Big Chief Studios James Bond Series

[facemaker]

Did the stands even come with batteries included? I thought I had to supply the batteries so I never even tried them to see if they worked.

You're right,...I only put them in one to check it out and then removed them.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I like the Bond stands myself; simple and elegant... but as I never use stands in general they all end up in the box.

So yes, I'd prefer no stands or minimal stands and a slightly lower cost. But I think they'll use essentially the same stands with different name plates for all the Bond sets so the actual cost is amortized and likely negligible.

I'd also be in favor of a less fancy box. It's great what they've done, but I don't display my boxes... and they take up a lot of storage space. I bet that fancy box costs a good penny.

 

[facemaker]

I like the Bond stands myself; simple and elegant... but as I never use stands in general they all end up in the box.

So yes, I'd prefer no stands or minimal stands and a slightly lower cost. But I think they'll use essentially the same stands with different name plates for all the Bond sets so the actual cost is amortized and likely negligible.

I'd also be in favor of a less fancy box. It's great what they've done, but I don't display my boxes... and they take up a lot of storage space. I bet that fancy box costs a good penny.

Agree. It would be nice if we could all just tear down the glass wall of the box value going forward. I think we all consider the value of resell and that we need the box, but if more buyers could accept not getting the box as long as the figure and accessories are perfect, it would be easier on everybody.

I have at least 10-15 boxes I would throw away right now if not for that.

 

[Wor-Gar]

I have at least 10-15 boxes I would throw away right now if not for that.

10-15? Amateur.

 

[thecapn]

10-15? Amateur.

Yeah, I get it. When we moved into our house, I bought a few big totes, packed the boxes in there (empty, of course) and threw them up in the attic. That was a year ago. I probably have at least 10 boxes I could add to them now.

Funny thing is, I usually don't buy ANYTHING with the intention of ever selling it. But I suppose there's always a chance it'll happen. I do know that outside of a few figures, they really aren't worth too much more than I paid for them though.

 

[Wor-Gar]

The boxes pile up. I have -- had -- so many I could have built a second house out of them. A year ago -- when I moved like you -- I was finally confronted with the reality of just how many I had acquired and squirreled away over 8 years. It was sobering.

But still my OCD is strong, so rather than throw them all away, I removed and tossed the clear trays and flattened out the art boxes. They take up very little room flattened out now. Not sure they're worth anything without the trays... but you just never know.

But I still have a lot of those HT DX boxes and other HT boxes of more recent figures that I've got taking up an entire closet in the 2nd bedroom. I need to do another purge.

 

[facemaker]

The boxes pile up. I have -- had -- so many I could have built a second house out of them. A year ago -- when I moved like you -- I was finally confronted with the reality of just how many I had acquired and squirreled away over 8 years. It was sobering.

But still my OCD is strong, so rather than throw them all away, I removed and tossed the clear trays and flattened out the art boxes. They take up very little room flattened out now. Not sure they're worth anything without the trays... but you just never know.

But I still have a lot of those HT DX boxes and other HT boxes of more recent figures that I've got taking up an entire closet in the 2nd bedroom. I need to do another purge.

You definitely have more than me. I think I have 21 figures, which is about 15 over what I planned. I also have some prop replica boxes though and those are a *****. I don't worry about making money on them, nor do I plan to sell......but things happen. So, you may get the original value with the box or more....without it though, we all know you cannot get the original value unless the figure is rare.

it would be completely freeing for us all to say "**** the box". But, because we still see examples today of collectibles worth many more times their value due to the box, our brains are wired to hold them as to not feel like we ultimately gave away money if resale or liquidation happens.

 

[facemaker]

As far as the DX boxes,....yes, those would be the hardest to trash.

 

[spindrift]

lost count on my collection

 

[DVD1]

The boxes pile up. I have -- had -- so many I could have built a second house out of them. A year ago -- when I moved like you -- I was finally confronted with the reality of just how many I had acquired and squirreled away over 8 years. It was sobering.

