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The Alien™ Franchise


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Yeah, if the Sin City or Kill Bill licenses warrant the boxset releases we are going to get, ALIEN deserves at least the same level of commitment.

Excellent point. There is absolutely no comparison (no offence to either of those films, but c'mon) in terms of an iconic film that continues to dominate in multiple genres (scifi, horror, etc.) for decades (and will continue to do so). I think we're all just getting a bit worked-up due to the lack of details. Surely they are not blind to these facts. It just seems that their "priorities" would have been better focused on something as time-sensitive as an anniversary. It's the same reaction one could expect if you had forgotten your wife's anniversary...dog house! Here's hoping DST comes through in the 11th hour with a big bouquet of roses to smooth things over, though the air-lock doors of opportunity (between concept-production) are slowly closing! Edited by cdubya
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I think it's mostly of a case of 'We Want More' than anything else Zach.

If the Alien set sells particularly well, is there a chance we may see a second 4-pack?

Edited by Nessex
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Honestly, from a business POV, I would be cautious with Alien as well. It lacks the visual power of various other lines, and from my observations, lots of collectors of these things will be into newer franchises than older ones, in which case hype and memory in one's lifetime can certainly outweigh the quality of the source material. I mostly collect 1/6 stuff nowadays, and the franchises that gain the most interest--both in the custom community and among folks who buy official, mass produced products--are from the '90s and beyond.

But dammit, Alien is one of my top 10 movies. So I desperately want as many Alien figures as possible.

Obviously, I don't know how things really work, but my guess is that if this first set sells extremely well, more figures will be forthcoming. And in terms of making a set that is most likely to sell, you include Ripley, you include the Alien, and you include the bad-ass guy with the afro. Hopefully Kane will have an alternate chest block?

Edited by karamazov80
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Just FYI, Sin City has a sequel that hits this summer. And Kill Bill has not had the amount of merchandise that Alien/Aliens has had. We got the license for Aliens, the first movie was kind of a bonus. And the monetary aspects of each deal may necessitate different approaches. No two licenses are alike, is my point.

A second set is always possible, since the Alien can have an open mouth and a tongue. And it would be good to re-use that unique Big Chap tooling. Ask DST!

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I dunno, it sounds like people think we're screwing up our line of toys based on a movie from 1979.

Hopefully they'll be happier with our line of toys based on a movie from 1986.

I think you're taking away the wrong message, if anything we are saying give us as much as you possibly can and we will buy it.

Look at it from our perspective, you've known about these for months and have in depth knowledge of the plans and designs. All we have is a crappy picture of 4 figures from a distance, with an almost immediate follow-up of something along the lines of "that might be all you get".

When your customers' only complaint is we aren't getting enough of your product, that's a good thing.

:)

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I realize that, but some of the comments, like cdubya's, make it sound like we have our priorities out of whack and we owe you flowers. An anniversary doesn't mean guaranteed sales. New comics and a new game are great, but better to leave people wanting more than oversaturate.

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All we have is a crappy picture of 4 figures from a distance, that wasn't supposed to be taken in the first place because it's from an industry trade show and wasn't intended for fan consumption, with an almost immediate follow-up of something along the lines of "that might be all you get" because you may or may not be ready right this second to publicly reveal your line plan for the aforementioned reason.

Fixed that for you. ;)

I think everyone is getting a little overheated about information/images DST has actively, repeatedly said is pending approval and not intended for us.

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But the pictures are out, and discussions have started, and i dont think they've been overheated at all. Once devices like Google Glass are more prevalent, its going to be even more difficult to regulate what pictures are taken and distributed at these types of events. Every vendor knows the risk of having product on display, it might not be fair, but that's the world we live in now.

Zach, if you don't want to discuss the stuff we aren't supposed to know about, you can play that card anytime you want and nobody will think twice about it.

