Legends of the West Kickstarter

[CoreyD]

Jeez, this response over on kickstarter...

"On the other side of that it would be nice if they would pledge, move this forward to unlocks, and then wait and see what happens. Some people just can't deal with any uncertainty, in a format that that seems to generate it at every turn. Even at this point, all we can do is say that we will follow through as diligently as possible, but even that is at best a promise that can be broken by calamity."

 

[Slaymaker]

now that they opened up the lone ranger for all over $100...I may pledge...but need 555 backers. I am cautiously optimistic and watching this a bit more closely now. They got an matching pledge going now..so that will help them...but only counts on all ins...

 

[Videoviper]

Congrats they made the 1st funding goal.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/chickenfriedtoys/chicken-fried-toys-dime-novel-legends-1-18th-actio?ref=recs_similar

 

[K-Tiger]

And they need another 40K to unlock end-of-the-movie Matthew Quigley? 15 days left, I 'spose it's possible.

 

[WVMojo]

I don't understand why te barrel and mugs are a funding goal when they are including them with the bartender.

 

[K-Tiger]

Several of those accessory sets are pretty hodge-podge affairs. I think it has been established that this wasn't the best thought-out campaign in Kickstarter history. :trollface:

 

[Dropshipbob]

That "fireman" seems like a strange addition.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

It is. I like the prospector.

 

[Falcone]

That "fireman" seems like a strange addition.

It's because they want to do the entire towns worth of people not just the gunslingers. I know they are also planning on female figures and "fat bodied" figures.

 

[Fritzkrieg]

School marms are sweet and all, but it's the Cowboys and Indians that will pay the bills.

 

[CoreyD]

Ok, so the organization of this kickstarter is really starting to confuse me. Now they're saying that the all in backers get 11 unique figures, even though they're not necessarily unlocked? Am I reading that right?

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...dime-novel-legends-1-18th-actio/posts/1724135

 

[Fritzkrieg]

Gimme 2 steps now includes 33 figures...3x the "All In" brings the PPF to around $24, it may be a little late in the game to organize group purchases, but that's not a bad deal at all. I personally have split my pledges up, to help get the BLV unlocked, but this is a great option, for anyone caught up on the price point per figure, being too high.

 

[K-Tiger]

They're gonna get out 10 unique figures, plus repainted heads and accessories, for under $150K? The Kickstarter must be supplemental to another source of capital, one they hoped wouldn't be needed.

I dunno what December 2017 will hold, but I don't think it's gonna include these figures.

 

[CoreyD]

That's why I'm confused. If you've got the money to do the tooling for all the figures, which seems to be what they're implying, why wouldn't you make them available for purchase by everyone?

I don't have a clear sense of cost breakdowns for this sort of thing, but from what I understand, tooling costs are the most expensive part of production, correct?

 

[K-Tiger]

I don't have a clear sense of cost breakdowns for this sort of thing, but from what I understand, tooling costs are the most expensive part of production, correct?

Correct.

 

[Fritzkrieg]

It seems to me, that other campaigns, have done more with less. Eagle Force had 16 figures available at the initial funding level. I think the capital is there, and they were reserving more for either a second run or hoping to walk away with a profit. Either way More transparency would have gone a long way to build backer cofidence. I'm in for 12 figures plus some extras. Unfortunately I had to split my pledges due to the restrictive structure of this campaign. It's been an emotional roller coaster watching this Kickstarter. I feel like I'm watching my favorite team in the playoff game, and the QB, keeps fumbling the ball.

 

[Videoviper]

I really only want 1 maybe 2 figure vigilante & maybe the barkeeper.

At this point if they get funded & I still want them in 1-2 years I will track them down. Really kind of wanted to do the Gimme 2 steps with someone else but I can't justify the price for what little I want.

 

[K-Tiger]

So these are finally coming. SmallJoes (paging Ewok) has them slated for a July release. Expensive, as expected, but I may get around to grabbing Not-Quigley and one or two of the accessory packs. Unless someone has backed, changed their mind and wants to trade for ME Joes? *wink*

http://smalljoes.com/cat/Chicken-Fried-Toys-CFT-Dime-Novel-Legends-DNL-56.shtml

 

[NSA]

$27.99!

They do look cool, but I'd never have a use for them

Man Smalljoes is still kicking.. don't even have any 1:18 vehicles for sale anymore.

 

[K-Tiger]

Yeah, that much will get you an Acid Rain figure, with considerably more complex paint work. I figure the guns will work with said ARW figures, or the pistols will be large enough to work with figma figures.

 

[nacho]

Hey, it only took exactly three years!

I like the Wyatt Earp-looking marshall figure... but these fall into the "nice, but I don't know what I'd do with them" category. I wouldn't have enough for any kind of dio, and there's no specific nostalgia, just a general appreciation for westerns.

