Just thought of something re: Old Ben 12" Packaging

If he happens to ship after the New Year, does that mean we might not have to get him in the crappy 30th Anniversary packaging?

Seriously, I would SO MUCH rather have this figure with the previous (pre-LFL mucked with) packaging for the line.

At least the Palpatine 2-Pack will likely be freed from this madness.

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

I hope so. I really don't like the 30th Anniversary packaging (blah). Sideshow's package design was so much better.

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

I asked Q about whether or not the packaging would revert back to the old style or change to something new in 08 and he told me that they would continue using the anniversary stlye box next year.

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

pixletwin said:

I asked Q about whether or not the packaging would revert back to the old style or change to something new in 08 and he told me that they would continue using the anniversary stlye box next year.

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You lie!!!

The SW30 Anniversary style is so vastly inferior. :emperor

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

pixletwin said:

I asked Q about whether or not the packaging would revert back to the old style or change to something new in 08 and he told me that they would continue using the anniversary stlye box next year.

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Why did Star Wars have to be made by Lucasfilm?

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

The Ringer said:

Why did Star Wars have to be made by Lucasfilm?

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You jest, but the whole SW30 packaging dictum seriously makes me want to smack someone in LFL Licensing upside the head. Not only is it bland and uninspired, it's flat-out unnecessary. They can really be some 'tards at times.

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

IrishJedi said:

You lie!!!

The SW30 Anniversary style is so vastly inferior. :emperor

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I agree. I was pretty bumbed to hear it as well... I sort of assumed that every year we would get a new style of packaging... sadly this is not the case.

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

More 30th anniversary style packaging? That's it. I'm bailing on this line.*

*You know somebody on this forum would have said it eventually....

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

I like the old style better too! The new one is just blah!

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

pixletwin said:

I agree. I was pretty bumbed to hear it as well... I sort of assumed that every year we would get a new style of packaging... sadly this is not the case.

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I can understand not wanting to come up with something new, but why would SSC want to keep the lame Anniversary style over the awesomeness they had before?

:emperor

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

Khev said:

More 30th anniversary style packaging? That's it. I'm bailing on this line.*

*You know somebody on this forum would have said it eventually....

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Of course it's trivial (and I'm an "opener" anyway) and won't affect whether or not I will buy a product I really want. It's just the principle of the matter. SSC had what was arguably the nicest SW packaging design ever (definitely the best ever for 12" figures) and then some hoser in LFL Licensing got a wild hair up their ass and decided that all licensees had to switch to some bland new design for 2007. And while that was annoying enough, that SSC isn't switching back to what they had before makes it even worse.

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

I care more about the quality of whats in the box myself..Could care less really.(don't care if they keep using this box)

But if i must the old boxes were better.

Re: Just thought of something re: Old Ben

As a graphic designer, I can see reasons for sticking with the 30th Anniversary packaging. I believe Sideshow always cuts their figures out of the original photo background and sticks them against that generic white-to-grey background, and once that's done for the promo images, it's easy enough to drop that same image into the 30th Anniversary box template, where the old style, while better in my opinion as well, probably requires slightly more work and time for the graphics and so it's probably best for their art department to go with the anniversary design. They may also just like the look better despite what we think, or LFL could have pressed them to continue using it. It'll be interesting to see what other brands continue to use it, if Medicom and GG will still be 30th look or back to the old ways.

So you're theorizing that laziness over aesthetics is the reason behind keeping the Anniversary style? Nah. SSC cares too much about the little things for that to be the case, imho.

They either think the design is better for some insane reason, or LFL Licensing is being recalcitrant.

IrishJedi said:

So you're theorizing that laziness over aesthetics is the reason behind keeping the Anniversary style? Nah. SSC cares too much about the little things for that to be the case, imho.

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I'm not saying it's laziness, it's better business practice. The less time designers spend on one graphic, more can be done, and less hours you have to pay for work. Combine that with the fact that their 30th Anniversary boxes are still some of their better artwork, after LOTR, and possible input from LFL and I think that whole package is why we will, if it really happens, see the 30th style continue past the anniversary year. It could also be because they were announced in the anniversary year, so new packaging won't come up until the first announced figure of 2008, maybe they have to keep the look for anniversary POs.

IrishJedi said:

They either think the design is better for some insane reason, or LFL Licensing is being racalcitrant.

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The latter would be my guess.

Mine too.

Well if LFL is pushing it, my guess would be they don't feel like dealing with new samples from these companies because they're lazy, or there's something we don't know about the relationship between LFL and the artist that came up with the 30th design.

One problem is that Lucasfilm is all about Cookie Cutter Tactics these days. Just look at how they marketed the prequels. They all used the same exact steps (and how many damn times have we seen the same damn promo images from those movies reused???)

Thankfully, SSC is one of the few (if only) licensees that bucks that trend (aside from the Buck body itself of course. ) This is why I assumed they'd go back to their own previous packaging style.

Actually the 30th style has grown on me. I like both so I'm down for whatever as long as my figure kicks ass.