Escaflown4 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Sideshow has the best sculptors in the business, hence the portraits. Their main problems are post-prototype (QC) issues, and not taking enough chances with their concepts and character choices, which is in part due to licencor restrictions, and in part because they're trying to keep costs down to maximize profits. So XM enters the market to fill in those gaps, doing second and third tier characters in high demand, and bringing ambitious, eye-catching concepts to get attention. And they back it up with the quality control and community participation Sideshow is lacking, which they can do because the scope of their business is much smaller. So overall, both companies have their strengths and weakness, which are clearly reflected in the pieces they put out. All the comparisons between the two are just biased collectors voting for what they've invested in. I agree with you 100% there. I just wish SideShow would address their QC issues which is becoming a big problem. QC is not something to overlook as it will cost them dearly down the road. Especially now that we have a lot more options on the market, they really need to step up to the plate otherwise they will lose the market. Nowadays, I'm passing up on a lot of their statues unless I really got to have it like the Dark Phoenix *which I just PO'ed today*. You never know what you're gonna get once you open that box and last thing I want is to deal with their customer service which doesn't have a good rep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escaflown4 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I've got the Power Girl Exclusive coming in. That's why I want a Black Canary. . . to put with Power Girl and Batgirl. Though, Zatanna and/or Huntress would be great, too. Canary is my favorite, though. Just got this statue today. I highly recommend this one in case you want to get something to fill the spot until a 1/4 version is released. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pins79 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Sideshow has been slipping for years now. I remember having to send their Deadpool PF ex back because the statue I received was ridiculously sloppy and it had been like the 3rd statue in a row from them with MAJOR issues. I had just about had it with their QC by that point. They refused to send me a replacement so I sent it back out of principle. It started to become almost anxiety-provoking to have to open up a statue from them as I dreaded having to deal with replacements or refunds....This is completely different than XM studios. XM has top notch QC. You don't have to worry too much about big problems from them, but they are not perfect either. The things that annoy me the most about Sideshow are the increase in price, poor quality control, and high edition sizes. I wish they just came out from the beginning and told us what the edition size is going to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark 1 Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 My review of Sideshow pieces is the exact opposite. Every piece I own from them is awesome. I own several Iron Man Mark 3 Life Size Bust Ultron Maquette Ultron Sitting Premium Format Captain America Premium Format Iron Man Mark 1 Iron Man Mark 43 Each statue is killer and beautiful. I also own pieces from XM, Hot Toys, Bowen, etc. I'm not denying that people have had issues with Sideshow statues but I'm just not one of them. I've been lucky it seems. (fingers crossed) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdoginohio Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I ended up picking up a Power Girl exclusive on eBay. Saw one at the local shop today. Wasn't impressed. Thought her face/head didn't match her bodacious bod. Too thin. Maybe more of a Marilyn Monroe look would have been better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COI Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 My review of Sideshow pieces is the exact opposite. Every piece I own from them is awesome. I own several Iron Man Mark 3 Life Size Bust Ultron Maquette Ultron Sitting Premium Format Captain America Premium Format Iron Man Mark 1 Iron Man Mark 43 Each statue is killer and beautiful. I also own pieces from XM, Hot Toys, Bowen, etc. I'm not denying that people have had issues with Sideshow statues but I'm just not one of them. I've been lucky it seems. (fingers crossed) Same here, pretty much. I clearly see people are having issues, but I've been fairly lucky. Out of the 20-25 pieces I've picked up in the last couple of years, I found two to be unacceptable, and had one other one with some minor issues but nothing worth noting. Everything else I was pleased with. That said, I still had issues, and I can see how someone might end up with 6 in a row instead of 3, or maybe even more than that. So while my issues haven't been frequent or severe enough to get me to change my buying habits, I can clearly see others have it much worse. In the end, it's hard to know how widespread these problems are. Just going by the edition sizes, for every person posting complaints online, there are probably 10 people quietly enjoying their statue. Still, the inconsistency is