Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Pre-release)

[gizmo]

whining, huh? is that was they call discussion these days?

all I did was point out the prices seemed kind of high for what they where offering. at least the 24 inch vader seemed reasonable.

oh well... company,halt! resumehigh value spending!

Your talking like its a static object. This thing comes with a free app that will be constantly updated for free that will allow more features to be added as the film gets closer and even further after the film is release. It is a great little piece of tech that is far more advanced then the 24" lump of plastic that the Vader is made of that you mention. If you judge something's worth by its size I really hope you don't ever have to buy a wedding ring. Lol


Ben

 

[niennumb1]

Some of the stuff I saw out there.... They must think we're all just made of money. The price points on some of this stuff is ridiculous. I need to see what this animatronic Stormtrooper is all about. On the surface it sure doesn't scream out crazy accurate looking. For over $130 it better at least look pretty when it isn't operating.

 

[Zombie_61]

...prize for weirdest yoda ever

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=4900f28f7755d85a8d7d2c3af4a731ab&oe=56A9A02C

If it's not the weirdest, it's certainly in the running. I'd also nominate the "stoner Yoda" toy sold years ago, complete with rolled joint:

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

...
IMO there is something about CGI images that doesn't sell. I think maybe our subconscious mind registers that the images are not quite real even when we don't consciously pick it out.
...

Impossible shots that the audience is not used to. Too much information crammed into the frames. That is what bad CGI is. A good example IMO is the asteroid belt chase between Jango Fett and Obi-Wan. Well done. But those other battles ...

- - - Updated - - -

I love the BB-8 so much I bought 2! It's a great you at that price point.

So THAT is where the money from your 12-back find from years ago goes into!

 

[Krull]

Yea that Stormtrooper would have made me take a double take and then back up! if it were a hundred I'd be more likely to nab it if I had the cash,not so much at one twenty nine-I can get more stuff for less and reserve that for a "special purchase"

That Vader...I may NEED that,come Christmas or a bit after my wallet may hate me.

 

[jkno]

I also would have bought this. but not at that price. is it just me, or is even the small stuff that is micro machine size a tad on the expensive size? Guess disney has to make up for IP price.
https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=6694495ad4cf14bf54eb56dd3bd18fbf&oe=5671A3F6

What size is the Stormtrooper? I have the Disney 13" Stormie and is great. But is this larger?

 

[KrangPrime]

What size is the Stormtrooper? I have the Disney 13" Stormie and is great. But is this larger?

I didn't look, but at least 12 inches.

 

[jkno]

I think this might be the same one I think. But the price is huge now.

 

[Westies14]

Why is Disney getting blamed for retail prices from licensee partners? Disney doesn't set their prices. Sphero, for instance, is basing the price of their BB-8 on many factors including cost of production, the unit's share of the cost of developing/advancing the legacy technology, the cost of developing the head technology (which was never a part of their products in the past), the massive cost of the license paid to Disney, the number of units they project selling while considering that Hasbro has a toy license to make something similar for half the price, the limited retail outlets available to them under their limited license, etc. Disney has never even run the numbers on how much of their Lucasfilm investment they could quickly recoup by pricing BB-8 spheros at $50 and watching them "fly off the shelves." This is a Disney-approved product that cost Sphero a fortune to develop, not Disney's product. The same goes for everything licensed from birthday party supplies to action figures to Anovos replica costumes and armor. Disney doesn't own it - they've licensed it and have already made their money.

 

[Bryancd]

Gross licensing revenue from Force Awakens could reach $5B according to some estimates.

 

[jkno]

Too cute not to share:

 

[DaddyfromNaboo]

And here I thought Thinkways had gone out of business years ago!

And I can´t shake the feeling that, despite it´s price point, the BB8 maybe this year´s tickle me Elmo.

 

[mattycsi]

And, we're getting it a day before you!!!! :lol

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34183688/uk-star-wars-release-date-brought-forward

 

[jkno]

The overall shape of the older Disney Stormie is the same, but indeed this new Deluxe version has the animatronic mechanism inside which makes it more expensive.

 

[Riceball]

Those Thinkway toys are interesting if a bit cheesy, I think the only one I'd consider getting is the AT-AT and repainting it. The Vader is kind of neat but they really need to come out with a Luke and Obi-Wan figure to battle against Vader, that would make the Vader toy less cheesy and they'd sell more since kids (and collectors) will want at least 2 figures so they can battle with each other.

 

[batguy]

Impossible shots that the audience is not used to. Too much information crammed into the frames. That is what bad CGI is. A good example IMO is the asteroid belt chase between Jango Fett and Obi-Wan. Well done. But those other battles ...

I totally agree that those are common CGI problems. The SW prequels made a great example because we got to see similar subjects done 25 years apart.


But IMO there is still something deeper at work with CGI.

I would be curious to see the results if everything was rendered at a much higher level of detail than current standards. Even if the resolution of the final shot itself cannot possibly capture it, I have a feeling we would still sense an improvement after watching several minutes of a movie done that way.



Or, they could just build practical sets again, like TFA did. Let's hope this movie helps fuel that trend in the industry.

 

[Father]

Those Thinkway toys are interesting if a bit cheesy, I think the only one I'd consider getting is the AT-AT

VERY cheesy... The ATAT would have been awesome to me abut 30 years ago.
The stormtrooper looks like something you'd get on the rack at a gas station or a prize at a carnival.

 

[Riceball]

I think that practical sets are still the norm and will likely continue to be so for a long while, if only because they're just more practical to use. What's not going to go away are set extensions and that's something been used for the longest time, even back in the good 'ol days of the OT. The only difference between set extensions now and then are that now the extension is a 3D rendering and back then they were matte paintings. Physical models are not likely to ever make a comeback because 3D models give you more flexibility to do things that are difficult to impossible with physical models and you can blow them up as much as you want without worrying about having to build another one because the shot didn't turn out right.

 

[KrangPrime]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dMX770bp5I .

So, the arm moves up and down, it has sound effects, and the waist twists. still don't think it's worth $130. $70 maybe.
As for individual licensees setting the price point, perhaps.. but Disney is the evil empire here...sometimes it's just easier to go after. I wonder how much the license fees from disney drive the price up.

 

[Stormy320]

The Japanese seem to do much better than others for Original Trilogy Stormtrooper sculpts.