I was looking at the new line ups for Shocker Toys' Indie Spotlight series on display at Toy Fair and noticed some troubling similarities to some Toybiz/Hasbro sculpts.
Shocker Toys "Golden Age DareDevil" HML Ronin
Shocker Toys (Don't know who this guy is) LCBH Star
Shocker Toys "The Arrow" Look at the forehead you can see the sanded down remains of the hair Ronin (again)
I hate to say it, but with prices scraping so close to $20 bucks on figures that are so... average, I'm not really that interested in buying. I mean I really would like to buy a few of these figures, but they're just not worth it at the price they're being sold at locally. On the other hand Iron Man 2 just released a 6" War Machine that's detail, accessories, and paint apps were just mind blowing for a mass produced toy... he's $12.
Now I'd don't want to belittle or sound like I'm an angry consumer, but as a consumer I think I can validly state that with a lower price and better quality, I am allowed to feel a bit off put.
Play Arts for instance makes highly poseable, 10" scale, super detailed, and just amazing toys. I mean they look like they should be $100, but I've seen them regularly go for $60. They're one of those companies I only see a limited run, a very limited run at that and their prices are super agreeable for their quality.
MangaJoe, Are you talking about Indie Spotlight 6" figures or the small Mimi Maxx resin figure at Hastings? The MSRP for Indie Spotlight is set as follows: Series1= 6" figures $13.95 and Maxx $16.95 If your store was selling any figures for $8 they must have been seriously confused as these figures are selling fast at above MSRP. We only set the MSRP and do not control prices at stores. TRU will be selling for around the same as the figures are hitting their stores this week.
Green Skin, Mr Gone is with Series2 and Wizard, SDCC exclusives and will be here soon. News on Series2 and other things will be going live very soon.
I'm a little annoyed, they were only $8 at first at my local video store and the prices have been hiked up to $18 a figure... that's without tax. Seriously?
The ShadowHawk had the wrong packaging bio due to factory error. We did ShadowHawk II who is a teenager and the bio should have read that way. He dons the original suit first then creates his own suit which we have as the variant version.
In our defense we did not tell the mods to shut down the thread rather eye it for a bash fest was our suggestion. If people want to give their constructive criticism we are here to listen. We would love to be involved in a discussion on product improvement and other topics to help make the best toys we can.
Here's what I don't get about Shocker Toys. It's got nothing to do with their toys, or there customer service. It's the attitude they have when dealing with criticism. Companies are always going to get criticism, especially newer ones, it's just a part of doing business. They seem to get really pissy and a bit bratty when people aren't praising them. I can understand the bashing gets old, but they really need thicker skin. If they really want people to stop bashing them they should do it by putting out bad ass products, and having awesome customer service. Getting all snotty and trying to sick the mods on people is just weak, and makes me not respect them as a company.
Why can't they though? Is this a forum for the fans and the customizers? Or is it a forum for the toy companies? If people are really that angry it's usually justified. People don't just trash on something for no reason, you don't see anyone talking bad about Neca, or Hot Toys after all. I don't see why anyone should be censored as long as they aren't derailing the thread.
I don't see a reason to censor anything here, people bash other toy companies (Hasbro ) but no one gets up in arms about it. While Cap has the final ruling on everthing that is said on his forums, there is no rule that says we can't speak poorly of companies. I don't think anyone should have to answer to Shocker Toys, they have no jurisdiction here.
I forwarded this thread to cap to see what he wants to do with it. I wish I was a mod so I could lock it for a bit. Personally I'm thinking all mention of shocker toys should be taken off the site because I know guys aren't gonna stop badmouthing them.
Is it OK to hate your company for saying you are gonna release a product, which was a lie, then make someone wait for over a year for a refund? I could care less about the figures at the beginning of this post. I have hate for your company, and I will shout it to anyone who will listen. Shocker Toys business practices are a stinking pile of garbage. With that said if the mods here decide to start censoring posts because you ask, that's fine, it still doesn't change the fact that your guys work ethic is trash.
