Edition sizes on figures and their popularity

Some of these things surpise me.

Between the 2 Leia Boushhes, there was an eition size of 9000 total figures. And considering that some people got more than one (I know there are at least one of me), and the regular version is still available, that makes the popularity on that figure pretty low. I wonder how many are left.

But then, I assume that Sideshow makes extras for replacements and promos. And this figure didn't seem (to me) to get a real big quality issue turnover. So I wonder if they had considerably more than 9000 total figures or if the edition size was larger because they had so few returns and put those extras up in the regular edition size.

That idea may also account for such a large Ex. edition size (2500 pieces).

But they usually post the edition size before they know if there will be a big replacement turnover, don't they? For example, most of the current pieces on pre-order have not shipped yet, but we know the ESes.

And then there are the Stormtroopers. I anticipated that these would be HUGELY popular. And that thought seemed to be supported at CC when they offered 2 of the ex., mixed with the fact that Sideshow stated that they would be making allowances for troop-building, I figured they made a BOATLOAD of them. And when they had to cut back on the 2=per allowance on the ex., I figured they made a boatlod of them, but the demand may have warrented 2 boatloads. Then when the reg. went up and there was a lot of popularity with this figure, I thought there must have been 20,000 made.

Imagine my surprise to see the Edition Size at a total of 7500 pieces, and it took a while to sell through those.

I do presume that the Medicom release largely hurt the Sideshow one. But I don't know that to be the truth. It is just supposition. And Sideshow DID sell through the 7500. Which indicates a continued desire by the collectors for the figure. But I still thought it would be a much higher-demanded figure.

It also surprises me that Leia Boushh got a larger ES than the trooper at all. But that can be chalked up to testing the demand for different "tiers" of characters early in the line. Leia Boushh was relatively early in the line.

Anyway...just a few thoughts that I had on the subject.

There is definitely signs of slowing down in sales for the 1/6th scale items.

Sideshow would need to make drastic changes/improvements to revitalize this line. Maybe adding more diversity like including Droids or improvement in the likeness of head sculpts would help?

I feel that the core group of collectors can safely maintain an average sales of about 3000.

I am one that would buy everything except for EU.

I think they have been holding back the good stuff for far too long. Finally, we're getting Vader and some real troopers, but you still have Yakface, Hammerhead, Lando...

I have noticed a surge in the number of Medicom Stormtroopers on ebay since the SS Stormtrooper became available for pre-order. I think Sideshow could make some serious bucks with armored troops if they can get them to market quick. Ride the coattails of Medicom and come out with some specialized clones like ARC and BARC troopers or Galactic Marines. Talk about one upmanship. Who would seriously shell out $140 for a repainted AOTC clone commander when they can get a SS ARC Trooper for $80 or $90?

IMO they should focus on the Clone Wars and beat the competition with a better (or cooler) figure at a cheaper price.

I think you answered your own question. The Boushh didn't sell as well as projected. At 9000+ that's a lot to expect. This is still apparent as they're still available and even on giftcard status. Seeing this, any business would cut their production run appropriately. It's better, business-wise, to sell out, than to get stuck with product that doesn't really move.

That aside, I was surprised too as the Stormtroopers should've had a considerably higher edition size than they got. Despite the fact that Boushh was a bit crippling, she/he lacks the overall appeal and necessity of the Stormtroopers to the Star Wars universe. They were a guaranteed force multiplier as far as sales were concerned. Could we have had Star Wars without Boushh? Most definitely. Could we have had Star Wars without Stormtroopers? Yes, but then it would've been... I dunno... Star Trek?

The trouble Sideshow faces for ES numbers also lies in their ordering policies. Sideshow allows hastle-free, non-penalized cancellation of orders. I think they usually base their regular edition sizes on demand. If people place orders with little intent on following through, or place the order cuz it's months in advance and then shipping comes and they can't spend the cash or whatever, then SSC's stuck with extras.

I think current edition sizes on their figures reflect a balance between expected demand and protecting themselves from excess inventory.

