Ashley Wood 3A Stuff Ugh, here I go again. Another line has grabbed at my interest, but I am trying not to bite too heavily. These toys just seem too well-done not to at least have one representation in my collection. There are Large Martins in the WWRP line coming out soon. $50 is a decent price, but I'd prefer to get into these at a lower rate. Anyone got any of the WWRP line that they don't care to hold on to at this time? Really only looking for the 1/12 scale, and only the robots. Thanks! http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,228533#msg-228533 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:36:13 -0400 Phorum 5.2.18 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,248095#msg-248095 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,248095#msg-248095 fel9 The OT Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:10:07 -0500 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,247315#msg-247315 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,247315#msg-247315
1. Pleasing design and proportion (i.e. not a walking penis)
2. Nice size and price (not insanely inflated yet)
3. Spanking clean 'zero day' finish (stands out from the otherwise amazing lot)]]> drifand The OT Tue, 09 Oct 2012 10:52:11 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,247309#msg-247309 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,247309#msg-247309 asterphage The OT Mon, 08 Oct 2012 20:38:10 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,247297#msg-247297 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,247297#msg-247297

]]> drifand The OT Sun, 07 Oct 2012 19:11:31 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,246008#msg-246008 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,246008#msg-246008 -------------------------------------------------------
> They're shipping and company policies annoy me...


I was just thinking about this. It looks like the 3A Action Portable Zombs will end up arriving around nine months after they were ordered. That's pretty well past the target deadline. 3A spins this as being a quality assurance issue, and I have no doubts that they're committed to quality, but it just ends up feeling like they're over-extended. The occasional you can suck it if you don't like it attitude doesn't help things much. On top of this, they revamped their forum so you can't even browse it unless you have an account and are logged-in. Killing lurkers is just backwards.

While their products almost always kick ass, here's my fantasy wish list for improvements to their customer experience:

1. The Pipe - a widget with "real-time" release info.
A. Just The Tip - an at-a-glance mini-view of the widget on their homepage that shows products that have been sold-but-not-shipped sorted by their currently proposed release dates (most recent first) which also shows their status (early, on-time, delayed) and includes links with pop-up product views.
B. Balls Deep - a massive release database of all 3A products from inception to the present (including vapor-goods) with expanded, searchable data similar to Just The Tip.

Why they should do it: It would address the majority of customer questions/complaints right off the bat. This shouldn't be a huge project if 3A has been keeping house since the beginning. A little time and money on the startup, but easier than organizing their newsletters and blog posts in the long run. Likewise, it wouldn't interfere with any of the other associated PR outreach. If they can do a count-down timer for sale-drops, they can do this.

Why they won't do it: It takes a little time and money to set up, and fuck you if you aren't cool enough to like not knowing when the shit you paid for is eventually going to arrive.


2. Your Guts: a re-vamped account interface.
A. Integrates data from The Pipe so you can see the current status of what's going on with the shit you bought.
B. Includes real-time updated tracking info with the option to email you when something goes from "Hatching" to "Shipped" in The Pipe.
C. In-house payment processing. Because, fuck Paypal.
D. The ability to change the shipping address on open orders.

Why they should do it: Again, this would automate a good percentage of the customer service issues that currently need to be resolved by hand. It would also make the account system relevant because, at the moment, it literally does nothing beyond listing orders you have placed within a certain time period.

Why they won't do it: Because this type of improvement requires some logistical coordination between account management and inventory control. It also costs money to setup and, frankly, they'd probably rather spend that money ironing out their production side first.


Most businesses aren't going to go out of their way to improve things they can get away with not improving. 3A is a small company and maybe we shouldn't expect them to make these kinds of improvements; the return could simply be too small. But, then again, 3A is a really innovative company that proves time and again how they can come up with seriously cool shit. So there's no reason they couldn't step up their game in this regard.

Anyway, one can dream...]]> Gcrush The OT Tue, 24 Jul 2012 01:58:23 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,246007#msg-246007 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,246007#msg-246007
The Good: The figures are, as usual, expertly painted and weathered. The card art is gorgeous. While the two robots' designs are similar, the "gut tubes" spilling out of their chests are different sculpts. And, if I remember correctly, they were actually released by the promised deadline. Nice!

