Are We Getting Less?

[achtunglemon]

I was looking around on the Sideshow.com and for a while now I felt that Sideshow is giving us less. Well, for example I just came across the new Jason Voorhees.

Here are his details:
The Jason Voorhees - Part 7 Figure Features:
Over 30 points of articulation
Removable hockey mask revealing the horribly disfigured and decomposed, rotted face of Jason Voorhees
Authentic shredded clothing that reveals film accurate decomposed skin suit!
Real metal neck chain
Machete
Axe
Tent stakes
Sickle
12" figure display stand featuring the Friday the 13th Part VII logo

Jason comes with 4 different weapons (including tent stakes) accessories, real decomposed skin suit.... I think that is worth $45.00 but now lets take a look at

Prophecy Girl Buffy...
A crossbow
Vampyre book (almost the same as the one before)
Stake
....... and a dress that does not even match the episode.

But Jason gets a REAL decomposed skin suit... I really think who ever is in charge of Sideshow has never watched Buffy. Off the top of my head I really do not know what other accessories I would include but I do see where there should be a price difference. $45.00 for Jason seems very reasonable seeing all the detail and accessories put into it. $45.00 for PG Buffy and probably the rest of the Buffy line is expensive. When you think about it the Buffy line basically looks like giant action figures with real clothing. Sideshow should sell the Buffy line for a little cheaper I think because compared to most of the other figures they make the Buffy line does not add up. Just look at the Xander Exclusive ... A Sunnydale Yearbook.... and this is included with the only one who did not go to college. Kinda funny. Sideshow ... please go buy the Buffy dvds and start watching some episodes.. And before anyone says anything, this is criticism from someone who actually likes these figures and buys them.

[FireflyFlanatic]

I also actually love these figures and buy them all too. I have to disagree with you on PG Buffy's dress. I think it is very accurate to the episode. And I'm guessing Xander's yearbook is for Sunnydale High School, which he did graduate from (well kind of, does it count if the ceremony was, um, interrupted?). Xander also comes with two stakes, a sword and an eye patch so it isn't just the yearbook (that's just for the exclusive version though).

But, that said, I can see what you mean. Buffy has had a multitude of weapons that she's used over the seven seasons. The only thing I can think of is that the BtVS series has much more staying power than the Friday the 13th series and that if they gave a bunch of extras each time a figure was released they'd run out before they were done with the series.

For instance Xander could've come with a rocket launcher because he got that for Buffy but maybe they are planning on doing a "Halloween" series with Xander dressed in his army gear and the exclusive coming with the rocket launcher. Willow could come in her little short skirt outfit and her "ghost" outfit too. Buffy could come as long brown haired Buffy and then blonde hair Buffy as she is when she is fighting Spike.

What I'm getting at is each main character could have multiple figures made for them and they are going to want to try and have something unique for each of them and other figures that they sell they can only do so much with.

And I think Vamp Angel came with some good accessories as did Vamp Spike. The Buffy's are getting a little repetitive with all the stakes and crossbows and books.

I checked out a couple of the James Bond figures and they don't seem to have any more than the BtVS figures and they would be a comparable franchise. Also the Planet of the Apes were comparable too.

Now, the thing I find annoying is the repeat stuff like the books that PG Buffy and Hush Buffy got. It is the same book except the newer version has the lettering painted gold, which is nicer than the original but it's still the same thing. And I think Angelus/Liam exclusive is lame because it is yet another candlelabra. I think a nice gypsy girl would've been better - okay, kidding on that but couldn't they have given Liam a tombstone too?!

I do think the Jason figure does have a lot more than any of the BtVS figures but he could just be unique. Now, I wouldn't complain if Sideshow started giving us more stuff with the figures as long as it wasn't just stakes and crossbows. Willow's backpack and tranquelizer gun are cool and Vamp Spike's skull and shotgun are cool too and I love the chains that came with Angelus (but did the Jason description say "real" steel chain for him?)

[achtunglemon]

Hi FireflyFlanatic, yeah it does say real metal. I copied that right from the website. I can understand your points about making other figures and Sideshow not wanting to waste all the weapons at once. But these figures do cost an amount of money and it would be nice to get as much as we can. Plus, you never know if they decide to cancel the line and we dont even end up getting those other weapons.