But still my OCD is strong, so rather than throw them all away, I removed and tossed the clear trays and flattened out the art boxes. They take up very little room flattened out now. Not sure they're worth anything without the trays... but you just never know.

But I still have a lot of those HT DX boxes and other HT boxes of more recent figures that I've got taking up an entire closet in the 2nd bedroom. I need to do another purge.

Ah, I’m not the only one.
Just before the summer holiday, I had to prep a room for my family coming to visit.
Until then, I’d only had one at a time: this time it was 3.
Cut to the chase, I dumped close to 100 1:6 figure / vehicle boxes.
The first was the hardest to do. Then I unpacked each of the boxes with the figures / vehicles on display. I hated n tagged all of the extra parts, and I kept all of the insert graphics as those were all pretty impressive.
I then went on to open tons of Turtles figures I’d kept packaged for decades!!!
Very liberating.
I have kept some boxes, like the Suicide Squad ones (too damned cool), my Doctor Who set and, I will keep these Bond boxes (they are beautiful),

 

[jimminy]

Thanks for the tips, thecapn! I remember using Games Workshop paints back in the day (my dwarf army was only every half a couple of units and a bunch of cardboard stand-ins, but still). I would be much less stressed about getting something wrong with them! As you say, they can be wiped off while wet pretty safely compared to some other paints. Your pics look good! I like the button repaint too.

I got my replacement head from Sideshow. The difference in paint jobs between some of these heads is quite pronounced! My original was a bit swarthier, with a darker mouth and a clearer line between the lips. The lips on the replacement head are quite pale and the face is much pinker and flatter. The eyes look different too. I wouldn't say either was better or worse - I think it will come down to personal taste. Someone I know who has seen both in hand much prefers the second. I personally prefer the original, swarthier one (on the right).

I feel bad talking casually about having two Bond heads, because I know many are waiting, and it seems a luxury to have a choice and one extra to play with. In a perfect world, of course, I wouldn't have two Bond heads! It was never my plan to have two Bond heads. Anyway. There are my two Bond heads. Forgive me.

Now that I know I am safe I might be confident enough to try a fix on the other - if anything goes wrong Bond still has a head, and I still have the figure I paid for, and the swarthy head isn't much good with its nose rub anyway.

I feel bad have the luxury of a head to try a fix on. I have no idea what I am doing and it will probably go horribly. I wasn't asking for two Bond heads, when I ordered originally! I just wanted one Bond head, intact. I only have two because something outside my control went awry. Argh! The guilt. The shame. Don't hate me, guys! Don't hate me, Greggo! I would have sent the original back if they had asked.

At the same time a part of my brain is like, 'I should totally get a second body and a third party tux now ...' Cognitive dissonance. Human nature. Guilt and acquisitiveness. Argh. Sigh.

Anyway, I understand now why the Bonds in some pics looked quite different to my original. I like swarthy Bond enough I will risk trying to fix him. It's off to Games Workshop for me ...

Oh: I got a replacement Mint Julep glass and it was exactly the same - a mark where it looks like it was cut off a modelling tree. So don't bother asking for replacements there. They're all the same. You don't notice from a distance anyway. I was mainly worried about the nose rub (and a scratch across the top of the hair) on my figure's head, but I mentioned the glass and included pics and Sideshow was nice enough to send a second.

I'm still waiting to hear back about my weird jacket fold (God I sound entitled ... but again no-one else's has the fold! I'm not imagining it ... if I could fix it myself I would! I usually let things slide but my fig came with issues ... I hardly ever get replacement parts usually! Don't hate me, guys. I want to love you, Bond ... I just want to love you! Why won't you let me love you!):

 

[Wor-Gar]

It's nice that Sideshow was provided with spare replacement heads. Congrats!

 

[jimminy]

My girlfriend (who, with a bit of help from my sister, got me this fig as a present) calls the two heads 'clean Bond' and 'alcoholic Bond', but she also prefers clean Bond. I must be the only one who likes my Bonds alcoholic But Connery spends part of the movie unshaven and part of the movie cleaned up, so I basically have both looks now ...