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Just FYI, Sin City has a sequel that hits this summer. And Kill Bill has not had the amount of merchandise that Alien/Aliens has had. We got the license for Aliens, the first movie was kind of a bonus. And the monetary aspects of each deal may necessitate different approaches. No two licenses are alike, is my point.

A second set is always possible, since the Alien can have an open mouth and a tongue. And it would be good to re-use that unique Big Chap tooling. Ask DST!

I believe you meant closed-mouth (the proto has the inner-jaw), but point taken...and good to hear. I've no doubt that 'Aliens' will be knocked out of the playground and 'Alien' will see another offering(s). Both are time-proven "cash-cows" that always (provided the product is good) garner support regardless of when they are presented. HotToys, Neca, and others know this. I'd just like to see DST exploit the fact that Minimates are likely the only way a fan will ever get the full-cast (of this I am 99.999% certain) due to the cost and difficulties obtaining individual actor-likeness rights. This and the fact that characters like Lambert and such admittedly could not sell well alone, period. Bottom-line, the demand is there and a milestone anniversary just seemed like an excellent opportunity. I hope the zealous passion didn't come off as pushy or ungrateful, but Alien/s fans are hungry for a line that addresses more than just the awesome Xeno!yes.gif

I dunno, it sounds like people think we're screwing up our line of toys based on a movie from 1979.

Hopefully they'll be happier with our line of toys based on a movie from 1986.

I think you're taking away the wrong message, if anything we are saying give us as much as you possibly can and we will buy it.

Look at it from our perspective, you've known about these for months and have in depth knowledge of the plans and designs. All we have is a crappy picture of 4 figures from a distance, with an almost immediate follow-up of something along the lines of "that might be all you get".

When your customers' only complaint is we aren't getting enough of your product, that's a good thing.

smile.png

Well said YB, my sentiments exactly. We're not mad at you Zach (or DST). As I stated above, "we're hungry!" Some of us have literally been waiting 35 years for someone to give us (authentic) more than the Xeno. Guys like myself and Mr PL (hope you don't mind me speaking on your behalf friend) would almost rather get nothing than be teased by an incomplete line. We want the world to love Minimates and Alien as much as we do!

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I'd just like to see DST exploit the fact that Minimates are likely the only way a fan will ever get the full-cast (of this I am 99.999% certain) due to the cost and difficulties obtaining individual actor-likeness rights. This and the fact that characters like Lambert and such admittedly could not sell well alone, period.

We want the world to love Minimates and Alien as much as we do!

These!

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I realize that, but some of the comments, like cdubya's, make it sound like we have our priorities out of whack and we owe you flowers. An anniversary doesn't mean guaranteed sales. New comics and a new game are great, but better to leave people wanting more than oversaturate.

Zach, please don't take offence to my metaphorical (and sometimes acidic) wit. It is not my intention to bash. That, and I prefer dandelions to roses anyday! No, anniversaries do not guarantee sales (though Alien is not just any movie IMHO), but they do put things back on the radar (much like a new Sin City movie...) of people who do not live and breathe a particular franchise. Both are excellent opportunities to take advantage of. Large, financially devoted fan-bases don't hurt either. Your last sentence actually sums-up our fear (of the obviously leaked photo) in that it appears to be putting too many eggs into one basket (or not enough...I can't remember which!) and not leaving enough to keep casual customers interested. Fans, like myself, are in it for the whole run without question (here's my credit card #). While there's no guarantees to anything in life (other than death), I just want us to make it to the finish-line. That's all. We should probably just let this one go since we were obviously not meant to see these yet...but they were glorious none-the-less!!! Pass that on to the powers that be.

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You're allowed to know about it. I never told anybody not to report on it, only not to shoot it, because the protos had not been approved by the licensor. Pictures get out, the license gets pulled, no Alien Minimates whatsoever.

I was never trying to keep info from you, only keep the line from going away entirely, simply because we wanted to show buyers prototypes, AND wanted to give the press a peek.

Cdubya, I think if you're looking for a line with more than just the Alien, there have been a couple. Kubricks and Mez-Its both, I believe.

