***** ZST Wrestling's HEELS AND FACES Retro Fig Thread *****

[guster]

[@Chair.Shot]

If reasonably priced, I would purchase Dino Bravo. Sabu is a maybe. The other figures are cool for what they are but nothing I need in my collection.

[WOOOOOO]

These are super rad but it all depends on pricing. If these are more than $20 each then no go for except maybe Bravo

[punksnotdead]

Probably not on Sullivan. Just not feeling it.

[Warriah']

Feb 19, 2021 15:55:58 GMT -5 punksnotdead said:

Probably not on Sullivan. Just not feeling it.

Yeah that one doesn't look a thing like him

[VintageFigs1]

Feb 19, 2021 15:44:48 GMT -5 WOOOOOO said:

These are super rad but it all depends on pricing. If these are more than $20 each then no go for except maybe Bravo

I can promise these will be over 20. These aren’t mass produced.

[guster]

Feb 19, 2021 16:27:00 GMT -5 Warriah' said:

Feb 19, 2021 15:55:58 GMT -5 punksnotdead said:

Probably not on Sullivan. Just not feeling it.

Yeah that one doesn't look a thing like him

I disagree.

[Deleted]

I don’t see them selling as quickly as some people would assume then. $20 is more than reasonable for Elites, and certainly AEW Unrivaled figures but more than that for a retro? I don’t see it. Especially with the names listed so far. It’s not like it’s a huge lineup of main event names.

[Warriah']

You expect things that aren't mass produced to be above retail, but you have to be careful with the pricing. Retros were $10. If you're talking upwards of $25-30 for a 4 inch fig the line won't be sustainable long term because not enough people will buy into it. People are able to grab NECA quality figs these days at retail for $25-30.

I expected these to be around $20.

[WOOOOOO]

Feb 19, 2021 17:31:43 GMT -5 VintageFigs1 said:

Feb 19, 2021 15:44:48 GMT -5 WOOOOOO said:

These are super rad but it all depends on pricing. If these are more than $20 each then no go for except maybe Bravo

I can promise these will be over 20. These aren’t mass produced.

Damn that's a bummer even though I understand it. Was gonna do Bravo, Sabu, Bruiser, and R&R but likely will have to go with just Bravo. Just too many things coming out these days.

[Mr Angry Cena]

I’m so excited for these! I’ll gladly pay a premium price to have these figures in my collection. Here’s hoping the preorders will be open to Canadian residents as well.

[mrh]

I think we should just calm down on the speculation -- and wait until there are full reveals for how the figs look and on pricing...

[romanthenewyorker]

$20-24 to be expected, they are factory made & will have factory paints so if it’s more than $25 it’s probably to cover royalties or licensing etc

[Deleted]

Hi everyone,

Zombie Sailor here,
Just wanted to chime in as there seems to be many people here in this message forum that don’t know the process of making action figures and the cost associated with manufacturing them (something new to me as well)

The price to make each figure is far more than you could ever possibly imagine:
For starters, JUST to make the steel master molds in the factory, EACH mold is between $8-9k.

We are using high quality artists in the toy industry to hand sculpt each figure, that is several thousand dollars per figure.

To get the initial resin prototypes cast, then painted are several thousand per character

If a character has a soft goods coat or something, that’s $1000 to make a few copies plus the pattern copy for the factory to replicate

Fees paid to the designer/blueprint layouts which is to Ron Rudat, who happens to be the man responsible for the overwhelming majority of all the WWF Hasbros figures look...coming out of toy designing retirement to continue the Hasbro legacy...Ron is paid very well and deserves every penny

Graphic Design for ads, package design, safety testing, shipping containers from overseas to us here in the U.S., import fees, lawyers, etc. several thousand

Then, the factory still has to charge us per piece whatever it is they charge us...

Finally, royalties are paid out to every wrestler to give you officially licensed merchandise. The talent are getting paid a nice flat fee and a percentage of each figure sold, much more than the WWE would pay out for mass market releases and a much more hands on approach for talent to decide how they want their figure to look.

Mattel for example, it might cost them $25k to make a steel master mold for an elite....but that’s being spread out over what, 30-50k figures made ? That cost becomes pennies per figure, though our molds cost less to make compared to a said elite figure, we are probably only making 1-2,000 of each character which factors into the cost per unit. These will definitely be on par with the best retail figures available and in most cases, way better...but these are being made(as of right now) in small batches, something unheard of to make this sort of investment with so few units being made.

So we have a high cost to make each figure, then, we would like to make a little bit of profit afterall.

The costs are huge, the risk is high, but no one else was doing it...or doing it good for that matter, so here we are.

The Brian Myers Figure looks insane and is just about finished, series 1’s lineup has internally been made official with names not even shown yet and already sculpted.

Nearly 20 names already signed, and I cannot stress enough...Dino Bravo’s FIRST figure.

It’s going to be a fun ride. If you want mainstream figures of “main event” guys, there’s a Target 10 minutes down the road.
If you want retro style figures done better than anyone with crazy attention to detail based on the majority of wrestlers who weren’t given their due, who might have very little merchandise out there or haven’t had merch in decades - then Zombie Sailor has got you covered.

I appreciate the interest from everyone, thank you anyone who will support this line and I hope this helps clarify as to why these figures won’t be 10 bucks each.

[Deleted]

Great rundown by Zombie. The Dino is one of the most anticipated toys in fig history. 2021 will be a banner year!

