darkSpyro

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I've been an Activision apologist to this point. It's hard to release a game of this magnitude in a market that's never experienced one before, and I can't blame them for not having every figure on store shelves just yet. A lot of it is due to marketing, distribution, and other factors far beyond anyone's control.

However, the fact that Empire of Ice is not out in time for Christmas is ridiculous, and a disservice not to the fans, but to the game itself. Toys for Bob spent substantial time designing a Christmas-themed area in Empire of Ice--even going so far as to give players a Santa hat for their Skylanders. This had to have been done, as any reasonable person would assume, to give kids a fun surprise for Christmas. After all, to release a winter and Christmas-themed level any other time of the year makes no sense. The impact of a free Santa hat is not as exciting for kids at any other point as it is this week. Around New Years, the magic vanishes with the decorations.

Activision had a rare opportunity to make Christmas special for hundreds of thousands of eager children, and the best these kids have gotten is a photoshopped picture of pre-existing Skylander artwork with Santa hats on. This pales in comparison to an actual accessory for in-game characters that can be worn on actual Christmas for, well, actual fun, in an actual Christmas-themed area. If I were ten years old and this were me, Empire of Ice for Christmas would thrill me to no end. As an adult, I can wait; after all, plenty of content yet to explore, plenty of PVP yet to be fought, and lots of understanding left to glean from the current game and characters. For me, they can take their time. I'm grown up, and I'm a patient person. However, on moral grounds, and as someone who supports making Christmas magical for the kiddos, I think this is ridiculous. If my son were old enough to understand what he's missing, I'd be irate; furious with this company for refusing to make available the one gift that would be perfect for him.

Are profits and hype really this important, or do the marketing people and regional distributors simply not know that this level was intended for play during the holiday season? Toys for Bob made it this way, much of the fanbase is well-aware of EoI's holiday theme, and any child who wants this for Christmas is somewhat entitled to it, in my opinion. After all, does waiting until, at earliest, the middle of January for a Christmas level make any sense to you? Even the most ardent Activision supporters (see: me) have got to admit that this is, at best, extremely cynical business practice, putting profits and unexpected demand over doing all they can to add a little bit more of that extra, fleeting Christmas magic to the stockings of the little ones this Sunday.

There will never be a better time to release this expansion. The level will be fun regardless, of course. As an adult, I'll be able to wax nostalgic for Christmas regardless of if the level hits shelves today or in the middle of summer. Harkening back to when I was little, though, Empire of Ice in time for Christmas would mean the world to me. When you're young, you love to milk every second of Christmas, relishing every last bit of red and green, thrilling to every Santa hat (even video game accessories), and wishing the season would never end, because when it does, so does the wonder and the excitement.

In a selfish bid to move more Boomer figures from store shelves and milk the current figures for all they are worth, the company has lost sight of what's really important. They have a responsibility to their fanbase. Little Big Planet releases Christmas accessories like clockwork. Even adolescent/adult games such as WoW have their Christmas themes and new Christmas quests up every year. Walk down any aisle in any store, and you'll see that other companies can get their Christmas products on the shelves in time for the holidays. If Pez can release a new Christmas Pez dispenser every year, surely the multi-million dollar company that is Activision can get their act together and ship a simple figure pack. Remember how quickly Darklight Crypt was everywhere after the end of its exclusivity agreement? It was literally in Walmart in my area the day after Toys 'R' Us lost the rights, and everywhere else within the week.

But, since the corporate think-tank has seen that the current figures are exceeding their expectations as a moneymaker and potential franchise (Brightman, 2011), surely they also see that, from a business perspective, it's best to keep demand and excitement high by holding out on future releases. This way, they can be sure that every kid has as many as they or their parents can afford of the current figures. It's not magic, just simple business, that drives the release schedule, and withholding Empire of Ice is terrific business if they want to capitalize on both their established fanbase, and all the kids who get the game for Christmas alike. They'll make plenty more money this way, especially with the holiday gift rush already winding down. From a business perspective, selling every Boomer on the shelves makes perfect sense. Why provide new product when the current one is already white-hot and there's plenty of stock?

