How do you feel about multiple colorways of the same sculpt? Do you wish companies would stop after a number of variations, or do you like the continued onslaught with the choice of hunting everything or picking up a few that particularly grab you? I realize that production costs do play a large part in this, but some sculpts do go on long after they've turned a profit.

discuss, change your vote if you like, suggest more options, or just plain ignore.

As long as the company/designer continues to innovate, who cares how many versions there are. But when they only trot out the same boring colorways or go nuts on the "homages," blanks, lazy designs, and other such crap, then it's probably pasture time.

I don't believe in "retiring" anything. I think, at most, one can take a break for a while, but why make something like that permanent? They can just say "I'll take a break for a while on this" if one feels the need for a break and if they never go back, oh well.

I think as long as you're putting out new sculpts at the same time, and the figures have a good "army sense" then more versions is a plus. There are some figures that seem to have been "run into the ground", but I think that unless the figure is a total dog and the paint is lame it takes a while to get to that level.

I'm with Ricky and BD, I personally would want to stop at a certain number of colorways just to take advantage of the R&D + tooling costs and such but would never retire a mold. If fans wants to see more colorways then I'll see if there're new and creative ways of developing a new version then I'll do another one or two. I've heard allot of people complain about "too many colorways" etc,etc, in this industry but have no experience or have basic knowledge of the production process and what it takes to put out a product and it just makes me LOL

Pretty much boils down to intent. If collectors see you're still in it to make something excellent, they'll keep buying your stuff and supporting you. But when you start cranking out "for its own sake" versions that get to be a bit too transparent, they'll pull the support. Happens all the time.

But I can't think of any figures that have really needed to be "retired," since there's always something new and interesting that can be done with a figure, either by the original creator or someone new. Seems the word is only trotted out as a marketing ploy. Actually, I can't think of any company that has used it besides Secret Base. (Shame too, since the original Obake is an all-time classic.) What other companies have played the R-card?

I remember Gargamel used to have a busted half of a Gatchamecha mold in Thrash Out. Busting a mold is about as close to retiring a figure as you can get, but it might not have been broken on purpose.

"Retiring" stuff reminds me of Beanie Babies and these little wooden houses my mom used to buy... not exactly a strategy I would want to appropriate.

On the Ampro site way back I remember seeing documentation pics of them pouring concrete into molds for the Toho Octopus to say "hey! there will be no more of this one!!!"

I think with the cost of making the molds...they usually have to make that money back plus profit so it's worth stretching out a but for all you can get.

Personaly, I would love to see more molds destroyed.

S7 with the Ghostfighter.

1 - S7 with the Ghostfighter
2 - Secret Base old Obake

1 - S7 with the Ghostfighter
2 - Secret Base old Obake
3 - Blobpus Last Kaiju ?

I think as long as the artist can continue to bring life to the sculpt they should carry on.
A really good example of this is the Balzac Skullman. I'm not sure how many there are, but there are... 60? colourways and they keep coming.
I'm pretty bored with them myself and I think that they should either be more picky, or retire.
On the other hand, there's the Smoking Stars and in a year there have been almost 20. but with introducing new artists they keep it fresh and new.
So let the sculpt run it's course, some have a longer run than others.
The Blobpus's seem to go pretty strong, but some pirates could have been left to the side.

yeah, but he came back for the Voodoo set. So is/was he really retired?

Good point!

I don't see any real point to retiring a figure, but I can see how it might give a completist collector an opportunity to more easily achieve their goal. Then again, I just don't have the completist mentality. As long as the toys don't begin to lack in quality, I say bring em on.

that is what is going on with me and the popsoda right now.
it's been a long strectch since an official popsoda release has happened... and to tell you the truth i am sorta enjoying it because my moneys are a little more freed up to get some new and kick ass stuff.
but i still would love a good looking ps release.

Some nice mini PS's in the last few months though, eh? Henshin set, Pachisummit red, glow pair...

I would think it is all about balance of all those choices.

I like to say bring it on forever, but ultimately its the profit of each release that really determine how long something lasts.
So I think it's really a percentage for each one and how it affects each other.

An example would be if they keep release interesting colors (wow factor) + controlled releases it will make this line more profitable in the long run.

Ultimately its up to the creator/brand but I am sure sales is a huge determining factor in its lifespan whether or not a company decides to kill off a toy. I won't give specific examples in case it hits a nerve for other members here.

I can see some examples that once a toy loses its' appeal to their fans base, it iss hard to pick up again.

Retire....? And miss an opportunity to make some easy money off some OCD collector ? Never !
Honestly, the idea of upteen color ways makes me sick, as it seems to be motivated by greed more than creative impulse.

Really? I mean, I'm sure there are cases like that, but here's how I look at it: take an average "western vinyl" figure where they do two runs at, say, 300 figures each. So, for that figure you have a total of 600 pieces in circulation. Now look at a Japanese company that is releasing their figures in runs of 30. They'd have to have to put out 20 different versions to match the Western figure's two. Or even take a larger Japanese company, like Bandai or, in the past, Bullmark or Popy. They make thousands of the exact same figure. And while it's arguable that making two good versions of a figure takes more creativity than twenty lame ones, I don't think that's usually the case (especially when it seems like more than a few western companies are content to just make "blank", black, or all-GID versions).

Like I said, I'm sure some companies and creators are doing it more for the money than the love, but I honestly don't think that's the case most of the time.

LOL, not singling anyone out but to add to what Ricky said, I can't understand why people have to think that manufacturers are being "greedy" or have other un-scrupulous motives behind releasing all these colorways. It maybe a romantic notion to be "all about the craft/art/wtf ever, etc etc (and that's good cause I'm certainly passionate about what I create) but what allot of folks can't seem to wrap around their heads is the fact that this IS a BUSINESS. It's like what I just said several posts above, the investment in these kind of ventures isn't cheap and for indie companys this a BIG leap. Compared to mainstream releases (10,000 hardly - 100,000's) by big toy companies, JP and even western vinyl runs are a sand speck in comparison. Allot of JP and western vinyls with all of their colorway releases can't even come close to the small run (one paint version) that big companys do, greedy? Hmmm I don't know ,,, It's really a diff story when you put yourself on the other side of the (researched) fence.

My feeling on "retiring" or busting the mold is kind of like with plastic surgery. You may think "good idea!" now but there's no going back, not really. So I just don't see why a company would do something so "final?"

Why not just put the mold away somewhere, decide not to make anymore and if one day, days/months/years down the road, they wanna go back, the options there? Plus if that mold isn't busted, those cost a ton, I'd never fuck it up if it was my company. I'd just hold on to it for sentiment.

this sure isnt retired and sure of hell hope they dont
bring on more ghostfighters

defenetly like to see more retired.

Not to mention that in some cases when that mold is busted, that's it. You're not seeing any more of that figure ever, and not just for economic reasons.

If the original prototype was made in wax only, then it was lost when the molds were made. And unless they have a spare wax prototype laying around (very unlikely) the only thing you could do is make another wax prototype from an existing figure. And even then, you won't have an exact copy. When the molds are made, you lose about 15% of the size of the original prototype. So a 6" wax prototype will yield a 5" or so figure. Might not sound noticeable, but it is.

Of course, if the original prototype was made in clay or another material you could theoretically make another wax prototype and remake the molds from that, but a lot of the producer's I've spoken to in Japan say they destroy the original prototype after the molds are made and the test shots come back OK.