I forgot about this and it is such a douche move on his part. I remember that snickering interview and thinking what a crappy way it was to treat someone. This makes it worse.
Action Force and Valaverse
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thewyldman
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Eh, the interview reflected more poorly on Russ than him. I’d maybe go back and watch it.
While this steals any thunder from a potential third attempt at Street Humans, it might be a blessing to Russ. It was pretty apparent in the interview he was in over his head, and if it had been successful, do you really think the toys would have come out decent (if at all)? Can’t really be an Internet personality, Fter your Kickstarter fails to deliver product or decent product. Hell, Robo no longer being connected to the fwoosh is good for him considering those Ninja Scroll figures have seemingly become
Vaporware.
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altcunningham
Laura Rings Enthusiast
On the other hand, Mad Hatter really delivered out of nowhere for a YouTuber, even if that nowhere was getting talent like Ramen to help. Crazy success story to have seen.
Fair. I didn't know the guy's name, but I do recall there was a wingman in that interview doing much (not all) of the snickering. The rest of your point re: blessing in disguise is an interesting one and may be true.
JakeEkiss
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I watched it. I think the interview made them both look bad. Russ was absolutely in over his head, and Bobby came off as a jerk. When the interview happened the campaign was already almost over and not only was it clear the thing wasn't going to meet its minimum, but Bobby was grilling him about changes to the campaign that he, having done kickstarters before, knew could not be made at that stage. He even got picky about the name, which is rich when his own line just ends up being called "extras".
Bobby does know how to make decent toys. But his personal brand includes a lot of spite. Picking up Hasbro name licenses just to thumb his nose at an ex-employer. Picking up a failed toy line by someone else in the community to do it better after tearing them down in public when it was already sinking. Constantly talking about the price point for other stuff when he knows the reasons why some stuff costs more (and has the same problems on his end, it's why none of his vehicles have lights, HE can't make it cheaper either).
It's not a criticism of his toy making, and it generally doesn't effect whether I buy his product, it's just the way he navigates through the space kinda sucks. It ain't a complaint I have of someone like Dan Yun, because I haven't heard of that guy going into random threads of other toy companies or forums and talking shit. I've never heard of anybody at Mythic Legions sending angry notes to paying customers. I don't know any of those folks, they may or may not be just as big a jerks in private, but me not having to know is a benefit.
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100%
I don't like Shart at all - that's no secret. That KS deserved every ounce of criticism it got. But Bobby acted like a twat and, moreover, he engaged in bad faith. If you or I come on here and list every fault the KS has - that's one thing. But Bobby invited Shart to a chat specifically as a means to help Shart get the KS out there and drive some extra interest toward the end when it was obviously faultering and needed all the help it could get.
And Bob used that as an opportunity to sandbag Shart and show everyone what a dumbass he is. Fair to say that Shart -is- a dumbass, his line sucked, and he probably would have failed to deliver it even if it overperformed in backers (which it was obviously never going to do and everyone should have seen that coming before it even went live). Bob, at that point, didn't NEED to chop Shart's legs out from under him live and in color, as they say.
So yeah - they both suck. Shart has no business making toys. But we didn't need Bob to tell us that. No one gains anything by watching Bob low-blow a guy already having a seizure on the floor.
I mean, we can look at the direct comparison; Bob talked mad shit about Hasbro Joes and, I believe, Lenny himself. You know how many response videos or posts Lenny made? Fucking none. Because he's not giant pissy baby. He did what a professional does and simply lets the product, and the success of that product, speak for itself. Let Bob run his mouth all he wants -- he's still just making that line of military guys that ISN'T G.I. Joe, and will only ever be the line that isn't G.I. Joe.
Justice
for Starhawk!
Bobby Vala is what all of us who work with customers on a daily basis would like to be in our own minds, but we are also smart enough to know customers are the lifeblood of any business so we just keep our mouths shut, smile, and move on. But he is petty and as a business owner he should be above that. We've got a guy in my town who owns a restaurant who is just like Bobby. He just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut about things and he's very polarizing. Half the town hates him and half loves him, but everyone has an opinion of him because he just inserts himself into way many situations where he should have just kept quiet.
