Prometheus Body: Keep or Start Over?

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JustinLuck

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What is your opinion? Do you think the Prometheus is an appealing addition to Sideshow's line that is worthy of the current $20 mark-up per figure and is on par with the competition in today's market? Or do you think it has so many flaws, Sideshow should cut their losses and start a new?

Here's my brief take on a Prometheus vs. and a Soldier Story.

Solider Story:
Pros:
1) Aesthetically realistic neck and chest - good for figures with open collars.
2) Leg and arms look decent enough to be exposed by short sleeve or shorts.
3) All joints feel smooth and tight during range of motion (just like a TrueType).
4) Easily poses into proper position. Stands up on its own without much work.

Cons:
1) Forearms are too long. Monkey arm syndrome.
2) Torso is too short in comparison to the limbs. When standing straight, palm of hands should be resting at a height near pelvis, not below it.
3) Shoulders are too wide for most head sizes (like TrueType).

Prometheus:
Pros:
1) Forearm length is proportionate with upper arm length (even beats Hot Toys in this department).
2) Flexible as Shawn Johnson. Might serve as a decent body replacement for Darth Maul.

Cons:
1) Lacks resemblance of humanoid form.
The body appears to be a mix between The Simpson's Mr. Burns and an insect featuring distinct tagmatization. Overall the Prometheus appears to be an attempt to imitate the body of an elderly man in an abstract (rounded) fashion with features such as protruding spine, almost shapeless limbs, hunched posture, and flat buttocks.

2) Hunchback
Body has a tendency to hunch forward because of a loose torso and curl the pelvis above loose hips. Body likes to routinely perform Medi-thrust for the best center of gravity when balancing the figure without a stand.

3) Torso is way too short (similar problem as with Soldier Story).

4) Poor joint control , Forearm falls out of socket
Instead of a smooth range of motion at the limb joints, knees move with a distinct ratchet feel that is reminiscent of the Buck body. Elbows move smoother, but the two-hinged elbow joint has a tendency to stick, so only one of the hinges moves at a time.

5) Shoulders have unnatural bumps that can make figures wearing T-shirts look a little odd.

6) Shoulders are too narrow for most head sizes.

7) Poorly designed wrists and ankles.

8) Large gaps beneath flat butt make pants appear strange.


Here are a few pics. Please share your opinions and experiences.

do79jm.jpg


257d1ye.jpg


2n0q134.jpg


301g03t.jpg


2dt7xio.jpg

Kit is depicted here on a Big Boy Buck body.
 
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I honestly don't think it's a bad body design, but there a 3 things that must be fixed.

1. Tighten those joints

2. Lengthen the torso

3. Redesign the ankle joints to double ball-joint design like Hot Toys, BBI, Soldier Story.

The ankle joints are my biggest gripe. They suck!
 
If they can fix everything that is wrong with the pro, they can keep the design.
If they can't, I say its time for them to go back to the drawing board.
 
If the loose joints are sorted out on the pro, it will be good for shorter characters, but the Soilder Story is by far the best body for Indy. I also feel the shoulders on a SS are big, but still not as big as a true type.
The price hike is totally unwarranted
 
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If the loose joints are sorted out the pro, it will be good for shorter characters, but the Soilder Story is by far the best body for Indy. I also feel the shoulders on a SS are big, but still not as big as a true type.

I recently made the switch from True Type to Soldier Story S2 for my Indy and it's quite an improvement. The leaner build and slimmer shoulders make for a much better fit on the clothing. I also find it poses easier.
 
The Prometheus body is a huge step froward from the buck, it needs to be taller to fall in line with the buck figures. Other issues can be sorted out as they go froward right now the body is only starting to appear more regularly.

As for that Solider Story body, isn't that just the one they ripped off from Triad? Just from that stand point alone at least Sideshow developed a body on their own.
 
What is your opinion? Do you think the Prometheus is an appealing addition to Sideshow's line that is worthy of the current $20 mark-up per figure and is on par with the competition in today's market? Or do you think it has so many flaws, Sideshow should cut their losses and start a new?

Here's my brief take on a Prometheus vs. and a Soldier Story.

Solider Story:
Pros:
1) Aesthetically realistic neck and chest - good for figures with open collars.
2) Leg and arms look decent enough to be exposed by short sleeve or shorts.
3) All joints feel smooth and tight during range of motion (just like a TrueType).
4) Easily poses into proper position. Stands up on its own without much work.

Cons:
1) Forearms are too long. Monkey arm syndrome.
2) Torso is too short in comparison to the limbs. When standing straight, palm of hands should be resting at a height near pelvis, not below it.
3) Shoulders are too wide for most head sizes (like TrueType).

Prometheus:
Pros:
1) Forearm length is proportionate with upper arm length (even beats Hot Toys in this department).
2) Flexible as Shawn Johnson. Might serve as a decent body replacement for Darth Maul.

Cons:
1) Lacks resemblance of humanoid form.
The body appears to be a mix between The Simpson's Mr. Burns and an insect featuring distinct tagmatization. Overall the Prometheus appears to be an attempt to imitate the body of an elderly man in an abstract (rounded) fashion with features such as protruding spine, almost shapeless limbs, hunched posture, and flat buttocks.

2) Hunchback
Body has a tendency to hunch forward because of a loose torso and curl the pelvis above loose hips. Body likes to routinely perform Medi-thrust for the best center of gravity when balancing the figure without a stand.

3) Torso is way too short (similar problem as with Soldier Story).