 

[NSA]

These look cool.. wonder how the final product will be: http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?Stage=10&CatId=44&Item=JTM-USMCSET

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

I like that they come on classic card backs. The colors seem different between in package/out of package. Lighting? Paint samples? And unfortunately the in package colors look less desirable. They look more vivid.

Not like it matters. Not paying $30 per figure. Are these Premium priced figures doing well? I can't imagine that they are.

These look cool.. wonder how the final product will be: http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?Stage=10&CatId=44&Item=JTM-USMCSET

They kind of remind me of the Our War figures.

 

[K-Tiger]

The colors seem different between in package/out of package. Lighting? Paint samples? And unfortunately the in package colors look less desirable. They look more vivid.

The "out of package" photos are the CG rendering photos.

 

[Dropshipbob]

These look cool.. wonder how the final product will be: http://smalljoes.com/cgi-bin/pgen.cgi?Stage=10&CatId=44&Item=JTM-USMCSET

I think they are going to be greatly undersized compared to Joes. I think they fall more into the 1:20/1:24 range.

 

[K-Tiger]

If they're like the Spetsnaz figure JT did, then they'll be a little shorter than the old Bbi figures.

 

[Crayfish]

First off...I assure you...they are the same size as Marauders task Force figures....I have had them side by side and they look great with them and have compatible parts.

As you probably know....the figures are in America and they are fantastic. Incredibly well made figures with lots of details and accessories and lots of articulation. Figures can hold their guns well and joints are ratcheted and tight. These are some of the best designed figures ever made.

They are in the Smalljoes warehouse and then Chicken Fried Toys will be travelling to Smalljoes' warehouse very soon to start the counting and shipping part to the Kickstarter backers.

Pre-orders are up at Smalljoes by going to the link listed here: http://smalljoes.com/cat/Chicken-Fried-Toys-CFT-Dime-Novel-Legends-DNL-56.shtml

Here at some pictures I took from JoeFest this past weekend that will show you how awesome the final figures turned out:

 

[NSA]

Not bad at all.. but it's still scratching an itch I don't particularly have.

Hope it's successful though!

 

[Crayfish]

I hear ya loud and clear......some things pop more to some people than others.....but I believe this might just appeal to more people than just Old West and Cowboy enthusiast. I already know some people who have pre-ordered for just the weapons....some that have decided that their GI Joe Wild Bill needs a new set of six guns.....and some people who need their Marauders Agency Ops guys wearing 10 gallon hats like some oil tycoon. It's good to have the option out there even if you never pull the trigger.

 

[NSA]

For sure, more of everything is usually not a bad thing. We've been stuck with "less" of everything for far too long.

Are there plans for another series or perhaps another time period after these?

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

I love so many of these niche 1:18th figures, but I just cannot bring myself to pay what they ask for 1:18th figures. I have a difficult enough time with $10 JOES, let alone $20-$30 figures that fit in nowhere. If they were cheaper, though, yeah, I'd have a whole collection of randos.

 

[NSA]

Same here.. I guess I'm kind of glad I'm priced out of so much, otherwise I'd have more crap than I do now!

 

[ThunderDan19]

I could maybe see picking up the Bass Reeves looking guy for my previous neighbor who played him on a History Channel show. But I really don't see spending $30 on it, or any of the others. Pretty cool looking stuff though.

 

[Crayfish]

Is it okay to ask you guys a question...and I swear I am not trying to step on anybody's toes here...I guess I just want to get an idea of what your thoughts on this is.

I see a lot of people who talk about the price of these figures which are priced at $27.99 but I don't see as much complaining about a Marauders Task Force "complete" figure (like the Contract Ops) which is also priced at $27.99 or a Boss Fight Figure which is priced just a little bit lower at $24.99. Not to mention that a couple of other upcoming 1:18 scale Kickstarter projects that will be going into the pre-order phase which falls in the $24.99 to $29.99 range.

So I guess I would like to know a couple of things:

1. Am I just missing the complaints on price for the other lines or is it a little less stated?

2. Is the general consensus that these figures are of a lesser quality than the other figure lines?

Thank you guys...I would just like to really know what your opinion is.

........

Are there plans for another series or perhaps another time period after these?

I believe they once stated that if the Old West stuff was successful...that the next thing (after a few waves) would be a different genre.

 

[NSA]

(A) We're cheap asses, and really the whole market is, from top to bottom.

(B) We're cheap asses, until we're not. For whatever reason people will happily drop $30 for a figure, $500 for a custom vehicle, or $$$$$ for some vintage something or another. No idea how/why and as of yet there hasn't been a great way to monetize this phenomenon outside of Marauders I think.

