Super 7 Turtle figures shown at Power Con

[jestergoblin]

Just got a FedEx tracking label for my 2k3 direct from Super7

[Y2Josh]

Originally Posted by jestergoblin

Just got a FedEx tracking label for my 2k3 direct from Super7

Got my Leo last night. I know the show used a fairly flat coloring style, but to me, the figure just feels very cheap with the severe lack of paint. The one paint app that does seem to exist (his bandana) is applied pretty sloppily and the shell is way too bright... and I still personally disagree with the goofy portraits they chose for Leo, but I do think people who have been starved for 2k3 product will like these just fine.

I will say the joints are much tighter than any Super7 figure I've ever received, but they're also incredibly clunky. The conspiracy theorist in me wants to say Brian Flynn had them engineered poorly on purpose so he could point to the double-joints and say, "See?!?!? Articulation is bad!" but that would (probably) be ridiculous.

[Wes]

Originally Posted by Y2Josh

I will say the joints are much tighter than any Super7 figure I've ever received, but they're also incredibly clunky. The conspiracy theorist in me wants to say Brian Flynn had them engineered poorly on purpose so he could point to the double-joints and say, "See?!?!? Articulation is bad!" but that would (probably) be ridiculous.

That is absolutely what I feel like McFarlane is doing.

Thanks for the honest review!

[Dask]

I just preordered Wave 2 of the 2K3 series from BBTS, just in case they are the last TMNT figures that Super 7 ever produces

[Y2Josh]

Originally Posted by Dask

I just preordered Wave 2 of the 2K3 series from BBTS, just in case they are the last TMNT figures that Super 7 ever produces

I'll be curious to see if Super7 has a booth at SDCC and what they show there. I don't personally see how they bounce back from this with the tariffs exacerbating their myriad of other issues, but for the 2k3 fans, I hope they manage a third wave with April, Hun, Baxter and... I don't honestly know which character I'd prioritize for that fourth slot.

(I'd almost guess NECA would pick up 2k3 if Super7 goes under, but who knows where toys are headed at this point.)

[teemu]

Originally Posted by Y2Josh

I'll be curious to see if Super7 has a booth at SDCC and what they show there. I don't personally see how they bounce back from this with the tariffs exacerbating their myriad of other issues, but for the 2k3 fans, I hope they manage a third wave with April, Hun, Baxter and... I don't honestly know which character I'd prioritize for that fourth slot.

(I'd almost guess NECA would pick up 2k3 if Super7 goes under, but who knows where toys are headed at this point.)

At this point, if they do any more ultimates pre-orders, I would not buy direct anymore from them because if they really are struggling financially, you'll likely end up with nothing and a loss of money once they file for bankruptcy. This is what annoys me about businesses taking money up front because they can just walk. It should be illegal to do so.

[ToTheNines]

Originally Posted by Y2Josh

Got my Leo last night. I know the show used a fairly flat coloring style, but to me, the figure just feels very cheap with the severe lack of paint. The one paint app that does seem to exist (his bandana) is applied pretty sloppily and the shell is way too bright... and I still personally disagree with the goofy portraits they chose for Leo, but I do think people who have been starved for 2k3 product will like these just fine.

I will say the joints are much tighter than any Super7 figure I've ever received, but they're also incredibly clunky. The conspiracy theorist in me wants to say Brian Flynn had them engineered poorly on purpose so he could point to the double-joints and say, "See?!?!? Articulation is bad!" but that would (probably) be ridiculous.

Damn, that’s a bummer. Sorry to hear that.

I’m definitely glad I didn’t sink $500 into 8 figures for some crap like that. I’ll stick to Playmates for ‘03… yikes!

[Dask]

So, there is some talk now of Super7 becoming a smaller company.

I think they should just focus on TMNT and Thundercats (or whatever lines is currently making them bank).

But the problem with putting all your eggs in one basket, is one happens if you lose a license....

