"ATTENTION FIGURE MANUFACTURERS!" Topic

Okay guys, It's time for one of you to step up and "scratch the itch" for not-Space: Above and Beyond Chigs that many of your customers have wanted for years. We want 'em. One of you needs to produce 'em

TMP link

Sorry but if someone demanded that I make a buildings like this then I'd never do it out of principle. I can make a building cheaply because I design it, own the laser cutter, and the materials are rather inexpensive. However, you just demanded that one of the figure manufacturers spend between $300 USD and $1,000 USD to make a figure line that there may be interest in. BTW the ratio of someone saying I'd love to have those and them buying them is probably like 12 to 1.

Knowing the guys in this industry you could ask nicely and they might consider it out of love for the industry.

Yup please someone make these and a Cylon type figure.

did you look here?

link

Wasn't trying to be mean or nasty about it Well, since the cost is high, maybe if somebody tried something like Kickstarter to get the people that really want them to "pony up", to make it worth the manufacturer's efforts.

@ Irish Marine

Have you seen these?

link

Hire a sculptor and have them made for yourself. If you want it bad enough there is always a way. Some cash would be helpful to do it though. The other option is to teach yourself to sculpt and make them.

I am not saying that companies shouldn't entertain tapping into popular IP. It's worked before but that's not to say it'll work with everything. There is a lot of stuff to consider.

Well, since the cost is high, maybe if somebody tried something like Kickstarter to get the people that really want them to "pony up", to make it worth the manufacturer's efforts.

I understand the desire for folks to want every cool soldiers, alien, vehicle, etc they see in movies and TV, but you are essentially asking a manufacturer to steal somebody's IP for your own edification.

As CorSec pointed out, for every dozen or so "I want" and "Take my money" that goes out on TMP or other forums a manufacturer may get one purchase. Hell, I know I am guilty of this as my purchasing ability comes nowhere near my "oooo shiny" tendencies.

As for a Kickstarter, you would have to be insane to do that. To throw up a project, even skirting somebody's IP onto such a high profile project site would be inviting disaster. Avoiding the IP concerns might very well destroy the market you hoped to capture as your already small group of "I wants" will shrink as they now say, "That's not what I wanted" when they see modified design.

-Eli

could do it your self --- that is why most of us started a hobby company – wanted something not out there already --

decide how many poses and weapon options you want -- I would suggest 5 pose dolls with no arms, head or weapon

A frame, advancing, standing, kneeling, running

get the helmet you want done -- perhaps 2 variates

get 1 of each weapon you want – rifle, special heavy, support -- would be looking at about 1100 so far

Get all that mastered and cast and then line out what you what poses with what weapon -- cool think is with 5 pose dolls you can get a lot of variety so figure you do up 6 rifles 2 special 2 heavies and a support team, 1 leader and 2 officers say 16 different figures -- get master molded and cast -- looking at another 600

figure out what you want a blister to be -- you can get about 22- 25 figures on a production mold -- Figure 3 production molds and 30 spins of each -- about another 600-750

so to get to point that you have product to sell you have just spent at least 2000 low side 2500 high side

with a retail of 15.00 for a pack of 22 figures if you sold all 90 packs the take is only 1350.00 so now you have to restock another 30 of each mold ( 90 packs ) that is another 540 or so.

so at end of it you sold 30 packs off the bat have another 30 to sell but have not recovered initial cost and now want to do a new code to get people to buy the old code and bring in new people. Because everyone says I love those but am waiting to see the line filled out a bit.

when I line it out like that I do not know why we do it -- love of the hobby I guess --

Eli:I am not saying that companies shouldn't entertain tapping into popular IP.

Well, I am saying it. I am a bit tired of the "not" this and that. It's not easy to do something that hasn't been already done and I probably never succeeded but I think people should at least try. Minis are the good medium for that.

PF, that is certainly the artistic angle on it, but there is also the market angle which is something you have the luxury of having as you are an artist and not a manufacturer.

If you can tap into existing IP, even in an indirect way, you are touching on an existing market. For a manufacturer this ready market is an enticement but it's still an iffy thing.

-Eli

I'll sculpt a set , been playing with the green stuff , about got it down just fine. i'll do 6 figs in diffrent poses and then double them to 12. give me a few weeks and i will get back to you guys. So hope that helps.

