Agree 100%. Lack of updates and time between releases was a big factor in the LOTR line from SST failing. This is pretty much the only line I am collecting right now. I'm pretty excited by the SST Marvel line though.
Asmus Toys : Aragorn thread
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Bad sculpt paintwork killed the Sideshow LOTR line more than anything. The long waits inbetween just made the disappointment that much worse, so much s many just bailed.
If they gave us a bad figure every month, the line would still die.
If Asmus can give us good figures for decent prices I think the line can survive a little impatience. Because you'll come back once something is revealed.
If they gave us a bad figure every month, the line would still die.
If Asmus can give us good figures for decent prices I think the line can survive a little impatience. Because you'll come back once something is revealed.
We are 3 figures in and still having body issues. A promised new body to replace the Witch Kings that never happened. 2 of the 3 are on the high end of being decent priced. An Aragorn headsculpt that was pretty far off. Still not positive on Gandalf as for some strange reason we haven't seen a full reveal. Throw in what I already said about lack of updates. Collectors will only put up with so much.
The body is an aggravation and it will indeed get worse, especially on more popular characters and ones that Asmus will be charging a premium for. That simply has to be solved. And the worse thing they can do is make hollow promises of "replacement bodies". That promise I believe will still bite them in the ass one day.
But in all honesty, most high-priced Sideshow figures have body replacements by customers. They ***** and still buy.
But... If Asmus delivers a great Aragorn lets say, or a Legolas, and the only issue is a weak body that costs about $25 to replace, I think most people will still jump in. I don't think most fans will pass on a great headsculpt and outfit just because the body is floppy. Finding good heads of your favorite characters (that don't cost an additional $150 to have painted) is 50%-75% of making your figure work.
But in all honesty, most high-priced Sideshow figures have body replacements by customers. They ***** and still buy.
But... If Asmus delivers a great Aragorn lets say, or a Legolas, and the only issue is a weak body that costs about $25 to replace, I think most people will still jump in. I don't think most fans will pass on a great headsculpt and outfit just because the body is floppy. Finding good heads of your favorite characters (that don't cost an additional $150 to have painted) is 50%-75% of making your figure work.
This may be a crazy solution, but if they can't figure out the body, I'd almost prefer they just skip the body entirely and just send us heads and outfits. I'm buying replacement bodies anyway! 
If they could save money on the packaging and reduce the price for us (which goes toward the body) I'd be all for it. This type of thing has always been suggested by fans and yet no one has ever done it. Wonder why? Selling these as "kits" could easily work. Think about the "orc builder" kits you could make...
Promising ...
Can't really tell anything from that angle. Looks like Eowyn in the background though.
Oh I get it, they have to hide the face because it will be as far off as Gandalf's.
Darklord Dave
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Huh? That's not true at all. It was lack of interest in the property by 1/6 collectors.
Travis Baumann
Super Freak
I am not entirely sure I agree with that. My lack of interest in the line was due to the faces looking so poor. I nearly bought a few them multiple times over at conventions but every time I looked at their head sculpts I talked myself out of it. I really wanted Aaragorn, Legolas, and Gandalf and out of those only Gandalf looked close to a good figure... same thing that has kept me from buying most of the human Jedi line from SSC. Only now are they starting to do descent human sculpts and paint jobs.
kl241
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Yeah BECAUSE of long waits in between releases and bad paintwork and no Gimli. SSC killed this line the same way they killed Joe. They just didn't care.
Yea I'm going to have to disagree with your statement as well DD. I remember there being a lot of excitement for the LOTR. Aragorn being so much different then the prototype put a damper on that excitement real quick. Different mis-steps along the way doomed the line.
I think there were a lot of reasons. One was the bad paint but other factors were the line slowed waaaay down after the 1st 3 figures, the creeping up of prices plus the movies ended and people started to move on. There was a real long gap in between the Faramir pre-order and the hobbit pre-order. A long, long time which also included the delivery of Faramir with his oh so great paint job. When you had Faramir in hand and saw the pre-order price of the hobbits being around $15/$20 higher each than the price you paid for Faramir that was a big punch in the gut to a lot of people and to top it off when Gandalf was put on pre-order among all the new of Sideshows new body they went and put him on the old buck (good choice by them overall but at the time no one had a pro in hand to know that).
If Sideshow had produced figures at a quicker pace with better paint apps I think we would have probably seen the line produce more figures but it probably would have ended within a year of when Sideshow originally called it quits. Lord of the Rings is my favorite property but lets face it a lot of collectors move on to the next big thing once the newness wears off and a new line is announced. There is a reason Hot Toys bails on most lines after a few releases. Star Wars, Marvel, Batman and Aliens/Predator/Terminator seem to be like evergreens but most lines are not.
If Sideshow had produced figures at a quicker pace with better paint apps I think we would have probably seen the line produce more figures but it probably would have ended within a year of when Sideshow originally called it quits. Lord of the Rings is my favorite property but lets face it a lot of collectors move on to the next big thing once the newness wears off and a new line is announced. There is a reason Hot Toys bails on most lines after a few releases. Star Wars, Marvel, Batman and Aliens/Predator/Terminator seem to be like evergreens but most lines are not.
I agree wholeheartedly.I would also add that, while LOTR fans are legion, we are perhaps more widely spread out age-wise. (What with the books being around for many generations before the movies hit.) As a result, there may not have been quite as many fans in that "collector hot zone" age bracket -- i.e., kids raised on Kenner and Star Wars -- who seem to make up a large chunk of the collector market. So LOTR fans may not be as widely prone to collecting as other fan bases.
Just a pet theory of mine.
Have you guys seen this on asmus's facebook? It's just titled, "hair". I'm assuming it's Aragorn. Looks quite good though.
Also, if you look in the back, its blurry, but you can make out what looks like a female head sculpt and possibly a leg of amour?
Also, if you look in the back, its blurry, but you can make out what looks like a female head sculpt and possibly a leg of amour?
starscream0
Super Freak
The side profile looks amazing but one thing bothers me. The hair looks very high on the head. Look at the distance between his eyebrow line and the top of his head. It makes me think the forehead still needs a major adjustment
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