MGS 4 Raiden 12-inch Figure from Medicom

[Synboi]

Too bad your wrong. It says on the actual packet "Metal joint used on each articulation", me thinks you should do some research first before being an ass. Note the foot is part of the body, i'm guessing what you meant to say was it isn't part of the torso.

Anyway there could be a bit of metal in it but from what I can see it just looks like plastic which is a tad dissapointing.

 

[Solidus]

Man, you guys are having some bad experiences with your action figures. My heart does go out to all of you, fellow fans of MGS

I've followed Rock's advice, and haven't posed Old Snake or Raiden that much, and I think that I'll leave it that way. I'm glad that there hasn't been any tearing on my figures.

The Japanese are supposed to be industry leaders when it comes to quality control. They are the ones who invented Quality Function Design (QFD), and helped to modernize western manufacturers with their ideas. It's too bad that Medicom isn't following that great tradition.

 

[Spliff]

so, since i ripped the leg pretty good when I originally got my Raiden...I decided to maul it further for you all.

what i found was retardation, and trickery.

Medicom decided to use foam to beef up his legs. the problem? Medicom held the foam in place(which is wrapped THICK) with just as much tape but in their INFINITE wisdom guess where they wrapped it? ON HIS KNEES. removing the foam wrapping improves the figure TONS, as the figure can do anything you want after that. nice going Medicom.

other than that, the only metal Medi used on the body are the scews. =(

 

[Synboi]

Ouch Spliff that sucks and yeh Medicom are now and forever not getting my cash. I was a big fan of their figures but they're crappy QC and suits have changed my mind. Good luck with fixing your Raiden though.

Also Play-Asia update: They won't give me a partial refund or a replacement because they feel this is what a figure normally comes like..... even if the bits on it are only dangling by a tiny bit of glue and there is a rip on the suit XD. Oh well looks like Play-Asia won't be getting any of my 1/6 business anymore.

 

[Rock83]

so, since i ripped the leg pretty good when I originally got my Raiden...I decided to maul it further for you all.

what i found was retardation, and trickery.

Medicom decided to use foam to beef up his legs. the problem? Medicom held the foam in place(which is wrapped THICK) with just as much tape but in their INFINITE wisdom guess where they wrapped it? ON HIS KNEES. removing the foam wrapping improves the figure TONS, as the figure can do anything you want after that. nice going Medicom.

other than that, the only metal Medi used on the body are the scews. =(

i dont know if im gonna laugh or use my time getting pissed at Medicom,this is pathetic,but it makes sense since the Legs and Arms on Snake cant be bended far til they bounce back,same with Raiden.What the hell are Medicom doing?What was the point using foam inside his suit and specially over its knees when its supposed to be fully poseable?oh my god i dont know what to say,nothing surprises me anymore with medicom.

 

[Snake627]

Ouch man! This is just Ouch... It really stings!

@Synbio, this is so terrible and it really frustrates me to see this.
You know, I'm in Asia, and mine didn't have problems at all, except for the obvious lack of articulation which I struggled with...maybe I'm just lucky I guess. But for the price tag on this item... I really truly believe no one should be worrying at all anymore about possible defects and questionable durability and unreliable quality. For the high price of this 1/6 a buyer has every goddamn right to believe and be more than assured of satisfaction contrary to being
assured of disappointments and lots of failures.
No one who is willing to shell out as much be subjected to such a harsh remorseful experience. This is just heart rending.
Considering the high price, this is not a joke.

I feel this is such a huge injustice considering how long you've waited, and you waited waaayy too long just to get yours (I know) and you only ended up with terribly bad news like this. And to think I was really looking forward to seeing your posts on what I considered as the
"1/6 Holy Grail Figure of 2008".

Obviously from my posts you know that I really love this Cyborg Raiden.

It is already such pain to have seen my all time favorite SolidSnake be treated with such blunt lack of articulation, soft hollow hands, soft useless knife, a fragile inner body and lack of accessories, like the Mk11. This latest news of yours really hits it where it hurts, BIG TIME.

And I was sooo looking forward to your Raiden posts...but now this...???

This is just not right, AT ALL.

For me this is my first ridiculously-priced branded 1/6... as new to this
1/6 thing... I think I learned a valuable lesson here that really shattered my reality as I firmly thought...
"What has worth, is worth paying for; What has worth is worth waiting for".

