20
« on: August 18, 2013, 10:27 PM »
I can't do it. I just can't do it.
Last week I found the 6 inch R2. I thought he was alright, but very flawed, but I remained excited about finding the other figures. Yesterday I bought them at the Times Square TRU. I went home on the bus, and while riding, I lost some enthusiasm towards these. When I got home I opened the Sandtrooper and I just...kinda had this big pit in my stomach. I wasn't happy. I left the others boxed and did some stuff around the house. Later in the night I had decided that I really have no interest in these, and re-boxed the Sandtrooper. Then it struck me what was bothering me, re-boxing the figure was so easy because it was a collectable, and not a toy. All my life I have collected SW toys. I don't like things made specifically to collect.
While I think the sculpts on these are great, there's very little style to them. They just look "real." As an illustrator, I don't hold the ability to make something look real in high regard. I like it when an artist uses his or her own personality and puts it into something to male it great. And I also like it when technical limitations cuase sculpters to strip down a design. For instance, I like the new 5 POA figures because of their simplicity. I think they are clever and fun.
I also feel that the 6 inch figures are aiming at a market that I don't click with. These are fans and collectors who love SW, but also don't want to possibly be seen as childish for their collecting habits. They want their toys "cool." (I hope I am not offending anyone here.) It's almost as if they are ashamed that they collect toys, so they collect things that are slightly more "adult," but then, to me, they are not really toys. They are collectables. And I like toys.
I'm going to return these to TRU soon, and I feel good doing so. I was really looking forward to this line, but my love of the smaller figures, and their toy attributes is too strong.