The Dragon Man wings we've seen on the prototype aren't articulated at all, but they've already said they will have some amount of articulation. We also don't know exactly how folded-up the separate folded-up wings will actually be.
My guess is that the articulated wings will just flap and that's it, but who knows, maybe they'll do more. And my guess on the folded-up wings is that they will tuck up behind him in a very compact way that allow him to stand upright easily that no multi-piece wings they've done so far have been folded up.
But I could easily be wrong just as we all could be, so let's not waste time until they show the final design, shall we?
Thinking Terminus might be a good candidate and reflecting on how good the Stern/Buscema/Palmer run on Avengers was.
Love it so much.
Yeah - I think techinically Terminus could be Galactus sized - but I'd prefer he wasn't. If they did a nice 18" Terminus in this format I wouldn't be able to say no. I'd get him and figure out a place to put him.
While I like Terminus, I don't see him being popular enough to warrant a figure. He'd probably be more appropriate as a Haslab vs a made-to-order size. I'd love a Haslab Red Ronin, but I'm aware he'll probably never get a figure made due to his relative obscurity.
With Dragon Man's wings being so large, weight may be an issue for having them (highly) articulated as well. They may collapse under their own weight if they're too large. I don't need them to be highly articulated. One-two articulation points at the base (ratcheted hinge/swivel) would be fine with me.
No that’s not true, curved wings absolutely can be collapsed in to slide over each other as 3 or 4 pieces pivoting at an hinge , and that’s exactly what I want. It would be more work on sculpt and engineering the moulds, but then we come back to the cost issue which will be higher than a retail figure anyway.
The Gargoyles figures could have had that done on the extended wings but they also become cloak-like in the source animation so I think swappable pieces makes more sense for them.
Do you have some examples where this has been done? Genuinely curious to see how close in they can be when folded.
Didn't Sauron's wings do that?
I'd be more than happy with either the set of wings shown or a collapsed set. No need to have both.
And regarding the price of these larger offerings, I personally feel $80.00 is more than reasonable, at least for this Dragon Man. ML Icons from both Toybiz and Hasbro were consistently a little over twice the price of the standard figure. They used much more plastic and they were mostly novel sculpts sculpted by actual sculptors. These days everything is being constructed in a computer and I pretty sure molds are being 3D printed --effectively reducing labor and tooling costs.
And for the record, I feel ALL the ML Haslabs have been overpriced and that the profit margins are way higher for Hasbro.
*ducks the first tomato*
Didn't Sauron's wings do that?
They did, and it was necessary in order to preserve articulation in the arms. I'm not sure that construction (multiple overlapping layers) is preferable when it's not necessary. Maybe it is though!
Man, Sauron is an all-time great BAF. Hell of a figure.
I'd be more than happy with either the set of wings shown or a collapsed set. No need to have both.
And regarding the price of these larger offerings, I personally feel $80.00 is more than reasonable, at least for this Dragon Man. ML Icons from both Toybiz and Hasbro were consistently a little over twice the price of the standard figure. They used much more plastic and they were mostly novel sculpts sculpted by actual sculptors. These days everything is being constructed in a computer and I pretty sure molds are being 3D printed --effectively reducing labor and tooling costs.
And for the record, I feel ALL the ML Haslabs have been overpriced and that the profit margins are way higher for Hasbro.
*ducks the first tomato*
Can steel molds be 3D printed?
@h-bird I'm pretty sure copper can be 3D printed. I expect steel could be as well, though, I'm not sure at what carbon content.
EDIT: answers from the Google...
"Yes, metal can be 3D printed. There are several metal additive manufacturing processes like Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) that use metal powders to build up complex structures layer by layer. Metal 3D printing is used for various applications in industries like aerospace, mechanical engineering, and tooling."
The link below explains everything and provided this quote...
"The core 3D printing materials used are finely powdered metals, which can include stainless steel for its robustness and versatility, aluminum for a favorable strength-to-weight ratio, titanium known for its strength and biocompatibility, and various nickel alloys that are resistant to high temperatures and corrosion."
https://nexa3d.com/blog/metal-3d-printing/
Of course this doesn't necessarily mean Hasbro employs metal 3d printing but it would make sense if they are rendering their parts in a CAD system.
I’m speaking in terms of the geometry, your post rather implied you consider it a spatial impossibility to have anything but flat wings if they hinge out and fold in, but the geometry of using curved sections that will also do this is entirely possible is what I’m saying. If I had the time I could construct a model of what I mean from some cut sections of a ball that I can pin together but trust me it does work.
Sauron isn’t an example of what I was imagining in this regard, but his arm articulation being combined with a curve to the overall wing profile is a good example of how much more character and personality is transmitted through posing rather than swapping out different wings entirely for only two looks. The way you can slightly gesture and adjust each joint gives him a lot of moody presence on the shelf. I actually acquired a spare set of his arm pieces and removed the hands solely because I knew I’d want to use them on a custom some day.
I’m speaking in terms of the geometry, your post rather implied you consider it a spatial impossibility to have anything but flat wings if they hinge out and fold in, but the geometry of using curved sections that will also do this is entirely possible is what I’m saying. If I had the time I could construct a model of what I mean from some cut sections of a ball that I can pin together but trust me it does work.
Sauron isn’t an example of what I was imagining in this regard, but his arm articulation being combined with a curve to the overall wing profile is a good example of how much more character and personality is transmitted through posing rather than swapping out different wings entirely for only two looks. The way you can slightly gesture and adjust each joint gives him a lot of moody presence on the shelf. I actually acquired a spare set of his arm pieces and removed the hands solely because I knew I’d want to use them on a custom some day.
Fair enough about the geometry working out. I'd be interested in seeing it worked out on an actual product though if there are any examples, cause I'm having a hard time picturing it. And I'd imagine there are a lot of pitfalls between building a working model and actually mass producing a functional product that meets quality and safety standards, etc.
Completely agree about the expressiveness, and that's the best argument in favor of articulated wings. I'm hoping that even if they do have a swappable set of completely folded/at-rest wings, there is still enough articulation built into the spread ones to have some variety.
@h-bird I'm pretty sure copper can be 3D printed. I expect steel could be as well, though, I'm not sure at what carbon content.
EDIT: answers from the Google...
"Yes, metal can be 3D printed. There are several metal additive manufacturing processes like Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) that use metal powders to build up complex structures layer by layer. Metal 3D printing is used for various applications in industries like aerospace, mechanical engineering, and tooling."
The link below explains everything and provided this quote...
"The core 3D printing materials used are finely powdered metals, which can include stainless steel for its robustness and versatility, aluminum for a favorable strength-to-weight ratio, titanium known for its strength and biocompatibility, and various nickel alloys that are resistant to high temperatures and corrosion."
https://nexa3d.com/blog/metal-3d-printing/
Of course this doesn't necessarily mean Hasbro employs metal 3d printing but it would make sense if they are rendering their parts in a CAD system.
Iiiinteresting.
Anyone know of any good videos on the production process of modern figures? I'd expect some of the indie companies at least to have some cool behind the scenes/how it's made type videos to understand the process better.
Hey, maybe we can see some reuse out Dragon Man, with Draco (Demosthenes Q. Drake)
@detectivehoag man-oh-man, I loved that read-along album!
"You oughta try FRESH, The mouthwash for droopy dragons!"
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