Q & A with eFX Bryan from rebelscum forum
Bryan from eFX was on the rebelscum forum last night answering questions. This is what he said about the Vader helmet.
Q: Who is going to be painting the hand painted Vader details?
A: The factory in China. They will copy, to their best of their ability the great prototypes that Gino made. As you know the Chinese excel at copying!
Q: Will the Vader dome be magnets again?
A: The Vader helmet will have the cylinder similar to the one that was used in the ESB Vader helmets. Gino and I have had many discussions on this and our vendor in Asia agrees that if it works, why change it. The only issue that we still have is a method to keep the widows peak flush with the face mask. Right now we are using a MASSIVE piece of velcro! haha!
Q: Regarding Vader Helmet, how much is shipping going to be to the United Kingdom & is there any incentive (discounts) to buy both versions at the same time from your site?
A: We do not have the dimensions for the packaging yet, since as you know we do extensive testing to ensure that it arrives safely. Also, FedEX keeps changing their rates, especially now with the escalating cost of fuel, so what we quote now may not be the same in a few months. But if you want to get an estimate, go to fedex.com and get an estimate. Here is the data to use : size: 32" X 24" X 18" and 30 lbs. This will give you an approximate cost if it were to ship today. Also note that we extend our discount to you, as well. . . so it will be a little less
Q: Will the stand for the New Vader helmets be the standard round stand or will it have a square base like the McQ Vader did?
A: Like the McQ base so that you can get a cover
Q: Why such a low edition size for the Vader Legend?
A: This is a very unique item in that the painting and molding is not pristine. Most people will want the limited edition because it is a little more idealized and pristine. Most do not realize what a "mess" the screen accurate one is! Also, once again, because this is Vader, we wanted to make a highly collectible version. The extra cost is because we have to set up a special production area the handpaine some of the detail for just 250 pieces
This last question, though not about the Vader directly, does talk about the factories in China they use for production.
Q: With the success of the Luke reveal are there any plans for expansion the reveal (lightsaber) line?
A: We are now in the process of redesigning the Obi. That is NOT dead!! As many of you know, we had a issue with the cost of the tooling to die cast the internal parts. The reveal lightsabers is one of my favorite products that we have worked on!
There are quite a good number of products in line but the lead time is long. As we understand quality is of top priority, is there a plan to improve the production facility to be able to cope? Surely the number of requests for new products won't cease.
We use very small factories for most of our items. They are the only ones who can deliver our products at the quality that we require. Our items are literally hand made, almost one by one! They do not have long conveyor belts like a typical toy factory. Also, it takes a huge investment on our part to properly train the factories and make them understand what a "replica" means and is! When we started MR back in 2001, it took almost a year to train the first factory! In fact the first Luke ROTJ lightsaber, they actually made 3 times the ordered quantity to be able to ship the quantity that we ordered!
Here's the link to the thread.
Threads.Rebelscum.com: Q & A with eFX
Bryan from eFX was on the rebelscum forum last night answering questions. This is what he said about the Vader helmet.
Q: Who is going to be painting the hand painted Vader details?
A: The factory in China. They will copy, to their best of their ability the great prototypes that Gino made. As you know the Chinese excel at copying!
Q: Will the Vader dome be magnets again?
A: The Vader helmet will have the cylinder similar to the one that was used in the ESB Vader helmets. Gino and I have had many discussions on this and our vendor in Asia agrees that if it works, why change it. The only issue that we still have is a method to keep the widows peak flush with the face mask. Right now we are using a MASSIVE piece of velcro! haha!
Q: Regarding Vader Helmet, how much is shipping going to be to the United Kingdom & is there any incentive (discounts) to buy both versions at the same time from your site?
A: We do not have the dimensions for the packaging yet, since as you know we do extensive testing to ensure that it arrives safely. Also, FedEX keeps changing their rates, especially now with the escalating cost of fuel, so what we quote now may not be the same in a few months. But if you want to get an estimate, go to fedex.com and get an estimate. Here is the data to use : size: 32" X 24" X 18" and 30 lbs. This will give you an approximate cost if it were to ship today. Also note that we extend our discount to you, as well. . . so it will be a little less
Q: Will the stand for the New Vader helmets be the standard round stand or will it have a square base like the McQ Vader did?
A: Like the McQ base so that you can get a cover
Q: Why such a low edition size for the Vader Legend?
A: This is a very unique item in that the painting and molding is not pristine. Most people will want the limited edition because it is a little more idealized and pristine. Most do not realize what a "mess" the screen accurate one is! Also, once again, because this is Vader, we wanted to make a highly collectible version. The extra cost is because we have to set up a special production area the handpaine some of the detail for just 250 pieces
This last question, though not about the Vader directly, does talk about the factories in China they use for production.
Q: With the success of the Luke reveal are there any plans for expansion the reveal (lightsaber) line?
A: We are now in the process of redesigning the Obi. That is NOT dead!! As many of you know, we had a issue with the cost of the tooling to die cast the internal parts. The reveal lightsabers is one of my favorite products that we have worked on!
There are quite a good number of products in line but the lead time is long. As we understand quality is of top priority, is there a plan to improve the production facility to be able to cope? Surely the number of requests for new products won't cease.
We use very small factories for most of our items. They are the only ones who can deliver our products at the quality that we require. Our items are literally hand made, almost one by one! They do not have long conveyor belts like a typical toy factory. Also, it takes a huge investment on our part to properly train the factories and make them understand what a "replica" means and is! When we started MR back in 2001, it took almost a year to train the first factory! In fact the first Luke ROTJ lightsaber, they actually made 3 times the ordered quantity to be able to ship the quantity that we ordered!
Here's the link to the thread.
Threads.Rebelscum.com: Q & A with eFX
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