[Y2Josh]

Originally Posted by Dask

So, there is some talk now of Super7 becoming a smaller company.

I think they should just focus on TMNT and Thundercats (or whatever lines is currently making them bank).

But the problem with putting all your eggs in one basket, is one happens if you lose a license....

I saw Flynn's email statement and he does say they need to be smaller, but he doesn't really elaborate on what that specifically looks like, outside of the layoffs.

I don't like Flynn at all, so there's probably a fair bit of bias here, but the whole statement read as completely tone deaf and just reinforced my belief that he'll never acknowledge his own culpability for getting them to this point.

The tariffs obviously didn't help Super7's situation, but I have to imagine if they'd been better managed, they'd have greater maneuverability in situations like this.

[teemu]

Originally Posted by Dask

So, there is some talk now of Super7 becoming a smaller company.

I think they should just focus on TMNT and Thundercats (or whatever lines is currently making them bank).

But the problem with putting all your eggs in one basket, is one happens if you lose a license....

next year or two they'll be talking of bankruptcy. With prices continuing to rise, there is no way company's are going to keep going. Super7 is already over-priced and are up against a ton competition, each fighting for our toy money.

[jestergoblin]

My wave 12 arrived.

All the turtles are basically identical in construction - the proportions feel a tad off, especially on the back shell. I remember this being a big issue with the 2k3 video games because they are supposed to have massive shells but a 2D show can be tricky and do stuff that doesn’t work in 3D.

Joints are all super tight, new articulation is fine on the knees and elbows but like the NECA figures, the pads get in the way. The new double jointed necks are great. Be careful with some joints in the feet and shoulders as they can flex the plastic. That said, these are the best articulated Ultimates.

Paint is fine, there is some slight dry brushing on the skin for shadows but it’s so light you might mistake it for actual shadows. Paint on the heads is hit or miss. Out of the 12 heads I got, 3 are less than ideal.

Accessories don’t live up to the Ultimates name. Mikey is the best hands down with his whirling nunchakus, while Raph feels super bare bones. When compared to the likes of Power Rangers, these almost feel like Deluxe figures.

At the end of the day, these are the most 2k3 toon accurate figures ever produced - but that’s a low bar. The price point on these hurts though.

The other part of all these is the general vibe of everything else happening with Super7 right now. I wish I was more excited for these. I was SO excited for the first wave of TMNT Ultimates and now I just feel a twinge of despair.

[Dask]

It would be nice if we can review these figures without factoring price into the equation since that always muddies up the reviews. For example, the Switch 2 is a great piece of hardware with both regressive and progressive components, but because of its high price of software (pretty sure the entire gaming industry will follow suit), people are creating memes showing that it has PS2 graphics, when in actuality, it is much closer to Series S.

Now, I should be receiving this set from BBTS soon, I don't plan to open them in the near future because I haven't figured out where to display a future 2K3 or 2012 (NECA) collection.

Based on photos I am seeing online, the figures either look very streamlined and straight out of the show or clunky depending on how they are posed. So, it seems like a combination of skillful posing/featuring and clean photography. The alternate heads in the Super Pack also helps add some vitality and character to them.

So, it might not be so much that the figures look cheap, it might have to do with the fact that they feel cheap. I also like the added articulation but the cuts are a bit too deep and as Flynn warned before they get in the way of aesthetics (but this is more of a Super7 craftsmanship issue because figures with added articulation from companies like MAFEX still look elegant). Sometimes, articulation does get in the way of the sculpts as is the case with NECA's mirage Leatherhead, but sometimes they don't (NECA's TLR synjas).

