High Dream's sends word that their Capcom Vs SNK 2 Series 2 is due February...
Friday, January 20, 2006
Update on High-Dream's Capcom Vs SNK 2 Series 2...
Source: Action-Figure High-Dream Forum.
High Dream's sends word that their Capcom Vs SNK 2 Series 2 is due February...
High Dream's sends word that their Capcom Vs SNK 2 Series 2 is due February...
Dark Sakura is here...
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
The online exclusive Dark Sakura is now in stock at their Sota store,.
Only 500 pieces have been produced...So get yours now!
Dark Sakura features slightly darker skin than the standard version, as well as a dark gray skirt and collar. Only 500 pieces of Dark Sakura were manufactured!
Available at http://sotatoys.com/prod_excl.htm
Monday, January 16, 2006
High-Dream CvSII ToyLine Update# 1
This line with so much potential might not make it to series 3, this line need all the support from all us SF fans- more then ever!Here are some posts by High-Dream...
Here are some posts by High-Dream...
Source: Action-Figure High-Dream Forum.
Spokemen for High-Dream wrote:
So if that "big chain store" doesn't pick these up, they will never be sold in the US? Also, will these ever be sold in Japan?
- Yep, if they do not pick up the line, we stop, pure and simple, no more release, nowhere. dead line is 10th February. I have very little hope though...
- Repainted series 1 in blister :) , we prepared this for that BIG chain store...
Yeah HD. Is that new package series 1 for the Japan release? Are the eyes on the Ryu still looking up? Will these be released in the US at all? PM does not seem to know about these new packages as they are only selling the series 1 in the original box package.
- Lower posisiton than before, but still looking up a little bit anyway. PM had the new package (blister) in their hands 1 week ago for their meeting with that chain store, so its really strange if they say they don't know anything about it now. not a good sign IMO.... : (
- Alright guys.....if you want to support us more than by buying our figures, thanks a bunch for that. But since we don't want to cause any trouble at a marketing level cause I believe that playground maniacs company is still negotiating with that chain store, all ppl willing to help should call playground maniacs and ask them what they can do to help us to save the cvs2 line, who to contact at that chain store etc....., you see that chain store is so big that you need to know exactly where and who to contact for your request to be effective. Thanks again !!!
-Of course by buying you support us. Fans are the only ppl who can really help us, this line, we highly appreciate your help . And we have many fans, we know it. The problem is only when the fans can't buy our stuff because they can't find them, it's really sad. Frankly I think we are working hard on every line we make...not only Capcom vs snk 2, so far all the stuff we made are things that we really wanted to make, tings based on character that I watched on TV as a kid or played at the arcade game center or on my PC engine. My work could be different if we were buying license just because it is famous and got a high potential for large distribution and generate lots of money...I really don't know, I'll try to stick to what I really like, it makes me happy... and ppl around me happy I believe. So now I fixed a dead line for the CVS2 AF series production, if by 10th February we do not have firm confirmation from that chain store (through PM actually), I'll drop that project.
Here are some posts by High-Dream...
Source: Action-Figure High-Dream Forum.
Spokemen for High-Dream wrote:
So if that "big chain store" doesn't pick these up, they will never be sold in the US? Also, will these ever be sold in Japan?
- Yep, if they do not pick up the line, we stop, pure and simple, no more release, nowhere. dead line is 10th February. I have very little hope though...
- Repainted series 1 in blister :) , we prepared this for that BIG chain store...
Yeah HD. Is that new package series 1 for the Japan release? Are the eyes on the Ryu still looking up? Will these be released in the US at all? PM does not seem to know about these new packages as they are only selling the series 1 in the original box package.
- Lower posisiton than before, but still looking up a little bit anyway. PM had the new package (blister) in their hands 1 week ago for their meeting with that chain store, so its really strange if they say they don't know anything about it now. not a good sign IMO.... : (
- Alright guys.....if you want to support us more than by buying our figures, thanks a bunch for that. But since we don't want to cause any trouble at a marketing level cause I believe that playground maniacs company is still negotiating with that chain store, all ppl willing to help should call playground maniacs and ask them what they can do to help us to save the cvs2 line, who to contact at that chain store etc....., you see that chain store is so big that you need to know exactly where and who to contact for your request to be effective. Thanks again !!!
-Of course by buying you support us. Fans are the only ppl who can really help us, this line, we highly appreciate your help . And we have many fans, we know it. The problem is only when the fans can't buy our stuff because they can't find them, it's really sad. Frankly I think we are working hard on every line we make...not only Capcom vs snk 2, so far all the stuff we made are things that we really wanted to make, tings based on character that I watched on TV as a kid or played at the arcade game center or on my PC engine. My work could be different if we were buying license just because it is famous and got a high potential for large distribution and generate lots of money...I really don't know, I'll try to stick to what I really like, it makes me happy... and ppl around me happy I believe. So now I fixed a dead line for the CVS2 AF series production, if by 10th February we do not have firm confirmation from that chain store (through PM actually), I'll drop that project.
SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 12
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
- Time to answer some questions...
- I plan on creating limited runs of cerrtain SF characters to only sell over the web. Its the only way we'll get through everyone.
- Is my interest in SF waning...whenever you take a hobby and turn it into business you end up seeing it in a different light. Having said that i havent rreally lost any of my passion for Street Fighter, but I dont really get to enjoy the game and or anime anymore..I cant look at it objectively anymore.
- Last figure I sculpted was Mega Darkness..I just couldnt find the time to do it anymore..things were too busy between running film comapny and running toy company. Having said that over the Xmas holiday I set up a little sculpting table in my house and started a Godzilla figure ( just for fun). The only sculpt I plan on doing this year for SOTA is the Blairmonster from The THing..stuff like Street Fighter is just too time consuming and truthfully Will and Aaron are now better at fully articulated figures than I am :)
- Ibukis new hip joint..we tried but it wasnt working.. Still fiddlin with morrigan
- Darkstalkers will be carried in most of the places Street Fighter is carried in. They just wont have as many. DS wave 1 is summer..2 will be early 07
- I just havent had any time to take pics of Demitri...hes sitting in my office.
- Akumas gi is the same as Ryu/Ken..so the ab joint moves but to reallly get use out of it you;d have to take the gi off
- Juni/Juli will have more butt than cammy..yes cammy is 'butt-lite'..when we make the Dolls they will all be in correct colors including their ties.
- Akuma is heavily packed per case..there shouldnt be any problems finding them.
- I think Akuma is too big for Third Strike Ryu.
- Will and the rest of the sculptors are swamped so in answer to 'who are the toughest critics'...it depends on the character...for Street Fighter I would say the fans. For Now Playing I would say myself...for an unannounced project we are currently doing I would say the sculptors.