The problem is, at Christmas, you aren't supposed to act in your own best interests, you're supposed to act in the interests of others. It's the season of giving, and a simple Facebook picture of Skylanders dressed like Santa will not suffice. The kiddos want Empire of Ice, and you know what? I actually think they deserve it. Up until it failed to arrive yesterday, at the last Tuesday electronics release before the holiday, I was still relatively confident that they would make it available. ... Yeah, not so much.

I'm not going to send them angry e-mails or call their PR people. Nor will I bring the topic up again after this post. I've just lost a little respect for a company that, I thought, had the best interests of their fans (a bunch of innocent kids, for crying out loud) squarely in mind with Skylanders. A Santa hat in time for Valentine's Day is in no one's best interests, unless you consider a quarterly profits statement to be a person; in which case, I feel sorry for you.

Way to go, Activision. The kiddos could've had a Christmas moment they would remember forever, a wonderful and heartfelt gift from their parents and their favorite game. Instead, they get more Boomer. They'll probably get him from all their relatives, really, because I see little else these days on those shelves that should've been teeming with Empire of Ice for at least a week now, giving parents plenty of time to make sure it made it into hundreds of thousands of stockings and under hundreds of thousands of trees.

Slam Bam is probably my least-anticipated of the remaining figures, the stats on the Santa hat don't appeal to me either, and I'm betting Vhraina and I blaze Empire of Ice in about ten minutes flat. It's not me they needed to release it for; I'm already jaded--have been for years. No, it's the ones who could've had a little extra holiday enchantment, priceless and fleeting, a golden memory that would never leave them. For me, one of those memories was the year that Next Generation magazine gave away free copies of Christmas Nights for the Sega Saturn. The game was a simple re-skin with a holiday theme, over as quickly as Empire of Ice will be no doubt, but it remains the most generous present the gaming industry has ever given me. It was magical, unexpected, and everything that Christmas should be to a kid. Although it's been years since I yard sale'd the thing, I don't think I'll ever forget what that game meant to me in 1996. Empire of Ice could've been that for countless ten-year-olds the world over, who could've had a Christmas Nights moment of their very own.

Instead, it's a blip on a 2012 sales chart for a company that let greed triumph. Way to be, Activision. I'm glad my son's not old enough to see how you've let him down.

Actually, they recently showed a short preview of Eruptor in the Empire of Ice level on ABC family eariler this week. This may be a sign that they might release it soon..

I would love to put my foot in my mouth on this one, Aura. Nothing would make me happier. I'd retract this entire post immediately and praise them as much as I've berated them for coming through at the last minute. Here's hoping.

Heck, I doubt I even make it to the store again before Christmas, whether or not the expansion is on the shelves. I just want it to be available so the kids who do want it get to have it.

i really want it, it is annoying me

you forgot one thing... the people that have been working day and night hand painting these skylanders.... its just not possible to get everything out the door at once...

anyway i understand your anger, i also wanted that 'empire of ice' before xmas.... but when it comes to anger you never beat this parent...

//forum.darkspyro.net/spyro/viewposts.php?topic=44128

Activision will get another chance NEXT christmas!

Quote: Ignitoe76

Activision will get another chance NEXT christmas!

skylanders2....

Very well said, Tashiji. We've been looking forward to getting the new figurines if only for our little boy's future enjoyment (and for the boxed collection that will be sold for a down payment on a car.) It is a sad day when a company can't/won't release a game expansion for something a the appropriate time when they do have the ability to.

@kappapopm Yes, the figurines are all hand-painted, but there is the fact that these have been known about for ages. There has been more than ample time to complete a generous amount of figures to release for this while in the meantime making more. Look at how many figures were released and still are being released today. All of the Crypts and Pirate sets that are on the shelves today, all of the single packs... They keep coming in and flooding the stores. Its not like they don't have the time or capability to mass-produce these things. I understand that these things are (for the most part, with some of the exceptions being Boomer and Eruptor) very well crafted, BUT I am sure that they have to cut corners somewhere. Like the basic molding as I was stating in an earlier post about their poses, there are certain molds that are VERY similar. I am sure that the base few coats of paint and the overall process of the actual making-of these figures is machine based. Otherwise, how would they get so many of the figures we do have out, like Boomer and some of the other more commonly-found Skylanders.
Let's hope that they can get their acts together and get the new figures out for the children who are anxiously awaiting them. Christmas has it's theme; let Skylanders join in the fun and spirit of the holidays as well.

Quote: kappapopm

you forgot one thing... the people that have been working day and night hand painting these skylanders.... its just not possible to get everything out the door at once...

anyway i understand your anger, i also wanted that 'empire of ice' before xmas.... but when it comes to anger you never beat this parent...

//forum.darkspyro.net/spyro/viewposts.php?topic=44128

It really isn't anger so much as disappointment. Anger would be if I got a broken figure, like some out there are reporting. I just feel that Activision should've put their considerable marketing might behind getting this out in time for the one shot they'll ever have at a holiday release; if not for the parents, who would have to wait in the most heinous lines outside of Black Friday for the darn thing, then certainly for the kids.

That guy definitely takes the cake for angry parents, but I wouldn't want a slice anyway.

I can understand how enormously annoying this is for you. I can't imagine my kids coming up to me begging me for the new skylanders, then having to tell them I don't know. It would be really hard.

I don't think developers in this day and age realise the abilities of hacking, it's like they're stuck in the past thinking 'HaHa! They'll be so happy when they see this new stuff, they will have never seen it before'. Because of this, we can find out about everything in the game and I don't think they realise that.

I think they do know and don't care... Kids don't hack, parents hack, and they are not the ones that they want to surprise =)

It's not just hacking. The official Skylanders strategy guide shows the Santa hat, as well as where it's found. There's a two-page spread on Empire of Ice in the back of the book. Additionally, the hat is visible in the collections tab of the 3DS version, wherein the game also tells its location; Empire of Ice. They may not have made their announcements overt, but there's definitely been foreshadowing.

i am happy as long as i dont have to wait a whole year for the remaining things.

Quote: LyraDragon

i am happy as long as i dont have to wait a whole year for the remaining things.

As am I. ... With the exception of this one. They so obviously made it for Christmas that to not release it in time is quite callous. Whether, say, Camo comes out tomorrow or in the middle of July, I'll have fun with him either way. However, to program a Christmas theme into this level, and give away a free Santa hat... well, let's just say, don't write checks you can't cash. If it was destined for 2012 all along, it would've been all too easy just to leave out any mentions of Christmas and give us a generic snow level that, at the end of the day, would play the same way regardless of Santa hats.

Quote: Tashiji

Quote: LyraDragon

i am happy as long as i dont have to wait a whole year for the remaining things.

As am I. ... With the exception of this one. They so obviously made it for Christmas that to not release it in time is quite callous. Whether, say, Camo comes out tomorrow or in the middle of July, I'll have fun with him either way. However, to program a Christmas theme into this level, and give away a free Santa hat... well, let's just say, don't write checks you can't cash. If it was destined for 2012 all along, it would've been all too easy just to leave out any mentions of Christmas and give us a generic snow level that, at the end of the day, would play the same way regardless of Santa hats.

this.

@Tashiji: Well said!

I still don't know how Activision can pass up this season without getting the last wave of figures and adventure packs out. The last wave of figures and adventure packs are almost worth 2 new video games (new games usually at $50 price) and that could have been more money for them. Im not saying I am not going to get them when they come out but a lot of people will no longer be buying the toys after Christmas.