[italianice388]

Originally Posted by Dask

It would be nice if we can review these figures without factoring price into the equation since that always muddies up the reviews. For example, the Switch 2 is a great piece of hardware with both regressive and progressive components, but because of its high price of software (pretty sure the entire gaming industry will follow suit), people are creating memes showing that it has PS2 graphics, when in actuality, it is much closer to Series S.

price is inherently a critical factor in assessing the value of the item, though. super7's quality has been mediocre to bad in much of this line. that's egregious at the price points they're asking for. if their prices were more in line with, say, jada's street fighter line, then the level of quality would make sense.

the same goes for the switch 2. i haven't seen many people seriously claiming it has ps2 graphics, but realistically it isn't close to the series S either. it's effectively a ps4, and i'd question even if it's comparable to a ps4 pro.

price is a critical component to assessing a commercial product.

i'll say one more thing too. i'm not very political, but i saw [super7 boss]'s statement on how the cuts he made at super7 were a direct result of trump's tariffs. it's always been clear what his politics are, and this is quite clearly his way of blaming his own personal string of failures on an administration he obviously hates. i think that's weak, cowardly, and lame. his own misguided decisions and general mismanagement have tanked his company. we've seen it and discussed it firsthand for years. the tariffs may have had some impact, but they were so short lived that there's no way they were responsible for his business coming to the brink of complete failure. that is entirely on him.

[I Crave Pizza No More]

Originally Posted by italianice388

the tariffs may have had some impact, but they were so short lived that there's no way they were responsible for his business coming to the brink of complete failure. that is entirely on him.

The utterly idiotic 145% thing was short-lived, but there's still effectively a 30% tariff on these figures and the 145% tariff is subject to resume in under 90 days. There may or may not be a resolution before they go back into effect. Being hit with these extra costs so suddenly, and then not knowing what will change, how, and when, is certainly not helping any of these companies. S7 is hardly alone here.

I think more of us on this board than might be willing to admit it have lived, at some point in our lives, from paycheck to paycheck, or close to it. If our rent suddenly shot up by 30% overnight, we'd have been in a serious predicament.

Also, out of respect for those who try to use this board as an escape from some of the other stuff going on in their lives, I will not be commenting further on the matter.

I am glad the 2K3 TMNT finally are getting some representation. They're not the version I grew up with, but I did enjoy the show (and collecting the figures) when I was in college.

[teemu]

Many People are delusional. Layoffs are happening not just in the toy world but in other businesses too. Even Walmart is laying off people. The tariffs are affecting all businesses as tariffs, in the end, are just a tax that will be applied to the customer to pay creating more hardship for the buyer which will cause people to pick n choose for less. Super7 was probably already hurting and the tariffs didn't help. I know flynn lies a lot, but with everything costing more (done by design), the Collector selling business world is going to start to shrink.

[Dask]

Originally Posted by italianice388

price is inherently a critical factor in assessing the value of the item, though. super7's quality has been mediocre to bad in much of this line. that's egregious at the price points they're asking for. if their prices were more in line with, say, jada's street fighter line, then the level of quality would make sense.

the same goes for the switch 2. i haven't seen many people seriously claiming it has ps2 graphics, but realistically it isn't close to the series S either. it's effectively a ps4, and i'd question even if it's comparable to a ps4 pro.

price is a critical component to assessing a commercial product.

i'll say one more thing too. i'm not very political, but i saw [super7 boss]'s statement on how the cuts he made at super7 were a direct result of trump's tariffs. it's always been clear what his politics are, and this is quite clearly his way of blaming his own personal string of failures on an administration he obviously hates. i think that's weak, cowardly, and lame. his own misguided decisions and general mismanagement have tanked his company. we've seen it and discussed it firsthand for years. the tariffs may have had some impact, but they were so short lived that there's no way they were responsible for his business coming to the brink of complete failure. that is entirely on him.

See this is where I differ from most people. After seeing Storm Collectible's Street Fighter line, I saw the Jada as a massive step down. Most people love the Jada SF line, but it just didn't do it for me. Storm Collectible figures look amazing and are out of my budget, but I see them as the gold standard for SF, MK and SNK figures (although, they do have some balancing issues, and sometimes they cut corners). Yes, the Jada is an improvement from the ReSaurus Street Fighter line I grew up with but they just don't do it for me not even when you look at the 'value' for the line. Yet reviewers rave about them.


