LEGOLAS 12in best sculpt yet!

[Entropy]

I agree that the photoshopping can get a bit out of hand and a "perfect" likeness is much more difficult to achieve in 3d than on a comp screen.

But I find it an extremely useful tool for illustrating what you feel may be improved upon in a sculpt. It keeps the sculptors on thier toes I hope, rather than just pissing them off, and gives us fans a frame of reference to nit pick and of course something to talk about until these suckers are released. I bet a few of these photshop jobs have lead to real improvements before production is in full swing.

And Legolas is an amazing sculpt with a paint job that accentuates the fine job that Andy, or mayhaps Mat, has given us. I give it a 9.5, best Legolas yet! I only wish these suckers were coming as quickly as the SW 12".

 

[Andy Bergholtz]

I understand as much as anyone how tempting/entertaining these photoshop touch-ups can be, although it's true that all the armchair quarterbacking doesn't always have the effect you might hope it does.

The truth is (speaking as a sculptor of these pieces), there is virtually no flaw you can point out that I'm not already brutally aware of. We've been studying and re-studying these likenesses for months before they are ever shown to the public, it's extremely rare that someone will notice something after viewing the figure for 5 minutes that we haven't already realized ourselves (again, I'm talking about the sculpture specifically, NOT the paint). The unfortunate fact of the matter is (most of the time) that there is only so much tweaking that can be done on any given piece, due to demands made by the production schedule and direction/revisions by the licensor. So, while many folks think they might be doing us a favor or "keeping us on our toes" by "fixing" all of our apparently sub-par work, in reality sometimes it feels more like re-inserting a knife into an open wound and twisting it around.

Don't get me wrong.... We make these products the absolute best that we possibly can. But this is an art form, and there's a saying about sculpture that I've always adhered to: "A sculpture is never finished, only abandoned". I believe Leonardo Da Vinci said that. The point is, a sculpture could be worked, and worked, and worked some more, until the end of time, and still not be perfect. We simply do the best we possibly can in the timeframe we're given. An individual figure doesn't earn as much profit for Sideshow as you might think, there is only so much R&D that can go into any given figure before it starts to literally lose money. Given those parameters (which every company in existence follows), I think Sideshow does a pretty bang-up job.

I don't mean to ramble.... And by all means, certainly keep up with all the photoshopping, overlaying, critiquing, etc, to your heart's desire. Your comments ARE extremely valuable. Just know that a little understanding of what goes into these things goes a long way. And if some of these fan-made suggestions don't always appear on the final product (like they did with Han, etc), don't take it to mean that we aren't paying attention or don't care. There are many, many factors involved that might prevent us from always being able to make further revisions on certain figures, but we'll certainly do our best to give you exactly what you want.

 

[Customikey]

I've been waiting and hoping that someone from Sideshow would chime in on all this. I've been wondering what the artist reaction has been to the recent bout of griping that has struck even as some of the best product in SSC history is being displayed.
I know it's not easy having your work scrutinized in this manner, but I think as long as you are satisfied that you've done the best you could, you can sit back and relax (or frantically get started on the next project) until the figure arrives in our mailboxes and we shower you with the praise the whole team deserves. Just look at the title of the thread!!
It is pleasing to know that our comments can have positive impact on the final work sometimes, although it is embarassing how an impassioned fan can ocassionally end up insulting (usually unintentionally) the work that is, at its core, a labor of love.
Star Wars and LOTR are my dream lines, and I couldn't be happier with the way it's coming out. My only regret is that I don't have more space!!

 

[Morris Fletcher]

Andy, thank you for posting your thoughts. Sharing your perspective as a professional is appreciated immensely.

And as one who's been posting some Photoshopped pics, let me make it clear that by no means is my intention to correct the sculpt, or place myself above the sculptor, or anything of the sort. I find just the idea to be really offensive, although I can see how it could possibly be received as such, and for that I do regret any bad feelings stirred up.

Anyway, IMO obsessing about every detail and wasting time with pointless shenanigans is all part of being a fan, and as long as SS keeps cranking out the cool stuff I'm happy. That's the thing. If Sideshow and it's artists weren't so damn good, then we'd have no jumping off point for any of this. If the sculpts were just completely off the mark and that's that, we'd probably barely comment on any of this at all.

I do have a question, Andy: as a general rule, are you usually satisfied with the amount of time you have to work on any given SS piece?

