I just checked and you are right. No standard Zag last year at SDCC. Oh well, there goes all my interest pretty much. Why paint 50 of some new standard zag when you can paint different ones on leftover vinyl and sell them for 3 times the standard price?

Judging from hints dropped, I would guess that the "something new" on Sunday will probably be a release of the new standard size Deathra, not a custom. Part of me hopes I am wrong and it is something good and completely different.

i think the camo zag can be considered as a standard zag release for SDCC '09?
it is an official run in comparison to one-off customs.

i think in the end, the gargamel guys have to optimise their revenue during the few short days at the CON.
obviously, there are significant cost to recover from the flights, accommodation, booth, food etc.
therefore it is not surprising that they go the high-value customs route to try to maximise revenue.

however, i think such strategy may not be sustainable year after year. at some point, after the wows in the initial years, collector interest for customs will wane when these customs are not so "special" afterall in any collection. therefore, gargamel will be smart not to over stretch the allure of their customs.

Well, aside from really novel stuff like the mashups and Katope stuff, custom Zags with three color simple sprays all start to look the same pretty quickly. EVERYONE wants a custom Zag, but will they keep wanting them when they stop being quite so unique?

Yeah but it really wasn't a "SDCC EXCLUSIVE" release, just some left overs they saved it seemed.

and only a handful available

yeah and 3 others went to one person who bought them all up on ebay and yja to keep the prices up. some of us pay attention to these things..it's interesting who does stuff like this.

I wonder how much of the SDCC custom sales go to SDCC attendees who really aren't serious collectors. They just pick up one piece as a "wacky" kaiju art along with their super hero figures and comic books...

Not everyone - I'm sure there are still a decent number of us who don't accept customs into our collections.

zag shmag, I want to see more Bako (especially a camo Bako)

i second the camo Bako.
Gargamel, are you listening?

This is actually a good point Peter, and was certainly present at this year's SDCC...and a bit frustrating. I believe that most of those non-serious folks could also have been mules.

I also vote for more bakaobas. I love his charm way more than zag.

Were there homeless guys in line this year?

These are all good points, and all probably true. I was at SDCC wed/thurs, but not the 1st in the door, so everything I'd love was already gone when I got there. That said, there was still a lot left. I think the "specialness" of a custom has fallen a bit, as mentioned earlier. I won't just buy any custom it has to be something I must have and love, like many other people I'm sure. It also makes me realize I don't need to buy something at every show they have, there will be more.

On the opposite end it is frustrating to see mules, etc. buy toys that you really want. However, most of the toys I really wanted went to people I know, or have met. They're big Gargamel fans too, so this helps calm that frustration. If I can't have it, it's good to at least know the person who did get it. I'm sure a few still go to mules, or others though.

Washington lobbyists use the homeless to stand in line for them before Congressional hearings. Democracy in action!

There's also a decent number of us who accept both into our collections.

I think in a sense a lot of the scene is moving away from the idea of the "custom" as something unique. It's starting to become the standard (or at least is moving in that direction) for a number of companies. I think that's awesome, since it goes back to the roots of this stuff (super low runs, mostly hand sprayed by the original makers, etc) and allows for a lot more creativity, spontaneity, and experimentation than you see from "factory" releases (which can still be really nice but don't always reach the plateau of what you see from one-offs.)

Plus, over the last two years the domestic (ie, Japanese) market has really warmed to the idea of customs, starting I think with Cronic's series of shows at OneUp. Even though the market for toys is, in general, way down, the sofubi makers do well at custom shows, which again are going back to their roots and popping up in clothing stores and other cool shops, galleries,and events.

So I think all of these trends are a really positive breath of fresh air in the world of sofubi, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds in the coming years.

I don't think the recent movement toward custom shows has much to do with 'getting back to their roots.' It is simple financial reality. Cronic customs still seem to do pretty well among his collectors, but you can't get rid of some of his production items these days. Same goes for a lot of other companies. Why bust your hump making 30-50 identical toys that are a hard sell, when you can make 10-20 and guarantee a sell-out at much higher retail price?

I'm not so hot on customs. Maybe if the vast majority weren't priced sky-high...

I don't think it's that simplistic, but sure finances come into play at some level. Anyway, one-offs are a lot cheaper in Japan.

I see the shift as a strong movement to the more artistic side of original sofubi. 2010 has been so much fresher now that run levels have come down and there have been so many outstanding shows in Japan, North America, and now Europe is getting into the act with the recent Barcelona show. Man, we've got amazing designers from North and South America, Asia, and elsewhere making outstanding figures with vinyl, fiberclass, resin...things are off the hook!

If all this means we pay more for figure, I'm totally fine with that. I'd rather have 10 outstanding one-offs or high-priced short-run figures than 50 standard production pieces.

Awesome little fella!
Judging from the recent Gargamel/ Ohashi show, I think any painted release will be far and in between if ever. But I can still dream of owning a painted version one day.

I'm also not too hot on customs. Yes, I own a couple, but I would rather have small runs of standard releases.
Small runs have some shared connection that one-offs don't have.

I also wonder if Gargamel will follow Secret Base and RealxHead and overreach or overextend themselves...

I still need one of those things. so they have a yellow version and a milky version?

I do hope they offer some painted versions for the masses, but I'd go for the right custom release.

^ There's also a flesh version which was painted up for the Ohashi show. I'd be happy with any painted version. But looking at the amount of details it's gonna be hell painting those up.

Also, I totally see Buta doing another version in line with his standard figures in 6 parts. That'll be a killer for sure.

Some of my opinions/observations from SDCC10 related to Gargamel:

Gargamel Hand Paints were overstocked at SDCC this year. Awesome customs were hanging around for days that last year would have been gone in minutes.

Having no regular releases aparts form pockets was disappointing for a lot of folks.

Prices were much higher than last year. Casual customers don't in my experience buy standrd sized toys priced fomr 300 to 500, and pockets/minis at 175, especially when it is cash only. Most folk do not have that cash lying in their pocket for an impulse purchase for a toy.

Buying to flip? Retail is high enough to prevent that. I havent been keeping up, but have a lot of these been flipped on ebay?

I was there for the start of sale Wednesday and Thursday, and recognised most people in line. If they were muling it was for another board member which seems fair enough. Not everyone can get to SDCC, or afford teh overheads of hotel and travel.

HP's were awesome.

I agree on all counts . . . another train of thought is the market saturation of Gargamel customs.

Sure they're cool but I'm curious if this years 4 days of customs with very little in the way of regular releases was more profitable/beneficial/fun than the 2009 scenario of 1 night of customs and 3 of regular releases. Or if having a shit-ton released show after show might dilute the desire to own one or (shock horror) reduce the 'perceived' value.

The same train of thought also applies to Pushead HP's although the exclusivity may keep that candle burning a good while longer.

(It seems we were typing simultaneously Mr Kent-Smith)