[Raine24]

I really, really, really don't want to do a wall of text here, but... ugh. We've talked before and been totally cool, so maybe we're just talking past each other right now?

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Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

Well, we disagree and if it's gross to engage in conversation that avoids red herrings in an effort to get at the substance of a matter, then I guess I'm disgusting in that regard.

This is what I mean, dude; there aren't any "red herrings" here, and the figure's sculpture is totally part of the substance of the figure. We're talking about the Rancor, in all its detail. The geometry of an object is not insubstantial.

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Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

Although I'm not a regular Black Series patron, this Rancor hits the notes I would want. Outside of altered paint apps, I don't see where or how Hasbro could have made the fig look any more like the cinematic version.

It's genuinely cool that this would hit the sweet spot for you, but that doesn't mean that it not hitting the right notes for someone else means they're being disingenuous or incapable of recognizing material/production limitations, it can mean they're seeing something you don't, or simply being less generous in forgiving the alterations.

For example, I think the head is mounted backwards. If it were inverted, so the folds on the back of the head went over the neck, then it would appear to be a continuous piece from most angles, and preserve the relations of the face to the ears. With the whole "head peeking through foreskin" thing going on, every angle puts the part separation on display and reduces the accuracy & aesthetics.

There's a wall at the back of the mouth despite it being a separate jaw that would've eliminated undercut concerns there and allowed a throat to be present. The shoulders are too far apart. The shoulder pads should be part of the upper arm instead of the shoulder joint and could've been cast in a aggressive curve so that they'd naturally lay flush to the torso. The top of the head is the wrong shape. The pinky talon is supposed to be curved inward. The tail is too long/ thin.

You can go from the minuscule to the gross and find something off. It gets things wrong that every previous version of the rancor got right, including the '83 Kenner release. It could be better beyond the paint. Honestly.

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Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

As far as articulation and engineering are concerned, it's a big deal that this figure has between 10+ to 22+ more points of articulation than its smaller line-mate counterparts.

It's really cool that they packed in so much articulation, but like 2/3rds of those points are in the hands. Granted, that's where you want them to be, and it's awesome they did that, but that's not nearly as impressive as if they were in load-bearing parts of the build. Again, it's awesome they did that. But it's less "how did they do that" and more "I didn't think they'd bother", you know?

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Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

It's one thing to say this toy doesn't meet your translation standards. It's another to say that it's too pricey. Both are understandable perspectives, but to portray this as a poorly designed pedestrian effort is disingenuous.

I didn't say poorly designed, and I don't think anyone else did either. I said it was competent and described most of the articulation as rote, which I don't think is untrue. It's not as if they built an elaborate internal armature to articulate and support a silicone exterior skin with shifting internal panels to ensure a consistent volume...

They plugged in their standard pin and disc booleans, scaled up, and moved on. And that would be okay (it usually is!) and if this were any cheaper I don't think anyone would care. But much like a pleather seat in a luxury car, something nobody would think twice about suddenly becomes a deal breaker when they start charging premiums for it.