EFX X Wing Arrival, Thoughts & Pictures

I agree 100% amen to that



aljf:cool

BrundelFly said:
Props.

We can't have what was used on screen.

Some of us are talented to build something close.

Some of us even sell those works, but only on a very small scale, as after all we are hobbyists at best. Not Mass Productions facilities that can deliver to the masses.

Its SO easy to think, if Someone can build something accurate out of their garage, WHY cant a company get a license and make one for everyone.

Any of us, who have ever produced a garage kit, and I have done several, catch our selves thinking the very same thing.

"If only I could get a license,..."

And so many of ALL of us, brag how we would pay for accurate replicas if only someone would step up to the plate and make them available.


What we see here is the class of noble intentions vs. harsh reality.


Someone posted above, that the Xwing was "rushed out for a quick buck"

You should be ashamed of yourself to display so much ignorance of the process. Fine, you don't like the end product, but don't make yourself look like an idiot.

You know nothing of what went into this, or the spirit in which it was done.

You see, someone DID step up to the plate. EFX tried very hard to make an accurate representation of the XWING, utilizing limited reference, but all that was available, talents of members of this VERY board, constraints set by LUCASFILM the licensor, and the mass productions realities of China.

No, they couldn't produce it in the US. Someone tried that once, heard of ICONS? That XWING was FAR inferior to this one, but arguably as noble an effort.

EFX XWING.
Its not a Carbon copy of what you saw on film.
Get over it.

The Paint job is far less than what we have seen the talent here do.
You expected that.

This product is a result of the mixing of all the efforts as described above with manufacturing reality, this is the best anyone here or anywhere else could have done.

If you think its easy to do, then go forth and do a better job? Anyone?
Exactly, AINT gonna happen.


Is it perfect? No. Could it be? Is that possible? Ya think so? Really?
Ofcourse not.

Do you really think the production team didn't care? Did you know they actually SCRAPPED the first version of it completely and started over.
Because of their own frustrations with the production constraints?

Is it not obvious they shared some of the opinions expressed here, and where also not happy with the result.

That's dedication to trying to get it right.


You don't like the nose? Sand it. Its polystone probably. Wet sand it to the shape that YOU like. One version would have never pleased everyone.
Post your pictures here.

Don't like the PAINT job? Repaint it to your taste. One paint job would not appeal to everyone, even if it was consistently the same on each piece, and we all know that would never happen. Look at the falcon as an example.

You think the toy looks better? How many of you own one? Go Buy one and put it on a stick and be happy if you haven't done so.
You will have a TOY that was an out of scale, inaccurate COPY of the ICONS XWING. Didn't see that one coming did ya?


The EfX Xwing for all its strengths, (and there are many) and weakness (some of those too) represents the best that could be done at the lowest possible price. ( Last time I visited EFX, they didn't even have their own OFFICE space to keep their overhead lower. They rented a room from another company and the talented folks from this board mentioned above, each and everyone volunteered their time, and never asked for anything.
How is that for trying to keep costs LOW? )

The EFX XWING.

Its the last Licensed version of the XWING that will probably ever been made that represent the Hero Filmed Red 5 as close and as accurate that can possibly be made.

It's a Collectible in its self.

If you don't like it, don't buy it. There are others who will appreciate it. I can't wait to see it repainted by some of the folks here. ( Dean you are gonna be busy!)

I don't know.....It Just breaks my heart, to see so much effort go into a project, by a company bending backwards to try and please as many people as they can and so many of you just crap all over them.

We have a company doing their best to bring us cool stuff, and this is how we support them. You know they read these posts. For some strange reason they think its important to do so. For some reason they value your opinion, and do their best to produce the best, given the production constraint reality. EFX isn't a huge corporation, it's a small group of fans just like us. Wonder how you would feel if you worked there, put the effort into a project of this magnitude, something you were proud to be involved in and read these posts. So many of your here really need to self reflect, and show some restraint in the harshness of your posts.

I'm in no way saying anyone does not have the right to express displeasure, or dislike. Fire away.

However, it's the lack of respect of effort, and more importantly the indirect disparaging of the character, intentions or integrity of those involved that I find so distasteful.