And I thought I was at the start of something really good...
This news is just mind boggling to me.
Now, I'm thinking I may just as well quit now while it's early and stay away forever from this type of hobby before I even get hooked and burned.

I just can never tolerate this kind of thing to ever happen to me.
If it were to happen to me what happened to you, I'd be sooo pissed.
So this Raiden may just be my last 1/6...

And your Play-Asia update: What!? They won't even give you a partial refund or a replacement because they feel this is what a figure normally comes like?!.....
it obviously looks like you got a Refurb Raiden.

Now, I'm seriously having second thoughts...tsk, tsk, tsk.

 

[Synboi]

Yeh I've been waiting a while for Raiden and I was sooooo happy he was sent on his way about two days ago (I was thinking of doing some rad poses like the ones you yourself had been doing earlier this month) but now I'm just saddened by Play-Asia's sever lack of customer service and general disrespect towards the matter and Medicoms bad QC.
Personally if I have to end up living with this Raiden I might just go back to buying tons of PS3 games (maybe an xbox blowup 360) and 20-30 USD 15cm figs. Since they're cheap and less dangerous to buy (scratched game = instant refund/replacement).
It's really sad when you love a hobby but have to stop due to the manufacturers just generally not giving a ^^^^.

Anyway thanks for the support Snake it's really needed as seeing 330 NZ go down the drain due to QC makes me a sad sad panda.
However I wouldn't suggest leaving 1/6th all together, just avoid Medicom and Play-Asia as Hot Toys and other retaliers seem to be doing some great stuff and generally they don't have tons of problems.
It just seems Medicom just doesn't want to up their anti to compete with Hot Toys (too bad there isn't a HT MGS line >.<, that would be my dream come true and I'd buy one or two of each of them ! - Beauty and the Beast core *drool*).

 

[freestylex06x]

yeah man sorry to hear this, buying medicom figs with a outer suit made of vinyl or rubber is like buying a statue with paint chips.

 

[Solidus]

so, since i ripped the leg pretty good when I originally got my Raiden...I decided to maul it further for you all.

what i found was retardation, and trickery.

Medicom decided to use foam to beef up his legs. the problem? Medicom held the foam in place(which is wrapped THICK) with just as much tape but in their INFINITE wisdom guess where they wrapped it? ON HIS KNEES. removing the foam wrapping improves the figure TONS, as the figure can do anything you want after that. nice going Medicom.

other than that, the only metal Medi used on the body are the scews. =(

Ha ha. Spliff, wtf did you do with your figure? It sounds like you skinned Raiden alive

Can you post some pics for us?

 

[Snake627]

Hot Toys (too bad there isn't a HT MGS line >.<, that would be my dream come true and I'd buy one or two of each of them ! - Beauty and the Beast core *drool*).

Same here, I've been emailing them regarding this but I only get generic replies too. The kind of replies Rock posted...
It does sound like a Medicom successor to me... But I do hope they don't go down that direction.

I don't know, maybe I'm just a little bit disturbed by these incidents since I'm so new to this.

I haven't tried HT yet. How can I? Like I said, I'm an MGS fan and they have yet to answer to that challenge with their own MGS line.

You know the path of Arrogance is the surest way to meet your downfall...

 

[Solidus]

Guys, Hot Toys can't simply decide to make MGS figures, they don't have the license to do so. As it appears at present, Medicom is the company that's currently licensed by Konami to make the figures. Also, don't forget that Hot Toys and Medicom are competitors.

All of that being said, there's probably a lot of legalities behind acquiring the license from Medicom. So much so, that Hot Toys might not even bother with it at all

 

[freestylex06x]

yeah forget about a HT MGS figure, lobby for other licenses that Medicom hasnt obtained already so that Medicom doesnt get a chance to butcher more figures.

 

[Synboi]

Ok now WTF, I can't even return the product if i pay for the shipping myself. Now I KNOW that is allowed at any store? How dumb do they think I am? Jesus.

Looks like I'm stuck with my broken Raiden -_- I guess I could try and glue some of the stuff back together and hide the tear with the jacket I bought.

 

[noisetrigger]

In Play Asia defense, the figure you got is hardly defective from Medicom POV.

Yes, it's less than perfect. A few I saw in stores and other forums have the same issues, tears near the butt, plastic stress mark at the feet, and lots of glue residue under the arm. And Medicom still knowingly sends this out to retailers despite the problems so in Medicom eyes, these are passable issues.