there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearmint Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I ended up picking up a Power Girl exclusive on eBay. Saw one at the local shop today. Wasn't impressed. Thought her face/head didn't match her bodacious bod. Too thin. Maybe more of a Marilyn Monroe look would have been better. I'm really happy with both portraits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthaiHERO Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Sideshow has the best sculptors in the business, hence the portraits. Their main problems are post-prototype (QC) issues, and not taking enough chances with their concepts and character choices, which is in part due to licencor restrictions, and in part because they're trying to keep costs down to maximize profits. So XM enters the market to fill in those gaps, doing second and third tier characters in high demand, and bringing ambitious, eye-catching concepts to get attention. And they back it up with the quality control and community participation Sideshow is lacking, which they can do because the scope of their business is much smaller. So overall, both companies have their strengths and weakness, which are clearly reflected in the pieces they put out. All the comparisons between the two are just biased collectors voting for what they've invested in. and then you have Prime 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erndog Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I've heard nothing but good things about Sideshow's customer service. Luckily, I haven't had to use them. I believe I bought 9 pieces last year from them and all 9 came in top notch. No issues. The one issue I do have with SS is their ever increasing prices. Every time they showcase a new piece (PF) it's more expensive then the last, comparable piece. We've reached $500 being the norm for a PF, with several being $600+ now. The new Hulk maquette being $750 is absolutely ridiculous. Throw in exchange rate and duty charges for us Canadian buyers and we are looking at $800-$1,000 PER PIECE with prices continuously increasing. That is just beyond ridiculous for most collectors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COI Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Sideshow has the best sculptors in the business, hence the portraits. Their main problems are post-prototype (QC) issues, and not taking enough chances with their concepts and character choices, which is in part due to licencor restrictions, and in part because they're trying to keep costs down to maximize profits. So XM enters the market to fill in those gaps, doing second and third tier characters in high demand, and bringing ambitious, eye-catching concepts to get attention. And they back it up with the quality control and community participation Sideshow is lacking, which they can do because the scope of their business is much smaller. So overall, both companies have their strengths and weakness, which are clearly reflected in the pieces they put out. All the comparisons between the two are just biased collectors voting for what they've invested in. and then you have Prime 1. True, and that's why Prime 1 is getting a bunch of money from me this year. But Prime 1 is also a fledgling company with a smaller scope, much like Sideshow was when they started the Marvel PF line that really put them on the map. The same holds for XM. Both companies hit the ground running, which is great, but it remains to be seen whether the consistency remains if/when their respective businesses grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearmint Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Sideshow certainly seem to be testing what people are willing to pay. The reaction to the new Hulk Maquette, both the price and the statue itself, has been pretty awful on both SS Freaks and Facebook. I haven't heard of anyone jumping on a preorder, whereas everyone seems to be preordering Dark Phoenix right away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COI Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Collectors don't like open editions. They reacted similarly when the Hulk maquette you have first went up. I roll my eyes at the price complaints.though, and have made this point on the forums multiple times. The same people complaining about Sideshow pieces not being worth what they charge won't hesitate to drop double on an XM piece, nor will they hesitate to charge you 5x original retail for a Sideshow piece that has appreciated in value on the secondary market. Yes, XM quality, blah, blah, blah, "old Sideshow" yadda, yadda, yadda. As a company, Sideshow looks at its competitors and the after-market, realizes they're leaving money on the table, and starts testing the ceiling. And as much as I cringe at every price increase, they're still, by all appearances, moving pieces briskly, which tells me that the market as a whole still deems SS's output as being worth the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erndog Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Sideshow certainly seem to be testing what people are willing to pay. The reaction to the new Hulk Maquette, both the price and the statue itself, has been pretty awful on both SS Freaks