Frank
Click to expand...
 
Fantastic post Frank...totally agree! After seeing the new pics on Rebelscum and Sideshow Collectors it's definitely growing on me and hell I may just have to find some way to get one...
 
BrundelFly said:
If you don't like it, don't buy it. There are others who will appreciate it. I can't wait to see it repainted by some of the folks here. ( Dean you are gonna be busy!)

Frank
Click to expand...

This is the most important line in the whole block of text, Frank. Like I said, it looks great for what it is, but it is not for me. I got sick of hearing people bash something that was mass produced for the fans, not the super prop geeks.
 
Jedi-72 said:
Did they drop the price on this? I saw the website the other day, and I could swear that price for the X-wing was $849.00.
Click to expand...


They didn't drop the price. That was the balance due after the initial down-payment we all had to make.
 
To respond to Brundelfly:

Thanks for the insight into EFX and their problems. You have the good fortune to know them, but I suppose many of us out here just see a company name delivering a wonky-nosed x with a big price tag on it, and duly comment. Sorry, but that's just how it looked from out here on the periphery... but your point is noted that EFX is a put-upon small-time player, and an entity to be nurtured and encouraged.

An interesting problem you mentioned was the Lucasfilm 'constraints'. I take it they forbad digital scanning of any survivng hero models in the archive. You see, I think the digitally-scanned, more perfectly-formed MR Falcon did give people the expectation that damn-near total accuracy - of form at least - was possible. The MR Falcon was the precedent for that.

Anyway, I can subtract some of the harshness from my own criticism of the nose, now there are more decent profile shots out there. Thankfully it's not as flaccid-looking as that earlier photo gave every reason to suspect.


And again, the general forms of the wings are fantastic, the best on any kit or replica I've seen - excellent hero dimensions and hero positioning. The positioning is so good it's seriously making me look at any way I might rig up the same for my V3...
 
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Yay - someone finally said just what I was thinking.. Thanks Frank - way to put it all into perspective.

Colin - as stated before on this thread - it's not expensive - here's a really rough breakdown but you'll get the idea:
Model kit: $300-$400
Metal armature: $300
Electronics/lights: $200

Already for the materials to get what Efx has put into this kit is 800-900 dollars.

are you saying that someone would possibly build one and paint one for $200-300? It is doubtful someone could accept a commission for so low - especially since the bar has been raised several times by expert modelers here. Even if you built it yourself - the time and effort you would put into this might be worth the couple of hundred.

The eFx is not expensive in my mind - in addition to all of that - you get metal wings - which (accurate or not) costs more than resin - and that wasn't factored into my generalization above because it's not available in kit form to anyone.

MR scanned the falcon - that's all fine and good - but how would you scan a SS red 5 that was destroyed? The reason why brundelfly said that it would be impossible to make an accurate replica was because the original red 5 is a pile of rubble - not because those expert modelers (efx or on the rpf) are incompetent. It's really impossible because the original doesn't exist anymore to replicate. There's nothing left to scan other than the wings, which eFX did or at least studied. This by the way is the reason why I decided to purchase the eFX - I have a v2 and a v3 as well - and since no one can agree what is the most accurate, as a collector, I would like to have the next best thing. Since no one can definitively say that the general shape of the fuselage or wings is accurate or inaccurate to the millimeter on any of the kits or the efx x-wing, I'll have to settle with knowing that somewhere in between my v3 and eFX, I have a "perfect" red 5 x-wing.

Other models of the x-wing are slightly different in various respects. It would be even worse if they digitally scanned the surviving red 3 model or something and just painted it to look like red 5. Then, even I, wouldn't be able to defend such a ridiculous lazy attempt to "peddle" something.

I think the fact that this efx model did get people interested, talking, and commenting is an indication that it is NOT a toy. It stirred genuine discussion and brought not just the "x-wing experts" out - but also the newbies - and helped them learn what is actually involved in 1) producing a mass produced kit and 2) what accuracies or inaccuracies all the x-wings have. This never happened when the hasbro toy came out (except for pharchivist's post about fixing his x-wing up)- so yes, I think it's clear that the efx really impacted many people and is close enough for many people to even warrant discussion.