The Bad: The card backs are needlessly huge, waste a lot of space in shipping, and can't really be reused for storage. The ankles on both Pop/Bad-butt are so floppy the figures cannot stand unassisted. Many of the joints are thin and fragile.

The Ugly: The range of motion on the elbows and knees is pretty limited because of the design. Pop-butt's eyes are the same color as its head.

Your Moms: Overall, the cost-to-satisfaction ratio is average. If you like Pop-bot, you'll probably want to pick one or more of these up on Evilbay.]]> Gcrush The OT Tue, 24 Jul 2012 01:09:38 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,245489#msg-245489 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,245489#msg-245489


Clint-E really pops with his squishy counterpart:





Also received Queeny, the first Tomorrow Queen from the Popbot line. Really liking the styling on her, as well as the re-improved lady body that balances articulation with looks the best yet.




3A's been shipping stuff with a vengeance, and I really have no complaints about it. Everything's been flawless and wonderfully made, along with fun. Hopefully they can maintain this sudden burst of momentum.
]]> Prometheum5 The OT Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:42:07 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,245321#msg-245321 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,245321#msg-245321
(http://www.threeaonline.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/microad1.jpg)]]> fel9 The OT Wed, 06 Jun 2012 11:31:50 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244765#msg-244765 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244765#msg-244765 collectiondx.com]

Here's my review of Caesar. I love him. I've got a bunch of 3A bot reviews in the pipe to get caught up from this year's releases. Big bots, small bots, old bots, and new bots.]]> Prometheum5 The OT Tue, 15 May 2012 23:19:27 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244485#msg-244485 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244485#msg-244485 -------------------------------------------------------
> Don't get me wrong...if a new cool looking bot or
> trooper show up for preorder I'll cave. What I'm
> not chasing is a "rare" release or a variant "with
> new hat" type of release. A lot of the 3A freaks
> want every single different version of a
> character. I'm fine to settle for the one that I
> like the best of any given release.
>
> Hey which ones did you miss that you wanted? I
> have a couple of duplicates (by which I mean I
> have a couple of the same fig/bot in different
> decos) that I would be willing to part with for
> the sake of space. You can pm them to me....

I get that entirely. I have one of each character from Adventure Kartel (I consider Cherry Shadow a different character) and am satisfied, although I am thinking about picking up another Zomb or two. For Popbot stuff, I like having a variety of different TKs and TQs, but I still only grab one flavor of each model. I really wanted a TK and a YQ from the Reventure stuff, but I'm sure we'll see similar stuff down the line as a general release. Having the toys ready to ship right now made me want them way harder, though.

I do get the multipacks on the Portable bots, tho, because the deals are just too good :P I'm certainly no completionist, tho.]]> Prometheum5 The OT Tue, 08 May 2012 14:24:54 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244482#msg-244482 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244482#msg-244482
Hey which ones did you miss that you wanted? I have a couple of duplicates (by which I mean I have a couple of the same fig/bot in different decos) that I would be willing to part with for the sake of space. You can pm them to me....]]> fel9 The OT Tue, 08 May 2012 14:06:49 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244479#msg-244479 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244479#msg-244479
A lot of people seem to have had enough, tho, and they're certainly not wrong for thinking that way. One think I think has happened for me personally is that I've been so busy this year with school that I just haven't had time to get worked up over the delays. Every couple of months or so a bunch of stuff shows up, and I', happy with pretty much all of it. I would rather it was a more constant stream of shipping in line with the constant stream of preorders, but just hasn't been a big enough issue for me when I have other stuff to deal with. Once I find a job and get settled, I'll probably spend more time worrying about it again ;)]]> Prometheum5 The OT Tue, 08 May 2012 13:43:55 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244476#msg-244476 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244476#msg-244476
To me this seems like a watershed moment for 3A. They are very close to alienating their audience. People are beginning to feel like they have paid for vaporware. I for one have decided to lay off the new stuff and wait out what I have ordered, and to see what changes. I love their work, but it is time to pay off on the promises they have already made before moving on to the next thing...]]> fel9 The OT Tue, 08 May 2012 13:22:20 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244465#msg-244465 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244465#msg-244465 -------------------------------------------------------
> Caesar is indeed gorgeous...Pristine 001 and 002
> look amazing next to the grungy other bots. The
> fit and finish are in fact amazing. Really rams
> home that internal security concept.
>
> Now they just need to get over growing pains...