- International Shipping..I have told Jed he HAS to have international shipping in palce by the time SF 4 hits...thats the best I can do.
- I havent had any SF 4 break yet.
- I believe our UK distributor ordered some of all SF 4 variants
- SF 5 looks good...its will and aaron..what do you think ? :)
- SF4 should actually be in UK around mid/late Feb
- The 'Big' unannounced license will be shown around Toy Fair..as I said its not really toy related...But it will be good for SOTA
- Why dont we try and get our hands on some Marvel licenses...you never know right? But I can tell you right now theres no way they woould ever let us do anything action figure-ish or articulated...ESPECIALLY now that Hasbro is involved.
- Contact Jed@sotatoys.com for figure replacement..there are no fees...use your best judgement to determine if the breakage was your fault or the figures fault.
- We dont have any plans to expand on the Street Fighter product line...I wanted to..I really did...but then everyone jumped on our band wagon and now theres way too much SF stuff out there. So nope.
- I believe Udon has the master resin/statue license for SF..I wish theyd make more stuff cuz I want it !
- I dont see the SOTA staff cosplaying..though we will have our Booth Babe Shadow Lady Chun Li at SDCC ! I was going to go as Akuma for Halloween but I didnt have time to sculpt the costume..'not having time' is the story of my life lately...
- We've sculpted some accessory packs...but theyre sort of on hold while we find a new factory to produce SF 5...
- I will not pick a SF round myself.
- The SF Ryu/Sagat 2 pack is an Extreme Toys exclusive..they have the right to then sell them to anyone they please including Toyfare..but I dont know the details of whats going on with that.
-Mr. Discord glad you like the rotos... we made a mistake and priced them too high..because of that they diidnt sell all that well and the stores are reluctant to take a series 2.
- SF 4 should hit International mid/late Feb and USA early/mid March
- If I didnt get to your question sorry I just ran out of time ! Have to run..
Has Sota broken the Resaurus curse?
- I think the curse was broken a while back...Even if a catastrophe occured SF 5 would still at the very least get made and thats so much further than any other company ever made it and further than anyone ever expected SOTA to make it.
As for what happens after 5 ? SOTA is ready and willing to go the distance if the fans show the support by buying enough of Round 4 and 5...
As you may have heard Musicland filed bankruptcy...its going to be harder and harder to find a 'collectors' line ( and NO Marvel Legends is NOT a collectors line ) at chain store retail. Most of this type of product is going to end up being web sold and/or comic store sold...thats the future.
SOTA is a very small company so we can weather this storm...but I feel for the companies that are bigger than us but smaller than Hasbro/Mattel etc as times are going to be very difficult for them.
I was reading Michael Crawfords assesment of the collector industry earlier and he's right on target in that its shrinking every day.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
- Time to answer some questions...
- I plan on creating limited runs of cerrtain SF characters to only sell over the web. Its the only way we'll get through everyone.
- Is my interest in SF waning...whenever you take a hobby and turn it into business you end up seeing it in a different light. Having said that i havent rreally lost any of my passion for Street Fighter, but I dont really get to enjoy the game and or anime anymore..I cant look at it objectively anymore.
- Last figure I sculpted was Mega Darkness..I just couldnt find the time to do it anymore..things were too busy between running film comapny and running toy company. Having said that over the Xmas holiday I set up a little sculpting table in my house and started a Godzilla figure ( just for fun). The only sculpt I plan on doing this year for SOTA is the Blairmonster from The THing..stuff like Street Fighter is just too time consuming and truthfully Will and Aaron are now better at fully articulated figures than I am :)
- Ibukis new hip joint..we tried but it wasnt working.. Still fiddlin with morrigan
- Darkstalkers will be carried in most of the places Street Fighter is carried in. They just wont have as many. DS wave 1 is summer..2 will be early 07
- I just havent had any time to take pics of Demitri...hes sitting in my office.
- Akumas gi is the same as Ryu/Ken..so the ab joint moves but to reallly get use out of it you;d have to take the gi off
- Juni/Juli will have more butt than cammy..yes cammy is 'butt-lite'..when we make the Dolls they will all be in correct colors including their ties.
- Akuma is heavily packed per case..there shouldnt be any problems finding them.
- I think Akuma is too big for Third Strike Ryu.
- Will and the rest of the sculptors are swamped so in answer to 'who are the toughest critics'...it depends on the character...for Street Fighter I would say the fans. For Now Playing I would say myself...for an unannounced project we are currently doing I would say the sculptors.
- International Shipping..I have told Jed he HAS to have international shipping in palce by the time SF 4 hits...thats the best I can do.
- I havent had any SF 4 break yet.
- I believe our UK distributor ordered some of all SF 4 variants
- SF 5 looks good...its will and aaron..what do you think ? :)
- SF4 should actually be in UK around mid/late Feb
- The 'Big' unannounced license will be shown around Toy Fair..as I said its not really toy related...But it will be good for SOTA
- Why dont we try and get our hands on some Marvel licenses...you never know right? But I can tell you right now theres no way they woould ever let us do anything action figure-ish or articulated...ESPECIALLY now that Hasbro is involved.
- Contact Jed@sotatoys.com for figure replacement..there are no fees...use your best judgement to determine if the breakage was your fault or the figures fault.
- We dont have any plans to expand on the Street Fighter product line...I wanted to..I really did...but then everyone jumped on our band wagon and now theres way too much SF stuff out there. So nope.
- I believe Udon has the master resin/statue license for SF..I wish theyd make more stuff cuz I want it !
- I dont see the SOTA staff cosplaying..though we will have our Booth Babe Shadow Lady Chun Li at SDCC ! I was going to go as Akuma for Halloween but I didnt have time to sculpt the costume..'not having time' is the story of my life lately...
- We've sculpted some accessory packs...but theyre sort of on hold while we find a new factory to produce SF 5...
- I will not pick a SF round myself.
- The SF Ryu/Sagat 2 pack is an Extreme Toys exclusive..they have the right to then sell them to anyone they please including Toyfare..but I dont know the details of whats going on with that.
-Mr. Discord glad you like the rotos... we made a mistake and priced them too high..because of that they diidnt sell all that well and the stores are reluctant to take a series 2.
- SF 4 should hit International mid/late Feb and USA early/mid March
- If I didnt get to your question sorry I just ran out of time ! Have to run..
Has Sota broken the Resaurus curse?
- I think the curse was broken a while back...Even if a catastrophe occured SF 5 would still at the very least get made and thats so much further than any other company ever made it and further than anyone ever expected SOTA to make it.
As for what happens after 5 ? SOTA is ready and willing to go the distance if the fans show the support by buying enough of Round 4 and 5...