 

[Buttmunch]

It's nice that Sideshow was provided with spare replacement heads. Congrats!

Yeah, great for BCS to make replacement available to Sideshow instead of those that ordered directly thru them...

 

[jimminy]

They don't come with batteries. They're just triple A's though. Probably have a bunch lying around to replace the ones in the TV remotes lol.

I LIKE the light up feature, with the caveat that I wish it had a USB power option so that you could leave it on full-time. That'd be pretty cool. As it is, I won't leave it on too often. The side touch option is a nice feature, but I agree it isn't as easy to use as I thought it would be. I wouldn't say they're not designed well though? I for one don't mind not seeing the shoes, but I understand why you'd want to. And I guess the idea of just the silver circle all the way around with a nice nameplate on the bottom front would be nice too. No less expensive to produce, I'd bet, but nice.

I think it makes the whole package feel more valuable, but if you dumped it and put that money into painting the buttons on the suit I'd have been all for it.

For me, the thing that's poorly thought out and executed is the packaging that can't keep the nose rubs from happening lol. And of course the body.

RE: the whole discussion of stands, the 'valuable feel', money spent in non-ideal areas, etc ...

I personally love the goofiness of the stand. I find myself warbling, 'GOLDDDDDFINGER ... WAUGH WAUGGHHH WAUGHHHH" and on each trumpeted 'waugh' running my finger past the sensor to make the light go on and off, but that might just be me.

But I totally get what you guys are saying. The button thing is a headscratcher. And if this figure had been $50 cheaper, the imperfections wouldn't be viewed with as much consternation. If it had been $100 cheaper most of us would be saying how great it is compared to figures in that price range. If they had managed to save money in some areas, and pass that on to the consumer, more of us would be content. If they had redirected the money into fixing some of these niggles, well ... we'd probably take the cost a bit more on the chin? Who knows.

I expect it's the license fee which has pushed the cost up so high. I bet the license holders were asking A LOT (Bond=luxury and all that), and BCS had to do their best to pay for that and still get a figure out that people had any hope of affording. Just a theory, anyway. I'd say their Hartnell and second Matt Smith Doctor Whos are proof that they can do really nice releases. Perhaps the Doctor Who license is cheaper and they didn't have to cut costs so much there.

Of course, there is the added complication that Bond should 'feel' luxurious and expensive, and that means any figure should, by the very nature of the brand, be able to go toe-to-toe with the highest of the high-end. Bond is Aston Martins and five star resorts and whatever watch brand is overcharging for the illusion of luxury this decade. A Bond figure is supposed to feel like 'the best of the best'. Any company taking on Bond is really putting a lot of pressure on themselves. Bond should outshine other figures on the shelf, and every female figure should be wanting to sneak a peek at him. At least, it should 'feel' like that, to be characteristic of the brand. I think BCS have even mentioned things like this in interviews.

I mean previously BCS have done Doctor Who, right? And what is the 'feel' of Doctor Who, in fan's eyes? It's 'making the best of a shoe-string budget, cheapness we lovingly and willingly overlook, imagination and whimsy, and British can-do spirit'. Doctor Who fans are naturally going to judge things with a different set of expectations, because of what the brand represents. I love their Doctor Who line. It feels like 'made by fans, for fans'. You're buying from friends. Big Chief have the 'British can-do spirit' in spades. Have they tried to do a bit too much in securing the Bond line, and jumping straight to what needs to be 'best of the best'? Time will tell.

There is a lot to love here, but Bond is Bond, and he's a middle aged man's infantile fever dream of what elegance and luxury look like. We need that illusion, beyond just the price tag. The illusion starts to fade in certain areas with this figure. The sculpt is top notch. I have hope for the future.

GOLDDDDFINGER ...

*biddle diddle mm*

HE'S THE MAN ... THE MAN WITH THE MIDASSSSS TOUCH!
THE SPIDER'S TOUCH ....