You're right the nose does look better than some of the earlier pics - some say it still doesn't look sharp enough - but at least it's better than many originally thought.

In contrast to everyone who said "this thing looks like a toy," my reply is: don't be jealous when I have one and you don't.

It's clear that many aren't getting this SS model - but rather than commenting that it "looks like a toy" perhaps people should start commenting on precise inaccuracies (such as details that are missing) so we can fix them - repaint them and make them the best they can be.

Ie. seams on the engines that are missing, possible inaccurate strip behind R2 (cleaner but inaccurate), possible nose problem, engine cap problem... etc.
 
Well, about the price, I never meant to indicate that the materials and labour would not amount to such a figure, rather that it'd be a painful price to pay and still be bugged by the nose ( - though it's not as bad a nose as was feared etc.).

I know the Red 5 fuselage is gone, so it obviously can't be scanned. But I'm intrigued that the Red 3 fuselage is so different from Red 5 that a scan would be worthless for establishing the basic shape. I thought the fuselages (at least the upper fuselages) of the heroes were all cast from one sculpt, but with varying nose-caps. If that's wrong, someone please put me straight.

As to the idea of a scanned copy of Red 3 painted with 5 stripes being an evil ploy... perhaps so, but I'd buy it like a shot if I had any dough. One paintjob later and the goal of an X prop replica with an MR Falcon level of shape accuracy is attained. Surely the Holy Grail for many a member here.

Anyway, anyway, EFX obviously made a lot of people very happy by their efforts, and can certainly be congratulated on that wing configuration. And it's only going to look better when the repaints start coming through...
 
.... and in a weird twist of fate - this shows up in my office minutes after my post about the x-wing..

CIMG2099.jpg



I can't bring it home until the weekend though (stupid two door coupe!):angry
 
Colin Droidmilk said:
Well, about the price, I never meant to indicate that the materials and labour would not amount to such a figure, rather that it'd be a painful price to pay and still be bugged by the nose ( - though it's not as bad a nose as was feared etc.).

I know the Red 5 fuselage is gone, so it obviously can't be scanned. But I'm intrigued that the Red 3 fuselage is so different from Red 5 that a scan would be worthless for establishing the basic shape. I thought the fuselages (at least the upper fuselages) of the heroes were all cast from one sculpt, but with varying nose-caps. If that's wrong, someone please put me straight.

As to the idea of a scanned copy of Red 3 painted with 5 stripes being an evil ploy... perhaps so, but I'd buy it like a shot if I had any dough. One paintjob later and the goal of an X prop replica with an MR Falcon level of shape accuracy is attained. Surely the Holy Grail for many a member here.

Anyway, anyway, EFX obviously made a lot of people very happy by their efforts, and can certainly be congratulated on that wing configuration. And it's only going to look better when the repaints start coming through...
Click to expand...

According to Barry and eFX a Hero fuselage WAS scanned and various original parts were studied to produce the eFX X-Wing. I really appreciated Frank posting his comments to set some things straight. Again, I am not an X-Wing expert but have to say that after collecting props for a number of years, that I have yet to see any prop made that is 100% screen accurate, fan-made or licensed. Yes the eFX X-Wing has some inaccuracies such as the canopy paint job etc. But many of these can be corrected I believe to make it one of the most accurate X-Wing studio models out there. I myself plan to eventually repaint it and replace the hinged canopy with a one piece canopy. I think it is great that eFX did not mold the canopy to the fuselage making it relatively easy to replace it with a more accurate one. They were definitely thinking ahead about people such as myself that would want to replace it. Also as more pics come out the nose cone is beginning to look much better than people have anticpated. As far as the shape of the nose I don't know if it is 100% accurate, but after studying some ref. photos it looks extremely close to me and the angle of the nose to the fuselage looks 'bang on' now.

Anyway, I look forward to getting mine now. Thank you eFX for producing what will probably be the last licensed X-Wing replica to ever be made. Congratulations to all that are getting one and those that are not keep up the great work that I love to look at and appreciate. I hope some day I will have the time to get back into building and painting models again.
 