and Facebook. I haven't heard of anyone jumping on a preorder, whereas everyone seems to be preordering Dark Phoenix right away. We (collectors) did this to ourselves. SSC sees that people are paying these sorts of figures (and then some) for Prime 1 and XM pieces, so surely they sit back and say "Why are we charging $399 for a quarter scale when competitors are charging double that and people in NA are snapping em up?" Nobody to blame but ourselves. And yeah, the new Hulk Maquette is kinda (the pants especially) and the price is downright laughable. I'm on the search for the original Maquette now as I NEED a Hulk 1/4 for my collection and really like that piece.... plus price point is nice all things considered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erndog Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I roll my eyes at the price complaints.though, and have made this point on the forums multiple times. The same people complaining about Sideshow pieces not being worth what they charge won't hesitate to drop double on an XM piece, nor will they hesitate to charge you 5x original retail for a Sideshow piece that has appreciated in value on the secondary market. Yes, XM quality, blah, blah, blah, "old Sideshow" yadda, yadda, yadda. As a company, Sideshow looks at its competitors and the after-market, realizes they're leaving money on the table, and starts testing the ceiling. And as much as I cringe at every price increase, they're still, by all appearances, moving pieces briskly, which tells me that the market as a whole still deems SS's output as being worth the price. Holy moses, thats just what I was posting. But yeah, it's obvious. Can't blame them. WE DID THIS TO OURSELVES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COI Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I roll my eyes at the price complaints.though, and have made this point on the forums multiple times. The same people complaining about Sideshow pieces not being worth what they charge won't hesitate to drop double on an XM piece, nor will they hesitate to charge you 5x original retail for a Sideshow piece that has appreciated in value on the secondary market. Yes, XM quality, blah, blah, blah, "old Sideshow" yadda, yadda, yadda. As a company, Sideshow looks at its competitors and the after-market, realizes they're leaving money on the table, and starts testing the ceiling. And as much as I cringe at every price increase, they're still, by all appearances, moving pieces briskly, which tells me that the market as a whole still deems SS's output as being worth the price. Holy moses, thats just what I was posting. But yeah, it's obvious. Can't blame them. WE DID THIS TO OURSELVES! Also, most won't agree with this, but I have a number of older Sideshow pieces including some "GRAILS" ( ) like the Spider-Man Comiquette, and while they are absolutely great pieces, the disparity in the perception of quality, and the premium prices attached to them, aren't warranted. The idea of "old Sideshow" is so overblown. It almost feels like Sideshow is calling their collective bluff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psithyrus Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 I've got the Power Girl Exclusive coming in. That's why I want a Black Canary. . . to put with Power Girl and Batgirl. Though, Zatanna and/or Huntress would be great, too. Canary is my favorite, though. Just got this statue today. I highly recommend this one in case you want to get something to fill the spot until a 1/4 version is released. Every time I go into the shop, that one has tempted me! I have the Canary Bombshell and the JLU maquette. I may have to get that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psithyrus Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Did anyone get the Power Girl Exclusive? The pics I'm seeing look REALLY good. I should have preordered her! One guy on Facebook is displaying her with Batgirl and Wonder Woman, and the trio look fantastic together. A quartet with Catwoman would be even better. Wish they would make a Zatanna, Would look great with Wonder Woman and Batgirl very much like the Brave And The Bold 33 cover I've got the Power Girl Exclusive coming in. That's why I want a Black Canary. . . to put with Power Girl and Batgirl. Though, Zatanna and/or Huntress would be great, too. Canary is my favorite, though. I heard rumblings of a Birds of Prey art print down the line, so I think Black Canary and Huntress to go with the Batgirl will happen. In fact, I'd say it's a safe bet that most of the prominent DC females will eventually happen. They sell. Take my money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearmint Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Got my replacement from Midtown Comics today, and she's perfect... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiefs1313 Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 (edited) That batgirl is my favorite SS from 2015. Edited January 9, 2016 by Chiefs1313 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g-man Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Can u zip down CW's outfit? Now that would make for a great PF. Peekaboo exclusive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