4) Poor joint control
Instead of a smooth range of motion at the limb joints, knees move with a distinct ratchet feel that is reminiscent of the Buck body. Elbows move smoother, but the two-hinged elbow joint has a tendency to stick, so only one of the hinges moves at a time.

5) Shoulders have unnatural bumps that can make figures wearing T-shirts look a little odd.

6) Shoulders are too narrow for most head sizes.

Here are a few pics. Please share your opinions and experiences.

do79jm.jpg


257d1ye.jpg


2n0q134.jpg


301g03t.jpg


2dt7xio.jpg

Kit is depicted here on a Big Boy Buck body.

It seems you've posed the Pro hunched over to make it as Mr. Burns like as possible - good job!
 
It seems you've posed the Pro hunched over to make it as Mr. Burns like as possible - good job!

If you read my post Dave, you would realize he falls that way. The torso and hips can barely support the weight of his head. I want him to stand up straight! I love how people try to insinuate that I am trying to make the Pro look worse than it is. Why would I waste all this time writing this post if I was just making these problems up? Perhaps, these are legitimate problems that are part of the reason why people have dropped out of Sideshow's 1/6 lines and now they have figures on giftcard and second chance.
 
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My biggest gripes with the pro are the short torso & the lower legs seem too long esp when the legs are bent, it needs a revision
 
If you read my post Dave, you would realize he falls that way. The torso and hips can barely support the weight of his head. I want him to stand up straight! I love how people try to insinuate that I am trying to make the Pro look worse than it is. Why would I waste all this time writing this post if I was just making these problems up? Perhaps, these are legitimate problems that are part of the reason why people have dropped out of Sideshow's 1/6 lines and now they have figures on giftcard and second chance.

No bodies try to devalue your opinion, some of us just like to joke about things.:D I too have been disappointed about some of the features you have mentioned. The hunch forward is pretty much the only way to have the Pro stand properly without falling forward at the hips.
 
If SS lengthens the torso, improves the ankles, and refines more support for the hips, the Pro will be a viable 1/6 body. The other features seem alright, because it seems that SS has produced the Pro for customization for different characters i.e. longer torso or larger arms for taller or more muscular characters.
 
Hmmm... I gotta say I don't like the look of the soldier story body at all. I especially don't like its perky nippled or its neck style.
 
As for that Solider Story body, isn't that just the one they ripped off from Triad? Just from that stand point alone at least Sideshow developed a body on their own.

Not really. Sideshow pretty much copied the Volks Neo Guy body.

img578_0.jpg
 
Yes, while I wish every company came up with their own design, it appears many just copy the same pattern developed by others.

I was disappointed to learn that SoldierStory stole Triad's design (although not exact). But I am even more disappointed with Sideshow. Here is a relatively large collectibles company with so many years time to develop a new innovative design to replace the Buck body and have the resources to do so. And yet Sideshow simply copied a design pattern from a much smaller company that has produced that body for years. Look closely and you will see that every piece is an exact copy of the Volks body. They just made the upper torso pieces featureless, but they are still the same basic shape, (note the placement of the two screws, shoulders, mid-torso segment etc). The legs, with deep cuts on the upper thighs and flat buttocks are outright identical. Hopefully the people at Volks are receiving a nice royalty check or they have grounds to sue. It really makes you wonder why Sideshow now charges premium for their figures that include the Pro body as if there is so much R&D to cover for.
 
Not really. Sideshow pretty much copied the Volks Neo Guy body.

img578_0.jpg

That Neo Guy body still looks better than Sideshow's Prometheus...at least the shoulders seem a decent measure apart. I am more for the wider "heroic" looking shoulders.

I think the Pro can work if Sideshow fixes the issues with loose joint and perhaps copies THAT Neo Guy body right up there in the photo.

However, overall...I'd say Sideshow should just license the Truetype and use that...it'd probably save them more headaches in the long run.
 
Reading this again puts it in a whole new perspective now.

Some great new developments are being made in Sideshow figure design to create exacting character representations, including the use of two new 12-inch male bodies! The Prometheus body, created by the Sideshow Collectibles Design and Development Team, has forms to fill out traditional garments more naturally, with smoother contours and muscle features. It also employs ball-joints at the wrists and ankles to give these areas a very wide range of articulation! The Armored Figure body, created in collaboration with Hot Toys, has a slimmer build to fit into armored costumes without looking bulky. Click on the following photo to get a closer look at the two and how they compare to our classic Art S. Buck bodies, and watch out for these new bodies in action as they’re used in some fantastic new 12-inch figures, such as our new Indiana Jones and General Obi-Wan Kenobi and many more to come!

https://www.sideshowtoy.com/?p=4373&utm_source=search0109
 
The reality of the situation is Sideshow probably invested a lot of effort and money developing this. And probably multiple times over IMPLEMENTING IT. IE creating the dies, molds, etc.

The analysis may be pretty accurate and show off the flaws to us all but its too late now. All we can hope for is subtle changes to cure some ails, but the design is going to be here.

THEY AREN'T GOING TO SCRAP IT ANYTIME SOON. PERIOD.
 
Prog, how much time and money has Sideshow really invested if they have simply used Volks USA's design? The differences between the two bodies are only superficial in that the anatomical details of the upper body pieces are smoothed over on the Pro. Half the plastic pieces, including the legs are exact replicas.

In terms of creating new steel molds, I don't see this any more significant than making one time pieces like the Dejarik Chess Table, the Holographic Darth Sidious with Mechno-chair, Jabba and his throne, or any PF for that matter.
 
Its threads like these where it really is no wonder why (and who) have chased away all the SS VIPs who used to post here.
 
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