And if we'd put out a set with the Alien OR Ripley, not both, and we'd been unsure about a second set, you would have been far more upset.

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I'd just like to see DST exploit the fact that Minimates are likely the only way a fan will ever get the full-cast (of this I am 99.999% certain) due to the cost and difficulties obtaining individual actor-likeness rights. This and the fact that characters like Lambert and such admittedly could not sell well alone, period.

I don't think this affects your point very strongly, but we almost got the entire crew with the Kubrick line. I believe Bret is the only one with no Kub, though we only got space suit versions of Lambert and Dallas (sadly).

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I just want to make it clear, my anxiousness to see more is only because I can't wait to get these. I don't blame DST at all, I think you guys are doing a great job, it's just that once this license was announced I was ready to buy them right that second, and it feels like we've been waiting for a long time. But it only feels that way because of how excited we are.

I've been buying 'mates since I bought the Yellow Daredevil/Elektra 2-pack off the shelf at Suncoast, I'm always rooting for you guys. I just want to give you my money as soon as possible!!

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You're allowed to know about it. I never told anybody not to report on it, only not to shoot it, because the protos had not been approved by the licensor. Pictures get out, the license gets pulled, no Alien Minimates whatsoever.

How exactly does that work? It sounds like the licensor is apt to flip over the chess board and take all his toys home with him for such a minor transgression. What exactly would pictures spoil from a 1979 movie? I'd understand if the studio was more worried about spoilers, but that sounds weird. We saw a ton of non-DST pics labeled "pending licensor approval", I dont think Funko is going to have their licenses revoked. Are the studios that thin-skinned over decades old properties?

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And if we'd put out a set with the Alien OR Ripley, not both, and we'd been unsure about a second set, you would have been far more upset.

This!

Sure, it's be great if DST had Hasbro cash to throw at two "guaranteed" box sets, one each featuring Ripley/the xenomorph. But even Hasbro, with a major motion picture backing it, had to cancel some of their planned Retaliation product due to soft sales. Now, imagine a similar situation forced DSTs hand and suddenly you had no Ripley. The streets would run red with Spider-mates melted in effigy. DST did the right thing here from a business standpoint; until you can pony up the cash for a full production run of whatever the hell you think should be made, maybe trust that they're doing the best they can to be profitable AND fan-friendly

Let's remember.... everything we know about forthcoming Minimates - from new licenses to tray shots - we know because Zach is awesome enough to join us on our e-nclave and talk to us about the product his company is putting out. Who else does that? Or would continue to do it in light of such harsh criticisms from the community. I get that you guys want more sooner and all that, and see it as a compliment to DST, but read through the possible perceived tone of some of your posts and you'll understand how they may come across as less than level headed. I, for one, hope we somehow get a power loader. Note I didn't say "Not including a power loader in the first wave is an obvious mistake and really worries me about where this line may be headed" Tone, my friends, accounts for a LOT online.

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And if we'd put out a set with the Alien OR Ripley, not both, and we'd been unsure about a second set, you would have been far more upset.

If you put out a set with the Alien OR Ripley, there'd be no reason to be unsure about a second set. Demand would be guaranteed.

I guess I'm having trouble understanding why there's so little faith in this film.

Cdubya, I think if you're looking for a line with more than just the Alien, there have been a couple. Kubricks and Mez-Its both, I believe.

Seriously? Sending your loyal consumer base to the competition? Maybe you need a Snickers™.

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And if we'd put out a set with the Alien OR Ripley, not both, and we'd been unsure about a second set, you would have been far more upset.

If you put out a set with the Alien OR Ripley, there'd be no reason to be unsure about a second set. Demand would be guaranteed.

I guess I'm having trouble understanding why there's so little faith in this film.

Because the only things I remember from Alien are the Xeno, Ripley and the dude with the chest buster. I know other people may like it, but I didn't care for Alien. Aliens is a MUCH better film in my eyes, and much more memorable, with actual characters. I'm glad it's your favorite, but I'd rather have DST air on the side of caution. I don't need 2 Alien box sets. One will suite me just fine.

