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BuckyUnderbelly
Lorien
Jan 4 2009, 10:46pm
Post #1 of 2
(632 views)
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Looks like Sideshow really IS putting LOTR 12" line "on hold" ...
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... and my little heart broke clean in half.
(sigh)
Sadly, before Sideshow managed to complete the Fellowship (no Pippin, no Merry and no Gimli), poor sales and expensive development have forced them to pull the plug on the 12" line. They're still doing other cool LOTR stuff (like the spectacular Premium Format statues), but it looks like the 12" line is finished. At least for the forseeable future. They say they're only putting it "on hold" so it could come back at some point down the road ... so I'll keep my fingers firmly crossed.
Here's a cut'n'paste from a recent Q&A post (http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=5993) that outlines their decision and the reasoning behind it:
Q: You have recently revealed lots of great new 12-inch but nothing for The Lord of the Rings. Are there new figures of this license in production at the moment? During Spooktacular, in a candid moment in the chat, it was revealed that the 12-inch LOTR line is on hold. This is true…
A: Sideshow is moving forward with development on all other LOTR lines, including Premium Format, Dioramas, and Legendary Scale Busts. We remain committed to the LOTR license and love the world of Middle-earth.
It was a very tough decision to put the 12-inch LOTR line on hold. It is possibly the most difficult 12-inch license for development and production, challenging Sideshow to maintain the high quality and accuracy standards that we pride ourselves on. Each character requires unique problem solving, due to details of the costume, weathering or other paint applications, or different body shapes or sizes. As we’ve proven, they are certainly within the realm of possibility, but they do take a lot longer than the average product for development and production. Our development team is talented and not at all afraid of rolling up their sleeves and digging into the work when it is appreciated by the fan base and collector community.
Unfortunately, solicitation of figures like Faramir, Frodo and Samwise demonstrated that the interest in the 12-inch LOTR line is not as healthy as in years past; that the fan base is not as large as in those golden years. We say this knowing that there is an enthusiastic, loyal fan base remaining for our 12-inch line - there simply aren’t enough of us at the present moment. That being said, things certainly could change.
12-inch Gandalf was a true success on all levels, and we are very proud of the final product. While it is very disappointing to all of us to put the line on hold, we would rather have the line “end” on a high note rather than fade out on a whimper. Gandalf will, for now, stand as our favorite entry in our The Lord of the Rings 1:6 scale line.
"In Hollywood the screenplay is a fire hydrant. And there's a line of dogs around the block." -- Frank Miller
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Buchanicus
Lorien
Jan 28 2009, 10:17am
Post #2 of 2
(560 views)
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I have so much to say about this.
[In reply to]
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Yes, it is "cool" that sideshow will continue producing LotR items, I'm glad they still have the lisence and wish to expand it. However, what is not "cool" is that considering the 12" line is on "hold", sideshow no longer produces any LotR items for a "reasonable" price (meaning, under $100). The Epic Scale busts, dioramas and Premium format figures are all $150 - $300 + (although I can't think of one that is as low as $150 at the moment). These are expensive collectibles that i would love to own, but the price takes me out of the equation. Price seems to be what is to blame for this "hold" on the 12" figures. They suggest that the lines popularity is to blame, but I say it is sideshows practices that are to blame. The 3 most popular figures in the line, Aragorn, Legolas and Boromir (the first 3 figures) were $65, $55, and $65 respectively. Faramir was $65 as well. Apparently, the Farmair figure wasn't that popular (???) or well loved...but it still sold out! Then comes Frodo and Sam. Both figures went up in price to $70 each, despite being SMALLER figures! They apparently did not sell-out as fast as the others (I wonder why) but still sold-out! And finally came Gandalf with a price tag of $89, which also (apparently) didnt sell as quickly as the first 3, but still sold VERY well (as I type this, sideshow is sold-out on the exclusive version and is offering the regular version up for "second-chance").
The horrible release schedule (such as waiting 10 months for Aragorn), and the price increase are what ultimately hurt this line! Both are sideshows fault, not the consumer/collectors. The line had so much potential, especially if they put half the care inot it that they do their precious Star Wars 12" line. If they were to release a Gimli, with a $55-$65 price tag, I think they would quickly see that the line still has a lot of interest!
TORn member formally known as ryan1976.
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