The tone on the 3A forum has been getting really nasty lately due to delays and a couple of QC issues that have popped up. The news guy claims that a while mess of stuff is shipping in May now that they're done dealing with the Reventure show items, which would be nice.]]> Prometheum5 The OT Tue, 08 May 2012 10:48:50 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244463#msg-244463 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244463#msg-244463
Now they just need to get over growing pains...]]> fel9 The OT Tue, 08 May 2012 07:06:18 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244448#msg-244448 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244448#msg-244448



]]> Prometheum5 The OT Mon, 07 May 2012 18:09:28 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244231#msg-244231 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244231#msg-244231 -------------------------------------------------------
> Halo stuff, Portal 2 stuff, MaK stuff, it all
> looks incredible. They're shipping and company
> policies annoy me, but I can't quit them.


Dude, I know what you mean...There is so much to dislike about the nature of how they do their business, but I'd be lying if I did't say their work is beautiful...I am, however, not that interested in most of their new licences. I still think that their original stuff is the best.]]> fel9 The OT Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:50:51 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244230#msg-244230 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244230#msg-244230 asterphage The OT Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:40:50 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244229#msg-244229 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244229#msg-244229 Prometheum5 The OT Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:35:31 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244228#msg-244228 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244228#msg-244228 look gorgeous. But I'll wait for a SAFS or Melusine before throwing down...]]> Sanjeev The OT Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:32:05 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244227#msg-244227 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244227#msg-244227 Prometheum5 The OT Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:25:09 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244224#msg-244224 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,244224#msg-244224 fel9 The OT Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:34:45 -0400 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,241058#msg-241058 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,241058#msg-241058 > I believe the current party line is that there
> will also be an eventual undamaged MGS1 version.

Kojima's English Twitter says "Armor can be taken off and with that can be created damage REX from MGS4." which I took to mean that the figure would include damaged and undamaged parts. But the paint job on that sample he's got wouldn't quite work for undamaged Rex...]]> asterphage The OT Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:35:34 -0500 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,241056#msg-241056 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,241056#msg-241056 Prometheum5 The OT Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:17:42 -0500 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,241055#msg-241055 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,241055#msg-241055 VF5SS The OT Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:45:48 -0500 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,241054#msg-241054 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,241054#msg-241054 English Twitter reports that it has dino-damage option parts to replicate how Rex looked in MGS4, and also that Kojima refers to MGS character/mecha designer Yoji Shinkawa as "Shin-chan".

[twitter.com]

[twitter.com]

[twitter.com]

[twitter.com]

[twitter.com]

[twitter.com]

[twitter.com]]]> asterphage The OT Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:13:30 -0500 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,240887#msg-240887 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,240887#msg-240887
[www.bambasia.com]]]> Anonymous User The OT Fri, 13 Jan 2012 19:43:32 -0500 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,240604#msg-240604 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,240604#msg-240604 Jeeg!]]> Prometheum5 The OT Fri, 06 Jan 2012 23:58:00 -0500 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,240585#msg-240585 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,240585#msg-240585 >
> Thanks for the tip. The prices on the Special
> Forces toys are nuts,

Damn, really? Back when they were out you couldn't give them away. I used to see series after series on clearance. It's too bad, I would like to have picked up a few that I missed someday.



On a more general note, check this out, you guys - a friend just linked me this page with a design drawing for Ashley Wood's Zaku, posted back when it was first announced:
[www.bandai-asia.com]
It's so... different. I wonder how the figure just came out looking like a Makoto Kobayashi homage.]]> asterphage The OT Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:34:32 -0500 http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,240576#msg-240576 Re: Ashley Wood 3A Stuff http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?5,228533,240576#msg-240576 fel9 The OT Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:43:37 -0500