As you may have heard Musicland filed bankruptcy...its going to be harder and harder to find a 'collectors' line ( and NO Marvel Legends is NOT a collectors line ) at chain store retail. Most of this type of product is going to end up being web sold and/or comic store sold...thats the future.
SOTA is a very small company so we can weather this storm...but I feel for the companies that are bigger than us but smaller than Hasbro/Mattel etc as times are going to be very difficult for them.
I was reading Michael Crawfords assesment of the collector industry earlier and he's right on target in that its shrinking every day.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Friday, January 06, 2006
Capcom Announces Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting for Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360...
Source: teamxbox.com
Capcom announced today its first title for Xbox Live Arcade, Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting. In addition to several offline modes and numerous leaderboards and achievements, the game takes advantage of the new online features of Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the console's powerful processing capabilities to create a seamless online multiplayer experience.
Among several online game options is an exclusive mode called "Quarter Match", which introduces a new way of relivingthe exhilarating arcade experience at home. Xbox 360 users can connect to the Xbox Live online game service and access Xbox Live Arcade to download a free, feature-limited version of the game which offers two playable characters for one match.
When they are ready for the ultimate retro gaming experience, users can then unlock the full version of the game, enabling players to choose from all eight original characters as well as four boss characters, each with their own special endings and home levels. Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting will be available on Xbox Live Arcade in early 2006.
"We are extremely excited to partner with Capcom on Xbox Live Arcade," said Greg Canessa, Group Manager of Xbox Live Arcade at Microsoft. "Street Fighter is one of the most recognized and successful game franchises in history and it is an absolute honor to bring the arcade classic Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting to Xbox 360 users across the globe. Offering this flagship title in Xbox Live Arcade and imbuing it with full Xbox Live support is the answer to many gamers' dreams, including mine."
Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting includes the following features:
Online game modes
"Quarter Match" – entirely new mode specifically created for Xbox Live Arcade
This spectator-based system is a tribute to the title's arcade roots, allowing online competitors to use a "virtual quarter" to "buy into" heated two player matches
"Quarters" are used to virtually represent players and pays homage to the arcade tradition of claiming the right to play the next game
Recapturing the spirit of swarming crowds at arcades, onlookers can watch the current brawl in a game lobby as they wait to battle the victor
Voice chat support allows players to discuss the battleand even trash talk the current fighters
Competitors can highlight each other's "quarters" to check out their gamer tag data or add them as friends
Before entering the game lobby, users can choose either the competitive or casual option which determines whether stats are tracked or not
Quick Match – jump into a match quickly for instant action
Optimatch – the best possible match is determined by sorting through a set of filters including number of rounds, turbo speed, chat on or off and friends only
Create Game – the most popular method for coordinating invite-only matches among friends which allows you to choose among several settings and host games
Offline game options
Arcade Mode – simulates the single-player Street Fighter experience where gamers must work their way through a ladder of opponents until they face off against the final boss
Vs. Mode – allows two friends to select characters and battle it out
Training Mode – lets gamers practice their fighting skills against a CPU character
CPU Battle – duke it out against a CPU opponent
Comprehensive leaderboards
Overall – the most coveted leaderboard showcases the best overall players from around the globe as determined by a simple point-based system
Monthly – uses the point-based system to designate the best players in the past 30 days
Best Character – rankings based on who is the best at using each game character
Consecutive Wins – tracks winning streaks to see who has won the most matches in a row
Achievements – complete more than 10 offline and online objectives
Fully customizable control options – players can map attacks to any of the main buttons and have the choice to map all three punches and/or all three kicks to a single button which simplifies complex moves
Updated menu screens provide easier navigation
5.1 surround sound
Sound options control the volume of the music and sound effects
Capcom announced today its first title for Xbox Live Arcade, Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting. In addition to several offline modes and numerous leaderboards and achievements, the game takes advantage of the new online features of Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the console's powerful processing capabilities to create a seamless online multiplayer experience.
Among several online game options is an exclusive mode called "Quarter Match", which introduces a new way of relivingthe exhilarating arcade experience at home. Xbox 360 users can connect to the Xbox Live online game service and access Xbox Live Arcade to download a free, feature-limited version of the game which offers two playable characters for one match.
When they are ready for the ultimate retro gaming experience, users can then unlock the full version of the game, enabling players to choose from all eight original characters as well as four boss characters, each with their own special endings and home levels. Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting will be available on Xbox Live Arcade in early 2006.
"We are extremely excited to partner with Capcom on Xbox Live Arcade," said Greg Canessa, Group Manager of Xbox Live Arcade at Microsoft. "Street Fighter is one of the most recognized and successful game franchises in history and it is an absolute honor to bring the arcade classic Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting to Xbox 360 users across the globe. Offering this flagship title in Xbox Live Arcade and imbuing it with full Xbox Live support is the answer to many gamers' dreams, including mine."
Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting includes the following features:
Online game modes
"Quarter Match" – entirely new mode specifically created for Xbox Live Arcade
This spectator-based system is a tribute to the title's arcade roots, allowing online competitors to use a "virtual quarter" to "buy into" heated two player matches
"Quarters" are used to virtually represent players and pays homage to the arcade tradition of claiming the right to play the next game
Recapturing the spirit of swarming crowds at arcades, onlookers can watch the current brawl in a game lobby as they wait to battle the victor
Voice chat support allows players to discuss the battleand even trash talk the current fighters
Competitors can highlight each other's "quarters" to check out their gamer tag data or add them as friends
Before entering the game lobby, users can choose either the competitive or casual option which determines whether stats are tracked or not
Quick Match – jump into a match quickly for instant action
Optimatch – the best possible match is determined by sorting through a set of filters including number of rounds, turbo speed, chat on or off and friends only
Create Game – the most popular method for coordinating invite-only matches among friends which allows you to choose among several settings and host games
Offline game options
Arcade Mode – simulates the single-player Street Fighter experience where gamers must work their way through a ladder of opponents until they face off against the final boss
Vs. Mode – allows two friends to select characters and battle it out
Training Mode – lets gamers practice their fighting skills against a CPU character
CPU Battle – duke it out against a CPU opponent
Comprehensive leaderboards
Overall – the most coveted leaderboard showcases the best overall players from around the globe as determined by a simple point-based system
Monthly – uses the point-based system to designate the best players in the past 30 days
Best Character – rankings based on who is the best at using each game character
Consecutive Wins – tracks winning streaks to see who has won the most matches in a row
Achievements – complete more than 10 offline and online objectives
Fully customizable control options – players can map attacks to any of the main buttons and have the choice to map all three punches and/or all three kicks to a single button which simplifies complex moves
Updated menu screens provide easier navigation
5.1 surround sound
Sound options control the volume of the music and sound effects
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Soda Street Fighter Series 4 Packaged Pictures Now Up...
