Rene Belloq 12" figure

[Wor-Gar]

I canceled Obi-Wan because I want to make sure I get Indy. But if Sideshow keeps up the snail pace, I probably won't stick with this line either.

I cancelled Clone Obi too (for Dallas though).

I'm keeping this Indy and Belloq with stand....for now....but I'm getting aggravated with cancelled lines and slow turn-out and lack of news, etc... so it's possible I'll cancel just to add my voice to the squirming masses.

I've got a solid Indy and Belloq custom of my own so my preorders are more from excitement and a wish to support the line. My excitement waned a long time ago. My wish to support this line is dying with the lack of support this line is getting from SS.

 

[Batty]

Sadly, this is why I gave up on the LOTR line. Only 6 figures released in over 2 years. And with Gandalf announced back in February (and still not out), it looks like this line is dead. It's really too bad.

Going back to HT- In the Dark Knight line we've had 5 figures and 2 vehicles announced. And they'll all probably be released within 1 year.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I've resigned myself to the fact that LOTR is done. I cancelled Frodo and Sam, but through a generous gift from one of our own got Frodo back. I figure, worst comes to worst, I could make a Gimli from the ToyBiz figure. That's the only one left that I have interest in. I'd like to see some villains of course.

Back to Indy: Indy is very much like old Bond I guess; a hero from the olden days for most. SS couldn't make Bond work, and they can't make Indy work. It's not their fault, it's popular taste. They want Batman right now. I don't blame SS for Indy's lack of support. But I do blame them for not releasing a few more figures upfront while the money was hot. Of course, with a 9 month wait period, most of those impulse buys would be cancelled anyway. There's just no way to win.

Indy is for us few who grew up with him or find the sense of "adventure" fun. It's just not gritty and edgy enough for what today's masses have become interested in.

 

[Batty]

Being old has it's disadvantages.

If Sideshow can just give us Toht, I'll be extremely happy.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Being old has it's disadvantages.

If Sideshow can just give us Toht, I'll be extremely happy.

Yes on both counts!

 

[choopie]

I want Indy, not Batman. Not everybody is excited about The Joker or Iron Man.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

I think Indy is a victim of Sideshow's new business model. Whenever they announce a new line, everybody comes up with a laundry list of figures they expect to see because Sideshow had a history of producing long running lines like Universal Monsters, Bond and Buffy, but, Star Wars aside, it appears those days are gone. They seem to want to spread things around now, hit and run.

 

[Wor-Gar]

hit and run.

I agree with what you said, but I highlighted the last words as an example of what SS should have done with Indy, like HT is doing with TDK.

A 15+ month waiting period for the first 1/6th figure is ridiculous.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

Yeah, the delay is a huge blunder, but I assume it was unavoidable. Sideshow has always had a bad habit of announcing product too early.

 

[Puay]

I bet this has been addressed, my apologies for I am new to the Indy line. Does anyone know what is the material used for the 'Idol Chamber Environment'? Polystone?

I am still deciding whether to grab this since I have already ordered the Indy figure.

 

[Rook]

Guys, come one! As if there isn't enough cool stuff on the market to keep you all occupied? Give a company some breathing room so that they can get it perfect, please.

By the way, I can't remember: Is Indy on the Buck or Prometheus body?

 

[Puay]

This guy is on the Prometheus body, just like Indy.

 

[aussieinnyc]

Indy's on the Prometheus.

 

[icruise]

I agree with what you said, but I highlighted the last words as an example of what SS should have done with Indy, like HT is doing with TDK.

A 15+ month waiting period for the first 1/6th figure is ridiculous.

Yes, there's really two issues here. One is that Sideshow apparently has very modest plans for this line (if you can call two figures a "line"). I don't know if it was like this from the start or whether the performance of the movies and other companies' products affected their decision. But I did say from the very beginning that people expecting an extensive collection of figures (no offense IJ) were probably not being realistic. Indiana Jones isn't Star Wars and never will be (possibly nothing will reach that level in our lifetimes). But even I have been surprised at how little they've released, Indiana Jones-wise.

The other issue is that Sideshow is taking FOREVER to get even one figure into people's hands. Probably this is at least partially related to the fact that they're switching over to the new body, but in terms of "striking while the iron is hot" they couldn't have done worse. Hot Toys did an amazing job of getting their first Dark Knight figures out and available (at least overseas) while the movie was still fresh in people's minds.

A few months ago, when I was excited about Indy (and more excited about 1/6 scale figures in general) I might have bought any number of Indy-related figures, but I don't see that happening now, even if they get around to releasing them.