Eli: Thing is you can't really tap into existing IPs without owning the license. Or as a gamer, it's not the true thing for me so I'm not interested in buying "not" this or not "that".
From a market point of view, I'm not sure but I tend to think companies that create their own stuff and do it well have a lot of success (Rackham, Corvus Belli, Privateer Press to name a few). Also, they don't have to worry about being called by some "evil" lawyer one of these days.
Well, I realize I'm in the minority so I won't go further but there would be a lot to say.

Good luck with the chigs: I like their helmets and I enjoyed this show.

The IP issue must be a major issue when saying "can we have a figure based on such and such", some genres may be tolerant of this, even considering it a compliment, others, mentioning no names, less so. For a small independant company it must be a major issue and concern.

There are now plenty of alien alternatives out there supplied by the likes of Rebel Minis, Blue Moon, Khurusan, Micropanzer and GZG, who are all strengthening their alien races ranges as opposed to more human sub factions.

My question to the designers out there contributing to this thread is what is the run up cost for various head swaps?. There are now plenty of figs to work as donor bodies what would be the cost of supplying a sprue of heads in this particular case of something taking inspiration from the Chigs? Personally all my prayers would be answered if somebody were to create a Tau inspited helm. I'm sure there are many others out there.

If you want an example of how this is done really well in the mainstream periods, check out Peter Pig's range of sprue heads, brilliant

peterpig.co.uk/range6.htm

Could manufacturers begin looking at expanding into this opportunity for assisting gamers convert existing figs as a means of reducing start up cost, avoiding issues of IP and fill a clearly evident niche….fingers crossed and scalpel andsuperglue at the ready.

I get a chiggy vibe from the gzg phalons…

I cant keep up with all the different alien races already.

PF,

Again, you miss the point. I am not saying it's easy but tapping into IP doesn't mean copying it. How many figures out there skirt the look of the HALO troops?

Johny, I've inquired into the sculpting for heads and guns and most of the quotes have put it into a very cost ineffective place on it's own. From what I understand, the sales numbers on separate head sets are low.

If you know somebody who's good with putty you might want to see about getting them to cobble a head together. There are mold-makers out there who might be able to sell you space on a mold.

-Eli

How many figures out there skirt the look of the HALO troops?

Too many.

I don't think I am missing points. I am just making mine. That said, I'll stop.

PF,

I'm not saying this is the most creative way to do thing, but it can be a safer way to produce some core products that will hold the company up so you can buy more original stuff.

The more original the design, the more risk there is.

Too many

One could argue there just enough. It's my understanding that these ranges are strong sellers which is why they are often bigger and better supported than other ranges by the same manufacturer.

Anyhow, I think we're dancing around the same point here. :)

Nuff said.

-Eli

I should also mention that I've been on the "I want" side of things and I do understand you pain .

We all have our favorite things and as gamers we're always inspired by shows, movies, books, etc and want to play those.

-Eli

I am a big fan of PF's sculpts and I appreciate the originality of his aliens. I am also really like the design concepts from Above and Beyond, and in particular the idea of advanced aliens that look exotic AND look like they could be fighting in a vaccum AND look menacing. We've got tons of humans in hard suits, vac-suits, power armour. I'd like some more opponents for them.

I'd like some too.

Obviously, you can change the look a little to keep from infringing on IP. First thing I'd lose is that silly chest-sicle.

If you do make them Ravenstar, please scale them to the Rebel Minis Earth Force figs, since they are spot on for the Marines. Obviously, the Chiggies should be a bit bigger than them, e.g. perhaps 7 feet tall compared to a 6 foot human.

Ya know, I do remember a time when we used to go out and just repaint or convert the stuff we couldn't find.

-Eli

Stop living in the dark ages man…….

;-)

I still think GZG's Darghaur are a good proxy for the Chigs. You just need to file off the horns.

-Eli

How many figures out there skirt the look of the HALO troops?

Too many.

Which in turn itself skirts the look of Aliens Colonial Marines!!

UNSC Marines

Colonial Marines

All of the troops in "near future" or "hard sci-fi" skirt the Colonial Marines because, honestly, they started this genre. Up until that point all sci-fi shows followed the Star Wars/BSG model of space heros, stormtroopers with laser guns. After Aliens broke that mold people have copying that prototype: realistic humans with guns in space.

Honestly I don't see the problem. The Chigs are just heavily armored humanoids with big helmets. I'm not sure what the IP issue would be.

SPACEMARINES (TM)

CAPS LOCK

Chigs are basically fantasy knights with the addition of a weird rifle, lump sticking out of their chest and a headswap.

I can't understand the difficulty here. It appears to be a simple conversion.