For the record, eFx claims on their website that the fuselage was scanned from hero source material:

As circumstance would have it a good friend of eFX had to hand a casting of a hero X-wing fuselage and many original, unassembled components. This body's dimensions and rudimentary details matched other hero craft in the archive so we digitally scanned it and used it as the basis for our reconstruction of "Red Five."
Click to expand...

Remember that the original prototype from the MR project was based on pyro source material. If I read this web page correctly, Frank (Brundlefly) used that pyro material in producing the molds and castings used to create the MR prototype. Please correct me if I'm wrong here, Frank.

My understanding is that eFx ultimately scrapped the MR pyro-based design and went with a completely new one built around a fuselage that they claim has a hero pedigree. Barry has mentioned a few times that the fuselage is longer than what we're used to seeing in terms of studio scale X-Wings because of that hero lineage.

My copy arrives in the next day or two, and I'm really looking forward to comparing it to the reference and source material I've collected over the years.
 
Well, I may or may not be one, but I consider myself a proficient studio scale hobbyist. :lol Folks here can draw their own conclusions based on the work I've posted. Anyway, I pre-ordered one of these - after ignoring it throughout most of the development postings - and am expecting it to arrive at my door sometime today. It's currently "On FedEx Vehicle For Delivery".

I get that some people think it's a toy, or more accurately, toy-like. And, further, most who have this opinion are expertly capable of building their own, and for less money.

However, personally, I am very impressed with the wings and the fuse on this replica. Toy, or not. Maybe it's just expensive reference as far as I'm concerned. But, I think it's fair to say that the eFX X-Wing appeals to a broader group than just collectors. Those responsible for producing it have done the best they can, and achieved a pretty high degree of success. And, I can only imagine how the current state of the global economy tripped them up at every turn. I think this is an amazing effort, all things considered. In a few minutes, or hours, when I have it in hand, I hope to "know" this is an amazing effort.
 
Just got mine in about 20 minutes ago and I have to say that it is a very impressive piece of star wars collectible history, i am very glad to have it in my collection. As Frank stated earlier you can tell how much work went into it, for it's target market it is really a fantastic piece....can't be beat!


It's larger than the V3, even some of the kit parts appear to be larger, the Saturn V parts are larger than my actual kit parts.....
mike
 
mslz22 said:
Just got mine in about 20 minutes ago and I have to say that it is a very impressive piece of star wars collectible history, i am very glad to have it in my collection. As Frank stated earlier you can tell how much work went into it, for it's target market it is really a fantastic piece....can't be beat!


It's larger than the V3, even some of the kit parts appear to be larger, the Saturn V parts are larger than my actual kit parts.....
mike
Click to expand...

Don't forget the thoughts that went into the packaging. :thumbsup

Looking forward to see fully repainted bird.
 
Colin Droidmilk said:
To respond to Brundelfly:

Thanks for the insight into EFX and their problems. You have the good fortune to know them, but I suppose many of us out here just see a company name delivering a wonky-nosed x with a big price tag on it, and duly comment. Sorry, but that's just how it looked from out here on the periphery... but your point is noted that EFX is a put-upon small-time player, and an entity to be nurtured and encouraged.

An interesting problem you mentioned was the Lucasfilm 'constraints'. I take it they forbad digital scanning of any survivng hero models in the archive. You see, I think the digitally-scanned, more perfectly-formed MR Falcon did give people the expectation that damn-near total accuracy - of form at least - was possible. The MR Falcon was the precedent for that.

Anyway, I can subtract some of the harshness from my own criticism of the nose, now there are more decent profile shots out there. Thankfully it's not as flaccid-looking as that earlier photo gave every reason to suspect.


And again, the general forms of the wings are fantastic, the best on any kit or replica I've seen - excellent hero dimensions and hero positioning. The positioning is so good it's seriously making me look at any way I might rig up the same for my V3...
Click to expand...

Totally understand.
It wasnt a personal attack, and Im grateful to you for not taking it that way.

Could they have SCANNED an XWING?

Sure.

The you would have had a perfect copy of RED 2.

They were trying to make RED 5.
They are totally different.

If you had an exact copy of a studio scale,....you would barf.
They are horrendous.

Remember, some folks actually sent thier EFX trooper helmets back....becuase...they were CROOKED! Like the orignals!
 
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