For more pictures of the other variants and player one colors figures go here... http://www.action-figure.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=18710
For sure I'll be picking these up!
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 11
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
- Lets see if I cant answer some questions
- Is it possible to still release a SF2 pallete 2 pack? definately possible
- Build a Hugo? Probably not..hes only slightly bigger than T Hawk
- I think Xtreme is correct in that theres a LOT of people who sisnt get Ryu or Sagat from Round 1 and want them still. As for still doing SF2 colors..see above...
- Do i wear a suit to work? Nah just my exo-skeleton
- Kei exclusive... not a bad idea.. probably couldnt sell many but it is just a head swap.
- If we do Gouken he will most likely not be sold at chain stores BUT will probably be sold at comic stores,etc
- No rights to SF Ex in the forseeable future
- Toyfair is in February
The 2 packs are an Xtreme exclusive... anyone else who is selling them are getting them directly from Xtreme. We have no say in that.
As of right now there is only ONE style... non bloody.... all orders with Wizard/Toyfare for Bloody version were cancelled so if you had that on order you dont anymore..its gone.
The color changes were only going to be on the ToyFare exclusive...which is now cancelled.
Xtreme wanted them exactly as they were when originally released. So what you see there is how they are.
Gets confusing doesnt it?
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
- Lets see if I cant answer some questions
- Is it possible to still release a SF2 pallete 2 pack? definately possible
- Build a Hugo? Probably not..hes only slightly bigger than T Hawk
- I think Xtreme is correct in that theres a LOT of people who sisnt get Ryu or Sagat from Round 1 and want them still. As for still doing SF2 colors..see above...
- Do i wear a suit to work? Nah just my exo-skeleton
- Kei exclusive... not a bad idea.. probably couldnt sell many but it is just a head swap.
- If we do Gouken he will most likely not be sold at chain stores BUT will probably be sold at comic stores,etc
- No rights to SF Ex in the forseeable future
- Toyfair is in February
The 2 packs are an Xtreme exclusive... anyone else who is selling them are getting them directly from Xtreme. We have no say in that.
As of right now there is only ONE style... non bloody.... all orders with Wizard/Toyfare for Bloody version were cancelled so if you had that on order you dont anymore..its gone.
The color changes were only going to be on the ToyFare exclusive...which is now cancelled.
Xtreme wanted them exactly as they were when originally released. So what you see there is how they are.
Gets confusing doesnt it?
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 10
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
- Happy Holidays everyone...
- Round 5 pics will be posted for Toy Fair I believe
- There will probably be a vote for Darkstalkers 2
- SF3 Clear figures.. 100 total figures ..given away to friends and business associates. Im surprised I havent seen any on EBay yet... give it time, they always show up. I dont have any pics...
- I dont know anything about the stories of SF1 and 2 variants being destroyed..I dont think we have any anymore but I dont remember them begin destroyed.
- Evil Ryu/Bison 2 pack sold the most units though not by much
- The regular Ryu/Sagat 2 pack is still being made
- Voting for SF 6 hasnt happened just because I havent had the time to figure it out. Theres no huge rush they arent scheduled until Oct 06
- Forbidden planet should stock everything we make.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
- Happy Holidays everyone...
- Round 5 pics will be posted for Toy Fair I believe
- There will probably be a vote for Darkstalkers 2
- SF3 Clear figures.. 100 total figures ..given away to friends and business associates. Im surprised I havent seen any on EBay yet... give it time, they always show up. I dont have any pics...
- I dont know anything about the stories of SF1 and 2 variants being destroyed..I dont think we have any anymore but I dont remember them begin destroyed.
- Evil Ryu/Bison 2 pack sold the most units though not by much
- The regular Ryu/Sagat 2 pack is still being made
- Voting for SF 6 hasnt happened just because I havent had the time to figure it out. Theres no huge rush they arent scheduled until Oct 06
- Forbidden planet should stock everything we make.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Friday, December 16, 2005
SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 9
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
Been really busy..lets see if I cant answer some Q's (though first quick question for you all..am I the only toy company president who consistently comes online to answer questions? Just wondering :)
It's now Dec...When can we expect Dark Sakura and Black Gen?:
It wont be Feb... it'll be right after Xmas... They are on the water..
- color changes on the 2 packs are done.. according to everyone ive talked to we've got them right...now lets see if china gets them right :)
- so figure we're not doing anything new videogame wise unless its coming out end of 06 or later
- Large scale SF figures..theres too much SF stuff out there.. seems like as soon as we had a hit everyone wanted a piece of it..I will finsih the 6" line but probably not going to do anything else SF
- SF Round 4 should be on shelves starting end of Feb foreign and March USA. We started productio last week.
- I think I have a history of not showing accessories unti we have final production samples.. sooo.. hopefully end of Jan/early Feb
- SF 'Unleashed' style ..please doont call it Unleashed or there will be lawyers up my butt ... no plans right now..something i REALLY wanted to do but retail isnt feeling it right now...too much SF out there
- I havent thought about CS Shadaloo Cammy yet.
- On the Ryu & Sagat Toyfair 2-pack:
well capcom decided they dont want 'bloody' figures ...again....sigh.... the regular 2 packs are fine
- Guess thats it ! Thanks for being patient with me..things are reallly chaotic lately.
On behalf of everyone here at SOTA ..thank you for your kindness and support ( wow that sounded corporate).
lets try again..
As always we're flattered.. you guys made us what we are and we'll never forget it.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
Been really busy..lets see if I cant answer some Q's (though first quick question for you all..am I the only toy company president who consistently comes online to answer questions? Just wondering :)
It's now Dec...When can we expect Dark Sakura and Black Gen?:
It wont be Feb... it'll be right after Xmas... They are on the water..
- color changes on the 2 packs are done.. according to everyone ive talked to we've got them right...now lets see if china gets them right :)
- so figure we're not doing anything new videogame wise unless its coming out end of 06 or later
- Large scale SF figures..theres too much SF stuff out there.. seems like as soon as we had a hit everyone wanted a piece of it..I will finsih the 6" line but probably not going to do anything else SF
- SF Round 4 should be on shelves starting end of Feb foreign and March USA. We started productio last week.
- I think I have a history of not showing accessories unti we have final production samples.. sooo.. hopefully end of Jan/early Feb
- SF 'Unleashed' style ..please doont call it Unleashed or there will be lawyers up my butt ... no plans right now..something i REALLY wanted to do but retail isnt feeling it right now...too much SF out there
- I havent thought about CS Shadaloo Cammy yet.
- On the Ryu & Sagat Toyfair 2-pack:
well capcom decided they dont want 'bloody' figures ...again....sigh.... the regular 2 packs are fine
- Guess thats it ! Thanks for being patient with me..things are reallly chaotic lately.
