SWAMP THING MADE OF VINYL AND PVC

Yes, Sideshow did this. The Swamp Thing Maquette won’t be polystone but instead it will be made mostly of vinyl and the details of PVC. I really don’t know the difference of vinyl and PVC since I only have soft vinyl figures and small PVC figures. Several questions arise from this undertaking. Could it be called a statue if not made of resin? Would it cost a lot less than the $800 being asked? Will this generate consumer refusal to buy the statue due to its material? What’s the difference it really makes for the collector?

First, the sculpt is stunning. And is from my all-time favorite character. So to grab it it’s just a matter of amass the money to do so. I think Sideshow took this audacious decision for two main reasons, keep the costs down (not so down one may say) and to avoid breakage of such a delicate figure. I think the latter to be utmost explanation. Maintain the details I believe is an excuse. Maybe profit was another factor but they wouldn’t shoot at their own foot with a figure that was sure to sell well based on how the community praised the statue by making it of a material that would turn a lot of people down. I believe profit is almost a nonsensical reason. However, it’s a company and a company exist to generate profit. I think the main question should be would you tell the difference if they didn’t openly announced? The answer probably is yes otherwise they would not stress it out. Maybe it’s lighter than resin. I don’t know it’s wait and see. As I said I only have small soft vinyl figures. I really believe they did it this way because was the only way to portray it properly without breakage. It also shows how much of the product’s price is production costs and how much is aggregated value or intangible things like branding as the beauty of the sculpture. I don’t know how much cheaper is as 24-inch tall vinyl piece with a quite big polystone base but at least it doesn’t cost the $1200 they asking for Thanos. If I was sure I would have the money I’d already pre-ordered it. I believe I will. The negative reaction about the material will give me plenty of time until it sells out. I don’t care for the EX. As I don’t care about the material as long as it looks nice on the shelf. Sideshow already experimented with fiberglass in the upcoming Odium I guess. It’s that pretty big hulking statue guy from COTD. To those who believe statues should only be in resin, my condolences. I don’t know if Sideshow is testing grounds here to see how vinyl statues are received by the collectors but I believe the reception couldn’t be more underwhelming. One thing is for sure, it should be mandatory that Sideshow release the material info as well as the dimensions and weight of every single piece. They did it almost right with Swamp Thing except they didn’t reveal its weight. Maybe they don’t have it yet. But it is a subject that must be addressed as soon as the information becomes available. As they should inform of what material Hulk LSB is made of. It’s been months and this info is not yet on the site. I’m glad I’m giving up of this hobby. Prices are extortive, there aren’t any characters I don’t have that I want apart from Swamp Thing (which I believed would never be released). And no, I don’t like Prime 1 version of the character. Nor do I have the money for it. I’m glad with what I have. Sometimes I think I have too much already.

THE DYING ART OF HAND SCULPTING AND THE RISE OF DIGITAL SCULPTING

While the likes of Sideshow and PCS still work with hand sculpting here and there it is undeniably being substituted by digital sculpting. Let’s face it, hand sculpting is a dying art and digital sculpting came to take it’s place. It’s easier, faster, allows a humongous level of detail and textures; overall it is a cheaper and more efficient way to create the figures we love. However, by being easy to manipulate the number of new “artisans” and studios are blossoming and maybe the market will get overcrowded by them. I think it already is. Let’s see how it goes two years from now.

Is it a good thing to have so many people sculpting and producing figures? Well, I believe this will drive the market to a more brand oriented behavior. With an overpopulated market with custom/independent pieces popping at a frantic pace, not always with the production quality one might expect, collectors more than ever will stick to the brands they know and trust. Not so long time ago, custom/independent pieces costed much more than branded pieces. But as the big brands keep on rising their prices, soon this won’t make much of a difference anymore. In this sea of figures for the same average price where to look up for you next piece? A unknown producer or XM or Sideshow? Of course there will be astonishing independent sculpts as there are right now, I saw a jaw dropping Beast over a bureau the next day that I believe is the best Beast sculpt ever made. Unfortunately, it was an unpainted unassembled kit and I could not afford for the paint app for this one. Painting will be a paramount differential in years to come so much so as the sculpt itself. As prices even and more people get good on ZBrush, the quality of painting and overall finishing will be evermore crucial to determine the success of a piece. Again, the big brands are the places to look at regarding these factors.

Albeit the number of products offered will multiply in the coming years, most collectors will feel more comfortable to play it safe and bet on the big stablished brands. At least that’s what I believe so. I also believe that not so far from now the maket will suffer a severe collapse, as many will jump out of the collector’s bandwagon because they just followed a trend that is no more and only the core collectors will remain. However, even those have a limited space to display their figures, so one can only have so many figures before runs out of space. Prices on secondary market will drastically fall, as people will get rid of not so beloved pieces in order to get new ones. Not to mention those that are trying to sell everything because are not following the trend anymore. Until, in a more distant future… if you want to know and laugh at my face, here’s the link…  

http://ccfigures.blogspot.com.br/2016/06/a-look-into-future-of-colleting.html