So I just started buying some of the 12 inch scale figs from SS, mostly imperials. With the HT line coming ahead full steam I, like many, am wondering where to allocate the cash. So my serious question is: Is there anything SS can do that HT CANNOT do better? In other words, is SS material going to be eclipsed by HT eventually? I am thinking mostly of the Han and Luke Hoth figs but also the older sandtroopers and other imperial soldier type figures.
Serious question about Star Wars 1:6, SS and HT releases
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Brainiac
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Lejuan
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Perhaps SS will conclude that there's more money to be made in distributing HT Star Wars figures than producing their own? I'm guessing. If that's the case then it'll be all Hot Toys from here on in. Star Wars is shaping up to be their new Iron Man.
Black Magic
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Hot Toys has the edge over SS in detail work, paint, and materials. It's not even really close, IMO. SS by far has the better customer service, and if you have an issue with one of their products, they will probably fix it for you. Both SS and Hot Toys can be hit or miss with the accuracy of sculpts. Both companies have regular, glaring quality control issues.
All 1/6 scale companies have increased their prices exponentially over the last 5 years. I've seen the associated increase in quality when it comes to Hot Toys, but Sideshow seems to have hit a plateau. Who's to say what will happen within the next year or so, though. My opinion? Wait to see what both companies start releasing as episode VII gets closer to release. Patience, young padawan.
All 1/6 scale companies have increased their prices exponentially over the last 5 years. I've seen the associated increase in quality when it comes to Hot Toys, but Sideshow seems to have hit a plateau. Who's to say what will happen within the next year or so, though. My opinion? Wait to see what both companies start releasing as episode VII gets closer to release. Patience, young padawan.
Thanks, the details and history are murky to me but my vague recollection is that SS made lousy figs for around 100 dollars and HT came along and started making much better quality figs for 2-3X that amount. But then SS's prices started edging up quite a bit making it a bit more confusing and easy to just equate expensive with better quality.
Sideshow has improved a lot, as far as things go I think there's several that Hot Toys can't improve much on. I think at the very least there will be a large number of characters that Sideshow has/will do that Hot Toys won't.
bebe13junior
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I totally agree. I have a detolf filled with Hot Toys and one mostly filled with SS Star Wars figures. I really enjoy my sideshow stuff and I think it looks beautiful.
It's hard to relate the two really....but I would say that the Hot Toys win in quality and materials. From my collection my Hot Toys are simply more ambitious projects (DX13, DX09, DX08). All the same, my sideshow figures look great and were slightly better priced. I do not have a face sculpt character (not counting Vader deluxe), but I am taking a plunge into Hot Luke.
Sideshow will still make Star Wars figures and the reason why is because of how big the fan base is. I think Hot Tiys will make the iconic characters, the ones that defined the Star Wars universe...Han, Chewie, Luke, Stormtroopers, Vader, Fett, Leia, Ben Kenobi, Anakin... Basically characters that appeal to more than just diehard SW fans. Sideshow, on the other hand will make the less iconic characters still. Like the tie fighter pilot, jango Fett, at at driver, imperial guard, clone trooper variations, greedo, scout trooper, ect. Sideshow will even do various, less iconic variations of the main character...Hoth Luke, Hoth han, pilot luke, proto Fett, ect. So it comes down to what you want sometimes. That what it is for me....I mean I wanted one Luke in my collection and I wanted an ESB version so got the Hoth Luke. May not be the best ever....but I like my SS figures so I know I'll be satisfied.
When I go through my collection, some of my SW figurs I absolutely love and they catch my eye as much if not more than my HTs. Like my Snowtrooper, Vader, Boba Fett, clone trooper vet....these are all amazing in their own right
So don't be so fast to completely eschew the SS stuff.
Jack Bauer
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This! Hot Toys is gonna go all out on SW and their stuff will be better than SS, but from what I know HT will be doing main characters. So SS will be left to fill in the lesser and sometimes cooler characters. Having contacts at both SS and Disney, trust me when I say within 18 months our shelves will look amazing, with the new OT stuff coming. Stuff that was only imaginable before. And no they are not making 1/6 X Wing or TIE fighters or Falcon. Those would be ridiculously huge and take up half a room, they are not possible in 1/6.