On behalf of everyone here at SOTA ..thank you for your kindness and support ( wow that sounded corporate).
lets try again..
As always we're flattered.. you guys made us what we are and we'll never forget it.
Re: Round3 contest....
I got my round3 in the mail today!!!
Thanks RocU/Chris!!!
Here is a pic of my prize...
Thanks RocU/Chris!!!
Here is a pic of my prize...
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 8
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
Lets all go to the snack bar....
Answers-
- Demitri pics... I will see if I can get to it this week.. Hes unpainted but finished other than that.
- I willl ask Xtreme if they want to alter the color of Ryus hand pads for the 2 pack.. its up to them.
- No Hinata figure...we dont have Rival School rights and theyre not going to give it to us just to make one figure. Plus as someone said..It does seem to me its more than just a paint change
- I will not decide a round of SF on my own.. dont think I dont want to. Id love to but it seems awful selfish. This is the collectors toy line and you should decide.
- Of course there will be a round 6
- I'll show Round 4 mid/late Dec and Round 5 at ToyFair
- The 'other' street fighter series died..retailers dont want it.. between our line, HD, minimates, imports, etc theres too much stuff out there. basically it was going to be 'Street Fighter Unleashed'
Well, if you wouldn't mind altering the colour of Ryu's gloves...How about giving Sagat's trunks the SF2 colours? That'd be a nice little bonus. :)
- already been done
- Thanks to everyone for the get-well wishes.. Im feeling much better and its nice to be back at work
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
Lets all go to the snack bar....
Answers-
- Demitri pics... I will see if I can get to it this week.. Hes unpainted but finished other than that.
- I willl ask Xtreme if they want to alter the color of Ryus hand pads for the 2 pack.. its up to them.
- No Hinata figure...we dont have Rival School rights and theyre not going to give it to us just to make one figure. Plus as someone said..It does seem to me its more than just a paint change
- I will not decide a round of SF on my own.. dont think I dont want to. Id love to but it seems awful selfish. This is the collectors toy line and you should decide.
- Of course there will be a round 6
- I'll show Round 4 mid/late Dec and Round 5 at ToyFair
- The 'other' street fighter series died..retailers dont want it.. between our line, HD, minimates, imports, etc theres too much stuff out there. basically it was going to be 'Street Fighter Unleashed'
Well, if you wouldn't mind altering the colour of Ryu's gloves...How about giving Sagat's trunks the SF2 colours? That'd be a nice little bonus. :)
- already been done
- Thanks to everyone for the get-well wishes.. Im feeling much better and its nice to be back at work
Monday, November 28, 2005
I won, I won...
I can't believe I won! Thanks RocUniverse.
Thanks for the people who voted for me, and RocU!
I never won anything in my life!!!
Rocuniverse Forums SOTA Street Fighter 3 Contest...
http://www.rocuniverse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6344
Thanks!!!
Thanks for the people who voted for me, and RocU!
I never won anything in my life!!!
Rocuniverse Forums SOTA Street Fighter 3 Contest...
http://www.rocuniverse.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6344
Thanks!!!
Friday, November 25, 2005
SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 7
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
- Oh a post from industrial.. you know if you spent more time working and less on the message boards you might 'one day' get to work at SOTA ;)
- Street Fighter LE World Warriors boxset.. again thoughts?
- Why doesnt Ryu look like Ryu...sigh.. you should probably ask Will that ;)
- Why did we do 2 versions of Akuma... because we could. It wasnt that difficult and I knew the fans would like it.
- I dont think we have poor distribution on Street Fighter. We're in the same stores everyone else is in. I dont sell to mass market stores like TRU or Walmart.
This is a small company and its not worth the headaches dealing with them. I have no intention of trying to make SOTA some huge toy company. I leave that to NECA and McFarlane and Mezco and SEG.. they want the big $$... As long as Im making a decent living and my employees are taken care of thats all that matters to me. You know SOTA only has 5 employees..compare that to Palisades and Mezco at 15 or so and NECA over 20, etc... you see what I mean. The stress that comes with making Millions of $$$ isnt worth it to me.
- Why are Street Fighters delayed.. everything we were doing has been delayed. I made a bad business decision about a year and a half ago. I made a deal with one factory in china to do ALL of our work in exchange for better pricing. What I learned is if ALL your products are under one roof it gives THEM ( the factory ) too much power and they start making ridiculous demands on you because they know you are stuck without them.
Over the summer I started to move projects to 2 other factories..now we have three and if one is screwing up I can threaten them to move the job to one of the others..this keeps them much more honest and will definately help in us having less delays. Charmed and Johnny Cash both came out pretty close to on time.. guess what.. those were both done at different factories who want to make us happy so we give them more work.. now the original factory seems to have cleaned up its act and is acting ethical again to keep at least SOME of our work with them.
Thats probably way more of the internal workings of the toy biz than anyone ever wanted to know.
Happy Turkey day to those in the USA !
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
- Oh a post from industrial.. you know if you spent more time working and less on the message boards you might 'one day' get to work at SOTA ;)
- Street Fighter LE World Warriors boxset.. again thoughts?
- Why doesnt Ryu look like Ryu...sigh.. you should probably ask Will that ;)
- Why did we do 2 versions of Akuma... because we could. It wasnt that difficult and I knew the fans would like it.
- I dont think we have poor distribution on Street Fighter. We're in the same stores everyone else is in. I dont sell to mass market stores like TRU or Walmart.
This is a small company and its not worth the headaches dealing with them. I have no intention of trying to make SOTA some huge toy company. I leave that to NECA and McFarlane and Mezco and SEG.. they want the big $$... As long as Im making a decent living and my employees are taken care of thats all that matters to me. You know SOTA only has 5 employees..compare that to Palisades and Mezco at 15 or so and NECA over 20, etc... you see what I mean. The stress that comes with making Millions of $$$ isnt worth it to me.
- Why are Street Fighters delayed.. everything we were doing has been delayed. I made a bad business decision about a year and a half ago. I made a deal with one factory in china to do ALL of our work in exchange for better pricing. What I learned is if ALL your products are under one roof it gives THEM ( the factory ) too much power and they start making ridiculous demands on you because they know you are stuck without them.
Over the summer I started to move projects to 2 other factories..now we have three and if one is screwing up I can threaten them to move the job to one of the others..this keeps them much more honest and will definately help in us having less delays. Charmed and Johnny Cash both came out pretty close to on time.. guess what.. those were both done at different factories who want to make us happy so we give them more work.. now the original factory seems to have cleaned up its act and is acting ethical again to keep at least SOME of our work with them.
Thats probably way more of the internal workings of the toy biz than anyone ever wanted to know.
