Is anyone else concerned or see them selves cutting back on a lot of GG busts and pieces due to the rising prices?
I understand every year this hobby (obsession) gets more expensive but in the last few months alone busts , that are relatively the same size, have gone from around $65 (Han Bespin) to $80 (Red Hulk) and (Venom) $85.
I like the new marvel stuff and walking dead as well as Star Wars of course but I seriously am starting to limit myself due to the rising costs.
That ROTJ Palptine price should happen more often IMO.
This is in no way bashing Gentle Giant. I still love their products as well as Bowen, SS etc. I just think this is worth throwing out there to talk about.
I think this applies to a lot of things across the board, and not just statues....
Food, gas, raw materials, shipping charges, labor - it's all creeping up and there are too many variables to explain why this is happening.
As with any company, to survive, they've got to make a profit. The prices on these items are indicative of the costs and margins needed to keep going. If no one buys, then the line, or the company is sunk.
From a consumer perspective, I think it's everyone's preference to get what they can afford - especially when it's uber-cool. However, the reality is we're not where the world economy was only 5 years ago.
I'm waiting for Zombies to start walking down the street....
Yeah, I really didn't want to have to pay $400 for the WWII Cap on motorcycle, but I figure it's a one of a kind statue that will likely not get made by Bowen, SS or Koto. The statue and base are highly detailed and it's probably going to be worth it in the end. I was really thrown back by their price for the Deadpool on scooter, which I believe was their first Marvel statue/vehicle put up for sale. Then and there I knew the Cap statue was going to be up there as well...
We'll see though...I bet when it lands on my door step I will be amazed! Regardless, I see your point...I was just wondering that about the whole statue industry as a whole. Pretty soon these statues companies are just going to price themselves out of business.
Part of the problem though is that we demand more. More torso, arms, flowing capes, dynamic poses. All of these add to the bottom line. More resin? More things that can be broken? More details? Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching! Cha-ching!
The rising cost of materials, production and shipping are all a given at this point. If the licensed producers were to keep the price point where most of us would feel comfortable, I doubt most collectors would be happy with the end product.
I'm still amazed that we can get these highly detailed and beautifully painted busts and statues for the prices we are paying...especially considering club-type discounts. All things considered, it's still waaaaaay cheaper than the alternatives.
All that being said, I probably feel the price hike a lot less than most since I only collect Marvel busts...plenty of recovery time between solicits.
They are quite expensive for what you get. A friend of mine got his first GG bust the other day, Marvel's Thing. The sculpt is awesome but it the lightest thing I've ever seen. I remember a lot of people complaining about Bowen's being light but this thing is the lightest statue or bust I've ever felt. It can't even even weigh over a pound or two. I don't really care how much they weigh but with the price I feel they should be a little sturdier.
I'm fine with the prices of the items (I only get the Star Wars busts so will not comment on the Marvel stuff) but the shipping charges are getting out of control - nearly double the shipping cost of an 18" Premium Format statue for a bust? Forget that!
I don't think it is just Gentle Giant, Bowen bust prices are pretty high too. Strong Guy is a proportionate scale bust to the Gentle Giant's Hulk, and costs more (not by much). Ultimately, to get to an $80 price point, it must be a bigger character like a Hulk, Venom, or Strong Guy.
The Gentle Giant Hulk (Green) is one of the best busts out there. It is the only non-Bowen bust I own, and it is quite spectacular and has a similar heft to, say, a Modern Thor bust. I like what Gentle Giant has done with the Hulk and Venom. Other than that, I lean toward Bowen.
I don't see price or weight being an issue at all with Gentle Giant's Marvel busts.
I only own three of them at this point, so I don't have all the info to make an accurate evaluation.
So let's start with the weight.
IMO, weight doesn't equal greater value or being more sturdy. Drop a Marvel bust and a Marvel bank if you don't believe me.
I can't find my wife's kitchen scale at the moment, but we both agree when comparing two busts (Bowen and Gentle Giant, both Marvel) of approximately equal mass, they seem equal in weight. Maybe the GG a little heavier.
Now the price issue.
It's been a little while since I bought a Gentle Giant Star Wars bust, and don't keep up with them, unless it's a piece I want (two on my Christmas wish list ). I have been keeping up on the Marvel prices.
Everything, especially in the collectible resin world, is going up in price. What I like about GG Marvel busts, is that they don't have fancy bases which we have to pay more for from other companies. They seem to all be in the same scale (I don't own enough to be 100% sure) which you can't say about other companies. And for prices, they seem to all go up by the same amount periodically. The prices are not totally random, with a small bust costing more than a large one from one company being released in the same month.
I got pulled away from the computer while typing this, but while gone, my wife found the scale. It's difficult to find busts of the same mass, when Bowen and GG are using different scale sizes, plus pose and bases vary. What I found was that they seem to be of approximately equal weight for the approximate equal mass of the ones I compared. Less than two ounces in difference.
GG price concerns
). I have been keeping up on the Marvel prices.
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