*woo weedle woo ee*

SUCH A COLDDDD FINGER

WAUGH (finger past sensor) WAUGHHHHH (finger past sensor) WAUGH (finger past sensor)

BECKONS YOU ... TO ENTER HIS WEB OF SIN
BUT DON'T GO INNNNN!

 

[thecapn]

Man, jiminy, you really bring up some interesting thoughts. Do we actually psychologically expect a Bond figure to be perfect compared to a Dr. Who, even if they're the exact same price from the same company? And if they are the same price, then you have to assume BC is eating more of that licensing cost...though they may make up for it in scale, since more Bonds will sell than a Dr. Who (fixed vs. variable costs and all that rot).

For me, I'm not comparing it to Hot Toys. I don't think that's fair. Hot Toys is like a control group in an experiment. You always know what you're getting (for the most part), and the quality level will be top notch. I'm comparing it more to QMX. Sure, the Trek license can't possibly be anywhere near as expensive as Bond. But if you add in all the extra parts in Bond (light-up base, more hands, background display, etc) and subtract the negatives (bad paint, buttons, body) does it justify the extra $70 or so bucks on the price tag? That's a head-scratcher. Taking how much you love the character out of the equation, I'm not 100% sure it does.

I hate to say it, but Big Chief's greatest asset is also their greatest liability: their Britain-based company. They are making figures for licenses we'd normally never dream of, because they're focused on their homeland, and that's an asset to all of us, British or not. They're bringing a different look to design than the normal US or China perspective. But at the same time, you've got to assume that it's increasing costs. Not on manufacturing, per se, but on shipping. Not just of the final figures, but all the prototypes going back and forth to China, the designs, the meetings; there's a reason why Nanjin (who runs the QMX lines) pretty much lives in China despite being raised in San Francisco. It just makes the whole process easier and more financially sound if the whole production from top down is in the same location. Not to mention you can have direct control over any problems as they crop up.



With regard to the heads, I wonder if that's because they're rushing the second batch, or had to use a different facility? After all, Chinese New Year causes all sorts of problems. Recently there was a post in the One Sixth group on Facebook telling people to expect lower quality if a figure is released in January, because the factory is rushing to get them out before the shut down.

On a possibly related note, I did notice one thing that nobody (to my knowledge) has brought up. My hands aren't consistently painted. While they're all cast in the same color, some are more painted than others, so some end up being darker. Not a big deal for me in the display case (unless you pose him with his hands together or something), but maybe the variation is just part of the assembly line from painter to painter?

 

[Raymond F.]

RE: the whole discussion of stands, the 'valuable feel', money spent in non-ideal areas, etc ...

I personally love the goofiness of the stand. I find myself warbling, 'GOLDDDDDFINGER ... WAUGH WAUGGHHH WAUGHHHH" and on each trumpeted 'waugh' running my finger past the sensor to make the light go on and off, but that might just be me.

I think it's just you. And I only say that because the mechanics of this thing are garbage. Meaning it can't actually flick on and off like that on demand. Every time I try to turn it on I need to squeeze it and slam it around so it actually works. And that's on all three"

Also I like the stands. No complaints at all. If you want to talk ridiculous stands lets talk about Hot toys. Then new ones that is. All of their bases not uniform. cheesy stickers GIANT space sucking garbagy looking things. I hate them. Hot toys if you want to sell me more figures don't you know I need more shelf space? I don't need excess space taken up by stands.

While still large the goldfinger stands are round. They are easier to put next to one another and not take up too much space like those large rectangle or hexagonal hot toys stands. Worst ever are those cheesy diamond stands that take up half a shelf and came Wirth Marty Mcfly part 2. Nothing says garbage container like a stand like that.

I also love the uniformity of the Bond stands and classiness of the designs.

I approve.

But yeah. those electronics are crap.

 

[thecapn]

Don't get me started on those flight stands. I got into the habit of attaching the articulated arm to an acrylic riser. Much less obtrusive.

 

[Comatoast]

If you haven't made up your mind already, or just want to see some more pictures, my review of Auric Goldfinger is up on Exclucollective.com

​

 

[pixletwin]

In practice, stands are definitely not BCS’s forte.