I think people here still don't like that price for Marauders, I can't speak about elsewhere, but I know I wouldn't pay that for their figure. We did the original kickstarter thing with the $500 package or whatever, so the figures were like $13 or $14 each and I felt like that was still expensive. I was spoiled on $5 (2 for $10) PoC GI JOES with tons of accessories and good paint apps.

I think either the market passed me by, or I left the market (probably both) for expensive figures.

I don't think these LOOK less in quality.. I do think (especially here) that modern military (or historical military) is preferred to the Old West. Probably just a preference thing, but our demographic grew up with GI JOE vs COBRA not Cowboys & Indians (for the most part).

Also, I think people like to pick a "team" and if they get invested with Boss fight, or Marauders or whatever.. they'll continue to support them as they feel like they're "part of the team" or whatever.. stupid human behavior, but it's everywhere. This now also might extend to "shitting" on other brands/lines as they're not that persons brand of preference.. which is stupid.. but also the reality of the internet today.

 

[nacho]

It's the state of action figures today. People complain about $20 Marvel Legends, so....

Just speaking for me personally, I think I don't see much in the 4" space from anyone that excites me. I have many thousands of 4" joes, and tons of custom cast parts that I'll likely never use up before I die. So buying more, especially at prices that are 3x what we last paid for retail 4" figures just seems like a poor decision. I'm not saying I wouldn't splurge on one or two if they had just the right appeal, but I'm not likely to buy anything that isn't scratching a major itch.

Even the Joe FSS figures, stuff we should be the prime demographic for, were not that appealing. Had they been available a la carte, I might have picked up 25% of them. But signing up for a bunch of expensive duds to get one or two cool figures or buying individually for $75 on ebay... both of those options sucked. So I said "no thanks" and haven't really regretted it, and that's for things that do, in theory, push those nostalgia buttons.

Marauders... I've placed one order from them for a very specific set of parts to make one specific figure. Otherwise, their unit price outpaces my interest too.

When you compare to other kickstarters, I'm far more likely to support 6" figures. Multiple efforts seem to be able to offer really great 6" lines for $35-40 each, making $30 4" figures look like an even worse deal by comparison.

But like NSA said, it's inexplicable. I have no problem dropping $100 on a 3P transformer, but a $30 4" figure is a tough sell.

 

[pcsguy88]

Acid Rain is the line I dreamed of all thru the POC Joe days and even made a bunch of customs to create an alt universe that AR basically copied and yet I have not bought a single AR figure or vehicle. Joe was a great $10 or less boredom buy while wandering the aisles of Walmart or Target plus they had nostalgia going for them. Since all Joe and BBI figures left the aisles, I have not bought a single figure. I was really in the hobby for the realistic vehicles and once those dried up, all money went to +$100 Japanese robots. So to sum it up, I’m not paying $25 for a 4” figure unless it transforms or walks around on it’s own no matter what the subject matter is.

 

[ThunderDan19]

I have never and cannot justify spending $30 for any plastic figure - 4" or 6". I complained when Joes went over their initial $5 price. While I did buy many of those, they had nostalgic value, which dried up when I needed cash and dumped much of what I had accumulated. The rest (save for a very small reserve) went to the kids once they were old enough not to swallow them. I have gone to nearly $20 for specific Marvel Legends and McFarlane military and sports figures. But that was long ago now. I actually lol'ed at the more recent Marvel Legends prices. Anything obscure would need to be something absolutely unique and intriguing to get even $20 from me.

 

[K-Tiger]

I haven't bought any Marauder stuff, either. I priced out a pair pilots around the time the Valkyries came out, got to almost $50 shipped without weapons and with minimal accessories, and said "nah, I'll pass". I got a couple of skeletons, accessory packs and a Mirmadon from the HACKS line, and haven't gone back. They didn't feel like they were worth what they cost originally, I'd feel downright shafted if I had payed $25 a pop. If these feel like Boss Fight's in-hand, eh...I'm not ruling out buying some of these down the line, but there's just way too much competition.

I kinda get why ARW figures are $30 each. I don't get why MGR, BFS or these are.

I'd say I'm cheap, but I look at my expensive-ass figma (ever-increasingly overpriced Japanese figures) and 1:10 NECA stuff, and see that's not really true. I think I've just cycled out of 1:18, and have no tolerance for paying NECA prices for 1:18 figures. Hell, I was pretty excited when these were announced, even with Alyosha's involvement, and I may have even slapped down money if they had hit the actual estimated delivery date. Plus, I remember buying actual 1:18 vehicles for not much more than what single figures go for, and I just can't pull the trigger on that.


tl:dr - It's a lot of different reasons, but it boils down to "it's not you, it really IS me."

 

[Dropshipbob]

Crayfish, I think it just boils down to there being more military collectors than wild west. MTF's stuff is good, and I wish I had some of these wild west figures to make a comparison to so I could answer that point for you.