not delighted by members paying insane prices either, but i think you are going way too far with this whitchhunt. permamently complaining about it and entertaining high ended auction results hype shit up much more than folks paying high prices. if u can wait why complain???
Witchhunt? You're reading into it a bit too much. I had an instinctual feeling and asked a question, to which there was no answer. Bust out the pitchforks.
One person doing this will screw over anyone else who wanted that sculpt at less than $500 it happens everytime. Waiting how long and for what? The damage is done resellers think its worth $1000 and it will be a very long time until they realize very few will pay that. They'll likely wait a long time to sell if prices fall in hopes of another rebound to $1000. I personally have largely given up on this sculpt now the die is cast its a $1000 production toy. Hardly a witchhunt.
I'm quite positive that Zollmen will issue a readily (or non lottery) available Masa, Maza, Disc Monster, Mother soon. This figure only has been around (testing/lottery) since the Jyrinko Zudon release 12/08. Just about 2 months. So it's still very much a new limited item. Remember when the Galtans first came out 11/07? Everyone scrambled for one, they were sold out, being flipped for like 300 clams (granted not the 1000 this one was which was ridiculous and hopefully an anomaly) but until Kozik did his pretty much unavailable to the public. Then you had a fast schedule of releases from the KT version on... Zollmen appears to be a very secretive company (the website is super minimal) and maybe they're trying a new approach with this figure who knows. But know that every figure of theirs has become pretty available to anyone who wants one (at least some version of) within 6 months of it's first release. Again this is all speculation- but for the most part we know the economy sucks worldwide, and these vinyl toys are not cheap to make. Where as when they did the Galtans/ first Monster Parade figures they had just those to make, now they have MG5's, Zudons, Maza, new minis etc etc. Maybe they're trying to recoup the little profit from that first? I'd cut Zollmen a little slack. They didn't invent 'limited' japanese toys. The concept has been around for a bit and pretty much the nature of the beast. These small companies just can't make big runs and would you really want them to? I know I've been on the other end of it before and called for Toygraph to increase runs but I realized later that it does kinda ruin the chase and there will always be another version around the corner. Most of the time even better! I'm sure Zollmen is aware and to be honest they've been putting out alot lately..... As always just an opinion not trying to step on toes...
You might be right Chris. Thing is I might join Alice and boycott the company. I don't buy RxH either anymore. Dangerous territory creating pissed off customers.
Yeah it probably is not a good idea to upset the fan base. Maybe I'm slightly prejudiced because I got lucky. But even if I had not won I'd try not to view Zollmen as a evil entity trying to drive me insane looking for a toy. As there is no real info on mysterious Zollmen so I'm trying to give them the benefit of doubt that's all. I love their sculpts and I'm just trying to appreciate them on those merits (and the fact that they reissued those nodder minis! . In reality it's alot harder to score Anraku figure is it not? You have to be willed onto a list to purchase one. Now that's a tough one!
Anraku is harder, Bemons too but they were a low profile slow build not about the hype. Zollmen hasn't come even close to creating the type of bad blood RxH has but its not a safe path to tread long term if the goal is building and maintaining a loyal customer base. Alienated fans generally don't come back.
Everyone has interesting opinions on this topic. But Lixx is right--this is nothing new to Zollmen, or the industry as a whole. I suggest we concentrate this thread back to embracing the cool Mother release, or close this thread topic.
I don't think anyone here doubts that Stealth. Glad you caught a piece you like! I hope a colorway/paint application come out on the Maza that will work for me eventually. It's been kind of hit or miss for me to this point, although I really do like the sculpt a whole lot. I think the paint apps that complement the organic vs. manufactured nature of the sculpt work best so far.
Just because you can afford to go to Japan 4 times a year doesn't make you a "hardcore toy collector" same with being able to afford going to all the S7 and toy events. It means you just got the disposable income and time. I'm not discounting your fandom, just don't confuse "being able to" with "desire." It makes a lot of us who can barely afford to just buy the toys at retail seem less "hardcore" cause' we can't despite our infinite passion and makes some others think the same. It promotes an unhealthy attitude, and I know you didn't think/say it like that, but it's there. You're "hardcore" because of the way you feel about the toys, Scott. I can see the passion in the pics of you and the time you take to set them all up and in the way to talk about them when you post. It's more than what's in your collection and how you can spend the time and cash to get them, it's the personality you put into it. Please don't take any of this as an insult either, I actually am giving it to you as a compliment. On Mother, well congrats though all I can say is OUCH. We've all been bitten by the "hype" bug in the past but I think that's why we usually all freak on one another about it. Kinda like "I've been burned by the hype, don't do it!" You're usually pretty patient it seems, though, so you know what you did.