 

[Wor-Gar]

A few months ago, when I was excited about Indy (and more excited about 1/6 scale figures in general) I might have bought any number of Indy-related figures, but I don't see that happening now, even if they get around to releasing them.

That's the worst part. Missed opportunity. How much does that cost a company in this business?

Now, like you, many will pass on Indy figures. Many will cancel Belloq when he finally arrives, just as many cancelled Indy to make room for Gen Kenobi. It's very sad.

I'm certain Sideshow had more planned for this line, but the combination of delays and modest interest has clearly finished things off. Like you, I doubted we'd see a lot of 1/6th pieces, but I figured 4-6 most likely. My guesses would have been: Toht, Mola Ram, Henry Sr., Marion, Spalko. I didn't see Belloq coming, but I think that shows that SS was digging into the line and Belloq was just the easiest (read: most profitable per figure) to release quickly. That, or they figured let's give Indy his main villain in Raiders and call it a day. Again, like the Bond line, perhaps they were planning an Indy with villain from each film. Indy-Belloq, Indy-Mola Ram, Indy-Henry (not a villain but a good pairing for that film) and Indy-Spalko. I would have been satisfied with this attempt, and probably bought another 2-3 figures from those groupings.

Whatever SS had planned for, I doubt they'll take it through to production now...not with other companies bailing out. They'd just lose money and have stock in the warehouse for months or years.

 

[The Mike]

Yes, there's really two issues here. One is that Sideshow apparently has very modest plans for this line (if you can call two figures a "line").....But I did say from the very beginning that people expecting an extensive collection of figures (no offense IJ) were probably not being realistic.

I have to disagree, Belloq shows to me that they were going in extensively into this line. If not, we would have gotten Dr. Jones or at minimum Marion as the second figure. If this were a modest line they would have gone for the heavy hitters first and as important as Belloq was to ROTA, in the grand Indy scheme not so much. I would place him under the various appearances of Indy in each of the films really. Not to mention if it were a shot in the pan they would have focused on KOTCS which was fresh at the time instead of reaching back into ROTA which is more iconic but requires folks to hinge on nostalga to buy the figures.

Something else had to have happened to bottleneck this license.

 

[The Mike]

Whatever SS had planned for, I doubt they'll take it through to production now...not with other companies bailing out. They'd just lose money and have stock in the warehouse for months or years.

Other companies dropping the license does not bode well for the SS Indy license at all...

 

[IrishJedi]

Other companies dropping the license does not bode well for the SS Indy license at all...

I wouldn't go that far. Afterall, Hasbro cares more about mass market toys in the brick-and-mortar (mostly Wal-Mart) retail store space geared towards kids. It's a completely different market than Sideshow's high-end direct market products for collectors.

Let's put it this way, Hasbro cancelling their plans for new INDY toys after 2008 doesn't bother or concern me nearly as much as Sideshow apparently sitting on their thumbs with this license for the past year. That is much more telling, and a separate issue altogether.

Sideshow had much more buzz and momentum with INDY among collectors (even those who aren't normally INDY fans) than Hasbro or anyone else ever did. And they doused that completely on their own. Neither other licensees' experience with the brand nor KOTCS had anything to do with it.

 

[icruise]

I didn't expect Hasbro to make Indy toys on the long-term any more than I expected them to make Hulk or Iron Man toys on the long term, so I can't say it's a complete surprise that they would stop, but I do wish they would have finished up major characters from all of the movies.

I have to disagree, Belloq shows to me that they were going in extensively into this line. If not, we would have gotten Dr. Jones or at minimum Marion as the second figure. If this were a modest line they would have gone for the heavy hitters first and as important as Belloq was to ROTA, in the grand Indy scheme not so much. I would place him under the various appearances of Indy in each of the films really. Not to mention if it were a shot in the pan they would have focused on KOTCS which was fresh at the time instead of reaching back into ROTA which is more iconic but requires folks to hinge on nostalga to buy the figures.

Something else had to have happened to bottleneck this license.

As I said, it may very well be that they had more extensive plans in the beginning, and that they saw that Crystal Skull wasn't going to be as popular as they hoped and that Hasbro toys were clogging the shelves, and they decided to just release what they had more or less finished and stop. That would make sense. But you can't deny that their current plans are very modest ones. More along the lines of Shawn of the Dead or Reservoir Dogs (man, that makes me sad just typing that...) We may see one or two more figures, but I don't have high expectations.

 

[Wor-Gar]

The last "hype" -- if you can call it that -- would be the DVD release of KOTCS on Oct 14th...so if SS has any further plans to release Indy 1/6th I would hope they make an announcement to coincide with that.

If not, the line's truly dead.