Why aren't 12" figures numbered???

[customizerwannabe]

Numbers on collectibles are for suckers.

 

[sanpedromanrique]

Hi Customizerwannabe:
I wonder if you own any LOTR weta figures, because in that case you are calling yourself a sucker........ If you don't like anything that is numbered you should at least respect the ones who do.

Some one asked where to put the numbers on 12" figures, very simple: on the box, or like some zombies reviewed by Michael Crawford, on their back in big numbers and they really looked great!!!

I buy a figure when I like it, but I think it's cool when I own something very limited, or can anybody who own Patient Zero deny their pride about that hard-to-get figure??????????

 

[Customikey]

Hi Customizerwannabe:
I wonder if you own any LOTR weta figures, because in that case you are calling yourself a sucker........ If you don't like anything that is numbered you should at least respect the ones who do.

Some one asked where to put the numbers on 12" figures, very simple: on the box, or like some zombies reviewed by Michael Crawford, on their back in big numbers and they really looked great!!!

I buy a figure when I like it, but I think it's cool when I own something very limited, or can anybody who own Patient Zero deny their pride about that hard-to-get figure??????????

I think you're missing the pojt a bit, Sanpedro. Getting a numbered collectible doesn't make one a sucker. getting it because it's numbered does. I'm sure all of you who got a Patient Zero sick ) are very pleased, just as I am with my Nazi Kroenen D ), but you might note that these are not physically numbered collectibles, while they are limited. It's not being limited that's a negative here, it's the pretentious belief that that limit is only noteworthy if it's emblazoned on the box or on the figure's back.

 

[TheObsoleteMan]

I buy a figure when I like it, but I think it's cool when I own something very limited, or can anybody who own Patient Zero deny their pride about that hard-to-get figure??????????

See, this is what I don't get. Pride in owning a Patient Zero doll? It's not like a first edition of Gone with the Wind or an original Monet, it's a zombie action figure. I wouldn't mind having one because it looks cool, but I wouldn't associate any great accomplishment with owning it. No offense to the numbers guys, just my opinion.

 

[customizerwannabe]

I think you're missing the pojt a bit, Sanpedro. Getting a numbered collectible doesn't make one a sucker. getting it because it's numbered does.

Exactly. Numbered editions are great. The fewer made, often the better they hold their value. If you pay a premium because it is number 50 of 2000, instead of number 1121 of 2000, you're a sucker. That's perceived value that frankly doesn't exist. If there is a known flaw after a certain number in the run, that's a different story.
I own a Patient Zero. Looks great on my shelf. Don't know what the number is (if it has one) and pitched the box after I opened it. I really like the figure, I don't care about the number. I have the Nazi Kroenen too. Ended up pitching his overcoat for a better WWII one and it's on the shelf boxless too. It's all in what you value I guess.

 

[LOTRFan]

I am not by any means a 12" enthusiast, and only have about 8-10 figures, but the numeric stamp on the box (the embossed numbers) I had always assumed was some sort of edition number. I guess I should get more carefully, perhaps it is just the item number?

 

[Customikey]

I have the Nazi Kroenen too. Ended up pitching his overcoat for a better WWII one and it's on the shelf boxless too. It's all in what you value I guess.

That sounds interesting! Do oyu have any pics?

 

[sebcanadaceo]

i think someone has asked this before.

12" figures and polystone statues for example are different. the statues are placed with their bases that are numbered and they come together.

for 12" figures, where do you want to number it? on the box? on the stand? on the figure? it doesnt really make sense. i don't see a need to individually number the 12" figures. some may decide to open, some may not. some may display with the stand some may not?

actually i've no idea if the figures can stand by itself without the stands.

They could put it on a certificate that would come with the figure...

 

[Customikey]

They could put it on a certificate that would come with the figure...

Hey, I know! Let me know what number you want your figure to be, and I'll print one right up for you!
Actually, I wouldn't mind a certificate. That'd at least be a cool thing to display, lookin' all o-fficial and junk.

 

[Michael Crawford]

My thoughts on why they didn't start out numbered...I may or may not have had conversations with Sideshow in the very early days about this very subject. I'm not telling. Probably because at this point it seems like I did, but it may have all been a dream.

When they were shifting from retail stores to online, they were also making the push on quality and collectibility. That was the only way to make the online sales marketable - it's rare and high quality. Therefore, they started to advertise the idea of 'limited' runs.

Now, everything is actually limited. A company tries to guess (or as they like to call it, 'forecast') the number that will meet current demand, and produce that. In a mass market situation, that's tens of thousands at least, if not hundreds of thousands. BTW, unlike 1979 and Star Wars figures, millions is pretty much unheard of these days.

So what Sideshow was doing was exactly the same thing (and really still is today), only for a specialty market, where production numbers are always much lower. They were attempting to forecast an appropriate production run to meet the current demand, and have no stock left over. Of course, with highly 'collectible' items (cool licenses and high quality), the demand for older items rises over time, creating a secondary market.

While this is a good idea, it wasn't a particularly good idea to overhype this aspect. If a company starts using the edition sizes as a symbol of rarity, collectors do start getting pissed - witness the situation with many star wars collectors - and when you're going limited numbers, you don't want to piss folks off. Also, numbering can actually hurt with larger runs - 2000 or more - because so many of the figures actually seem 'less special', because they aren't low numbers. Mind you, that makes zero sense, but there is a weird genetic defect that actually makes humans think number 1 of 2000 is different and better than number 1998 of 2000.

So I think they decided that while the limiting of production runs to a saleable number was a good idea, that hyping it up too much with numbering and COA's was not. I tend to agree with that assessment as well.

 

[Darth Kustomizer]

I think Playmate numbering their Star Trek figures ruined it for the rest of the industry.

No, what ruined that line was the limited editions that killed the collectors interest in the line. Remember the 1701 debacle?

 

[Darth Kustomizer]

where do you want to number it? on the box? on the stand? on the figure? it doesnt really make sense. i don't see a need to individually number the 12" figures. some may decide to open, some may not. some may display with the stand some may not?

My thoughts EXACTLY!