 

[Morris Fletcher]

. . . even as some of the best product in SSC history is being displayed.

Agreed!

It is pleasing to know that our comments can have positive impact on the final work sometimes, although it is embarassing how an impassioned fan can ocassionally end up insulting (usually unintentionally) the work that is, at its core, a labor of love.

I agree with this to a point, but also I think we can sometimes forget that the SSC team is reading what we post. But I think tiptoeing around stuff isn't much use either. Best discussion and feedback is always what goes beyond the "Looks cool!" or "Worst sculpt ever" posts.

 

[Andy Bergholtz]

Hey Morris,

No harm, no foul!

To answer your question, yes, I'm usually satisfied with the amount of time we get to work on any given piece. It's not extremely often that I find myself really wishing I had more time to work on something, but it does happen. On the other hand, sometimes I can be so frustrated at the end of a given piece and simply be glad to move on to the next project.

 

[captain sack]

Hey Morris,

No harm, no foul!

To answer your question, yes, I'm usually satisfied with the amount of time we get to work on any given piece. It's not extremely often that I find myself really wishing I had more time to work on something, but it does happen. On the other hand, sometimes I can be so frustrated at the end of a given piece and simply be glad to move on to the next project.

thanks for your post andy. i always enjoy the official/inside info you guys can give us.

in regards to the mace sculpt, i think he's great, but some folks think the eyes need to be bigger. what do you think about this? and did you have them bigger and lucasfilm made you change them? can you even tell us stuff lucasfilm makes you change?

thanks!

 

[gtb]

Thanks Andy for speaking from your company persepctive... In any case, I think from a company point of view, you guys will be glad that there are so many fans constantly contributing to your QC...

Keep it up, sideshow!!

 

[JustinLuck]

Yes, Andy, I love your work along with Matt's...and Tim, can't forget Tim's Kit Fisto! So if you ever see a criticism by me, please don't take it personally! BTW, the Legalos and Luke are the epitome of 'perfect' sculpts. So I guess that is why I am disappointed with the likeness of ESB Han since he is in my top-5 favorite characters of all time.

Anyway, yes, I am also curious about the eyes on Mace. Was it because Lucas didn't want you doing a likeness of Samuel L Jackson? Also, does Lucasfilm limit Sideshow's creativity? I keep hearing rumors how Lucasfilm restricts ideas to one company at a time. So if Gentle Giant or Attackus is making a certain star wars idea, Sideshow can't making anything related to it. I don't understand this, because IMO the demand for SW products is so high, they will always sell out even if there were different versions of the same idea from multiple companies.

 

[Bonehead15]

Legolas looks great!! No complaints here.

Anybody know who did the sculpt? Andy? Matt?

 

[Mortar Conn]

Just want to tip my hat to Andy and all the other sculptors, clothing designers, creative geniuses, etc at Sideshow Collectibles.

The amazing pieces of art your are currently producing in the SW and LOTR lines are a 1/6 collector's dream. I doubted for a long time I'd ever see this quality of craftmanship on this scale with these particular licenses.

Great to hear some feedback from you and thanks for all you do to make this hobby truly exciting. Every new release is like being a wide-eyed 8-year-old kid on Christmas morning all over again.

MORTAR CONN

 

[GrimaSnailTongue]

Holy moley! The best Legolas so far, hands down! Egads!

 

[B-Electronic]

On the other hand, sometimes I can be so frustrated at the end of a given piece and simply be glad to move on to the next project.

Whoah there Nelly!! You mean you are supplying us with pieces which look like a sack-o-crap?



It's all good Andy

 

[Andy Bergholtz]

Whoah there Nelly!! You mean you are supplying us with pieces which look like a sack-o-crap?



It's all good Andy

LOL, touche'!

Just want to tip my hat to Andy and all the other sculptors, clothing designers, creative geniuses, etc at Sideshow Collectibles.

Here here! With all the talk about the sculpts lately, some of the most important aspects of the process have been a bit absent from the limelight. The product designers, fabricators, tailors, painters, etc, all work as hard or HARDER than any of us measly sculptors, and the work they're doing is not only impressive, it's ground-breaking. Hat's off to the creative folks who make the rest of us look good!

 

[Rugby1970]

The product designers, fabricators, tailors, painters, etc, all work as hard or HARDER than any of us measly sculptors, and the work they're doing is not only impressive, it's ground-breaking. Hat's off to the creative folks who make the rest of us look good!