Like I said the Switch 2 is an odd mix of regressive and progressive tech. It can do stuff the Series S cannot like ray tracing and 4K resolution as well as DLSS. And, the SF6 game featured on Switch 2 appears to output better textures than the Series S version, yet on paper, the Switch 2 is weaker. Likewise, the PS4 game FF7 Remake running on a PS5 has less vibrant colors than the Switch 2 console. So, yes, the Switch 2 is simultaneously weaker and stronger than the Series S (not to mention discrepancies in handheld and docked mode).


But here's my main issue in down-rating a product because of price. How do I know if I can trust a 7/10 product (that in all fairness should have been reviewed 9/10 but was rated down because of higher asking price) is objectively a 7/10 product. Like what if it isn't 7/10 aesthetics wise, or in terms of shelf presence yet a review like that would lead me to believe it is mediocre. For me personally, I would prefer price to be excluded as a factor from reviews, but a number of reviewers (e.g. Nostalgia Unboxed) factor in price substantially in their final assessment.

[jestergoblin]

Price is always tricky when talking reviews - especially since price isn't the same for everyone or even every purchase.

Then absurd price variances in this line make it such a difficult part of the conversation - and the crazy price variances in the US when it comes to sales tax can mean someone in Tennessee, Louisiana or Washington pays around 10% more than someone who lives in Oregon or New Hampshire for the same thing.

I've purchased 11 of the Mouser 5-packs over the span of two years.

First, I got two at $55 each in my original pre-order in September of 2022 before the pricing madness started in mid-2023. At the time, none of the Ultimates were showing up on crazy discount yet. I liked the set enough that I bought two. I didn't love the price tag ... but I always wanted a mouser army.

Then I got three more sets for $28.71 each in May of 2023 when the prices dipped with a few large sales. I was thrilled to get ~50% off and my army continued to grow.

Then Black Friday of 2023 is when EE did their blowout sale and I got *six* more 5-packs at $18.30 each. For what I originally paid in 2022 for 10 mousers now got me 30 fifteen months later.

So how do you value that in a review conversation? What is a single mouser worth to you? Is it $3.50? $11? $5? Because I've paid all of those prices at different times.

Today, a mouser is worth less to me than they were when they first came out - but that is true for pretty much every TMNT Ultimates at this point.

Price is always relative, but it is always import to know what someone paid.

[IMJ]

Any product that goes "boutique" always follows the same patterns:

-illusion of "scarcity"
-prices go up for "boutique, quality item"
-quality actually declines because the boutique company knows the whole thing is a cash grab

It's been like that forever. Anyone with a memory of Grandmother's with a "curio cabinet" and little statues, ranging to that crazy "porcelain doll" lady that everyone ran into at some point, to 1980's "Precious Moments", and evolved into boutique "quality" baseball cards in the 90's, and so on.

Now it's toys and everyone is eating up new $#!( at retail. The real killer is that there is basically no reason that Playmates and Hasbro couldn't be making toys like this - photo reference and produced in economies of scale at 20 bucks a pop.

[DonnieLaForge]

Originally Posted by IMJ

The real killer is that there is basically no reason that Playmates and Hasbro couldn't be making toys like this - photo reference and produced in economies of scale at 20 bucks a pop.

The reason is that in late stage capitalism the sole concern of publicly traded behemoths is to expend as little effort/resources as possible while maximizing profits. Quality is a cost to be cut.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by DonnieLaForge

The reason is that in late stage capitalism the sole concern of publicly traded behemoths is to expend as little effort/resources as possible while maximizing profits. Quality is a cost to be cut.

Something must have been triggered in the simulation today - between this, the other convo about "auteurs" in film, and Andrew burning plastic packaging in his fire pit in the other thread.... I just....