Perhaps they should adopt the Hot Toys policy of not having published ES numbers, and be prepared to do seconds runs of figures if demand exceeds the initially projected numbers. Hot Toys had high demand for their first 2 Dark Knight figures and have done a second production batch. I think not having ES numbers on 1/6 figures is a better way to go for collectors and manufacturers. Usually, anyone that wants a Hot Toys piece gets it, and it doesn't seem like there's excess product floating around ever. ES numbers should be reserved for high end stuff like statues, dios, etc.

MaulFan said:

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Perhaps they should adopt the Hot Toys policy of not having published ES numbers, and be prepared to do seconds runs of figures if demand exceeds the initially projected numbers. Hot Toys had high demand for their first 2 Dark Knight figures and have done a second production batch. I think not having ES numbers on 1/6 figures is a better way to go for collectors and manufacturers. Usually, anyone that wants a Hot Toys piece gets it, and it doesn't seem like there's excess product floating around ever. ES numbers should be reserved for high end stuff like statues, dios, etc.

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I don't agree. The more limited, the better. The chase for a limited 12" is part of the game. Having something that not everybody has, is part of the game. Now you can argue about the 'essence' of 12" figures: are they toys, or are they collectibles? But paying between $80 to $100 for a SSC 12", and $150 to $175 for Medicom and Hot Toys 12" figures (at the time of release mind you) qualifies them more for 'collectibles' than 'toys' in my understanding. I bet most of you wouldn't buy high end (sorry for this therm...) 12" figures for your 10 year olds to play with, would you?

Anyway. I scored a Medicom 'Ken the survivor' summer fest exclusive (LE 600), and a Medicom Ichi the Killer 12" anime appearance recently. Only people that would want to have those in their collection, know what it is like...

SW is almost considered a joke now since Lucas ruined the franchise, I think that will also effect the collectors market. SS editions for PF's are way too high, its like when SSW LOTR line was ending. All the statues were on ebay for dirt cheap. Bad sign.

MaulFan said:

Perhaps they should adopt the Hot Toys policy of not having published ES numbers, and be prepared to do seconds runs of figures if demand exceeds the initially projected numbers. Hot Toys had high demand for their first 2 Dark Knight figures and have done a second production batch. I think not having ES numbers on 1/6 figures is a better way to go for collectors and manufacturers. Usually, anyone that wants a Hot Toys piece gets it, and it doesn't seem like there's excess product floating around ever. ES numbers should be reserved for high end stuff like statues, dios, etc.

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As Alice stated, I don't agree either. This would absolutely not benefit the collectors other than those that are unable to score the items. Anyone who's purchased a nice and rare item, or scored one at a Con, would no longer have that opportunity. And let's face it. The chase is half the fun!

NASEDO said:

SW is almost considered a joke now since Lucas ruined the franchise, I think that will also effect the collectors market. SS editions for PF's are way too high, its like when SSW LOTR line was ending. All the statues were on ebay for dirt cheap. Bad sign.

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A joke to who? How, exactly, did Lucas ruin the franchise? That's an opinion, YOUR opinion. You don't offer any proof. There are thousands of people, probably millions worldwide, who'd beg to differ with you. The Celebrations just keep growing in numbers. The new toy releases are selling extremely well. The collector's market fluctuates all the time. I've seen SS's 1:6 Jedi Luke (reg version) go for as little as $30 and as high as $300 in just the past year alone. Look at the price of any vintage action figures. They're providing a fortune that enables anybody who kept them in the packages enough cash to purchase a house in Malibu. As for the statues, I really don't consider $240ish "dirt cheap," as most retail for around that price anyway, and haven't seen any on ebay for less.

They should get rid of edition sizes, why bother having them. Hot Toys doesn't have them and look at how much elder predator 2 and some of the space marines cost. It doesn't seem to make a difference.

Besides, these are just toys we're buying not picasso paintings for Christ sake. Its only rare if they make only 1 as far as I'm concerned.

Dutch said:

Besides, these are just toys we're buying not picasso paintings for Christ sake

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Picasso? whats so good about his paintings?
I'd rather buy a Star Wars PF than a Picasso painting.

Dutch said:

They should get rid of edition sizes, why bother having them. Hot Toys doesn't have them and look at how much elder predator 2 and some of the space marines cost. It doesn't seem to make a difference.

Besides, these are just toys we're buying not picasso paintings for Christ sake. Its only rare if they make only 1 as far as I'm concerned.