I would say wait it out a bit and see what is revealed in the future, you won't miss out on any must have characters.
People complain waaaaaay to much about SSC Star Wars figures. There is literally nothing wrong with them. Not sure how much of a difference HT and SSC will be.
Oh thats right, more money and two different sized stormtroopers....
Oh thats right, more money and two different sized stormtroopers....
Darth_IMPoor
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This! Hot Toys is gonna go all out on SW and their stuff will be better than SS, but from what I know HT will be doing main characters. So SS will be left to fill in the lesser and sometimes cooler characters. Having contacts at both SS and Disney, trust me when I say within 18 months our shelves will look amazing, with the new OT stuff coming. Stuff that was only imaginable before. And no they are not making 1/6 X Wing or TIE fighters or Falcon. Those would be ridiculously huge and take up half a room, they are not possible in 1/6.
I would say wait it out a bit and see what is revealed in the future, you won't miss out on any must have characters.
I love when Jack posts
bebe13junior
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This! Hot Toys is gonna go all out on SW and their stuff will be better than SS, but from what I know HT will be doing main characters. So SS will be left to fill in the lesser and sometimes cooler characters. Having contacts at both SS and Disney, trust me when I say within 18 months our shelves will look amazing, with the new OT stuff coming. Stuff that was only imaginable before. And no they are not making 1/6 X Wing or TIE fighters or Falcon. Those would be ridiculously huge and take up half a room, they are not possible in 1/6.
I would say wait it out a bit and see what is revealed in the future, you won't miss out on any must have characters.
Just tell me this...... Any sign of 1/4 scale Vader and or Fett hahahhaa.
One thing I have yet to see mentioned is a Luke/yoda training on dagobah two pack diorama set.
Sideshow has not improved hugely over the past say 6 years, whereas HT is night-and-day improvement. SSC's heads are definitely a marked improvement (more in paint/finish than sculpt,) and their bodies have seen a decent improvement. Their clothes, weapons and accessories were always top-notch, and continue to be so. They do those every bit as well as HT. Compare SSC smuggler Han's holster/belt (amazing) with HT Indy's holster/belt from a few years later (not so amazing.)
For whatever reason, that revolution in 1/6 human heads that occurred over the past 5 years - hyper-realistic sculpt, eyes and paint apps - just seemed to escape SSC. You would have thought that by now we'd see SSC human heads on-par with HT, given the HT revolution started a number of years ago, but it's still yet to happen - in late 2014 (maybe the Hoth figs and Snake will deliver a surprise, maybe not.) It was this that sunk SSC more than anything.
HT's (sort of unexpected) foray into armored figures with their stormtrooper and creatures with their Chewy also puts a torpedo in the water concerning the idea that HT will stick to humans and SSC will handle what they were best at (in the face of the HT revolution in human heads) - armored characters and creatures. Even the other category - droids - seems to be under threat with rumors of a HT 3PO and R2... despite the fact SSC's versions aren't even out yet.
IF HT does indeed do armored figs like Boba Fett, stormie and Vader, and creatures like Chewy and Yoda, and robots like 3PO and R2 (all of which are pretty much a 100% certainty at this point,) the pond for SSC is just too small.
SSC is a great company but I really worry about the future of their 1/6 SW line because even as the HT deluge begins, people will be facing choices of marginal/supporting characters by SSC for $190+ (apparently SSC's new minimum price point) versus stunningly realized main characters from HT for $220-250. Do you want a HT Chewbacca for $250, or a SSC Biker Scout for $190? Right now the answer is "both" - but when there's HT Luke, Leia, Ben, Luke Jedi, Han Bespin... the answer becomes clearer, and almost always in HT's favor. You want the cool marginal characters, but there's only so much $$. It is no surprise SSC previewed so much at SDCC - it's a grab for that cash before it goes to HT.
For whatever reason, that revolution in 1/6 human heads that occurred over the past 5 years - hyper-realistic sculpt, eyes and paint apps - just seemed to escape SSC. You would have thought that by now we'd see SSC human heads on-par with HT, given the HT revolution started a number of years ago, but it's still yet to happen - in late 2014 (maybe the Hoth figs and Snake will deliver a surprise, maybe not.) It was this that sunk SSC more than anything.
