"Small runs" never justify the production cost in terms of business perspective. There are numerous benefits from the economies of large-scale production, those who have been working in the manufacturing industry will be extremely familiar with this concept.
Unless collectors are willing to pay a hefty price for these "small runs", I would say 1.5 or even double the average retail price from Hot Toys. For instance, I just bought a $700 1/6 samurai figure Dante from this Chinese studio with worldwide edition limited to only 300 figs. But if you go to BBST and type COO model samurai, the standard cost for these mass-produced figures are just roughly $300 at maximum.
I fully understand manufacturing logistics and pricing based on units to be sold.
Small is relative. You took me far too literally, unnecessarily.
They would need to produce enough to be profitable but not enough so that unsold units stick around.
Sideshow used to be pretty good at pulling that off with older figures, but that time has come and gone for a variety of reasons. Doesn't mean they couldn't do it, though the figures would cost more.
I would be okay with that to get secondary or background characters, and some other folks would be. But maybe not in the numbers Sideshow would need to make it worthwhile.
The reality is, people just had no idea how good they had it when Sideshow was making figs like hammerhead, Greedo, and Gamorrean for not much over $100. Greedo was in fact LESS than $100. Sadly those days are forever gone.
I always wonder how many people would buy a $250-270 Walrusman (who yes, wears a vaguely similar outfit to Luke Snowspeeder, which was priced at around $270 in 2020.) HT Jawa maybe was a preview of what's to come: questionable quality priced far too high.
You really don't know you've left the good ol' days till they've come and gone.
I would be alright paying that for Walrusman and other characters like him. I imagine not everyone would. Maybe for alien characters like Admiral Ackbar and Nien Numb that Hot Toys seems to shy away from. I don't expect a Hot Toys Greedo anytime soon either, if ever.
I don't know if Sideshow will make anymore 1/6 figures beyond Jabba's Palace Lando, but I think there would be a place for Star Wars aliens in that price range.
There's a good opportunity for product synergy between a Hot Toys ESB Lando and a Sideshow Ugnaught two pack, or a Sideshow Lobot and Bespin Guard, but I guess why bother when Hot Toys can sell Cosbabies and Sideshow can sell... art prints? I guess? A couple of Star Wars statues a year?