Happy Turkey day to those in the USA !
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
SOTA Street Fighter Round 5 Update, Plus More...
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
We wont be changing Round 5 lineup.. though we have finally seen the 'tappering off' of sales that I knew was inevitable... by Round 5I predict we are selling half of what we did on Round 2.
Its just the inevitable outcome of the most popular characters already being used.Having said that the line will continue..its just not going to be a huge success anymore.. just another line that does alright.
I think we can all feel safe that as long as the diehard SF fans keep buying the lines they can continue until we finish all characters.
Jerry Macaluso, President/Founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
We wont be changing Round 5 lineup.. though we have finally seen the 'tappering off' of sales that I knew was inevitable... by Round 5I predict we are selling half of what we did on Round 2.
Its just the inevitable outcome of the most popular characters already being used.Having said that the line will continue..its just not going to be a huge success anymore.. just another line that does alright.
I think we can all feel safe that as long as the diehard SF fans keep buying the lines they can continue until we finish all characters.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Capcom Classics Collection Remixed' for the PSP...
Capcom remixes retro collection for PSPOriginal Street Fighter, Strider games featured in lineup for latest edition of archival arcade anthology.
When Capcom Classics Collection came out, it compiled 22 of the company's greatest arcade hits, with a handful of glaring exceptions. With the PSP release, dubbed Capcom Classics Collection Remixed, scheduled for March of next year, the publisher is scaling back the number of games included to 20 but is including some of the games that were overlooked in the last outing.
The original Street Fighter, Strider, and 1941 highlight the additions to the collection, but they are far from the only new faces in the lineup. At least half of the games on the PSP version of the collection will be new, including Avengers, Block Block, Captain Commando, Magic Sword, Quiz and Dragons, Three Wonders, and Varth.
Capcom Classics Collection Remixed will include wireless multiplayer support, differing aspect ratios for each game to take advantage of the PSP's wide screen, downloadable music, abundant bonus materials, and customizable controls.
When Capcom Classics Collection came out, it compiled 22 of the company's greatest arcade hits, with a handful of glaring exceptions. With the PSP release, dubbed Capcom Classics Collection Remixed, scheduled for March of next year, the publisher is scaling back the number of games included to 20 but is including some of the games that were overlooked in the last outing.
The original Street Fighter, Strider, and 1941 highlight the additions to the collection, but they are far from the only new faces in the lineup. At least half of the games on the PSP version of the collection will be new, including Avengers, Block Block, Captain Commando, Magic Sword, Quiz and Dragons, Three Wonders, and Varth.
Capcom Classics Collection Remixed will include wireless multiplayer support, differing aspect ratios for each game to take advantage of the PSP's wide screen, downloadable music, abundant bonus materials, and customizable controls.
SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 6
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
Hey Everyone...
Sorry I havent been around.. been laid up in the hospital. Seems i had some condition that was making it hard to breathe ( no fun ) so they had to cut away a bunch of tissue from the back of my throat and make the holes in my nose larger so I could breathe easier. First 4 days were the most painful of my life but I was on so much pain meds i barely remember it. Just got to go home yesterday and Im feeling a little better so thought I'd check in.
- As for European SF variants..I try not to look at our variants on a per country basis. We offer all variants to all countries to make sure all fans have a chance of getting them. Problem is not all countries take them. Example USA guile.. we did ask some people in Europe but they didnt want them.
- We wont be offering either Ryu/Sagat 2 pack on our site. Both ToyFare and Xtreme have told me they will ship international orders therefore there seems to be no problem with everyone getting a set. yes I know the shipping is a killer but not much i can do about that. Let me explain a problem with shipping international.
The only affordable way to ship outside the usa is the postal service. Problem with them is they dont guarantee anything and their so-called insurance is bogus.. So we have found ourselves many times shipping multiple sets of figures to foriegn customers because they 'claim' they never got them. And truthfully they probably didnt but it was costing us a small fortune. But we have no way of tracking the shipment through the post office.. this is why almost everyone uses a more expensive service. because we can see if the product actually arrived or not.
- Soul Caliber - no hope.. Im not very happy with the way i was treated by Namco.
- SF round 4 is supposed to start shipping middle of january 06. Asia will get them first. Someone brought them from my office today so I could look them over.
- How do we assign online exclusive retailers? Starting with Round 3 we didnt have anyone as exclusive. All the variants were available at all the online retailers. EXCEPT Brown Guile. But that was a mistake. See we had someone working here who shall we say ' had their own outside interests at hand' and made a deal I didnt know about. Thankfully that person is no longer with us and has joined a company that deserves each other. So Round 4 will not have anyone as online exclusive.
- Megaman Jazwares.. I think they do a pretty good job for mass market. I think a higher end version would be cool as well but Im probably not going to do it though Ive been asked.
- CS Charlie and Fallen vega..hmmm..no ones ever asked for them before that I can recall so it doesnt seem a lot of people who want them.
- Accessory packs got put on hold ..just too much to do. I should ask Will if he can sculpt some between SF round 6/Darkstalkers round 2 and everything esle the poor guy is doing
Jerry Macaluso, President/founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
Hey Everyone...
Sorry I havent been around.. been laid up in the hospital. Seems i had some condition that was making it hard to breathe ( no fun ) so they had to cut away a bunch of tissue from the back of my throat and make the holes in my nose larger so I could breathe easier. First 4 days were the most painful of my life but I was on so much pain meds i barely remember it. Just got to go home yesterday and Im feeling a little better so thought I'd check in.
- As for European SF variants..I try not to look at our variants on a per country basis. We offer all variants to all countries to make sure all fans have a chance of getting them. Problem is not all countries take them. Example USA guile.. we did ask some people in Europe but they didnt want them.
- We wont be offering either Ryu/Sagat 2 pack on our site. Both ToyFare and Xtreme have told me they will ship international orders therefore there seems to be no problem with everyone getting a set. yes I know the shipping is a killer but not much i can do about that. Let me explain a problem with shipping international.
The only affordable way to ship outside the usa is the postal service. Problem with them is they dont guarantee anything and their so-called insurance is bogus.. So we have found ourselves many times shipping multiple sets of figures to foriegn customers because they 'claim' they never got them. And truthfully they probably didnt but it was costing us a small fortune. But we have no way of tracking the shipment through the post office.. this is why almost everyone uses a more expensive service. because we can see if the product actually arrived or not.
- Soul Caliber - no hope.. Im not very happy with the way i was treated by Namco.
- SF round 4 is supposed to start shipping middle of january 06. Asia will get them first. Someone brought them from my office today so I could look them over.