HT's (sort of unexpected) foray into armored figures with their stormtrooper and creatures with their Chewy also puts a torpedo in the water concerning the idea that HT will stick to humans and SSC will handle what they were best at (in the face of the HT revolution in human heads) - armored characters and creatures. Even the other category - droids - seems to be under threat with rumors of a HT 3PO and R2... despite the fact SSC's versions aren't even out yet.
IF HT does indeed do armored figs like Boba Fett, stormie and Vader, and creatures like Chewy and Yoda, and robots like 3PO and R2 (all of which are pretty much a 100% certainty at this point,) the pond for SSC is just too small.
SSC is a great company but I really worry about the future of their 1/6 SW line because even as the HT deluge begins, people will be facing choices of marginal/supporting characters by SSC for $190+ (apparently SSC's new minimum price point) versus stunningly realized main characters from HT for $220-250. Do you want a HT Chewbacca for $250, or a SSC Biker Scout for $190? Right now the answer is "both" - but when there's HT Luke, Leia, Ben, Luke Jedi, Han Bespin... the answer becomes clearer, and almost always in HT's favor. You want the cool marginal characters, but there's only so much $$. It is no surprise SSC previewed so much at SDCC - it's a grab for that cash before it goes to HT.
This! Hot Toys is gonna go all out on SW and their stuff will be better than SS, but from what I know HT will be doing main characters. So SS will be left to fill in the lesser and sometimes cooler characters. Having contacts at both SS and Disney, trust me when I say within 18 months our shelves will look amazing, with the new OT stuff coming. Stuff that was only imaginable before. And no they are not making 1/6 X Wing or TIE fighters or Falcon. Those would be ridiculously huge and take up half a room, they are not possible in 1/6.
I would say wait it out a bit and see what is revealed in the future, you won't miss out on any must have characters.
What do these "contacts" say about the figure lineup?
Lejuan
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People complain waaaaaay to much about SSC Star Wars figures. There is literally nothing wrong with them. Not sure how much of a difference HT and SSC will be.
Oh thats right, more money and two different sized stormtroopers....
Do you own a SS stormtrooper? I'm not fussed about the inaccurate helmet sculpt. Or the undersize codpiece. Or the chest armour that needs reshaping and velcro to hold it together. Or the shoulder armour that slides around. But there are plenty of people who are, and they're happy with what they see in the HT protos.
Me, I just want a trooper that'll stand up on its own, and pretty sure HT will deliver on that count also.
bebe13junior
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Yeah, this is definately a very tricky situation for collectors. I mean you second guess your SSC orders thinking a HT equivalent is around the corner and will knock it out of the park.
I think that the SSC biker scout and Hoth Luke will be my last SSC purchases anyways. I have all the SW characters I want. I am looking to get a hot toys Vader and Boba Fett.
I think that the SSC biker scout and Hoth Luke will be my last SSC purchases anyways. I have all the SW characters I want. I am looking to get a hot toys Vader and Boba Fett.
No. I was to late to the party and was not willing to spend over $300 for this when I guessed HT would eventually make them. Thankfully I guessed correctly.
My friend has two. The only thing that he complains about is the shoulder armor being loose fitting, which is an issue. Other than that his seem to be perfectly fine.
Darklord Dave
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Keep in mind that there are a lot of people on this forum that will tear SSC down just because the cool kids are doing it. There are tons of SSC figures that probably can't be improved upon by HT - Vader, Emperor, any alien, etc.
Jack Bauer
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I would bet $500-$700 we will see a 1/4 Vader
Most iconic screen villain of all time? Yep!Jack Bauer
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It will be big, HT has wanted SW all along, think Iron Man.
Thanks for the replies, this is perfect. I had owned the SS stormtrooper very briefly but was not really happy with it. Not because of the maniacal level of accuracy some require, it just sort of felt cheap to me. I also feel many of the head sculpts from SS are wanting (humans) but they are quite good with robots and such. I guess my confusion stems from the assumptions that HT and SS weren't really in competition, that HT was up market and better all around. But we are looking at 200 for a Han Hoth, Luke Hoth or Biker Scout and that just seems odd to me. It isn't that SS charges too much, its that I would have thought we all agreed HT was the superior product and should be charging more.
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