[Deleted]

Feb 20, 2021 19:40:32 GMT -5 @zombiesailor said:

Hi everyone,

Zombie Sailor here,
Just wanted to chime in as there seems to be many people here in this message forum that don’t know the process of making action figures and the cost associated with manufacturing them (something new to me as well)

The price to make each figure is far more than you could ever possibly imagine:
For starters, JUST to make the steel master molds in the factory, EACH mold is between $8-9k.

We are using high quality artists in the toy industry to hand sculpt each figure, that is several thousand dollars per figure.

To get the initial resin prototypes cast, then painted are several thousand per character

If a character has a soft goods coat or something, that’s $1000 to make a few copies plus the pattern copy for the factory to replicate

Fees paid to the designer/blueprint layouts which is to Ron Rudat, who happens to be the man responsible for the overwhelming majority of all the WWF Hasbros figures look...coming out of toy designing retirement to continue the Hasbro legacy...Ron is paid very well and deserves every penny

Graphic Design for ads, package design, safety testing, shipping containers from overseas to us here in the U.S., import fees, lawyers, etc. several thousand

Then, the factory still has to charge us per piece whatever it is they charge us...

Finally, royalties are paid out to every wrestler to give you officially licensed merchandise. The talent are getting paid a nice flat fee and a percentage of each figure sold, much more than the WWE would pay out for mass market releases and a much more hands on approach for talent to decide how they want their figure to look.

Mattel for example, it might cost them $25k to make a steel master mold for an elite....but that’s being spread out over what, 30-50k figures made ? That cost becomes pennies per figure, though our molds cost less to make compared to a said elite figure, we are probably only making 1-2,000 of each character which factors into the cost per unit. These will definitely be on par with the best retail figures available and in most cases, way better...but these are being made(as of right now) in small batches, something unheard of to make this sort of investment with so few units being made.

So we have a high cost to make each figure, then, we would like to make a little bit of profit afterall.

The costs are huge, the risk is high, but no one else was doing it...or doing it good for that matter, so here we are.

The Brian Myers Figure looks insane and is just about finished, series 1’s lineup has internally been made official with names not even shown yet and already sculpted.

Nearly 20 names already signed, and I cannot stress enough...Dino Bravo’s FIRST figure.

It’s going to be a fun ride. If you want mainstream figures of “main event” guys, there’s a Target 10 minutes down the road.
If you want retro style figures done better than anyone with crazy attention to detail based on the majority of wrestlers who weren’t given their due, who might have very little merchandise out there or haven’t had merch in decades - then Zombie Sailor has got you covered.

I appreciate the interest from everyone, thank you anyone who will support this line and I hope this helps clarify as to why these figures won’t be 10 bucks each.

I’m sorry if my earlier post came across as insulting as I do see some of the points I’d made addressed here.

I really like hearing the process straight from the manufacturer as it’s awesome getting to hear how these figures are made, and just how much work (honestly it’s more work than I would have ever dreamed of) goes into getting the figures produced.

I also understand, and I did when I made my original post why they won’t be in the $10-15 range per figure. I should have made my point better that if the figures end up costing let’s say $45 as that’s the highest current price for any speciality figures we’ve seen that I won’t be buying any of these figures myself. There’s names on the list that’s been released that I’d be interested in (Sabu and The Rock N Roll Express in particular), but I can’t justify spending that much. That’s how I feel about any companies figures though.

[The Masked Luchador]

As forward thinking as you guys are, have you thought about doing a documentary about this whole process. Someone going from vintage toy dealer to toy manufacturer is pretty awesome and I think could make a great story.

Free food for thought.

[britishbrickfan]

thanks for clarifying what you have here ZST - can you please elaborate on what (if any) international availability will look like?

will people out of the US/Canada (i.e. UK/Europe/Australia etc) be able to buy single versions of the figures they want e.g. Sabu/Dino/Sullivan/R&R Express, without having to commit to figures they're not interested in, such as Myers for example?

[shanieomaniac]

*Wanders in at too-early o'clock and reads entire thread*

Wow, just, wow.

I hadn't been paying attention to these as Retros/Hasbros haven't been my thing pretty much ever, but just from what I've seen so far, these are brilliant. The care and detail here is astounding and really shows what can happen when a collectible line is sponsored by collectors themselves. Just, the workmanship and love here is astounding. I love to joke about how "Food always tastes better when it's made with love" and this is no different. That Sabu blueprint is beautiful and it alone makes me want to get into this line! And Dino Bravo having his first figure ever? How many people have had him on their bucket list for decades!

This line is astounding so far and IMHO, whatever ZS feels the need to charge for these will be worth it. Hate to break it to all of you (for the billionth time) but Mattel is a toy company. These are not toys. There's an entire different target audience for these collectibles and I can promise you that the price tag will reflect that... but from what I've seen, the care and detail of the figures will also reflect that and yeah. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the awesome work Zombie and his gang put out there.

Great job. I mean it. This is a labour of love, and it shows.

Color me sufficiently impressed.

[Grapple Arcade]

Feb 20, 2021 19:40:32 GMT -5 @zombiesailor said:

Hi everyone,


The costs are huge, the risk is high, but no one else was doing it...or doing it good for that matter, so here we are.

I’ve applauded your effort and announcements so far and will continue to do so, but this part is highly debatable. I’d say others have been doing it well, are still doing it well, and for a cost of $25 for the customer.
Again, I wish you the best of luck.