1:6 figures - as good as they look?

[Tinman2000]

The first figure I received when I entered the hobby was the Sideshow R2, which I liked at first; but after adding several HT figures to my collection it's obvious HT has the upper hand in design and quality. For the price the SS R2 is a nice addition to my robot collection but if/when HT releases an R2, I'm sure it'll far surpass SS's example.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Simple answer:

Wider selection on obscure characters with Sideshow STAR WARS figures having been at it for 10 years... but poor quality overall.

HT has the superior quality, though you will have far fewer choices when it comes to secondary or lesser characters.


If your preferrence is for troopers and/or major characters, then stick with HT.



The thread question of whether they are as good as they look is really a subjective question.

 

[sithgorilla]

Welcome Sithgorilla. To answer your question, I've found that SS figures are very much hit and miss and since moving over to Hot Toys (all of my SS stuff has gone) the gulf in quality is considerable. Some of the HT figures I have are simply jaw-dropping. The facial sculpts in particular are like nothing I've seen elsewhere. The pose-ability, outfits and accessories are generally of a quality that few if any can match. What doesn't make sense but is very much true is that HT figures always look better in the flesh. I've learnt how to pose photograph them well to make them look their best but many cameras, especially mobile phone cameras have an annoying fisheye lens effect which really detracts from how the figure actually looks. Be careful though, this is an extremely expensive and addictive thing to get into!


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I have been hearing that a lot that HT is better than SS. I have an SS Snowtrooper coming in a couple of weeks so we'll see. In a few months when some of the newer HT troopers start getting released I will pick those up.

 

[sithgorilla]

Welcome Sithgorilla. To answer your question, I've found that SS figures are very much hit and miss and since moving over to Hot Toys (all of my SS stuff has gone) the gulf in quality is considerable. Some of the HT figures I have are simply jaw-dropping. The facial sculpts in particular are like nothing I've seen elsewhere. The pose-ability, outfits and accessories are generally of a quality that few if any can match. What doesn't make sense but is very much true is that HT figures always look better in the flesh. I've learnt how to pose photograph them well to make them look their best but many cameras, especially mobile phone cameras have an annoying fisheye lens effect which really detracts from how the figure actually looks. Be careful though, this is an extremely expensive and addictive thing to get into!


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Thank you for the welcome! That seems to be the general consensus about HT. Their first order tie pilot and snowtroopers are on my radar. I'm excited to see the quality when they come out.

 

[sithgorilla]

Simple answer:

Wider selection on obscure characters with Sideshow STAR WARS figures having been at it for 10 years... but poor quality overall.

HT has the superior quality, though you will have far fewer choices when it comes to secondary or lesser characters.


If your preferrence is for troopers and/or major characters, then stick with HT.



The thread question of whether they are as good as they look is really a subjective question.

Troopers are definitely my thing. And even then only certain ones. I will say that when I look at the HT first order Snowtrooper everything from the gloss paint to the stitching of the body suit looks insane.

 

[sithgorilla]

Other than eBay, retailers rarely show a picture of the box. If it is listed as new on Amazon then it should have the original box. I looked at Amazon and there are just generic pictures that were used on Sideshow's site originally.

I checked out that site you mentioned and they actually had them in stock so I ordered one. I felt more comfortable getting it from there now that I heard you received yours and we're happy with it.

 

[sithgorilla]

The first figure I received when I entered the hobby was the Sideshow R2, which I liked at first; but after adding several HT figures to my collection it's obvious HT has the upper hand in design and quality. For the price the SS R2 is a nice addition to my robot collection but if/when HT releases an R2, I'm sure it'll far surpass SS's example.

SS must have gotten wind at some point that people think HT is better than them. It seems funny to me that SS would be the official US distributer for a company that makes an (apparently) better version of the same product than they do.

 

[fett42]

I checked out that site you mentioned and they actually had them in stock so I ordered one. I felt more comfortable getting it from there now that I heard you received yours and we're happy with it.

Awesome! I thought it was sold out right after I bought mine, but I was probably mistaken. I hope you like it when you get it. On mine the costume out of the box was a bit twisted around, but it only took a little straightening out and then it looked great. That can happen with an figure that has actual clothing though.

 

[cel3027]

Im a total noob to all of this i wanted several starwars figures to display
so i ordered r2d2 and c3po first then han and chewie pack
r2d2 arrived first although details were good i thougt it looked and felt cheap to be honest like $60-$70 max and i nearly cancelled my other orders
then han and chewie arrived in a totally different class they look great being a noob i had no idea about ss or hottoys
only ordering hottoys from now on

 

[sithgorilla]

Awesome! I thought it was sold out right after I bought mine, but I was probably mistaken. I hope you like it when you get it. On mine the costume out of the box was a bit twisted around, but it only took a little straightening out and then it looked great. That can happen with an figure that has actual clothing though.