For the sake of argument, let's say that:

1/. Toys for Activision lacked the manual resources to create enough EoI packs as well as all the stuff they did paint/deliver

2/. They wanted to bolster demand with a staggered release policy

Then why did they choose to release the Pirate expansion? Why didn't they simply release EoI instead of the Pirate one? There is nothing that special/timely about the Pirate expansion...

That way parents/children could have delighted in the XMas aspects of the EoI expansion in the appropriate festive season. The Pirate expansion could have been released at a later date and I am sure that they would have avoided this underlying sense of "travesty".

ok FIRST i agree that they should have had the empire of ice before christmas but dude WHAT WHOULD U DO IF THEY HAD ALL THE SKYLANDERS OUT AT ONCE? The game would get boring and all the skylanders might be gone. They stale the skylanders becauce if they got a new skylander that u dont have u would rush to get it rigfht? but back to the Emire Of Ice, i do also RllY want Slam-Bam i like the Santa hat and everyday theres a holdiday i put theat holidy hat on. so ya


have: (spyro)(wreakingball)(voodood)(prismbreak)(bash)(zap)(gillgrunt)(eruptor)(boomer)(triggerhappy)(hex)(chopchop)(ghostroaster)(whirlwind)(sonicboom)(stealthelf)

Hey. Hey. Hey.

Relax.

EDIT: Besides, the kids can easily ask for the game itself. Not everybody got it at once.

I only read half of what tashjj said but i'm going to have a fit if Activision dosen't have all them realesed by this date


secret date

Quote: CAV

Hey. Hey. Hey.

Relax.

EDIT: Besides, the kids can easily ask for the game itself. Not everybody got it at once.

I can assure you, I'm entirely relaxed. I realize that the sterile tone of online communication implies a lot of hostility, but really, this didn't take me long to write (I do it for a living) and I truly feel it needed to be said. I would be considerably more upset if my son could tell the difference between Empire of Ice and a toaster, but that's a few years off yet. Again, I am disappointed, but not angry. Losing confidence that Activision has any vision at all (let alone an active one), but not upset.

It's a letdown, but not an outrage. I really did believe they would come through for the kids in time for Christmas, and I retain that it was their ethical responsibility to ship the darn thing. Otherwise, there's no use pretending it's Christmas-themed, and the Santa hat is meaningless next to, say, a snowman head; something more general/less holiday-related.

Quote: Tashiji

Quote: CAV

Hey. Hey. Hey.

Relax.

EDIT: Besides, the kids can easily ask for the game itself. Not everybody got it at once.

I can assure you, I'm entirely relaxed. I realize that the sterile tone of online communication implies a lot of hostility, but really, this didn't take me long to write (I do it for a living) and I truly feel it needed to be said. I would be considerably more upset if my son could tell the difference between Empire of Ice and a toaster, but that's a few years off yet. Again, I am disappointed, but not angry. Losing confidence that Activision has any vision at all (let alone an active one), but not upset.

It's a letdown, but not an outrage. I really did believe they would come through for the kids in time for Christmas, and I retain that it was their ethical responsibility to ship the darn thing. Otherwise, there's no use pretending it's Christmas-themed, and the Santa hat is meaningless next to, say, a snowman head; something more general/less holiday-related.

hey not all of us are adults you know use less wrighting please. hey I said please

Ignore my posts if you like, I'm not here to find an audience. However, with all due respect, I'll type how I feel like typing, and people can either read it or not. No skin off my back either way.

well less and less people will read your posts just hang lose this isn't work it's a fansite no one will hurt if you just post: see ya

This is me just posting. What's the point of a vocabulary if you don't use it?

vocabulary is just for strict people with that kind of language I think your a teacher

I am a teacher. Theater arts EC-12, EC-6 generalist. lawlz

But trust me, vocabulary is awesome for lazy people. Why summarize something with a full sentence of simple words when it only takes a couple complex ones to convey the whole idea? It's sheer practicality. Or, "it makes everything way easier for me," but that's like three times as long to type than just saying "sheer practicality." Hah.

