SO...I made the order.
Like everyone who did, I'm not happy about the pricing, and while speaking with my wallet is one way to go about it, I absolutely LOVE the piece, and before clicking "Confirm" I watched their production video again and focused on the portion where they're looking at the piece in person, giving me some perspective of size and such.
That just confirmed what I knew, which was that when I walk into my room next fall or whenever it may arrive, I'll be really happy that I bought it. It's a piece that I'll admire for a long, long time, and that's why I did it. There are LOTS of, "Oooo, that'd be nice," pieces that we ponder over, or pieces that we actually pull the trigger on just because they look nice and we as collectors get caught up in the moment. I know this wasn't one of those pieces. This was a piece that as soon as I saw it announced, I knew I had to own.
Now the price...the price was brutal. They have that "Thank You" video after you confirm, where it goes around the Sideshow office and everyone is like, "Awesome dude, thanks for the order!" and smiling and all that. I felt like it was more them laughing at me this time. "We got you, you weak, weak SOB. *high five*" So I closed the video rather quickly.
There's really no justifying the price. It was a ridiculous jump, and I see in some Facebook groups (which I wonder why I'm still a part of, as almost everyone in the groups seem to be hypocritical, complaining babies there) saying that people are fools if they order this, and that you're a moron if you do. Well, I can guarantee those same people will order something in the next few months that negates their comments, so I just ignore them. Again, I really should just leave those groups, as I never post and most posts make me facepalm as I scroll.
The price was going to happen anyway. 750 people buying this isn't going to make Sideshow go, "WE CAN DO IT! PRICES ARE UP!" They're going up anyway, and they have been. The Star Wars PFs are priced higher and higher, and they'll be $600 in no time. Most will be. Everything they make still sells in truckloads, so the prices will keep going up and that's that. Sure, I'm supporting it to a degree, but it'll also be one of my last big ticket orders. No way I can justify paying these prices for just anything. I was tempted by Huntress seeing her at SDCC, but I'm definitely out on her now. She's a fantastic sculpt, but I don't have a connection to the character enough to spend what I'd have to spend, even though she'll likely be a great piece to own.
I've got Red Sonja on deck, Prime 1 Harley ordered, and am awaiting Prime 1 Catwoman...after that, I think I'm going to focus on Hot Toys, as their quality is only getting better, they're easier on the pocketbook, and space isn't nearly as big an issue when it comes to them. So knowing that I'd be spending $150 more than I'd like...and knowing that being international, their silly "Free Shipping" incentive didn't mean squat to me ($599.99 and NO free shipping would've likely been a much easier pill for many to swallow. Still find it ridiculous to treat international customers this way), I still pulled the trigger because this was one of those pieces that I knew I'd love to have around me for the rest of my time. A piece I could admire and enjoy for the long haul. If it wasn't, then there's no way I would've ordered.
That all said, if the paint comes out poorly, or things don't come out looking like they should for the price that this piece costs, I'll have no qualms about making my first return to Sideshow. I'm really hoping that's not the case, and I do believe they can nail it...here's hoping the extra cost and time before release ends up in our favour.
In closing:
