1:6 figures - as good as they look?

[sithgorilla]

This is a question from a potential new sideshow/hot toys collector. I love the promo images I've seen (i.e. First Order Tie Pilot and Snowtrooper). But I know promo images are lighted perfectly etc. so I'm wondering, do these things look as good in person? I'd hate to drop a few hundred dollars and be disappointed.

 

[tbay]

A lot of times they look better in person or the same, but if I'm on the fence about a character I usually wait until the figure gets released as freaks post images in the thread to give you a sense of what they look like in hand.

 

[mfoga]

The sideshow ones will look like junk.

 

[Centrocal]

Here are some pics of the store display

 

[cmiller99]

Welcome to the forum!

It depends from figure to figure. Preordering is practically dead anyway, so its the safest thing to wait for in hand images on here before making decisions.

 

[lerath666]

theyall generaly look pretty awesome.

 

[chobits55]

they look a lot better in person due to different camera focal lengths? also make sure when buying your first 1/6 to consider the articulation, how the suit/cloth sits. more articulation for more play!

 

[sithgorilla]

The sideshow ones will look like junk.

That's disappointing to hear. One of the figures I was thinking of was the OT Tie Fighter Pilot.

 

[sithgorilla]

Welcome to the forum!

It depends from figure to figure. Preordering is practically dead anyway, so its the safest thing to wait for in hand images on here before making decisions.

Thanks for the warm welcome!
Good to know about the preordering. I thought they may sell out, but I guess that's not a problem.

 

[sithgorilla]

they look a lot better in person due to different camera focal lengths? also make sure when buying your first 1/6 to consider the articulation, how the suit/cloth sits. more articulation for more play!

Gotcha. Seems like the Hot Toys all have 30 points of articulation.

 

[Lordscum]

The sideshow ones will look like junk.

So I guess in your humble opinion my Star Wars, LOTR and Indiana Jones figures are junk? Glad myself and many other don't share your opinion.

 

[shells075]

I remember when I got my first HT fig about 6-7 yrs ago, I was amazed with the quality and overall production value. Generally I think most people new to high end action fig collecting are very impressed with what they get.

Oh and
to the Freaks.

 

[Mr.Tanker]

Sideshow figures typically don't live up to the level of quality seen in their prototypes, while Hot Toys are occasionally even better in hand than what you see in the initial promotional pictures.

 

[evenflow]

Thanks for the warm welcome!
Good to know about the preordering. I thought they may sell out, but I guess that's not a problem.

Not many sell out any more but if there is an exclusive you want, i still suggest pre-ordering it. I have been burned before but happy i pre-ordered other times. Basically, if you really want it and would regret it selling out, then order.

 

[davejames]

The HT figures nearly always look outstanding in hand, and most of the Sideshow ones look pretty darn good as well I think (even if not as super detailed as the HT).

But a really big factor also comes in how well you futz, display, and light a figure (and unfortunately the Sideshow figures do seem to take a bit more work to make look good). If you do all that right, then they can easily look as good as the promo pics we see online.

 

[kl241]

Sideshow require immediate upgrades and futzing outta da box. Get ready to buy another body to swap it to in addition to paint/parts and hours of futzing to get it to look like it should. Absolutely ridiculous for a $200+ figure.

 

[mfoga]

That's disappointing to hear. One of the figures I was thinking of was the OT Tie Fighter Pilot.

Sorry that was said very sarcastically. You will find many HT fanboys will say SS can't make any good figures and all are junk and that was the basis behind the comment.

 

[bunnyfreakz]

Yes they cool, an actual product somehow looks different but still highly crafted. Hot Toys always live up people expectation ( not mostly but 95% ), Sideshow not so much.

Hot Toys headsculpt paintwork just superior than Sideshow anytime. What Hot toys shows in prototype and promotion is what you get. Dont hesitate buy those thing, you will blown away

 

[fett42]

Sideshow require immediate upgrades and futzing outta da box. Get ready to buy another body to swap it to in addition to paint/parts and hours of futzing to get it to look like it should. Absolutely ridiculous for a $200+ figure.

That's not always true. Some Sideshow figures look great out of the box. I'm very happy with my Sideshow Batman figure and the only futzing it required was moving the belt up slightly, but since the belt is loose around the waist it wasn't an issue at all. I have other Sideshow figures, like Vader 2.0 and Darth Malgus, that I'm very happy with as well. I've never upgraded any of the Sideshow figures I have and they all look fine to great. And yes, I have plenty of Hot Toys to compare them to. There are some bad Sideshow releases, but to imply that all of them are bad is totally unfair and unrealistic. Maybe in your opinion they look bad, but many people are happy with a lot of what Sideshow has released.

To the topic creator: That being said, some of the recent releases from Sideshow are hit and miss when it comes to how good they are and quality. I'd suggest if you're worried about the final product, wait until it gets released and then buy it after seeing pictures or videos from collectors. Then you should form your own opinion on how good it looks and not let anyone tell you different. You may find that the figure looks good but the owner of it is nitpicking it which happens too much on this forum. Some people here seem to be turned off by things they consider inaccurate about the figure and forget that it is a toy rather than a shrunken down costume from the movie. I've seen plenty of great looking figures that people claim are terrible because of some slight issue with the sculpt or costume that isn't exactly as it looks in a movie.

 

[sithgorilla]

Thanks everyone for all the info. Obviously anything will look better with backdrops, the perfect lighting and professional photography. In the end these are 12" toys, and I kind of expect them to look like that. I guess I wanted to get the consensus from people if the level of detail and craftsmanship lived up to the $200 price tag. I'm in a point in life where I just want a few high quality pieces of memorabilia of my favorite movie series. These figures do seem very cool and able to be displayed. Snowtrooper has always been my favorite armor and I love the upgraded design for the new movies. That will be my first order. Then when I receive it I can ascertain if it's something for me and go from there. Worst case scenario I find that this is not the kind of collectible media for me and I'm out $200. Which I can live with. Because I very well could end up with beautiful pieces that make me happy. No risk, no reward.