This is a great point... a huge part of how impressive the new Order of the Jedi figures are is that incredible clothing they have... The robes and outfits look amazing. Also, the pics from ToyFair have also shown off just how great PF Frodo looks. No matter what one says about the sculpt, the clothing thay have put together is amazing. All the textures from the cloak, coat and pants, etc., work together really well. I cannot wait to see him at Comic Con.

 

[Andy Bergholtz]

Indeed Rugby, good points. The guys at SS have really been pushing the envelope with the SW and LOTR stuff, breaking the mold so to speak. Never in the history of Sideshow has there been this much attention to detail and quality in 1/6 figures (and that's saying something).




*disclaimer- Writing this as an employee of SS, I can see how this might look like huge boasting or 'tooting our own horn'... But my praise for the designers comes solely from me as a fan, not a co-worker.

 

[Entropy]

THANKS ANDY!

Painting disappointments aside, I don't think we've heard much fan reaction about the product designers, fabricators, tailors, etc. is because they've been hitting it outta the park with each new preview figure. I, as many others I think, am much more likely to post about complaints I have than praise. So if they "screw up" I'm sure they'll hear it

The costume and accessories for Aragorn set a new standard in excellence IMO. The SW line costuming also scores a ten with the only complaint I've heard was over the texture/print of Mace's robe and Obi Wan's tunic being a bit too white, which are tiny tiny quibbles from just a couple people. You guys really are finding top notch fabrics and tailoring them perfectly. This gives us fans more time to ***** about the focal point of each figure, the face sculpts, since everything else is basically "perfect".

Thank you Andy for sharing your POV, please continue to illuminate us with whatever design and production details you can share. I've love to know more details about what sculpts you feel you nailed and esp. what specific flaws you see in your own work and what you would do differently if you were sculpting the character again (ie chin too big, rt eye not exact shape, profile sucks etc.) but I doubt you can share such critiques about products your company is trying to sell. I wonder if DaVinci was ever asked what he thought his worst work was? Maybe you can discuss this in generalities rather than picking apart individual figs?

Also, when a likeness is lackluster (or even spectacular) for you guys how does that affect things when it's time to sculpt that character/actor again. For instance, if you are disappointed in your likeness of 'x', if 'x' comes up again for production perhaps in a diff scale of diff version of the same character, do you want to try and tackle that sculpt again to "get it right this time" or does another sculptor want to do it thinking that he could do a better job? How are these things decided upon? I know you guys want to keep aspects of your development process in house for whatever reasons, grumble grumble, but any light you could shed the thought process that goes into the initial selections and design would be much appreciated.

And can you or someone tell us who is responcible for the fabulous Legolas sculpt?

 

[Wor-Gar]

This is a great point... a huge part of how impressive the new Order of the Jedi figures are is that incredible clothing they have... The robes and outfits look amazing.

Absolutely TRUE and too often overlooked! The clothing is fantastic. This should be a thread in the SW forum!

 

[DarkArtist81]

yeah, the Legolas and Aragorn figures tailoring are just spot on! Working in so much leather and intricate belts / buckles... It's just amazing. You would not think it possible after being so used to what we were getting a few years ago.

I won't even get started on the Jedi, as they are probably the best EVER in regards to the robes and tunics... I've never been so satisfied as a collector, being able to display my items to anyone and feel as if my empty pockets are justified. I'm proud to be a fan of Sideshow's work... and it's really a great time to be...

The Legolas sculpt is perfect and I could not be happier, great job Andy!

 

[gtb]

Here here! With all the talk about the sculpts lately, some of the most important aspects of the process have been a bit absent from the limelight. The product designers, fabricators, tailors, painters, etc, all work as hard or HARDER than any of us measly sculptors, and the work they're doing is not only impressive, it's ground-breaking. Hat's off to the creative folks who make the rest of us look good!

Perhaps it's a stupid suggestion, but personally I will be pleased to see that the whole package include some production photos of all the people working on the project.. i.e a picture of the each of the designers, fabricators, tailors, painters etc doing their job... and perhaps a group photo will your first prototype...

Perhaps you guys may not want to get in the limelight but I believe you are proud of what you do, and we as collectors will be more appreciative when we know how much work has been put in to bring the statue to our hands. For some, they will feel that it is value for money!!!!