Great googly moogely! What an update!

Rykrof: I liked him before, but I really like him now. The colors look great and the poseability is just awesome. The head even looks better than most Rykrof heads...did you do some painting on it? It just looks more alive than most of those Endor soldier heads usually look.

Wookiee: Just a repaint, but nothing wrong with that when it looks this good! Your ability to paint realistic looking fur is awesome.

Clone Sniper: GREAT weathering! I'm not sure how I feel about the headwrap...it seems a bit out of place...but still, it looks kind of cool. Is there method to your madness, some kind of military reason for it, or is this just an example of the clones distinguishing themselves a bit from one another?

Urban Commando: I really like this one, even though I see nothing wrong or out of place with the "canon" Commando armor...this guy seems like more of a rapid response type of commando...not sure why I feel that way, but that's the impression I get. The parts blend really well, and the weathering is top notch. How'd you do it?

Nute Gunray: It's gaudy, garish, and absolutely perfect for this vain coward. He needs more costumes, and this one looks amazing. Something I can easily see Nute wearing while wringing his hands over this or the other.

Hod the blind Amill: Easily my favorite of the bunch. Not only is it amazingly creative parts usage, but the paint job, especially on his skin, is easily one of your best ever. I can't stop looking at this guy, it really interests me to see what role he'll play in the photonovels. If he ever ends up in one of your customs sales, I call first dibs! 

Great update, Chewie! Your creativity reminds me of why I got into this hobby in the first place!

-DD

Hey Chewie,

I's be interested in some of those as well. Shoot me a PM.

-DD

I believe it's clear that I likened this thread to Nazi Germany, not JD in general. And the smiley face afterward is meant to indicate tongue in cheek hyperbole. 

I just basically skimmed the latest responses...I'm in the middle of a deadline so I don't have time for a blow by blow analysis...but I'll try to make peace with the ICMG boosters here. I will concede even I, who have no interest in this figure, would be more inclined to buy it if Hasbro included a pack-in like a new Ugnaught sculpt.

-DD

Wow Morgbug...that last line especially makes no sense. 

 I actually work for a comic company, so buying toys isn't all that out of the ordinary in my professional circles. And as I know a lot of people who buy and sell collections, I'm pretty secure in the knowledge that kids love strange aliens, Jedi, and especially wierd alien Jedi. As for the Solo kids, at least as Jedi, they'd have a chance of appealing to the population at large, and therefore sell more than "random human holding a port-a-potty."

As for thinking how Hasbro wants me to think, you don't know a damn thing about me. I just think that Willrow is a bad idea from a sales standpoint, and that is ultimately what matters to Hasbro. Assuming ICMG did win (which again, I don't think he will, and even if he does, I don't think he'll be produced, at least not in a regular assortment) but assuming he did, I can imagine Hasbro chalking it up to another reason not to listen to the fans. We want new ships, their philosophy is "ships don't sell." People want more Padme, their philosophy is "Padme doesn't sell." You get a ton of Willrow's sitting around and eventually they say, "Wow, fan figures don't sell." Voila, no more fan figures. And it seems once Hasbro makes it's mind up on something, it's set in stone. Just an opinion, but I guess that's not allowed.

And by the way...none of that stems from rage or anger as you seem to think it does. I don't have any animosity toward anyone who wants to vote for Willrow. Hell, except for Chewie, Jesse James and a few others on here, I don't even know you people and therefore could hardly care less in the grand scheme of things. And it certainly doesn't matter what Bill Cosby thinks about my sense of humor or lack of one.  All the anger, rage and name calling started with some of the Willrow boosters...Cosby even went so far as to call me a humorless prick. Over an action figure...AN ACTION FIGURE! Talk about humorless! The only person I even remotely insulted (until Scott tried to be clever, and even then it was tongue in cheek) was Willrow as a character. I didn't realize I was committing a mortal sin. You'd think I just drew cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. But as even you pointed out, I thought this was a DISCUSSION board, I thought it would be okay to express how underwhelming a choice I consider ol' Willrow. I guess I was wrong.

You want to vote for Willrow, hey, that's your thing. I'm sorry that dissenting opinion on your holy grail is not allowed. I think I'll move on to a thread where the cultists are a little less zealous.

-DD

Quote from: Darth Delicious on March 16, 2006, 05:30 AM

Even if he won I think Hasbro will change the results to make a figure that's actually sellable. I think the lessons of Shmi, Bail, Mon Mothma and Beru won't go to waste.

I agree the fix will be in, but interesting to note you named female action figures for the most part.  I thought it was a generally accepted truism that female figures don't sell, regardless.  I think as a truism, it's well, true.  The last of the VOTC to move around here was Leia, and I think there's still one out there at a store near me. 

Quote

And those characters had speaking parts and were actually important to the films...not just some douche who looks like a janitor running through the background.

I can only presume you apply a similar standard to the vast majority of Cantina and Jabba's Palace figures we've already had made?  Otherwise your comments are reeking a bit of hypocrisy.  If you don't like the figure, that's cool, say so.  But if your standard is that you don't want figures made because they're a douche in the background with no lines at all, why are you even bothering with this hobby.  Aren't about 70% of the figures that have been made (and remade) generally in that category?

Actually, that statement doesn't reek of hypocrisy at all. Kids very much like alien figures, so while not having speaking parts, they still have a visual interest that I think ICMG sadly lacks.

Obviously it's not a perfect analogy...Lando is very important to the saga yet his VOTC figure is still filling the shelves at TRU...but then, Lando isn't very visually interesting in that incarnation either.

But  hey...it's just a figure. Don't take it so personally. 

-DD

A sticky for the most uninteresting looking character ever. Yup, the fix is already in.

I'm not worried, though. Even if he won I think Hasbro will change the results to make a figure that's actually sellable. I think the lessons of Shmi, Bail, Mon Mothma and Beru won't go to waste. And those characters had speaking parts and were actually important to the films...not just some douche who looks like a janitor running through the background.

If we're going to have a Space Janitor made, I'm voting Roger Wilco. 

-DD

Wow. I'm going to need a little time to digest this chapter before really critiquing it. I do have a few thoughts right off though...

Although this chapter had no action, a lot happened. I like that you're laying the groundwork for the next arc. I also like that Rykrof is apparently dealing with feelings of guilt over Judiss. It's a nice human touch that adds to the realism of the characters. I have an idea about that I'll PM you about...

Everyone seemed spot on in their characterizations, although Valorum seemed a little too direct with his suspicions. After all, even though he and Rykrof have history, it doesn't seem a man in Valorum's position would speak so plainly in such dangerous times. Still, perhaps desperation is forcing Valorum's hand.

I don't think we needed to be told in the narrative that Jenessa heard every word Rykrof said. You take such wonderful pictures Chewie...sometimes you should let THEM tell the story. Placing Jenessa in the right spot in the pic with the right head position would indicate she was listening, and perhaps not be caught by some, allowing a ticking time bomb element in the story where we could look back and go "Damn! She WAS listening the whole time!"

Great use of your sets and camera angles. Really moved things along and added some drama to what was essentially a talking heads chapter. It really flowed well and didn't get bogged down at all. You're really getting good at this!

-DD

Well, I just cut the feet off my Cody, dremeled into the ankles, and gave him the feet from an SA clone. Voila...ankle articulation.

The shoulder articulation is going to be the problem...I'm entirely unsure how to go about it. But I will find a way.

Honestly, ever since I started customizing, Hasbro's screw-ups don't bother me so much. Now if only I could say the same about their pathetic distribution...

-DD