So what can PA do? If Medicom see it fit to give retailers such a product, it is only normal for PA to assume that it's fit for sale. And when we are not happy with it, our beef is really with Medicom, not PA. PA will not give you and exchange because Medicom will tell them that what happened to you is normal.

I have learned my lesson with Medicom. I will only be buying HT and SS from now on. As cool as some of the licenses Medicom has (their Jap Anime and Manga stuff) I just can't on principal buy a product that Medicom knows has issues and yet choose not to do anything about it.

Me also thinks that these sudden shipment of Raiden that PA got are probably rejects from other retailers.

 

[Synboi]

Heheh yeh I fixed up all the tears with some awesome UHU glue and it actually looks brand new as the glue when dried looks just like the white suit and is rock hard. I also noticed that on the other hip the glue application was bad as well so I touched that up and now it looks pretty awesome.

Well anyway here are a few pics but I dare not pose him >.> I'd rather not get anymore rips or damage, that damn pink thing on his leg took ages to let it dry and seal itself to the rubber.

To be honest the best thing about this figure is the freaking awesome box art

Edit:
I also sent off this letter to them, but i bet all i'm going to get in return is a generic response XD.

"Perfect physical condition? You've got to be kidding me.

Anyway we in the collecting community do not take kindly to being used and abuse in this sort of manner. As such I will be making other collectors aware of the basic lack of respect for your customers and the products you ship. I seriously hope you revise your returns policy in suit to the other 1/6 sellers in the world or I don't see your revenue increasing if you're unable to refund broken items. However I was able to fix my problems with glue and a lot of hard work but you have lost my 1/6th figure business for good, I hope it was worth it .

Regards David, a disappointed prior fan. "

 

[Spliff]

Ha ha. Spliff, wtf did you do with your figure? It sounds like you skinned Raiden alive

Can you post some pics for us?

that's a pretty accurate description actually.

i'll have pics for you guys after I wake up, off to bed now.

 

[Snake627]

@noisetrigger

Hmmm...you may have a point as I got mine in perfect condition.
But the sudden availability of this with Play-Asia also got me thinking
how they were able to re-supply their stock.

Granted Medicom is the source of this problem.
But Play-Asia could have atleast opened it and fixed the issues
rather than risk losing face.

It clearly looks like Synbio got a refurbished one.

So let's say it is a refurbished one. Taking that into consideration, they should have
opened the box, inspected the item, showed their concern and fix it up prior to
delivery. That gesture would be most appreciated.

A refurbished product should always be reconditioned and touched up
so that it will be more perfect and more superior compared to it's original sealed item
with the original sealed defects.

Anyway, Synbio's able to fix it up, with expert hands and talent
this one should be waayy better than before. But, he really shouldn't need to
in the first place...

 

[noisetrigger]

I don't think synbio got a refurbished one at all. All the issues he pointed was similar to those few that I saw and heard off. Basically, they came out of the Medicom factory that way with all the flaws. Maybe not all but a large portion.

PA at most will only open the flap and do a visual inspection. As long as there isn't anything out of the ordinary (obvious stuff like a missing heard or missing parts) it will be fit for delivery to them. No way will any online store actually open a box to inspect every figure because that will devalue the item, making it BIB and used.

Heck, even the store at my place will not open a box unless you are going to buy that particular one on the spot.

 

[Snake627]

The level of artistry done on this figure is immense, my hat is off to the sculptors, painters... the real artists. They deserve to be pirated by a better company with better Quality Control.

In a sense, this is dishonoring their talents and all the hardwork put into this.
When the final product only ends up with all these unwanted flaws and lack of durability.
It just makes these incidents all the more unacceptable.

Even the middlemen become the unwary victims.

Well, perhaps it will be in all our best interests to give online stores permission to open the box for full inspection, without risk of devaluing the item. They could just reseal it with their own Seal of Assurance. "Carefully inspected by (Name of Store)".

Contrary to devaluing the item it would definitely secure confidence of the buyer and at the same time create a better buyer-seller relationship conducive to
building loyalty rather than risk losing it.

As there are many online stores, this is an area in which one can trump competition.

It doesn't have to be mandatory. It can be an Option offered to the buyer during checkout. A small check-box buyers can click giving Expressed Consent to the Online Store to work their wonders.

Both parties will surely benefit from this.

 

[Synboi]

lolz it just goes from bad to worse XD. I just snapped my holders for my original MSG4 snake so now I have to use leg ones >.<. Oh well here is a pic of my MGS/PS3 shrine XD.