There's some interesting sculpting going on with these, but everyone is pretty spot on with the critiques. Looking at their IG, it looks like there are some scales on the arms so they tie into the legs. Still a strange choice for a vampire, but it works for the demon bodies.
It's a bummer that all the headsculpts, except maybe the vampire, are just so generic. They're really holding me back on getting excited, but then, in their FAQ they mention the skull head will have articulated jaw, so that might be the permanent head for one if I get one. I'm thinking a gangly spindly monster body could look good going up against Mythic Legion knights, so I may back Haet or Wrage. I don't mind the Djinn colors either. But dang, those heads aren't very inspiring.
I'll pledge for several basic drinkers. Looks like they pose well so a group in different poses will look cool.
Also interested in Dr Scante, Wendigo, and their version of Krampus (Santa mask is creepy), but the price differential between basic and deluxe is straight crazy. The basic $40 drinker includes 2 alternate hand pairs and 2 alternate heads. The deluxe $85 Dr Scante likewise includes 2 alternate hand pairs, 1 alternate head, and a gun. So, call the accessory count a wash compared with drinker's 2 alt heads. So we're paying an additional $45 - more than the figure itself - for the lab coat and pants. I don't see that value there.
WTF's going on with the Djinn's oil lamp?
Ooooh, it's a lamp! I could not figure that one out and had sort of settled on an elephant-themed lighter/beer stein.
I guess a lighter's a kind of oil lamp.
The first 4 figures are good the rest are mediocre. the fly guy looks horrible. The Djinn looks like the Ice demon from Ghostbusters Frozen empire, which i like.
Mmm they have a “Biter army-builder” set that gets me three of the vampire guys at a slight discount, and well I love vampires and especially monstrous ones (go see Nosferatu it’s the BEST) I figured what the hell and grabbed that set along with the pumpkin guy. I’d love to get the Wendigo, but YIKES at $85, more than twice a “basic” figure.
Yeah... the Deluxe figure price point is basically indefensible - there is no way there is an additional $40 of value in the added soft goods and maybe one additional unique part. I would way rather buy a second basic figure for the same money than invest in one of those "deluxe" offerings. I am hoping it funds though - I'd be interested to see what other ideas they have.
Yikes.
I want to be a guy that throws down for as many start-up toy guys as possible, because I think it's healthier for our hobby if there's a lot of guys out there doing cool things. But I don't think this is something I can support for a number of reasons.
A big one is that I just think the figures are kind of ugly? Feels like a lot of classic ToyBiz design philosophy. Instead of minimizing POA and getting a maximum utility out of each point, there's just like a lot of really obvious stuff going on that does not look good. The torso is kind of a mess. Shoulders are giant TB-style balls. And how do you NOT learn from Savage Crucible that toe hinges are a shitty idea for 6" figures?
Look, guys.. toe hinges fucking suck. Why are we still having this conversation? We all FINALLY agreed that FINGER hinges suck and now TOE hinges are back? Stop this.
In terms of the design - I feel like I'm echoing what some others have said but I don't get the scale-patches on the legs and arms. It feels less like a design decision and more like someone that didn't know what to do with the larger bits of otherwise un-adorned sculpt. Also, the whole thing just feels a bit oversculpted.
I want to be clear that I think the designs are really cool - just a bit too extra. And when you have that much going on in the sculpt AND soooo many obvious breaks and weird spots in the articulation? It's just too much for me. I don't hate it. I just don't love it. And these days - with things being the way they are - I kinda need to love it to spend my money.
Also the price point is not great. 58 dollars Canadian for a basic figure, and FUCKING 123 DOLLARS for 'deluxe?' That's nutter butters. With shipping, that means I can't even get a basic figure for under 80 bucks. Can't do it. I kind of would like to at least grab the Djinn to hang out with my Savage Crucible, as that one is my favorite. But I just can't.
Wish them the best, though.
I see these are POed at BBTS for $10 more apiece, but I've never noticed the Crowdfund Disclaimer on such items before. Is that new or just never noticed before? If new, does that mean BBTS is no longer helping guarantee projects get over the funding hump as we (assume) has happened before?
https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Search?Brand=46306
So we're coming into the last few days of the campaign. I had hoped these would fund just because the dudes making them have been working on them for years apparently, and it would be pretty cool to have Phil Ramirez making his won toys after all those years he worked on some iconic early Marvel Legends.
But, it ain't happening. I think the generic sculpts just really aren't exciting many people, so hopefully they can regroup and maybe come up with some better headsculpts? And some better prices maybe. I was thinking of backing, but as @knightdamian says, at $60 Canadian a pop before shippping , it's just not worth investing in someone's pipe dream like this.
It looks to have happened in the past, where BBTS throws in to get a project over the hump; but I can't see them throwing 100K at this project. And yeah, it looks like pricing is why it's gonna fail. These would all be easy to get at $25-30 for the basics and maybe $50 at most for the deluxes. Doubling the price just for some soft goods is indeed madness.
Seems to me like the guys doing this are good designers (a muscle they can't really flex due to production cost) and I'm sure they know the ins and outs on how to choose a factory and run a toy-business and all, but they don't seem to know how to build an exciting story/universe/lore on their own and that's what a toyline competing with all the IP/ and original-stuff needs.
Personally, I would have skipped the exclusives and tried to allocate that money to some other faction, maybe a human monster hunter. Then again, that's what Operation Monster Force is already doing, which might be a sign that this specific sub-genre is served. Either team up with those guys, or try to find another interesting angle.
And yeah, it looks like pricing is why it's gonna fail. These would all be easy to get at $25-30 for the basics and maybe $50 at most for the deluxes. Doubling the price just for some soft goods is indeed madness.
This is the part I agree was totally crazy. I wasn't interested in the deluxe offerings at all anyway, so it was a non-issue for me. But the idea that a couple of extra accessories and soft goods tossed in was enough to double the price seemed utterly ridiculous.
What the heck? It's now $4000 away from funding. I guess BBTS threw their order in. Pretty wild.
Officially funded. I'm passing on these but happy for anyone that backed it. Now to sit back and wait for the reviews.
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