Monday 1 December 2008

The Master of Kung Fu abhors cheaters!!!

Hello,

Sorry for the delayed update but before I get on to the real post I just want to address something that’s been brought up in the comments section – cheating!

There’s been some talk about people cheating in the polls and I must say I’m really disappointed that anyone would consider cheating. As far as I’m aware, this is the first time Eaglemoss and quite possibly any part-work publisher has allowed collectors to choose which figures are included in the magazine. It’s something I’m really keen to allow and I would hate to think people were abusing the voting system. I’ve currently got my web department coming up with a solution to make the voting system as secure as possible, but if it looks like people are going to force their favourite characters into the running order then we’ll have to stop the polls, at least temporarily and possibly permanently.

It may be that only one or two people are cheating (but hopefully none) and I ask them not to ruin this for everyone. I spend a lot of time putting up images and polls on the blog and take the cheating as a personal insult. Remember it’s one vote and only one vote each. We all have favourites but you’re more likely to see your figure made if you take part in the polls and vote sensibly. If all the choices were once again left to the guys that work on the magazine, then your favourite might have less chance of being made. I for one know that Blackheart would not have been our choice.

For the time being, I’m going to see out the rest of the Avengers (Heroes) tournament, and reassess the situation after. Please keep voting and make sure to do so legitimately!



Anyway, enough ranting and moaning, let’s get on to a proper update.

I’ve got some images of the upcoming Shang Chi figure, fresh from the sculptor. While not completely finished (it needs painting as well) it should be obvious that we’ve gone for the first and classic costume for the character. This costume has Shang Chi wearing his red and yellow Gee.



We decided to go for this look as it distinguishes the character from any random kung fu guy. Recent Shang Chi costumes have had the Master of Kung Fu bare-chested and wearing just some loose fitting trousers. While these look great, they tend to make him look like a Bruce Lee double or just quite generic. Of course, Shang Chi was fashioned after the great Bruce Lee but Marvel did initially give the character a unique costume, and so that's what we wanted to achieve with our figurine.

Now I’m sure some collector’s are going to critique the fighting stance we’ve put Shang Chi in but I can assure you that we looked in a number of kung fu books, and Shang Chi comics, to come up with a dynamic pose that suited the character and (as I hope you agree) fits in the collection. The discerning among you might even notice that we’ve put the chap on a bigger base. He’s still a regular issue and is in perfect scale, he just wouldn’t fit on the normal size base.

That’s your lot for now, enjoy!

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

yShang-Chi looks good.

Wish he was in a more neutral stance, but I'm pretty happy with him. Very cool that we've seen Shang-Chi in two different figure lines now. Eaglemoss' CMFC and Hasbros's SHS. :D

jarvis69 said...

Hi Richard. Nice work on Shang Shi !!It reminds me the Hong-Kong movies of the 70's !!
Btw , I also vote.....one time....lol

Marvelbeast said...

Shang-Chi looks great. The base is a good idea. He may not be a "special" but he will syill fit into the collection really well.

Thanks for the update about the possible cheating. I'm hoping that people won't take advantage of your and EM's trust in our choosing the next figures.

I'm hoping that those people who cheated won't now vote numerous times in every poll now to hide that they really want to give their favourite an unfair advantage.

Were the previous rounds clear cut or was there possible cheating in them to?

Once again thanks for allowing the chance to guide our own collection :)

Your hard work is really appreciated and my shelves full of Marvel (and DC) figurines is testament to that!

Carturello Fabio said...

Hello,

WOW, it's fantastic this minia, i love the world of miniature (i paint 54 mm medieval warrior) and i think this is a beautiful work!

I collect all your marvel miniature and i think yor work it's very good!

I have a question, for Dazzler you use the original costume or blue whit star (i hope this second one).

I Love this second version of her and i think only this it's a lot know.

sorry for my bad english and bye!

Fabio.

Ryan Maxwell said...

Thanks for the new sneak peek!
Who won the Hellcat comment contest?

Anonymous said...

Shang - Chi look awsome. a very good pose for him i feel. I only know him from an issue of Wisdom where he fights the welsh Dragon in to help out Pete Wisdom and MI13 but he definatly looks like an awsome fig. The fingers look absolutly stunning.