- How do we assign online exclusive retailers? Starting with Round 3 we didnt have anyone as exclusive. All the variants were available at all the online retailers. EXCEPT Brown Guile. But that was a mistake. See we had someone working here who shall we say ' had their own outside interests at hand' and made a deal I didnt know about. Thankfully that person is no longer with us and has joined a company that deserves each other. So Round 4 will not have anyone as online exclusive.
- Megaman Jazwares.. I think they do a pretty good job for mass market. I think a higher end version would be cool as well but Im probably not going to do it though Ive been asked.
- CS Charlie and Fallen vega..hmmm..no ones ever asked for them before that I can recall so it doesnt seem a lot of people who want them.
- Accessory packs got put on hold ..just too much to do. I should ask Will if he can sculpt some between SF round 6/Darkstalkers round 2 and everything esle the poor guy is doing
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Set for North America...
Source: IGN
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max, a "direct conversion" of the Street Fighter Alpha 3 arcade game. The PSP version is known as Street Fighter Alpha 3: Double Upper in Japan.
Along with the original game content, Alpha 3 Max includes Wi-Fi multiplayer functionality and new game modes including Variable Battle Mode, for real-time tag-team fighting. Yun, Maki and Eagle from Capcom vs. SNK 2, as well as Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Evolution join the game's original 30 fighters.Street Fighter Alpha Max 3 is currently scheduled for release in February 2006. Look for plenty more on the title as news comes in.
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max, a "direct conversion" of the Street Fighter Alpha 3 arcade game. The PSP version is known as Street Fighter Alpha 3: Double Upper in Japan.
Along with the original game content, Alpha 3 Max includes Wi-Fi multiplayer functionality and new game modes including Variable Battle Mode, for real-time tag-team fighting. Yun, Maki and Eagle from Capcom vs. SNK 2, as well as Ingrid from Capcom Fighting Evolution join the game's original 30 fighters.Street Fighter Alpha Max 3 is currently scheduled for release in February 2006. Look for plenty more on the title as news comes in.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Official Street Fighter Website launched By Capcom..
Finally Capcom gives SF its due. I hope this over due kind gesture from Capcom, toward their biggest franchise' means more things to come for Street Fighter, like SF4, dammnit!
Here:
Street Fighter Official Website
Here:
Street Fighter Official Website
Monday, November 14, 2005
More on Ryu & Sagat 2pack by Sota Toys...
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
The bloody 2 pack was ToyFares pitch to us...we accepted. They insisted they get worldwide...we can use the promotion so we accepted. This IS a business.
We then thought..well since we are pulling out the old molds why not give the people who never got the original Ryu and Sagat a chance at getting those as well.
So thats what Xtreme will have.. the original versions in a 2 pack. The 2 pack aspect will make sure those MOC collectors retain the value of their original Round 1 single packs but out of the package the figures will be exactly the same.
By the way I believe there are only 3000 Xtreme 2 packs and 1500 ToyFare 2 packs...
Now ..why arent they available outside the USA? Simple economics.. Xtreme said they would take 3000 if we gave them an exclusive. So we went to the rest of the distributors to see if we could sell more by opening them up to everyone. Turns out we couldnt.. we sell more by just giving Xtreme 3000 than if we simply took orders from everyone else.
So if you're pissed you cant get these locally dont complain to me.. complain to your local distributor who doesnt want to order enough to make it worthwhile to us.
We also will not have either of these available on our website.
As for resculpts... too expensive for very limited releases.
Anyway.. I think the scarring blow 2 pack is very cool..the pic is also slightly inaccurate.. there were some color changes made after those were shot.
The bloody 2 pack was ToyFares pitch to us...we accepted. They insisted they get worldwide...we can use the promotion so we accepted. This IS a business.
We then thought..well since we are pulling out the old molds why not give the people who never got the original Ryu and Sagat a chance at getting those as well.
So thats what Xtreme will have.. the original versions in a 2 pack. The 2 pack aspect will make sure those MOC collectors retain the value of their original Round 1 single packs but out of the package the figures will be exactly the same.
By the way I believe there are only 3000 Xtreme 2 packs and 1500 ToyFare 2 packs...
Now ..why arent they available outside the USA? Simple economics.. Xtreme said they would take 3000 if we gave them an exclusive. So we went to the rest of the distributors to see if we could sell more by opening them up to everyone. Turns out we couldnt.. we sell more by just giving Xtreme 3000 than if we simply took orders from everyone else.
So if you're pissed you cant get these locally dont complain to me.. complain to your local distributor who doesnt want to order enough to make it worthwhile to us.
We also will not have either of these available on our website.
As for resculpts... too expensive for very limited releases.
Anyway.. I think the scarring blow 2 pack is very cool..the pic is also slightly inaccurate.. there were some color changes made after those were shot.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Update on the "Street Fighter "Scarring Blow" Ryu & Sagat 2-Pack"
Source: Wizard Universe Store ToyFare Exclusives
Toyfair exclusive "Street Fighter "Scarring Blow" Ryu & Sagat 2-Pack"
We are unable to guarantee the availability of limited edition Advance Order items. In rare circumstances the supplier may not deliver a full order to us.Advance Order dates are subject to change without notice. However, in most cases your Advance Order will ship on the scheduled release date to the commercial marketplace.
Item is due to ship by Late March, 2006. $24.99
Toyfair exclusive "Street Fighter "Scarring Blow" Ryu & Sagat 2-Pack"
We are unable to guarantee the availability of limited edition Advance Order items. In rare circumstances the supplier may not deliver a full order to us.Advance Order dates are subject to change without notice. However, in most cases your Advance Order will ship on the scheduled release date to the commercial marketplace.
Item is due to ship by Late March, 2006. $24.99
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Street Fighter "Scarring Blow" Ryu & Sagat 2-Pack, Sneak peak...
Should be out sometime in December...
Saturday, November 05, 2005
SOTA Street Fighter ToyLine Update# 5
Source: Action-Figure SOTA Forum.
Jerry Macaluso, President/founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
Been awhile since Ive answered questions and I find myself with some time so here I go!
- Round 4 are finals though you guys havent seen them yet as we did revise some stuff. The wrinkles in Ibukis knees are to try and hide a very large double knee joint.
- We will do 2-3 color variants on J&J ..the Dolls wont come out until SDCC
- Round 5 release is not going to be April..More like May/June
- Ive been a Vampire Hunter D fan since High School. But I dont think we'll do toys. In general I dont think we'll do a lot of japanese properties. Its kind of difficult.
- Sagat/Ryu 2 pack should be out in jan/Feb .. there are two different versions of the 2 pack. One is exclusive to ToyFare magazine and one is exclusive to Xtreme Toys.
- Voting for Round 6 ... Round 6 is scheduled for October and we've been really busy so I probably wont do the vote until begining of the year
- Dark Sakura and Black Gen not arriving with the rest of the variants was a surprise...I was told they were all coming together. So we're waiting for them now and they will probably arrive a week or two before Xmas.
