Action Force and Valaverse

[Damien]

I think he did the mundane army dudes about as well as one can, but yeah, you sort of run out of road there fast, especially if you aren't going all the way into hyper-accuracy.

That last part is really it. He decided to go with more of an 'impression' of military style than actual accuracy. If you want to try to put some legs on a true military line, you really gotta go hard on the different styles of dress, different loadouts, and different camo patterns. And even then, I'm really not sure how many people are going to show up for that consistently. Even if the figures are reasonably different from another, eventually you just have enough normal military guys.

 

[JakeEkiss]

That last part is really it. He decided to go with more of an 'impression' of military style than actual accuracy. If you want to try to put some legs on a true military line, you really gotta go hard on the different styles of dress, different loadouts, and different camo patterns. And even then, I'm really not sure how many people are going to show up for that consistently. Even if the figures are reasonably different from another, eventually you just have enough normal military guys.

Absolutely. I think a hyper-real line sort of only appeals to a sub-group of a sub-group, and I think that's why most of that sort of thing I see in 1/6 scale, not 1/12. There the production costs and audience price tolerance make it more sane to do. Even then, it seems largely piecemeal. Folks making kits for use on generic 1/6 scale bodies. At 1/12, you kinda need more than *just* mundane folks, even if they're mundane folks with guns.

It's nice that Bobby wants to make his own universe, but realistically he's making a line just to fill out crowds in other displays unless he does weirder stuff to set it apart. I think the relative popularity of the Swarm and Praetorians in his line speak to that. I think those and his more egalitarian women characters (in that they aren't all randomly boobaliscious when the men are just fit dudes in fatigues) are kind of the main standouts of the line right now. I sort of wonder how well the fitness set is going to do. To me it's not a big draw, but I 100% KNOW there's an audience for it (especially because of those, uhm, straining face sculpts).

 

[Ru1977]

I'm still hoping for the Joe Legacy line to do an Army Ranger and Delta Operator, but yeah there's really not too many of those I would want.

 

[Damien]

Absolutely. I think a hyper-real line sort of only appeals to a sub-group of a sub-group, and I think that's why most of that sort of thing I see in 1/6 scale, not 1/12. There the production costs and audience price tolerance make it more sane to do. Even then, it seems largely piecemeal. Folks making kits for use on generic 1/6 scale bodies. At 1/12, you kinda need more than *just* mundane folks, even if they're mundane folks with guns.

Right. And on top of that, you're always going to piss people off who are like 'well, I would have liked this figure in THIS camo, but not in the camo they used.' You're just asking to be constantly splitting your own base. I remember at the height of like.. Unimax and such, with all the hyper-realistic 1:18 figures, they tended to stick to specific looks and just fill out fire teams and such. But it seems like it made a lot of collectors super angry because they never got around to X or Y thing. The figures were pretty damn accurate, but that accuracy meant that they were also very -specific-.
So it wasn't just desert guys, it was these specific desert guys with this specific desert camo that was used in this specific conflict, etc etc. That's a tough fuckin' crowd to please. Which is probably why Bob avoided doing that (plus, camo is expensive).

It's nice that Bobby wants to make his own universe, but realistically he's making a line just to fill out crowds in other displays unless he does weirder stuff to set it apart.

I think, no matter what, Bob is always going to struggle to make Action Force something besides filler toys. Even if he makes a movie out of his really shitty storyline; who is going to care? What are the odds it becomes a blockbuster or a cultural touchstone like G.I. Joe or MOTU or TMNT - where people actively want to engage with the characters as action figures? Almost nil?
I'm not saying NOBODY cares about Valaverse as its own thing. But from what I've seen, the vast majority buying it at all or putting them in the G.I. Joe world or maybe the Monster Force world (which itself is getting put into the G.I. Joe or Marvel worlds as often as not, it seems). He either has to do something really interesting to make folks care about this as its own thing, or just embrace it as a filler line. And I think you're right that a big step towards the former is to do the stuff that makes these -characters- and not -NPCs-, if that makes sense.

 

[PantherCult]

Agreed... the Vala figures are only supplement my six inch soldier display... but Col. Siege looks good arguing with General Hawk... there is zero possibility that AF would ever be its own distinct display for me.

 

[JakeEkiss]

He either has to do something really interesting to make folks care about this as its own thing, or just embrace it as a filler line. And I think you're right that a big step towards the former is to do the stuff that makes these -characters- and not -NPCs-, if that makes sense.

100% agree.

there is zero possibility that AF would ever be its own distinct display for me.

Yeah. These are crowd and gap fillers. Maybe they're mini-bosses for guys like Punisher, Daredevil, or Iron Fist. Maybe they're Wilson Fisk's least favorite mercenary outfit, but that's where they live.

 

[Trunks3540]

That was post 666.

I got the 2 new weapon packs today with my BBTS box and opened those for my Punisher figures. The one with all the SMGs is cool, but the standout is definitely Lima. All those shotguns. Franks already using some. I gave him the Spaus, the double barrel, and the pump with the shells on the side. He already got a bunch of the other ones from the old packs. I do love having a nice Punisher armory. If I had space and the skill I would consider making a dio of the Punisher armory. But alas, tis not to be.

Sent from my SM-S921U1 using Tapatalk

 

[Fletch]

*I* had a dedicated Action Force shelf, but it was the first one to come down when I needed room for Monster Force. And I still have two shelves of Lightning Collection on display, if that tells you anything.

Having a connection to the unique characters really would help stretch the idea of a "basic soldier" figure. I've bought some really effing boring Classified figures just because of the name. I'm pretty sure that if he'd been able to make G.I.Joe using this modern military look I'd be three shelves deep in it. (And nobody can convince me that Condor and Eclipse weren't his designs for Duke and Scarlett.)

Now, I'm not interested in buying his comics to get a personal connection, though. I figure you put that in your marketing budget and upload them to your website for free. I am really hoping that he succeeds at his movie, though. Even if it just winds up on Tubi, I want it to be a thing.

 

[JakeEkiss]

That was post 666.

If I had space and the skill I would consider making a dio of the Punisher armory. But alas, tis not to be.

I'm right now deciding when/how I'll be making an armory dio. I've got all the materials for it, I just need to work out the look and draft up the laser cutter files. It'll happen. Hopefully before the end of this year.