I'd be "ready" too if there was a chance of it happening. God knows I'd rather have 4-5 figures from every franchise and call it a day. It'd certainly be easier to maintain and even transport.
But what if such a thing doesn't happen, and a decade later I'm looking at all those HT Stranges and Reeds and Dooms, while I'm sitting there combing Hobo Neo's real hair?
God, I hate these final moments before the storm...
I managed to escape the SW insanity by making plan and actually sticking to it. I stuck only to ANH. Bought only the main protagonists and Vader. Boom. Done. I haven't been to the SW threads since. Though I have been tempted.
That's how I started. I said "Sith only". Then I realised I don't love Maul and Dooku, even if I need them, while I hated having missed out on Anakin and Obi-Wan. So I expanded it to Sith & Jedi only. But now I have to buy Ahsoka and then I'll have to get Rex to flank Generals Skywalker & Kenobi and Senator Palpatine and so on. Honestly, considering most of my favourite SW stuff are EU-only, I'd not even be getting my actual favourites even if I stuck with HT.
Thank you for the compliment on Strange.
Rahmier did a full repaint and re-hair on him, so I sacrificed some wants on him for sure.
No problem; it really looks great!
As for ideas for you, I don't really know. I've never been one to feel nostalgic/sentimental about things, so I don't really feel a connection to many characters and/or properties. Or a need for many of them. In essence, my secret is is that I don't like many things and therefore my wants are far less than what I think most collectors have.
I'm a mixed bag in regards to nostalgia. Some things get to me, others don't. But I do have a quasi-addictive personality, and if I start something, I need to complete it. So a part of me does want to jump ship right now, before it all even starts. Less figures to worry about, less expenses, a more curated collection. But I worry that I may look abck and lament missing on the 8s because I held off on waiting for the 9s. On the other hand, I worry that I will give into my completionist monster and then a decade later I'll look back and curse myself for all the wasted money on plastic dolls.
I just can't decide...
I think people underestimate how good sculpted hair can look, especially now when there's new advancements in techonology and materials that allow for better detail and more seperate parts, I think this Hot Toys Loki is the best example of what I'm talking about:
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Years ago this wouldn't have been possible but now it is, and imo it looks just as impressive as rooted hair, WHEN that's done right, that's what a lot of people are taking for granted, sure Queen has done great work on their 1/4 scale artist editions with rooted hair but 1/6 is a different lane and harder to nail, you need a very talented artist or a group of several to achieve the level of quality you see in the proto on a mass produced figure.
Good point there. I brought up the HT Kylo Rens earlier. IMO, long hair that has volume can look great sculpted. And short hair doesn't even need the rooted treatment. But it does raise the bar. Maybe it's the illusion of it all? Another new extra bit to make the toys even shinier?
I also think extreme realism is way too overhyped, if collectors really want 1/6 figures to start having seamless arms, rooted hair, glass eyes, silicone skin, the whole nine yards then they should just move on to statues, because with all of that you lose product longevity and articulation for something that looks hyper realistic but utlimately stops being an "action figure",
That is another thing to consider. When you gather enough of them, they do start losing their hyper-realistic look and start blending together. They look great in the promo pics, but they're still toys locked behind glass cases. Do they really deserve going that far for them? But then the argument becomes "well, you'll have less and each one will have its own case, so they'll maintain their realism". For every argument there's a counter-argument and the cycle goes on.
not to mention you'll pay much more as well, I wholeheartedly believe Queen will increase their prices with each release because the price they're asking for the rooted versions is generous to say the least, most likely because they don't want to put everyone away as soon as they step into the 1/6 game but we know how it goes, "I'll never pay $200 for a figure!" "Well maybe $300 isn't so bad if the quality is there." "No way I'm paying $600 for a rooted hair figure!" "But $1000 for two sounds really tempting..." the cycle never ends.
And that's another bitter pill to swallow. Prices will keep increasing. Barebones Battinson goes for 280€-350€ for me, depending from where I order. It's why these start sounding more alluring to me, as they'll force me to be more selective and stop me from kidding myself.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's good to see some brands are now giving collectors the option to have these high end figures more readily availabe and at a decent price (for the time being) but I would hate to see everyone following suit and start making figures that aren't really figures, but more so display pieces that have limited articulation, will deteriorate faster and have their hair go all frizzy and fall off all the while making this hobby even more expensive than it already and catering exclusivly to one side of the spectrum while plastic figures, with plastic accessories, sculpted hair and more articulation points can looks just as amazing and innovating, in my opinion that is.
Well, you've certainly given me some more things to think about. The added frailty didn't really cross my mind as I was focused on the added level of realism. It's not like we play with these things, but there needs to be a longetivity to all, otherwise what's the point?
Pros and Cons on both sides it seems.
Well said. I think that Loki is amazing, and having Joker won't throw he into a tizzy worrying about if all my other figures are up to his caliber. There's other reasons to collect figures. I just think Ledger particularly looks good with the rooted hair. Two of my favorite figure last weren't even 1/6 or "high end".
That is the main draw here, ultimately. His greasy hair really benefits from the format.
I'm not bothered by having rooted haired figures next to sculpted haired one.
I honestly don't know if I could do that myself.
But there are certain figures that greatly benefit from rooted hair done right -- like this Joker. And Gandalf.
I think all medium-long haired characters would. Hence all the Sparrow mods. Female characters with their long manes are a given too.
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If I'm being honest with myself, I'm just looking for a proper justification to stop myself from going all-in. If I say "rooted only (or at least mainly)" I shut the door on many others and thus stop myself from being spread too thin. My collection becomes tighter. But is it the right move?
