BSG Morning After Review

[Chris]

Luv the figures and look forward to future waves.

[Gorn Captain]

Sorry, but I don't go in for that sort of thing. I was on the fence on this line and wasting 80 bucks or so on the first botched wave to "support the company" is not a great idea imo. Same goes for the 6MDM line that doesn't look like Lee Majors.

I agree with you that you should never buy something you really dislike. If you find too many faults, don't buy the product. While I find a couple of mistakes on the Cylon, I still think he's a fun figure, albeit a bit cartoonish. He looks like a Clone Wars character.
I have more problems with Starbuck and Apollo, so I'll probably not buy those unless I can get a great deal. Money's too tight to buy everything, and I don't like how these two turned out. Not just the heads, but also the outfits fall short.

But I don't want to judge so harsh that it sinks the series here and now.
I bought the Doctor Who figures, but they too need more work. If the next wave isn't better, I might hesitate to buy.
Mistakes have been made that cannot be repeated over and over.

Btw, if you want to see how a great Cylon looks like, the Majestic one is a pretty easy example to study. They dropped the ball here and there (forgetting the skirt), but the sculpt is great.

[JediJaida]

I'm going to put off buying anything from this line until they fix the head issue. Not just the squishy-ness, or the waxy complexion or the size. I'm talking about the likeness. The Apollo looks absolutely NOTHING like Richard Hatch, and the same can be said of Starbuck.

The only figure that has even a remote likeness to one of the actors is the Adama figure. It's maybe 75% accurate, which is really cool.

As for the SMDM line, those heads need shrinking as well. The likenesses of Oscar and Rudy are okay, but they need to fix the Steve head.

Maybe they'll have everything fixed in time for Christmas?

[Toyman_Chris]

Great review. Disappointing results. I think I am going to pass on this line. Sad....but makes it easier to spend my dollars elsewhere. 2012 has a lot of options....

[Gorn Captain]

The Apollo looks absolutely NOTHING like Richard Hatch, and the same can be said of Starbuck.

I have to agree on Starbuck, and I already said this before they were released, that the Starbuck sculpt is nothing like Dirk Benedict. It's very bland. The Apollo sculpt is so-so.

[starsky]

i'd have to agree, the adama looks the best , apollo and starbuck are way off. i'd much rather have a majestic studios shrunk head from the 1/6 scale.

[megalomaniac001]

I just got my Starbuck and Adama from EE. Overall, I think they are fantastic figures. By themselves, the heads don't look too bad. When I put them up next to my other figures it is like "Look at the size of those melons! They're huge!" I probably won't cancel my pre-orders because of the issue, but my enthusiasm for the series did take a nose dive. I hope they can fix this issue fast or I fear the series will tank and we will never see future waves! (And that would be a tragedy because these figures are like 90% awesome! Fix the heads, and they are a home run imho)

[megoscott]

I dislike having to say something so negative...I understand there's not much one can do except try to do better next time....but for me there's just no point in hoping wave 2 will be improved if the important characters are so badly flawed. What good is a Boomer or Lucifer to me if Apollo, Starbuck and Adama aren't good enough?

[Harbingerboy]

I dislike having to say something so negative...I understand there's not much one can do except try to do better next time....but for me there's just no point in hoping wave 2 will be improved if the important characters are so badly flawed. What good is a Boomer or Lucifer to me if Apollo, Starbuck and Adama aren't good enough?

Aaaand that's pretty much how I feel. I appreciate JLabs' candidness and feel as disappointed for the BBP team as I do for the line itself because I know how passionate they are about the brands. But I'm afraid I'll be passing on BSG (unless we see a revised S1 which unfortunately isn't likely, unless perhaps the current S1 is a hugely popular sell-out). I'll be happy to keep throwing $$ at Venture Bros. & Twilight Zone stuff though!

[JediJaida]

If this line continues to be an epic fail, maybe Craig will pick up the license in a couple of years.

Right now, he's got a lot on his plate with his new female figure coming out in a few months, hopefully followed by the male figure.

With the limited waist articulation on his first male figure, the license might not have worked out for him.