Anyway, trust me, vocabulary is the least-disciplined thing out there. The freedom it gives you to actually express your thoughts is incomparable.

And here I just thought skylanders was a toy/video game. Something to play with and have fun. I had no idea it was something to get all upset about and worked up over. My boy and I have all currently available figures. We also have a nice display from the local game store and 2 silver eruptors and a silver boomer. Sure we want more but we love the anticipation. Not having the figures any time soon sure won't ruin christmas and will just make it that much more fun when they finally do come out!

Quote: Tashiji

I am a teacher. Theater arts EC-12, EC-6 generalist. lawlz

JUST PEACHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well if your going to be on this website you have to use easy launguage not some launguage you would find in the thasaurus

Quote: meds081603

And here I just thought skylanders was a toy/video game. Something to play with and have fun. I had no idea it was something to get all upset about and worked up over. My boy and I have all currently available figures. We also have a nice display from the local game store and 2 silver eruptors and a silver boomer. Sure we want more but we love the anticipation. Not having the figures any time soon sure won't ruin christmas and will just make it that much more fun when they finally do come out!

I think I'll just stop saying I'm not upset after this, because it's clearly not working. lawlz


It's an issue of Christmas spirit, not having more toys. Companies just don't care about the small joys these days. It probably never even occurred to them to release it for Christmas, honestly, because that kind of outlook has no place in a quarterly earnings statement.

Quote: spyro assasin

Quote: Tashiji

I am a teacher. Theater arts EC-12, EC-6 generalist. lawlz

JUST PEACHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well if your going to be on this website you have to use easy launguage not some launguage you would find in the thasaurus

No, I actually don't have to do anything I don't want to do. That's the beauty of the internet. You get to communicate how you like, and nobody can stop you. So some people are put off by verbose posters? Lah dee dah, I say.

I want to know something. Everyone keeps talking about hand-painted figures.

You're telling me that some people are able to paint that many Skylanders, that quickly, in order to get them in boxes and to stores?

I really don't think these are hand-painted, and I would love to see a video where some random joe at TFB is just sitting at a desk painting hundreds of thousands of figures.

If that was the case, no one would have been coming here telling me my silver-faced Ignitor was a manufacturing error, or a paint error where it was simply left unpainted, or that silver Skylanders were painting errors that weren't intended.

Having said that, my point still stands about these figures. They are packaged into assortments, which means previous assortments have to sell out in order to get to later assortments with new figures.

It's why a place like Oklahoma City never saw Human Alliance Mudflap from Revenge of the Fallen, but other stores in bigger markets did. We were simply stuck with shelf-warming Human Alliance Skids.

What doesn't help, is the fact that waves went from boxes of 12, to boxes of 6.

skylanders arent coming before christmas or until January. would have had better sales if they realesed it before christmas if they realesed emporer of ice.


want: more skylanders

and tashiji needs to learn how to hang loose

Quote: spyro assasin

Quote: Tashiji

I am a teacher. Theater arts EC-12, EC-6 generalist. lawlz

JUST PEACHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! well if your going to be on this website you have to use easy launguage not some launguage you would find in the thasaurus

^Does it say this in the rules? Are you now magically Dark52? No. We can use intelligent language as much as we like. Can't understand it? Tough.

Also, before criticising people, try learning how to spell 'thesaurus'.

Quote: GameMaster78

I want to know something. Everyone keeps talking about hand-painted figures.

You're telling me that some people are able to paint that many Skylanders, that quickly, in order to get them in boxes and to stores?

I really don't think these are hand-painted, and I would love to see a video where some random joe at TFB is just sitting at a desk painting hundreds of thousands of figures.

If that was the case, no one would have been coming here telling me my silver-faced Ignitor was a manufacturing error, or a paint error where it was simply left unpainted, or that silver Skylanders were painting errors that weren't intended.