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Because the only things I remember from Alien are the Xeno, Ripley and the dude with the chest buster. I know other people may like it, but I didn't care for Alien. Aliens is a MUCH better film in my eyes, and much more memorable, with actual characters. I'm glad it's your favorite, but I'd rather have DST air on the side of caution. I don't need 2 Alien box sets. One will suite me just fine.

gcea7d285.gif

Seriously though, I do think lots of folks feel the way you do, and I understand it. . .I totally don't agree with it, but still biggrin.png

Alien is one of the best horror movies I've ever seen. Yet I, too, love Aliens more. It's the best action/sci-fi movie I've seen. And the specific characters are more memorable to folks who may watch it more casually for fun, without trying to consider it as a work of film art so much as a "popcorn movie." It's a military special ops unit facing off against a horde of alien scum. Hudson, Burke, Hicks, Bishop, Vasquez, Newt, even Apone are all quite memorable for the funny/witty lines, over the top personalities, memorable looks, Bishop doing the thing with his knife, "Get away from her YOU BITCH!," "They mostly come out at night, mostly," "Game over man!," "I like to keep this handy, for close encounters," etc.

With Alien, you've got a bunch of construction workers. The guys don't look all that interesting, not as many quotable moments, not as much firepower or explosions, Ripley isn't a total bad-ass, even Ash is pretty dang understated when compared with most of the guys in Aliens. So yeah, the most memorable thing to some is probably the chest burster, some of the death scenes, and maybe that huge shot of the alien spacecraft. But if you watch Alien carefully, with the right frame of mind, it's a magnificent film. The atmosphere of dread and horror is up there with the Thing--a horror born out of showing you very little and forcing your imagination to fill in the blanks. The characters act and talk like real people, and are WAY more dramatically fleshed out than they are in Aliens. These don't feel like stereotypes or characters, they feel like people. And when bad things happen, you feel worse for them. Or at least, I did.

So. . .each movie has its pros and cons, and probably appeals generally to different kinds of fans. Guys who buy toys? Probably more into Aliens in general, though as we saw with the Funko Reaction thing, there are plenty of Alien fans out there buying. And frankly, Alien has had a lot less love from toy lines in the past, considering Hot Toys, Neca, McFarlane, Mezco, Kenner, and Medicom have all dealt with Aliens in some fashion, while only a couple of those released Alien figures, and usually not very many (with the exception of the Kubs). So there could well be more demand for Alien figures of any kind than we might initially think. Lord, I hope so.

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Because the only things I remember from Alien are the Xeno, Ripley and the dude with the chest buster. I know other people may like it, but I didn't care for Alien. Aliens is a MUCH better film in my eyes, and much more memorable, with actual characters. I'm glad it's your favorite, but I'd rather have DST air on the side of caution. I don't need 2 Alien box sets. One will suite me just fine.

Well, you're wrong. stick.gif

(See how opinions work?)

I never said Alien was my favorite film. I'm a fan of the entire franchise (yes, even Prometheus). The first two films are very different films, the first being more of a horror flick while the sequel was a straight-up action movie. I can appreciate both.

Regardless, look at the way DST is marketing Alien vs. Aliens:

- With Alien, they'll offer a 4-pack including two of the biggest characters in the entire franchise but with little faith they'll offer a second to complete the tiny crew of the Nostromo.

- With Aliens they're launching the line with $5.99 single packs including three of the most obscure characters in the film.

It's pretty obvious DST has loads of confidence when it comes to the sequel but from where I'm sitting it seems like they're practically sabotaging any hope for a successful offering of product based on the film that started it all.

I'm hopeful that the entire crew of the Nostromo will be prototyped and approved and will end up being shown on the back of the first 4-pack as a show of good faith to collectors that DST is at least making THAT much of an effort to get the whole crew to fans.

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