- Accessories for ROund 4/5 - I generally dont like to give that away until the figures are close to coming out
- Im not sure why anyone cares about how we cast/mold the accessories for the Dolls ? All the dolls will have new heads and each will have new accessories. Really thats all we need to knwo right now
- Fighting style plays some part in desiging the figures but the real issue is that I like the entire line to have a cohesive style. Im not down with the whole concept of each figure getting different styles of articulation as some other companies do. Im a fan of US action figures..its where I grew up and what I know so I keep our stuff looking like US style.
I know some people really dig what Kaiyodo does with all the crazy articulation thats 100% different from figure to figure but I dont really like it. Back to your question.. we try our best to allow the characters to get into their signature poses but sometimes its just not feasible.
Ryu and Ken dont hadouken very well because in real life there is compression in the chest. Plastic figures dont compress. Therefore we'd have to put another joint in them..but that requires them to look different than the rest which i dont like.
- We make exclusive because exclusive create 'buzz' and excitment. Some people dont like them but most do. I try to be as fair as possible and give everyone a chance at buying them which is why we put them up on our website after the cons.
- I should have actual SF 4 variant pics mid December. variants should hit in February.
- Blanka has a skull because....
- The sculpts for Round 5 are just about finished..probably wont show them until Jan though
- We will decide internally who is nominated for Round 6. You guys can suggest though
- SDCC is probably the only Con we will do
- Im supposed to be getting Demitri in from China in the next couple weeks and will take pics for you all.
- Female characters dont sell as well as male.. even popular ones like Sakura/Cammy
- Andrew isnt with us full time anymore. Andrew is a great screenwriter and hes concentrating on that right now.. Jed@sotatoys.com has taken over customer service..let me know if he does a good job !
- As far as I know Tower Records continues to support us on almost all lines
Sidenotes..
We havent been announcing much lately or 'keeping up with the joneses', i.e., NECA who seems to put out 20 figure lines a month. I was working too hard and I needed to slow down so we're being pickier about what we do. As much as I;d like to make 10 figure lines a year I just dont feel i can.
we're also getting more into high end collectible stuff. You'll hear a huge announcement soon. having said that we are not abandoning fully articulated figures but the thing is they are VERY expensive to develop/make. Its easy to churn stuff out with a few swivels and a ball joint or two ala Now Playing. But doing something like Street Fighter is intense.
Im currently looking for the perfect license for fully artic figures..something that can last 4-5 series,etc....In the mean time when micronauts comes out we will have set a new standard in the fully articulated category.
Thanks to everyone for continuing to support us..I try my best to come and post as much as possible but life gets in the way. As many of you might know we started a film company so between designng toys and coming up with stories for films I run out of time. But never think i dont appreciate your input. We're a company created by fans and its the fans who made us successful.
Talk to you soon.
Jerry Macaluso, President/founder Of SOTA Toys wrote:
Been awhile since Ive answered questions and I find myself with some time so here I go!
- Round 4 are finals though you guys havent seen them yet as we did revise some stuff. The wrinkles in Ibukis knees are to try and hide a very large double knee joint.
- We will do 2-3 color variants on J&J ..the Dolls wont come out until SDCC
- Round 5 release is not going to be April..More like May/June
- Ive been a Vampire Hunter D fan since High School. But I dont think we'll do toys. In general I dont think we'll do a lot of japanese properties. Its kind of difficult.
- Sagat/Ryu 2 pack should be out in jan/Feb .. there are two different versions of the 2 pack. One is exclusive to ToyFare magazine and one is exclusive to Xtreme Toys.
- Voting for Round 6 ... Round 6 is scheduled for October and we've been really busy so I probably wont do the vote until begining of the year
- Dark Sakura and Black Gen not arriving with the rest of the variants was a surprise...I was told they were all coming together. So we're waiting for them now and they will probably arrive a week or two before Xmas.
- Accessories for ROund 4/5 - I generally dont like to give that away until the figures are close to coming out
- Im not sure why anyone cares about how we cast/mold the accessories for the Dolls ? All the dolls will have new heads and each will have new accessories. Really thats all we need to knwo right now
- Fighting style plays some part in desiging the figures but the real issue is that I like the entire line to have a cohesive style. Im not down with the whole concept of each figure getting different styles of articulation as some other companies do. Im a fan of US action figures..its where I grew up and what I know so I keep our stuff looking like US style.
I know some people really dig what Kaiyodo does with all the crazy articulation thats 100% different from figure to figure but I dont really like it. Back to your question.. we try our best to allow the characters to get into their signature poses but sometimes its just not feasible.
Ryu and Ken dont hadouken very well because in real life there is compression in the chest. Plastic figures dont compress. Therefore we'd have to put another joint in them..but that requires them to look different than the rest which i dont like.
- We make exclusive because exclusive create 'buzz' and excitment. Some people dont like them but most do. I try to be as fair as possible and give everyone a chance at buying them which is why we put them up on our website after the cons.
- I should have actual SF 4 variant pics mid December. variants should hit in February.
- Blanka has a skull because....
- The sculpts for Round 5 are just about finished..probably wont show them until Jan though
- We will decide internally who is nominated for Round 6. You guys can suggest though
- SDCC is probably the only Con we will do
- Im supposed to be getting Demitri in from China in the next couple weeks and will take pics for you all.
- Female characters dont sell as well as male.. even popular ones like Sakura/Cammy
- Andrew isnt with us full time anymore. Andrew is a great screenwriter and hes concentrating on that right now.. Jed@sotatoys.com has taken over customer service..let me know if he does a good job !
- As far as I know Tower Records continues to support us on almost all lines
Sidenotes..
We havent been announcing much lately or 'keeping up with the joneses', i.e., NECA who seems to put out 20 figure lines a month. I was working too hard and I needed to slow down so we're being pickier about what we do. As much as I;d like to make 10 figure lines a year I just dont feel i can.
we're also getting more into high end collectible stuff. You'll hear a huge announcement soon. having said that we are not abandoning fully articulated figures but the thing is they are VERY expensive to develop/make. Its easy to churn stuff out with a few swivels and a ball joint or two ala Now Playing. But doing something like Street Fighter is intense.
Im currently looking for the perfect license for fully artic figures..something that can last 4-5 series,etc....In the mean time when micronauts comes out we will have set a new standard in the fully articulated category.
Thanks to everyone for continuing to support us..I try my best to come and post as much as possible but life gets in the way. As many of you might know we started a film company so between designng toys and coming up with stories for films I run out of time. But never think i dont appreciate your input. We're a company created by fans and its the fans who made us successful.
Talk to you soon.
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