Custom 12" Rod Serling review

[MichaelCrawford]

Okay, he's not Universal, and not technically a monster, but Rod Serling was an addition I've wanted to make to my sixth scale Sideshow shelf for quite awhile.  I'm doing a review of the head, because while it's a custom, the guy cast 50 of them that are available right now if anyone else is interested. I think it looks great...

http://www.mwctoys.com

[Josh]

It makes for a cool looking figure, but $55 for an unpainted 1/6 scale head is a bit steep

[CreepysFan]

 Rod Serling may not have been a monster, but he was a Horror Host of a sort.  Cool looking image.

[Gareee]

While he looks good, I have to agree, $50 unpainted is steep. $25 would have made it a 5 star discovery for me.

If you figure $50 for the head, $5 to ship it to a painter, $20 for them to paint it, your are at $75 now JUST for the head.

Even by sideshow standards, that's high, but as you mention, it's limited to 100, so real collectors probably won't balk at the price.

Maybe he could talk to Amok Toys.. they could probably put out an entire limited figure in a box for the same price as just the head plus custom painting?

[ChattyLMS]

Oh, he's great!  He definitely look good with your collection!  Lucky!

[sixshooter]

Looks alot like Christian Bale to me.

[joy and tom studios]

 We sculpted a portrait of Rod Serling that was sold only as a complete figure on ebay. Most of them went for over $300.00. I will mention Rod Serling to Amok Time and Executive Replicias, but his estate may stand in the way of making a licensed figure happen. I think that's why Sideshow never did one. Prices on custom heads  range from $15-$50 or more for unpainted castings. Some people will charge more to cover the cost of hiring a sculptor to do the master. A lot of people don't appreciate the time, effort and talent that goes into making these things. That being said if they have already sold 50 of these and are offering 50 more at that price it seems a little high. Like any other collectible, it's only worth is what a person is willing to pay for it.

[Gareee]

True. I can do my own painting though, and in some cases have to do it again anyway to correct production flaws, or just plain bad paint apps.

It's one thing if something is a one of a kind item produced by someone or if something is actually produced in larger numbers, because production costs can come down if done at a factory, rather then done by one artists in his studio.

A good example, is say, the Neca Universal Monster head knockers. They weren't produced in huge numbers, but the Creature from series II has a LOT more paint apps then Rod has, yet he was only $12-$15.

Or the Bill Hineman Zombie from Amok.. 4 included painted heads on a under $50 figure. or even the invasion of the saucermen set, with 3 figures with painted heads for $75.. in that example, two painted heads AND to bodies with costumes were only $25 more.

In tougher economic times everyone watches their pennies much closer, and more purchases come under harsher "value" scrutiny.

[joy and tom studios]

Comparing custom work to mass produced figures is like comparing apples to oranges. Our studios sculpted and paintmastered the NOLD cemetary Zombie for Executive Replicias. You can purchase that for around $50.00 because it was produced in a factory in a foreign country where people can survive on way less money than it takes to break even here in the USA. If we were to do that same figure as a one of a kind with all the included parts it would run easily into thousands of dollars. The prototype is always going to be expensive as it takes the time and effort of a skilled artisan to create. Copies of the prototype not so much, in skill or expense. What you see with most of these custom head projects is a group hiring a sculptor to do a specific likeness, and the cost for the sculpt is divided evenly amongst the group. If more people are willing to buy the sculpt, more copies are made. I do all the molding and casting for our studio, so I am familiar with what materials cost and the time involved in casting a head. Unless a third party had to be hired to do the molding and casting $45.00 seems fairly high, but I don't know all the particulars of this project. I do know that charging a higher price encourages recasters to buy one and start selling bootleg copies for much less. That's why we got out of the custom head business.

[joy and tom studios]

In tougher economic times everyone watches their pennies much closer, and more purchases come under harsher "value" scrutiny.

Just to be clear I understand what you are saying here. If you only have $45 to spend on something, a complete figure is a better deal financially than an unpainted head. I think it's reasonable to explain why custom work will cost more money. It's up to the individual to determine if they will spend their money or not.

[Gareee]

I also charge more when I do custom work and take on commissions as well.

When I look at the "value" of something, in most cases, I throw "how it was made" out the window, and I look at what I'm actually getting for the money.

If something is one of a kind, or made by a garage kit type person, that's an exception, but otherwise, that's how I evaluate things.

[Mego73]

Looks good.

I've done a custom box for someone else's Rod Serling. The insert (not shown here) is the same type of spiral design that's in the back of the Rod Serling pic on the back

http://megomuseum.com/albums/Mego73/rodsamp5.jpg

[Gareee]

I did just pick up  custom 1:6 scale ghostbusters proton pack in gun kit. Just $20 shipped from the Uk to the US!

Its unpainted and needs assembly, but for the price it looked like an incredible value.

Here's some pics of a custom set someone did with a few....

[toysoldierman2001]

It surprises me that with this economy that anyone has $50.00 to spend on their hobby? I guess that  not everyone is as bad off as most of us are???

[Gareee]

Well, this time of year people open up thier purse strings a bit wider.

More surprising to me, is all the people buying the $100+ sideshow figures, and even more surprising, then number of people who seem to buy every $300+ premium format sideshow figure, or other higher priced collectable statues n such.

20 PF figures, and ya can almost open yer own museum! LOL!