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That, my friend, is a buttload of crap. If Hot Toys doesn't have edition sizes, why is it that we can no longer buy any of the AVP predators like the Chopper Predator, Elder Predator or Celtic Predator from regular vendors? What about the Predator 2 Predator & Battle Damaged version? We can't find them either. Nor can we find Hot Toys' Superman Returns Superman or the original Batman (not the resculpt of the original for Dark Knight). And they say "OUT OF STOCK" on Hot Toys' website. The only chance is paying out the @$$ on ebaY at 2x what they cost retail. The fact that they consistently sell for $200+ tells me that there's still a HUGE market for them. It also tells me, guess what? Hot Toys HAS edition sizes, they just don't announce them to the public.

Dutch said:

Besides, these are just toys we're buying

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Are you saying that Sideshow and Hot Toys COLLECTIBLE items are toys?

Hot Toys re-release stuff all the time, they re-released Applseed figures, they re-released the first edition of Wolf Pred.

They can re-release anything anytime they feel like.

Dutch said:

Hot Toys re-release stuff all the time, they re-released Applseed figures, they re-released the first edition of Wolf Pred.

They can re-release anything anytime they feel like.

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Bah, that's a cop out effort and proves nothing. Releasing an item that's been modified or resculpted isn't a re-release. It's not quite the same as the original which means that it's a NEW release and even has a new product number. And don't mistake a U.S. edition for a re-release. All that means is they put aside some for the U.S. market. Re-release tells me they had more produced at the factory. I don't see that being the case. Again, what about any of the products I mentioned earlier? None of that has been "re-released." This means that production on them was stopped and that there are, in fact, edition sizes.

Are you saying that Sideshow and Hot Toys COLLECTIBLE items are toys?

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They are to me. All be it, expensive ones.

I'm not one to care about edition sizes though. Though some people seem to get their thrills by the whole edition size gimmick.

Whatever floats your boat I guess.

Bah, that's a cop out effort and proves nothing. Releasing an item that's been modified or resculpted isn't a re-release. It's not quite the same as the original which means that it's a NEW release.

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I would expect them to re-release the AVP Preds at some stage, with improvements re-sculpt wireless dreads etc, then every one will have to buy the new one to have the best version of the AVP preds, thats what toy companies do.

thenammagazine said:

As Alice stated, I don't agree either. This would absolutely not benefit the collectors other than those that are unable to score the items. Anyone who's purchased a nice and rare item, or scored one at a Con, would no longer have that opportunity. And let's face it. The chase is half the fun!

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I don't agree with Alice.

If I like the character/figure, I'll get it. Limiting the figure isn't going to make be buy it if I don't. Buy what you like. What fun is it to collect something cause it is "limited" if it is something you wouldn't get if it wasn't?

The exclusive can be the "must have cause it limited" chase and the regular's edition size can be left unknown.

EVILFACE said:

I don't agree with Alice.

If I like the character/figure, I'll get it. Limiting the figure isn't going to make be buy it if I don't. Buy what you like. What fun is it to collect something cause it is "limited" if it is something you wouldn't get if it wasn't?

The exclusive can be the "must have cause it limited" chase and the regular's edition size can be left unknown.

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It's not about that. If you buy a figure just because it's a limited edition, you're most likely purchasing it for the monetary value vs. the collector value. We're not talking about a monetary value. Sometimes, when looking at one of those hard to score collectibles in your collection, it jogs a fond memory about how hard you really had to work to get it. Knowing that few others have the same item, also adds a bit to it's sentimental value and makes the item that much more special. Sure the people who miss out on getting the "exclusive" will always whine and say there shouldn't be a production limit. If it was that important to them, they'd make arrangements to get one. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. But that's part of life.

EDIT:

Dutch said:

I would expect them to re-release the AVP Preds at some stage, with improvements re-sculpt wireless dreads etc, then every one will have to buy the new one to have the best version of the AVP preds, thats what toy companies do.

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Really? Hasbro's 3 3/4" Star Wars aside, I think that's more rare than common. And again, a resculpt doesn't mean a re-release. A re-sculpt means a new product even if it uses some old parts. To be a re-release, I'd say it has to be identical to the original. By your rational, there were only ever 3 He-Man figures. The rest were just mixed up re-releases of the first 3.

Ok, you got me