If the recession hadn't tanked the way that it did, the Buck Rogers line might have opened the door to other licensed properties.

I'm still p.u.'ed that he had to give up the licenses for Logan's Run and the Adam West figure.

[jacoblb]

Wow, I can understand the disappointment with the noggin scale, but I don't think I've read anyone else up to this point complain about the likeness of Apollo.

I'm going to put off buying anything from this line until they fix the head issue. Not just the squishy-ness, or the waxy complexion or the size. I'm talking about the likeness. The Apollo looks absolutely NOTHING like Richard Hatch, and the same can be said of Starbuck.

The only figure that has even a remote likeness to one of the actors is the Adama figure. It's maybe 75% accurate, which is really cool.

As for the SMDM line, those heads need shrinking as well. The likenesses of Oscar and Rudy are okay, but they need to fix the Steve head.

Maybe they'll have everything fixed in time for Christmas?

[Tothiro]

I dislike having to say something so negative...I understand there's not much one can do except try to do better next time....but for me there's just no point in hoping wave 2 will be improved if the important characters are so badly flawed. What good is a Boomer or Lucifer to me if Apollo, Starbuck and Adama aren't good enough?

I agree 100% on the "sucks to report bad news" front Scott.
I totally get that position, but as someone probably making their own heads and parts - For me - it's like this: Boomer is my favorite of the three (I'm *that* guy) and all this first wave did for me was act as a springboard for my own figures. It's a suck situation, but I'm changing almost everything anyway. If BBP! can reflect on the problems they're having and are serious and successful in bringing change, then they'll put out a solid Wave 2. I will look at Wave 2 like a brand extension of a toy that was never made (properly).
It'd be kinda like if I made myself a Hawk figure and some company came along and only released a Buck Rogers But in reverse.

I'm hoping for Lucifer, would love a quality Ovion, Imperious Leader, and a decent Baltar... and even with those (with the exception of Baltar) the heads would have a little leeway - like if they're still 10% too big instead of 25%, it's not deal-killer.

I mean in my view the Cylon is kind of the star. And also in my view, he's already sort of damaged goods. I'll be picking up another pair but it's totally like buying that beater weekend project car with no engine (harsh but true).

Now on the other hand, if BBP! puts out a Boomer or Baltar in the next wave and decides to keep the scale consistent for whatever insane reason - then those toys would be an absolute waste to me. At that point I lock my wallet and go home. Just like I did with Cyberleader.

For the folks who don't make their own toy lines from scratch - yeah. This may be a dead horse.

As far as likenesses go: Yes, there are some issues with Starbuck and Apollo. I think aspects of the sculpts are a little hack. The features are a bit crudely cut and could have used more finesse (Apollo's cheeks as one unfortunate example). The hair looks like an afterthought, and not part of the whole sculpt. But that's not the first thing I would typically point out because any sculpting related critique can make me look like a massive tool when I say it.
If the scale had been right, and maybe even the skin tone more fitting, than a lot of these issues would have washed into the background and few would have a problem there. I think some of it, while maybe valid, is magnified by the sense that the thing is just "wrong" and reasons will pop up to supply a why which would otherwise have been forgiven.

[BATMAN89]

How do these big noggins compare to the Chips Ponch head?
I think that was one of Mego's biggest heads, and I think the John ugly head was huge too!

[sprytel]

I appreciate BBP acknowledging the issue. Something clearly needs to be done.

I have always been a fan of the squishy Mego heads... but if sizing is an issue, would a solid head be easier? Honestly, the new Starbuck head has very little "squishability" anyhow.

[Harbingerboy]

Wow, I can understand the disappointment with the noggin scale, but I don't think I've read anyone else up to this point complain about the likeness of Apollo.

I haven't had issue with any of BBP's likenesses really, and don't understand what everyone's complaining about in that arena, especially considering these are retro-aciton figures and not Sideshow/Hot Toys 1/6 scale collectibles. The only likeness issues I've kinda cringed about were a few of Spectre's Dark Shadows, but I feel that's more of a paint app (or lack of) issue than sculpt.