If they're hand-painted, somebody in the factories is really phoning it in on the hands of every single Stump Smash figure ever made. Only the most immediately visible sides of his hands are painted, which is weird, because that leaves the top of one hand and the bottom of the other with no paint job to speak of. We should contact the guy who's hand-painting these things and tell him to stop painting so much like a machine would.

That, or it is a machine. Occam's razor, right? You and I are of the same mind on this one.

Besides, I thought the theory was that they're all already made, painted, and sitting in a warehouse somewhere. When did we stop believing that? I think I missed that part.

bro....chill out

just trying to get tashiji to act like she's not a drill sergeant and where did you get that picture lemmingluv

Quote: lemmingluv

bro....chill out

A ten-minute writing job with only one source actually is pretty chill for me.

Quote: spyro assasin

just trying to get tashiji to act like she's not a drill sergeant and where did you get that picture lemmingluv

I'm not sure who taught you that solid command of the English language was a bad thing, but they really let you down. That mindset will get you nowhere; whether you like me or not, I hope you won't pretend you didn't read that. Trust me, regardless of any argument you've convinced yourself we're having, I only want the best for you.

Quote: Tashiji

This is me just posting. What's the point of a vocabulary if you don't use it?

....i like you

and I like people who want to kill justin bieber wana be friends

Quote: chaosworrier

For the sake of argument, let's say that:

1/. Toys for Activision lacked the manual resources to create enough EoI packs as well as all the stuff they did paint/deliver

2/. They wanted to bolster demand with a staggered release policy

Then why did they choose to release the Pirate expansion? Why didn't they simply release EoI instead of the Pirate one? There is nothing that special/timely about the Pirate expansion...

That way parents/children could have delighted in the XMas aspects of the EoI expansion in the appropriate festive season. The Pirate expansion could have been released at a later date and I am sure that they would have avoided this underlying sense of "travesty".

Okay:
1/. Toys for *BOB*... lawl

2/. Actually there would have been a perfect date for the release of the Pirate Seas Expansion Set... National Talk Like A Pirate Day
http://talklikeapirate.com/ I think this would have been a better release for it (next year of course) and that way they could have switched it out with EoI for this Christmas season.

Quote: spyro assasin

skylanders arent coming before christmas or until January. would have had better sales if they realesed it before christmas if they realesed emporer of ice.


want: more skylanders

and tashiji needs to learn how to hang loose

:/ and The IGNITOR needs to stop trolling on a new account... Seriously, why are you ranting about his way of writing? He has admitted that he is a teacher. He has also stated that there is no reason not to use the knowledge one possesses in everyday life just to placate those who either don't want to or can't understand the way an intelligent human being operates. People who go to school get an education. They use this. It is not a disability nor is it something to dumb down. So either shut up and ignore it, or learn how to use comprehensive reading. It is, after all, a basic skill taught in elementary school... Oh and by the way, I am a teacher myself as well; Vocal Music, EC-12 and Reading Education.

i'm not a teacher, i just don't see the point in being like "OMGGGGZZ, LAWLZ TROLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL, I LYEK TOTEZ LUV SPRYO!" all over the place. it's irritating enough to type like that, let alone read it

but i'm not the ignitor already whoever this guy is

Quote: Tashiji

...this didn't take me long to write (I do it for a living)...

Aha, my friend, I have friends who write novels for a living who would disagree with you on that!

can you go back to what your doing earlier

Quote: spyro assasin

can you go back to what your doing earlier

Something the ignitor would say as well:
Quote: the ignitor

Hey can we be done with my collection and get back to what vhrania started already

Quote: the ignitor

Are we done with this yet I am not listning to this crap

Quote: the ignitor

alright let's get back to the real thing

... need I go on with more examples of your- so sorry, I mean his -childish behavior?