About the PG Buffy Dress... You really think it looks like the episode? I have mine still in the box but it seems that the whole dress is white. In the episode isent the top part white and from the waist down a sorta tan/beige color? Maybe I did not notice it since I did not open it but it looks to me is the dress is all white. And, the figure's dress has an opening down the middle... in the episode wasent Buffy's dress closed in the middle? That is a big difference.

:MODIFIED:
Yeah the yearbook is for Sunnydale High but I made that comment since he is the only one who did not continue school. I feel its kinda funny they give him the yearbook. Should of explained myself better.

[FireflyFlanatic]

I just popped the DVD into my pc to verify but yes, the dress is very accurate. I know in some of the scenes the skirt part looks a bit darker but that's because of the material used and the lighting (which wasn't so good season 1). It is definitely wedding dress material and it is definitely white. Also, most of the time it is hard to tell that the gauzy part of the skirt opens down the front but when they first show Buffy wearing the dress at home and they do a pan down camera angle of her in the dress you can see that it opens and that it is white. But the best part to see that it opens is after Xander and Angel bring her back and they are marching to go after the master (when they are playing the Buffy theme) and she says "look, a bad guy". You can clearly see the front opening there.

And I totally agree that it would be nice to get more accessories (as long as it isn't more and more stakes, Vampyre Books and crossbows!). And not fair that Angel's chain is plastic and Jason gets a real steel chain!

Edited to add that the picture they show of the Buffy figure has the skirt left open and I think in the box it came that way too but there is plenty of top skirt that you can pull it closed so it isn't as obvious an opening.

The only thing I think they may be off a bit with is how long the trane on the dress is. I don't think it was that long in the episode.

[rogueslayer2]

AchtungLemon said:

Yeah the yearbook is for Sunnydale High but I made that comment since he is the only one who did not continue school. I feel its kinda funny they give him the yearbook. Should of explained myself better.

You could always give the yearbook to Willow to keep in her exclusive backpack Have a nice summer!

IMO they have more for Jason because there isn't a dedicated cult following for him, he sells better to the average movie fan that enjoys metal chains & machetes.
Buffy figures on the other hand will always be popular with the fans so Sideshow play on this, thats why the whole Willow fiasco started

I agree though that it would be nice for more accessories, especially if the figure isn't so good - just to compensate. But we don't know what Sideshow are planning to release in '06, hopefully we'll see some better character-specific accessories.

[FM]

The yearbook should be more Special to Xander since he never went on to more school...not that any of the other ones ever got a college yearbook, but Xander had no chance so the highschool yearbook should be something special.

I do agree that the Buffy figures sometimes seem less worth it than the other lines. My brother just bought a Freddy, Jason and Leatherface and I was kinda surprised at how they were so much better than a lot of the Buffy line...PG Buffy, Faith, Willow...

[BillyBudd]

I think they put their best people to work on the Lord of the Rings merchandise. Have you seen that stuff? Almost all of the LOTR statues, busts, etc. are really nice.

[FireflyFlanatic]

Yes, the LOTRs stuff is nice but it isn't the same stuff as the BtVS line. They are either polystone figures or polystone busts and cost more money and don't seem to come with any extras at all that I could see. I like my poseable (and affordable) BtVS figures. For example, the Gandalf figure is 12" tall and weighs 10 pounds and costs $125. They call it a figure but it's basically a small statue. I think the detail in them looks nice but I don't think they look any more spectacular than the Buffy figures. I actually think the Frodo one looks kind of bad, both the bust and the figure. Of course, it's a huge seller for them.


LOTRs is more well known than BtVS and has an enormous fan base so of course they are going to offer a lot more figures, busts and other stuff for that particular fan base. But, I'm very happy with the BtVS line, even though some extra accessories would be nice.

It would be great if after they've exhausted what they can sell for figures (or maybe even while they are still selling figures) they could give us some extras like a grave yard setting or the library where we could pose our figures. That would be cool but most likely very pricey. I'd love to have The Master's lair where I could pose him and Buffy or the Scooby's all sitting in the library with books open. Of course, we'd need to have a Giles figure before that happens!