I did not score Mother, but I did find this groovy vintage sci-fi drawing that reminds me of Mother. I wanted to share:
The more common ones are around, but others just disappeared never to be seen again. Like that early red painted one. Just because a certain toy is hard to pickup doesn't make it a winner in my view. I've had a number of easy pickups recently, for reasonable prices, that I think are classics or seminal pieces.
Exactly. I don't understand why people berate others, threaten to boycott and otherwise make themselves ill over a hot new release. It happened with RxH and Galtans last year and it seems to be happening again with Mother/Maza; it's like a board-fueled phenomenon that seems fated to repeat itself over and over. There's so much else out there that is interesting and enjoyable about this hobby. Why kill yourself over this stuff? And moreover, look at the big picture- there are collectors of vintage vinyls and other toys that have been after rare pieces for 5, 10, 15 years or more. We call it "waiting" here if it takes more than a year to get something.
this, along with all your other posts, is all really easy to say when you've got one...and let everyone know you've got one...
If Scott really wants it, I'm glad he got it. Everyone knows how much I wanted one too considering the trades I offered. I know why Scott paid what he did for it. Like he said, a lot of the GID Mothers were released overseas instead of in Japan. The bounty on it in Japan is already ridiculously high. For the people that scored on the boards, you guys are really lucky. You're the majority of the release numbers. That's how few this run was. You're not going to see many more of the GID Mothers pop up. It is true that more versions of the Mother should be coming out. But for me, the GID version was it. If I was able to find it, I'd be happy already. Wouldn't have to bother chasing down any new ones or the previous ones. Scott did this once with the Red 2H Bemon. But each one after that didn't go for an "insane" price. He along with some other board members also backed off on the one MIB Green 2H Bemon that I scored. I'd say if they didn't let me go at it, there was no way I would have won at the price I did. It is true there are members here and collectors elsewhere that can afford to spend a lot more than some of us can dream. But I don't hold it against them. Be patient and hopefully one day someone will hook it up. I'm looking at you C, J & S. Sorry for the rant, it's too early.
Are we not on a forum talking about this specific toy? I'm sorry I didn't know I was supposed to use the gag rule if I scored. Anyone who knows me knows I'm not trying to rub it in, merely discussing it which is why we're here. Geez.
dude, you can shout from the rooftops you got one...it was you telling people to chill out about it that was odd (telling people to "cut Mr. Zollmen some slack," and declaring that every one of the zollmen sculpts becomes readily available eventually - which has only happened with the Galtan). You got one, and clearly are excited about it...but understand that others aren't in that situation and you can't tell them not to be upset about how this thing has been rolled out and puffed up. not a big deal...just saw some things you said that weren't really true unless you got one of these toys in the lottery.
It's no surprise that the toy makers are paying attention to the excitement these figures are stirring up on the board, and we should be excited, that's why we are all here. However, we, myself included, should be empowering ourselves and not fall prey to the hype of new releases but show some restraint and patience, in the long term, I think that's best contribution we can all add to the hobby in order to make these or any figures more obtainable and affordable. That said, if someone purchases something at higher prices than I can afford, so be it. There will always be someone with a bigger wallet then the next guy and it's all relevant anyways. A $200 figure can be just as obscene a price to the collector that only spends $40 for a figure. Let them enjoy it, to each his own, whatever. I'm not going to lose sleep over it. Like others have said, there is an abundance of great toys out there and there will always be another one to trump the previous ones. Lixx, you enjoy the hell out of that figure!. It's an awesome feeling winning a lottery, it makes that figure the more special. I've never won crap in my life but I won the Galtan lottery last year and I was blown away and had a smile on my face for a week!
I did win one of these in the lottery, so I guess the things I said are true. Look I'm not going to get into a verbal sparing match with you. I just was excited about it and sharing that's all. If it causes sore feelings then I apologize really. It was never my aim. In fact my only intention EVER on this forum has been to absorb information, spread information and just share the love of these toys. That's it. C.
It seems to me that what zollmen has done and what rxh is doing/did is incredibly different. I'm sure Mori had NO clue how popular the minis were gonna be in the beginning. He in no way created the frenzy, we did. This on the other hand is manipulating the market.
x2 - I'm in the boat of "I like it, but not enough to buy it" and if I did buy it, wouldn't have been attached to it, and woulda traded it to Joe by now but I do feel empathetical towards those who DO really strongly terribly yearn for it
