The reissue of limited editions

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Wow. Lots of great opinions. For myself, I can see where postsaurichian and the others are coming from...but then again, I'm happy and excited to have the chance to finally get the Spino and Styracosaurus. I have always looked longingly at these models, and to have a second chance is great. I guess it just depends on which side of the table you're on. If you already have Sideshow models, it might not be an amazing thing to have those models re-released. But for people like myself, it is a cause for celebration.

Is the issue availability or cost ?  Let's do a what if.  Say I sold you my current one to pay for the new one. I paid around 300.00 plus shipping that's not taking any of the rarity into account. Would you buy it ?  It's probably the same price as the new one or the new one might be more even. I still don't know what Sideshow's plan is exactly for this re-release.

The issue for me varies from time to time. Sometimes it's availability, sometimes cost-you know how that goes.
As far as Sideshow goes, it's availability. The first time I saw Sideshow, most of them (the ones I wanted, of course) were already unavailable.

Ok I can understand that. 

Now if they released these tomorrow for 300-350.00 could/would you buy ?  As I recall the Spinosaurus and even the Styracosaurus weren't sell out in one day pieces..still took time to sell out.  Maybe Dan can help refresh my memory but I think the Spinosaurus was in stock for months.   It's a shame they aren't changing more than the paint..new poses or something would really help alleviate these concerns all around...or whole new ones like the Rex Jorge is sculpting.  Honestly a few were complaining about that move as well...another Rex when we have 2 already in the line...but at least each one was a totally different sculpt by different artists.  That decision was also supposed to benefit collectors who missed out on the last ones, both of which were offered as regular painted editions and in faux bronze and still they were missed by some.  Do you just keep releasing a variant every 5-6 years to make sure everyone can get one ? It doesn't make sense from a collecting standpoint to me.

[tyrantqueen]

Rambling time! I've been collecting for over 20 years now (with varying seriousness, but still) so I've had lots of time to consider this very question.

I have mixed opinions but I am generally in favour of access to all.  Really, there are some things that so many people want, it seems selfish to want to deny them access just because they weren't collectors, or able to afford it (or even born) the first time around. How many people have wanted a way to see Play Visions release so many of its lost treasures? I have many of them, and if they came out again, I wouldn't feel like mine were any less valuable to me. I'd probably buy more!

Kind of like when Bullyland re-released their mammals a few years ago. Sure, early owners (like me) might have felt like the market got a bunch of new ones and 'flooded' the market, but then, it isn't like most of us sell them anyway, and I am very against the gouging that can go into the pricing of 'rare' toys. Especially people that effectively hoard, buying all they can with no plans to trade or sell anything no matter how many people are desperately wanting just one (I also appreciate taking the wind out of the sails of the people who are heavily over-pricing toys--for example, what some people currently expect for Kaiyodo animal figures are ridiculous; a new run would likely give people a chance to build a collection).

In the end they are market driven--it turns out that a company sees no value from resale of their collectables (other than, maybe, reputation, but that still needs to be directly monetized). If they are still around, and there is still demand, it makes economic sense to create more selling opportunities. In fact, the rarity of the figures (and the collectors who brag about them) may cause the demand to reach a level that a company won't ignore (if they are still around and can actually do it). There will likely be a numbering/series issue included with re-releases so a serious collector will know what they are getting--look at how Battat T.rexes are qualified based on release schedule. If there is one thing a collector can do better than assign value to objects of interest, it's develop hierarchical schemes that vary the value based on a set of rules and qualifiers.

So if it's a collection of truly rare and valuable items, then the only way is to commission one-off pieces or purchase pieces from people that have very limited release ability (Malcolm! Still waiting!). Or pieces from runs that are affected by situations that were unexpected (burned down studios, companies folding, etc). Also keep in mind, a run like Sideshow is only a few hundred (I think). If they do another run, it will mean another few hundred--in the grand scheme, that still isn't much in the way of flooding any market. Toys, of course, are in runs of thousands, but even so, there are some that people still can't find. And I tend to be in favour of other people have collections that get out of hand too!

Some excellent points

[tyrantqueen]

I know of pieces I want but will never get..like that darn Rex Mundi that keeps popping up in front of me.  ( Thanks Shane ! )

Did Shane Foulkes do a paint up of this model? Do you have a link? Shane Foulkes' paintups are pretty

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I know of pieces I want but will never get..like that darn Rex Mundi that keeps popping up in front of me.  ( Thanks Shane ! )

Did Shane Foulkes do a paint up of this model? Do you have a link? Shane Foulkes' paintups are pretty

I'm assuming he did. It shows up in his collection photos from time to time when I browse to tease me. He hasn't posted a really good pic of it though. It might have been done by Riojas as he painted one for a customer awhile back...and he and Shane are buds. This is the only pic Riojas  had :


I think I'd be just as happy if David Krentz did another big Rex like this..1:15 or so..it may not be exactly the same but it would save him trying to tweak it.  It could even have a simialr pose. Imagine his 1:40 Rex in 1:15 ? 

[postsaurischian]

Oh, something else I forgot to mention. A really fun part of this hobby is hunting down bargains. I won an Invicta Troodon in a eBay lot for 50p once. It brought a smile to my face because it was like finding a hidden treasure. So, looking at the toy, it brings back happy memories of that experience. Just because I didn't spend a hundred pounds on it doesn't mean I don't appreciate it or have nice memories attached to it. Just something I want to point out.

Good point. Hunting and finding a treasure is a big fun part of the hobby. I love all the little stories behind the models exhibited in my museum appartement. And I still can remember almost each and every detail .
If we had unlimited availibility of everything there would be no treasure-hunting anymore .

I used to agonize over wether to remove the hang tags from my dinosaur figures and so forth. Should I remove this one from the box or keep it sealed to preserve the value? One day I made a similar comment in front of my mother and she made a comment that was very telling for me. She said....." You will never sell those dinosaurs anyways. It does not really matter what they are worth or if they arent worth alot. They will never be sold till you are gone, and it wont matter to you then anyways."
In thinking about it, I realized she is quite correct. It just does not matter to me because I will never get rid of them. I collect what I like and if it appreciates in value  so much the better. Once I get my hands on them the dinosaurs I have are worthless, or perhaps priceless, depending how you view it...

Boys should always listen to what their mums say. Most of my experiences with wisdom come from conversations with my mother .

And yes, she's absolutely right!
After I have purchased a model, its financial value bears only a theoretical meaning because it will be imprisoned lifelong in my museum appartement.
The financial value only plays an important part as long as I don't have it.

But I admit: After I have it I cannot hide a smile each time I see it going up in price .

....... I wouldn't mind a re-issue of the Apatosaurus either Apatosaurus lousiae is my namesake It'll probably never happen, but I can dream, right?

Ah! That's right!
I'm envious. I'd love to have that for me. ...... and I can't even buy it .

Dreaming is another big part of the hobby (and life itself) !!!!!!!

Rambling time! I've been collecting for over 20 years now (with varying seriousness, but still) so I've had lots of time to consider this very question.

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I've been waiting for your comment . Very interesting read. I can only agree.