Sideshow, this is why you should do accessory headpacks

Would you buy accessory heads with improved likeness and scene specific expressions?

Sideshow,

Ok, we know your policy is to never revisit the same figure again. This keeps the collectors happy and it's great! But have you thought about selling extra heads? Not all of us want blank expressions. Each character had a range of emotions. Han solo pointing his finger strangely comes to mind. Jedi Luke's defiant stare down at the emperor when he says he's a Jedi like his father before him. Bespin Luke's expression when he first lights his saber against Vader in the carbon freeze chamber. Qui-gon's hair when it's flowing *clears throat* infront of the shoulders. Different expressions really give the figures more personality and they become even more interesting 1/6 display pieces that tell a specific part of a story. Yes, neutral heads are good for maximum posing. But these optional head packs would open up a whole new dimension of display opportunities for your longterm repeat customers and new customers.

What's the benefit of accessory headpacks?

How about those second chance figures sitting in your warehouse? Make a fresh new sculpt with improved likeness and watch them fly off the shelves. You see, the clothing and accessories will still only be available from the original figure. So, if the new sculpts are an improvement in likeness with good expressions, the original figures will become hot commodities. Ebay prices will rebound. Long time customers will feel good from this and continue to collect. New collectors will see these great new sculpts, see the rising ebay values, and jump in. By offering additional headsculpts for older figures, you will be able to make revenue off the same figure twice. If the sculpts are Trevor quality good, people will be begging you to charge their credit cards six ways from Sunday.

Bespin Han Exclusive is currently going for $25 on ebay. Pitiful, I know. Not only does this lose confidence of collectors, it hurts your company's image. Why would people want to pay you your asking price when they can wait for low ebay prices? We must admit that you will gain more customers and more completists when your products retain their value. Right now, your regular edition sales are slowing because the ebay prices have tanked. $25...yikes. Pay Trevor to make a few scene specific expressions and you may need to add a zero to that number.

Those new headpacks will goin to burn a huuuge hole in my wallet, but great idea there Justin

The only downside is the head sculpts are expensive. I'm sure a great majority of the price of a licensed figure is in the figure's head sculpt likeness. For the price, they might as well make another figure I'm sure. But a great idea in theory.

If they could sell them for around $10-20 though, I could see it happening.

Yeah, $20-30 would be a great price.

JustinLuck said:

How about those second chance figures sitting in your warehouse? Make a fresh new sculpt with improved likeness and watch them fly off the shelves.

Click to expand...

As cool as an idea as this is, it is not without its problems. For one thing, there's no way to easily swap heads on most Sideshow figures. They could come up with something for new figures of course, but not the older ones you're talking about here. And I doubt that the expense involved in commissioning and selling one or more new heads would be worth it. As someone mentioned, the main cost in making these figures is likely the head sculpt. The bodies are all reused and so are many of the accessories in many cases. There are a number of cases where Sideshow didn't use extra heads when the figures were screaming for it (battle damaged Terminators for example) so I think the odds of them making a "slightly sterner looking Han" or a "smirking Luke" are relatively low.

Let's see, Bespin Han Exclusive is currently going for $25 on ebay. Pitiful, I know.

Click to expand...

That's not entirely true. I see the one auction that you're probably referring to, but I think that was a fluke. (For one thing, it was open and had a broken belt.) I've actually been tracking the exclusive Han for a while and I've never seen one go anywhere near that low. The non-exclusive, possibly, but even those usually go for a little more. (And no, this wasn't a result of the new Han's announcement, since the auction in question ended well before that.) I do think that the low prices for Sideshow figures on the secondary market are a potential problem, though.

I don't like removing my heads...lol)

They seem delicate, and if I broke my fig, i'd be very sad...

HOWEVER...I do think head packs would make the figs sell like hot cakes...

Its actually easy to remove a figures head, you just have to heat it up first. But, if you try to remove at room temperature you'll probably destroy the neck.

For some characters I'd buy head and accessory packs... I think it could be a viable idea for Sideshow to do.

Sideshow definitely needs to design a new body with an easier head swap. But the current style can be switched rather quickly if you know what to do. Like galatiboy mentioned, all you need to do is either place the head in warm water or use a hair dryer while slowing rotating the body so the hair dryer heats all sides of the neck. The neck material will become very pliable and the head will come off with ease.

I want some head!

JustinLuck said:

Sideshow definitely needs to design a new body with an easier head swap. But the current style can be switched rather quickly if you know what to do. Like galatiboy mentioned, all you need to do is either place the head in warm water or use a hair dryer while slowing rotating the body so the hair dryer heats all sides of the neck. The neck material will become very pliable and the head will come off with ease.

Click to expand...

That's true, and I've done it a number of times. But you can't build a business of selling extra heads if the customer has to go through all of that just to swap them.

Head pack, yeah I'd buy it. A 10 pack of DL-44s or Stormtroopers blasters, SOLD!

JustinLuck said:

Sideshow definitely needs to design a new body with an easier head swap.

Click to expand...

Like on, say, the Hot Toys body? ;D

I wonder wht the head/neck will be like on Sam and Frodo.

metaphorge said:

I wonder wht the head/neck will be like on Sam and Frodo.

Click to expand...

Like Hot Toys, you can see the joint here:

What's with that blue stuff under his chin?

That's the prototype and I think that's where the paint is wearing off. A production piece wouldn't be vulnerable to that.

Darklord Dave said:

That's the prototype and I think that's where the paint is wearing off. A production piece wouldn't be vulnerable to that.

Click to expand...

Exactly... it's just paint ruboff. You get that on necks like that if they are not sealed all that nicely. And with a proto, the plastic underneath was probably gray or something nuetral like that.

As for "Head packs" I would be down for that for sure. I would absolutely love different versions of the the characters and it would make for some very fun customs if you got extras.

The Frodo neckline looks great. I'm thinking they can still maintain sculpting neck features. Just give the artist a base neck to work on. The unique features like adams apples can be sculpted on and the piece can still snap into the head.

To reiterate, Sideshow does need to worry about getting the secondary market up to par if they want to charge higher prices. Otherwise, more and more people are going to wait to buy these figures on ebay. As this happens, Sideshow sales will continue slow until the line isn't profitable even at the higher price points because so few people will buy direct or even through retail. Sideshow can fix this by renewing interest in their old figures by releasing headsculpts with improved likenesses and expressions that better fit the characters.

To get around the head compatibility, I would combine the headsculpt sales with a new body like Hot Toys does. This way, there is an adapter for the old head and the new one.

MaulFan said:

Like Hot Toys, you can see the joint here:

Click to expand...

Where is this guy already? Augh, this is starting to remind me of that wait for Faramir--I don't want to go through that torture again! Must ... have ... Frodo ... NOW!!!

those are really good. i like the nazi and bishop.. incredible.