Bashing aside as this is all it ever seesm to be let us comment on this.
Golden Age was a mock up line to show what we had planned for a sideline series of Indie Spotlight. Toy Fair is for buyers and they loved the idea laid out so they could see where we were going and we had plenty of interest and offers. The new Golden Age line will use our new Jack Staff upgraded body with the series3 new articulation and all parts will be made to the specs of the comics. They will also come with accessories and there will be a mail-away.
That is all we will comment on at this time to keep this thread from flaming up more and we would like to see the Mods step in and make sure this is not a hate thread now that the proper info has been provided.
So prospective retailers are supposed to be impressed with stuff Shocker Toys didn't sculpt? I can understand and accept that Shocker Toys would use stuff from other companies for internal prototypes that will never be seen by the public. But retailers at Toy Fair are going to decide if they are interested in picking up a company's line based on what they see and what they saw isn't something that wholly belongs to Shocker Toys. If they change it by SDCC (if they have a booth there) then all is forgiven. Honestly, I don't care, unless they completely revamp the design of the articulation or put out a character I actually care about I'm never going to buy their product
The bodies are all IS1 Shadowhawk...All the Shocker heads they would have from other figures to recycle for a mock up are detailed to a specific character I.e. Scud, Maxx, Schadowhawk, Tick, Etc...The reasoning for using the heads they did is probally for the same reasons we all use them in customs, they are extremely generic looking white guy or masked guy heads...
I could even see using the other figures as bases and then sculpting your details over it for mockup purposes to save time before sculpting the real thing.
Toyfare 153 showed pictures of the whole Golden age spotlight line and said the were prototypes but the Shocker forums were quick to correct the error stating they are simply mock ups...Shocker does great work on their own as far as sculpts go and I feel they really do not need to steal anything from anyone especially Hasbro who is still reusing Toybiz sculpts 5 years after they acquired the licence...Every mock up figure in the Golden age line with the exception of heap has a head from a Ml or LCBH figure and Captain Action even appears to be wearing a Mezco movie Kroenen hat so it is pretty obvious that they are not trying to pass these off as there own...I suggest some people take the time to check out what Shocker has to offer and keep an open mind instead of always thinking the worst of them right off the bat...I too was sceptcal of Shocker considering that it took so long to get Indie Spotlight out but since they have come out they have proven well worth the wait and I like them more than any ML or DCUC I've ever gotten...As far as the constant gripping about your LCS not carrying them, try amazon.com, gohasting.com, bbts, or shocker themselves (from whom I have recieved all non-preorder items within a few weeks from the time I placed an order)...
I may be wrong, but didn't Hasbro use customs to show the fan favourites line prior to voting? I think the intenmt is to show roughly what the fig will look like, and that this will not be the actual finished product (except in hasbro's case of only ever using one body with a different head, I wouldn't be surprised...). So before we pop the proverbial cap in shocker toys ass, these may be "mock ups" or "artist impressions" to get feedback before they go ahead and sculpt for the mold. I do remember the X Force Warpath on the Hasbro pre-release stuff being a Doc Samson Head on a Hulking body, and I doubt that is what will come out.
I hope you're right Maelstrom. While I don't much care for the figures they are making (I only recognise 2 characters out of 3 or 4 series they have at toy fair), I would still don't want them to make mistakes like this.
The major problem with them just making mock ups is that if you look at the other figures they have on display at toy fair, they have all the heads they would have needed. For Zen and DareDevil, take the Jack Staff head from series 2 modify/resculpt the eyes and you have a decent mock up of each, the Arrow's face could have come from Dick Tracey or one of their other upcoming figures that has a relatively normal face (I count at least 6 that would work).