I figure there will be some straightening out of the costume and armor. I think that will be part of the fun. Get the figure all set up for display.

 

[sithgorilla]

Im a total noob to all of this i wanted several starwars figures to display
so i ordered r2d2 and c3po first then han and chewie pack
r2d2 arrived first although details were good i thougt it looked and felt cheap to be honest like $60-$70 max and i nearly cancelled my other orders
then han and chewie arrived in a totally different class they look great being a noob i had no idea about ss or hottoys
only ordering hottoys from now on

Thank you for sharing your experience. Bummer to hear about the R2, but I'm glad the Han and Chewie turned out better for you.
How is the C-3PO?

 

[Wor-Gar]

Troopers are definitely my thing. And even then only certain ones. I will say that when I look at the HT first order Snowtrooper everything from the gloss paint to the stitching of the body suit looks insane.

That's the key with HT: superior tailoring and materials choice and mostly incredible attention to detail... which is what we all want from this hobby.

 

[Sithblade]

That's the key with HT: superior tailoring and materials choice and mostly incredible attention to detail... which is what we all want from this hobby.

HT bodies are so much better than sideshow, SS can be floppy, and not hold a good pose. Also on the troopers SS look thin on the legs.

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[MyenShi]

It's entirely subjective but on the whole, yes, they do look amazing in person.

There's always going to be a Hot Toys vs Sideshow debate. I don't really want to weigh in on that because they both have their own merits and now seemingly their own niches. Both will remain relevant in some way. Hot Toys typically wins out in portrait work, but I think Sideshow has the potential to keep making great troopers and armored or non-human characters. Hot Toys isn't perfect. Sometimes their sculpts can be off, and there've been some poor choices in materials for a number of figures. But they are otherwise hard to beat in the 1:6 world offering amazing and consistent paint work, intricate details, and crafty engineering. I will say Hot Toys figures tend to look very close to their pre-production prototypes with the exception of a few incidences. Sideshow can be a hit or miss.

Admittedly, some collectors can get jaded over time and nitpick every single perceived flaw in a figure and end up unhappy, whether the flaw is real or not. (ie. the helmet is a little off, the fabric isn't the right blue). Don't get me wrong - I can be a little overly critical sometimes and major inaccuracies can definitely be a legitimate dealbreaker. At this price point, you should expect better than average.

But typically when taken as a whole, many figures from Hot Toys and Sideshow tend to be overall very awesome.

If you think it'll make you happy, order it. If you get it and it's amazing to you, keep it. If not, pass on it or sell it. Most of these figures, you can usually get your money back, get away with a small hit, or even make a profit if you're so inclined. Whereas whenever you typically buy other types of collectibles, you're generally not getting anything back,

For me personally, my first high end 1:6 figures were the Hot Toys Iron Man Mk VI and Sideshow's Sandtroopers. I used to collect all sorts of other toys but seeing Iron Man so well done in such an imposing scale really blew me away.

 

[sithgorilla]

MyenShi: thank you for sharing. By being selective and only having a few pieces in my collection, I think I will be happy. And like you said worst case I can move the figure if it comes to it.

 

[chewblacca]

I just cancelled my preorder on the Hot Toys Chewbacca. That face just didn't do it for me. Ever since I first saw it the figure looked off to me. Then I saw someone's photoshop of the fur made to the corrected color and it looked a 100 times better. I could not believe how Hot Toys dropped the ball on this. It looks nothing like Chewie. Every photo I saw even all the futzed ones looked off to me. I'm tired of buying $200.00 figures and I have to futz and mod just to get them like the proto pics.

 

[Getter Dragon]

I find that most Hot Toys figures that go out to customers are identical to their prototypes.

Sideshow 1/6 quality, on the other hand, has been steadily declining over the last few years while their prices go way up. I have some of Sideshow's older G. I. Joe figures and they are the same as the prototypes, but some releases lately are turning into QC disasters (Jango Fett, Nathan Drake). I personally had tons of quality issues with my Deluxe Vader. SSC figures are just not worth the $200+ asking price. Some Sideshow products are so far removed from the prototype that you could make a case for false advertising - just look at the Premium Format Rogue.

I have full confidence ordering Hot Toys based on a prototype, but I would definitely wait for in-hand pics for any Sideshow 1/6. I am really interested in the 1/6 Ash from Evil Dead, but will wait for reviews before ordering him just in case the figure turns out to be a lemon.

 

[kl241]

I am really interested in the 1/6 Ash from Evil Dead, but will wait for reviews before ordering him just in case the figure turns out to be a lemon.

Just get the custom Ash from Beto. The SS one won't even come close to it.

 

[Sidewinder]

I will add though if you're not a complete perfectionist, you will enjoy the hobby and your collection far more. I have several figures that others have modded that I personally don't see the need to mod myself.

 

[Mr Walker]

Some are better than others.