Quote: spyro assasin

but i'm not the ignitor already whoever this guy is

Then, pray-tell, since I am so ignorant, why has The IGNITOR's birth date changed to a totally different day and YEAR? I highly doubt he is 110 years old. He also mentioned that he was 11 years old in the How old are you thread.YOU, on the other hand, appeared shortly after I made a complaint about how many posts he was making and after he disappeared.... Logic would point to you actually being The IGNITOR. Also, his signature was all caps, just like yours... And you also change it all the time, just like he did. Too many inconsistencies. So, either grow up, kid and learn to be smart and to pick fights you can win or just be quiet while you mature enough to handle an adult conversation. Oh and while we are on that note: can you please stop ruining great topic boards with your incessant whining? It gets to be ridiculous. All of students I have encountered and worked with kids (and trust me, this includes elementary schoolers) of all ages who are more reasonable and well-behaved than you are. Heck, even my five month old son doesn't fuss this much, and he is a gifted (read: extremely smart and VERY advanced - crawling, standing, babbling, eating from spoon and holding bottle on his own, etc.) Honestly, give up. Grow up. Move on.

End rant.

For the record, I did a Flesch Reading Ease test on the OP and it scored 59.9.

60-70 is considered optimum for most audiences; so pretty darn close!

I also got my 7 year old to read it. Now, I fully admit that his reading level is well above average, but he found no issue in digesting it.

Great for him! That is absolutely wonderful

Quote: GameMaster78

I want to know something. Everyone keeps talking about hand-painted figures.

You're telling me that some people are able to paint that many Skylanders, that quickly, in order to get them in boxes and to stores?

I really don't think these are hand-painted, and I would love to see a video where some random joe at TFB is just sitting at a desk painting hundreds of thousands of figures.

If that was the case, no one would have been coming here telling me my silver-faced Ignitor was a manufacturing error, or a paint error where it was simply left unpainted, or that silver Skylanders were painting errors that weren't intended.

Having said that, my point still stands about these figures. They are packaged into assortments, which means previous assortments have to sell out in order to get to later assortments with new figures.

It's why a place like Oklahoma City never saw Human Alliance Mudflap from Revenge of the Fallen, but other stores in bigger markets did. We were simply stuck with shelf-warming Human Alliance Skids.

What doesn't help, is the fact that waves went from boxes of 12, to boxes of 6.

It is possible that they have a troop of Chinese workers painting them. The minor variations reported in other threads (such as an Ignitor not having painted eyes or subtle differences in Stealth Elf hair) could be due to this?

I still think that someone have an 11th hour idea of speeding up the lines for a few chars by just painting them all consistent silver.

Goodness, I'm not exactly an adult yet, and I still read the posts...perhaps some post aren't for...slow readers, but please, speak for yourself.

Quote: C1nder

Goodness, I'm not exactly an adult yet, and I still read the posts...perhaps some post aren't for...slow readers, but please, speak for yourself.

*cheer* THIS.

Back to being on topic though, check out these pictures of some of our Skylanders. We went on vacation and a few were damaged... This is what the damage reveals:

Hex. Look at her forehead. The blue of her face overlaps the black. This shows that it is sprayed on mechanically by a machine using a template. Also, some paint jobs are not sealed. See her bent arm in the background? The paint is cracking and chipping.


Stealth Elf. She came like this from the 3DS game: scarred eyeball and 'bitten' ear. Why paint a figure by hand that is damaged? People would have to inspect this figure to see that it was damaged and it would not have been distributed. it was just quickly plucked off a line and shoved into the base and into it's game box.


Eruptor. ... Need I say more?


Wrecking Ball. Look at his little dangly things up top. The red paint has an airbrushed look to it, yes, but that can be done by machine as well.


And the creme de la creme:
Whirlwind. Her tail was damaged and sort of cut off at some point while in our possession. Hm... Looks like she is ALL ONE COLOR, even deep down to her core.


The lighter paint was probably done by hand, but this shows that the figures are not all hand-painted. Maybe hand-detailed, but certainly not completely all hand-painted.