Well...all controversy aside...these look like "mock-ups" to me. Mock-ups are usually facsimiles that represent generally what the figure may look like...kind of like a rough draft. I know that many major toy companies do the same thing using parts from their previous releases (although I don't think most companies display them at conventions, shows, or anything...)... I think these so-called mock-ups are only meant for executive's or client's eyes only. The "Arrow" picture doesn't even look anywhere near being a finished product... These pics are obviously kitbashed together from harvested parts, but I'm betting that the finished product will not look anything like these (especially if they intend to sell any of them). I don't have any Shocker toys, and have never seen any of them close up, but from most pics that I have seen, they use original sculpts and have quite a different type of articulation than anything else I've seen. Now I'm not jumping in to defend Shocker toys, I am aware that the company has had it's problems. But I would not expect anything different from an upstart company trying to procure rights to popular characters and also competing with major toy producers. I have experienced 1st hand (well, 2nd hand...wife's business) the challenges of starting your own business and trying to succeed. There are a lot of pitfalls, mistakes, ups, downs, and a lot of things to learn building your own company. I just checked their website and some of the prototypes for upcoming figures are shown and they look pretty cool to me, so I guess perhaps time will tell what Shocker toys will do.
Please wait...
No visable bashing here, just a bunch of people with opinions ,which to my knowlege is A-Okay
Seriously? Imma have to buy me some playarts toys.
Now I'd don't want to belittle or sound like I'm an angry consumer, but as a consumer I think I can validly state that with a lower price and better quality, I am allowed to feel a bit off put.
Play Arts for instance makes highly poseable, 10" scale, super detailed, and just amazing toys. I mean they look like they should be $100, but I've seen them regularly go for $60. They're one of those companies I only see a limited run, a very limited run at that and their prices are super agreeable for their quality.
Are you talking about Indie Spotlight 6" figures or the small Mimi Maxx resin figure at Hastings?
The MSRP for Indie Spotlight is set as follows:
Series1= 6" figures $13.95 and Maxx $16.95
If your store was selling any figures for $8 they must have been seriously confused as these figures are selling fast at above MSRP. We only set the MSRP and do not control prices at stores. TRU will be selling for around the same as the figures are hitting their stores this week.
Green Skin,
Mr Gone is with Series2 and Wizard, SDCC exclusives and will be here soon. News on Series2 and other things will be going live very soon.
buutt, I will be buying that Daredevil!
Just kidding.
...and that is why we love Yami!
I could care less about the figures at the beginning of this post. I have hate for your company, and I will shout it to anyone who will listen.
Shocker Toys business practices are a stinking pile of garbage. With that said if the mods here decide to start censoring posts because you ask, that's fine, it still doesn't change the fact that your guys work ethic is trash.
Golden Age was a mock up line to show what we had planned for a sideline series of Indie Spotlight. Toy Fair is for buyers and they loved the idea laid out so they could see where we were going and we had plenty of interest and offers. The new Golden Age line will use our new Jack Staff upgraded body with the series3 new articulation and all parts will be made to the specs of the comics. They will also come with accessories and there will be a mail-away.
That is all we will comment on at this time to keep this thread from flaming up more and we would like to see the Mods step in and make sure this is not a hate thread now that the proper info has been provided.
When in doubt visit our forums and site for further info!
http://www.shockertoys.com
So before we pop the proverbial cap in shocker toys ass, these may be "mock ups" or "artist impressions" to get feedback before they go ahead and sculpt for the mold.
I do remember the X Force Warpath on the Hasbro pre-release stuff being a Doc Samson Head on a Hulking body, and I doubt that is what will come out.
shocking.
first page towards the bottom Doc tells everyone to knock it off
Stuff like that is why they have such a bad reputation.
I believe they'd freak out and threaten to sue
I don't know what happened either.
The major problem with them just making mock ups is that if you look at the other figures they have on display at toy fair, they have all the heads they would have needed. For Zen and DareDevil, take the Jack Staff head from series 2 modify/resculpt the eyes and you have a decent mock up of each, the Arrow's face could have come from Dick Tracey or one of their other upcoming figures that has a relatively normal face (I count at least 6 that would work).