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I run a business. I deal with clients all the time - multiple times per day. I -am- very outspoken in telling clients exactly what I think. And I still don't act like Bobby. Because, despite appearances to the contrary at times, I'm actually not just a mean-spirited asshole that only derives joy from cutting other people down.
altcunningham
Laura Rings Enthusiast
For me, he gives Uncle Rico football over the mountain vibes when he could just be delivering product that speaks for itself.
"See that decade plus old X-Men five pack? I made that and got it on shelves."
"At Hasbro, I was going to make GI Joes. I remember that... Day."
"I used to make action figures. Still do. But I used to, too."
Like, objectively, he did not relaunch GI Joe in his vision. But he did make his own company, it is succeeding, there are loyal customers, and he does have cool ideas with the accessories and certain character designs. Are there missteps, purely in like a franchise and design sense? For me there are, but that's true of every toy line.
I think that's a cooler feat, that he got his own ideas to shelves.
But a lot of the slamming of Hasbro is like marrying your college girlfriend and having a family and white picket fence house, but talking about how the cheerleader you used to bang in high school in your Honda Civic was just hotter and tighter and boy I wish I was still in senior year.
Justice
for Starhawk!
That also! But Uncle Rico was a lot more endearing.
altcunningham
Laura Rings Enthusiast
"Vala offers you his protection."
JakeEkiss
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Yeah, he saw a drowning man and put his shoe on the guy's head to make sure he stayed under. And whatever else you might say about Russ, I genuinely believe he wanted to make those toys. I don't think it was a cynical grab or anything. I think the guy likes action figures, saw he had a platform and thought maybe he could fill a gap other collectors have been asking to fill. He failed, and probably always would have, but it's just unnecessary to cut the guy down like that when he was already sinking and nobody was going to be out any money except him.
Coming back later with the same idea? Now I have to wonder, if Bobby was intentionally sabotaging a potential competitor, and I'm not saying he was, but if he was doing that, how would he have behaved differently? And while I don't believe that's what's going on, I think it's more petty "I'll show them what a REAL toy guy can do", you could sure read it that way because of how he behaved on that interview and elsewhere with regards to other lines.
Yep.
Like I said, Bobby does know how to make good toys. I have some of them. I'll likely get more in future. The dude just makes hard to be a fan because he simply can't stop talking.
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Absolutely. I think Shart is a loser, personally. I genuinely dislike him. But I don't think he had any intentions beyond 'use my platform and all the people I think love me to put enough money together to make some toys no one else is making.' It's still a dumb idea for a thousand reasons we all went over ad nauseum during the KS. But I don't think it's reasonable to doubt that he really just wanted to make those toys.
Exactly. I might have actually stuck up for Bob a little bit if that had all happened at the beginning of the KS. Then you could maybe argue that Bob was trying to protect potential backers from losing money on a project by exposing Shart as clueless and unable to deliver. But the KS had basically already failed at this point.
And worse - Bob didn't go pitching to Shart a hardball interview where he basically calls him a know-nothing buffoon. He ostensibly was reaching out to help a fellow in the community with one last chance to get a big push. Shart would not have even showed up just to be called a clown on someone else's YT channel. That's what makes it so dirty -- if NOTHING else, it was an intentional sandbagging.
And you're not wrong - if Bob had intended to kill Shart's line purely because he wanted to steal the idea and do it himself - how would that interview have looked any different? It wouldn't have. Which shows what an ass Bobby is that you can't tell the difference between him intentionally trying to ruin your business, and him giving you a little help.
To be fair... Bobby knows how to take my directions for making good toys. Let's never forget.
JakeEkiss
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Touché. Been so long since he failed a kickstarter he forgets what it's like.
altcunningham
Laura Rings Enthusiast
I missed that. Refresh me.