly are unnecessary at best, and shorting a point of articulation on the figure that is everything towards making it a fun toy...

Veers took an idea customizers were running with years ago; removable armor on the good General, and they ran with it...  Unfortunately they didn't run far enough in my opinion.

A lacking back ont he armor was the first flaw...  The second was a cheap-out on their part by not including a removable hat.  This causes the helmet to bow out on every Veers I have seen with its helmet on and that's just a poor functioning idea...  It wasn't even creative, it was cheap, and the figure suffers from it.

Beyond that though, the figure's height is odd when mixed in with other figures, towering over "average height" characters like Han Solo or Stormtroopers...  Throw in the half-assed articulation (and lack of, once again, Knee articulation), and this figure isn't all roses by a long shot.

Had Hasbro actually done things right and just nicely sculpted and articulated the sculpt, they'd have the PERFECT base with which to have re-released the same sculpt with a JerJerrod head, Death Star Trooper head, Generic Black Uniformed Officer (ANH), etc., etc...

Save some cash the smart way AND make a figure people can love to buy...  The articulation is lame once more though, and from there the figure's little individual flaws just shine...  A close second for me is the complete lack of the back of the amror.  I'm sorry, but that looks like pure **** to me to put it quite bluntly. 

The height alone is going to keep me from even buying Veers for customizing...  Best I'd get is a 2nd for parts reproduction, but if I'm careful with my one I won't even need to do that.  I'm pretty unimpressed with this figure...  Let's hope the Hoth Wave goes out on a good note and the Geonosis Wave is an improvement...  Though I got Scorch this past weekend and I can't say I'm hopeful on this.

Paul, nicely done man, nicely done...  Thanks for sharing these amazing photos.

Damn Paul, those are the biggies for me...  And wouldn't you know that all my WM's are suddenly loaded with other waves.  Just my F'n luck.

Those figures look gorgeous, did you see the trenchcoated US Rifleman?  I LOVE that figure.  I need dozens of just that guy.

I'm almost tempted to get Fett just to cast the head and give the gun to my Fett VOTC figure...  Almost.

$15 is way too much so I'll hope someone casts those parts...  The head looked a lot better in shots I saw recently though with all the scars and stuff.

I'm down for Bossk and IG-88 at this point though, they look pretty nice...  I'd sworn these off but now I gotta get at least those two.

Anton, I saw you mention that subject "elsewhere" too... 

The supposed "retail experts" at that dump though, I have found anyway, to be talking completely out their ******** about what they THINK they know about retail costs/prices.

For instance, I worked for JC Penney's around 98/99 and saw some costs on things via their catalogue department...  Figures cost a fraction to JC Penney's of what they charged, and their retail prices were comparable to Target/TRU at the time + shipping...  So I'd imagine that Target and TRU were probably getting even better prices out of Hasbro and still charging about what Penney's catalogue charged.  Especially because JCP wasn't a major buyer of these products and didn't carry them all year, or even carry point-of-sale items you could just pick up off the shelf.  I was friends with a guy at TRU corporate at the time and we'd compare crap routinely and basically TRU blew JCP's margins on the same items out of the water but that was to be expected due to the relationships the two companies had with Hasbro... 

JCP had enough leeway with figure costs to cut the price by like 50% and still profit off the figure.  It was generally set that you could use coupons and incentives from the store or the catalogue, and JCP still made a lot of money.  It was rare anything at all in the store was even clearanced to the point that something wasn't made financially off the item. 

Now, I can't imagine that, between 1999 and 2006, that all of a sudden figures have just jumped in their margins for the manufacturer and the retailer to the point that the item's price can barely be fudged to where anyone's profiting.  Total BS...

What I think Newforce does is give the best they can to be competitive while making the best they can while being competitive.  I think EE's like Jeff said, that to an extent it's maybe some overhead issues but also that they probably consider themselves "premiere" on some level, which they are recognized for certain, so they can get away with that...  They also maybe know that NewForce just doesn't do the same volume they do, and that they'll pick up those thousands of other sales that the limited NFC doesn't pick up (for whatever reason).

I have no doubt that Star Wars figures make retailers and Hasbro quite happy when they do well...  like right now.  I'm also quite sure these figures profit even when they're on sale, so I'm just glad to see New Force doing something for the fans by pricing stuff well...  I'm sure that with their relatively small size that competing with Wal-Mart was a stretch for them, but still profitable or they wouldn't have done it (like you said).

Thusly, I have my order in there...  I'm pondering a 2nd case from Rick even.  I just hope I get my stuff is all.  I haven't ordered for a while from there.

Brent hooked up my Wookiee army a bit more recently with two new furballs.

I appreciate the help from Brent and his fast shipping and easy communications.  Another great trade in the books!

She has 'em Anton.    That's one of my pro's to her actually.  One of the reasons she got a positive review from me over a negative.  To me knee joints are not expendable in this day and age...  Even on lowly generals and officers that arne't "interesting" too much.  The knee joint makes them a better toy, and so goes Leia as well.  She's the best of the wave.

Her right forearm's sculpt is my complaint.  It's so pre-posed it negates the positives of articulation almost completely. 

But yeah she's gots the knees...  I love the sculpt too, it's so superior to its predecessor.  The helmet's oversized look is spot-on.

Yeah it's a pretty good deal really.  Jim, if your area happens to have any WOokiee Heavy Gunner figs on a 2-pack I'd be in to picking a couple up off you.  They were non-existant out here, as were the 501st Clone.