Great work again guys and thanks for another great update Rich :)

Clinten said...

Hi richard thank you very much 4 taking your time to inform all of us marvel fans in regards to the most important collection of our lives :-).i live in south africa and i rely alot on the info you give in this blog as i am only on issue 66 so the info i see on this blog is a great comfort to the wonderfull issues up ahead .i am sure i am not the only collector who would love this collection to see the near 500 issue list it is possible so please lets hold thumbs that eaglemoss has the heart to continue this wonderfull partwork .i think the shang chi pose is great but will his box not seem to empty coz of the size of his base ?i wanna thank you 4 your blog and your comments

jimbob said...

Cant wait shang-chi issue comes out.Just cloake and dagger left to complete the marvel knights original line up.thankyou Richard

Mark said...

Awesome job on Shang-Chi... you've done justice to the Master of Kung Fu (the stance & red/yellow gi selection is perfect - I was really hoping you wouldn't have him bare-chested for the same reasons you cited)

Unknown said...

Shang-Chi looks awesome.

I hope Firestar will win!

S.H.I.E.L.D boy said...

Great Shang Chi image.
I really hope you guy choose Madame HYDRA.

Clinten said...

Hey richard me again :-)i got a interesting question i need advice wit ?it is about the votin ,i made my choices on monday and they went thru successfully yet tonight wen i came on your blog to read the comments left by all the other fans i noticed that i can vote again (dont panic i did NOT vote again).if this has happened to any1 else please let me know and i hope this will also put alot of peoples mind at ease as to the cheating problem N.B.i am using a nokia and i access your blog thru oprah mini app on my cell ,i hope this helps on the cheatin problem

Anthony Stark said...

Shang-Who? Anyway here is a couple of well-known characters that I would desperately like you to consider immortalizing in this fantasmagorical collection.

*Crimson Dynamo*
Come on, he is gonna be the villain in Iron Man 2 like.

*Ben Reilly (Scarlet-Spider)*
A no-brainer, he is just plain brilliant.

Come on, there`s plenty of room to fit these guys in somewhere.

S.H.I.E.L.D boy said...

Yeah..agree with Anthony Stark.
I think Sharon Carter deserves some attention as well...

Anonymous said...

Roughly 200 more votes in the Jack of Hearts/Firestar poll over the other one. Looks like there's some cheating going on again. Charming. :(

Clinten said...

Cbrbeast i promis i didnt do it i only voted 1ce

Anonymous said...

Ha ha ha.... Ok ok... Someone cheat for Jack of hearts! We are not idiots.... You must cancel the polls.

Firestar is a famous character and she must be in the collection with any way. She was member of Avegers, X-MEN and Spiderman's universe too. Who didn't watch ''Spiderman and his amazing friends''?

Go at marvel.wikia.com and look how many photos and images have Firestar, Jack of hearts and Quasar from their fans.
Everyone loves Firestar.

Anyway, include Jack of hearts and Quasar if you want but Firestar must be in.
And I believe we must have 200 issues.

Sage said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Elementstv said...

I agree someone has cheated big time against firestar and in favor of jack of hearts.I mean it takes an idiot not to see what's happening.I think for this,jack of hearts should be canceled.We could all cheat if we wanted to but we do not devote so much time in it.I just told my friends to vote for firestar ,and tell their friends too.That is not cheating because the votes come from different individuals.But to vote many times is cheating.Either cancel Firestar or at least retake the poll with extreme measures,because this is not fair.

jarvis69 said...

....no more vote for me.....too much cheaters......no more fun

Marvelbeast said...

I don't think it is "fair" for you to get your friends and family to vote for a character unless they are collecting the figurines too!

That means you are generating more then one vote for only ONE person who is paying to buy the collection.

If people are prepared to cheat then the polls mean nothing. You might not think that getting your friends to vote isn't cheating but think about it. Why should YOUR choice of character be made over mine just because you have got more people to vote for them, even if they don't collect the figurines?

I think that if the cheaters have been here all along then NONE of the previous polls have possibly been fair. That's sad but probably true.

They way I see it is that if the cheaters were here before then they wouldn't have allowed a character to win that they didn't want too!

If a character has won any poll here it is only because the cheats have wanted them too.

Shame on you guys. You've now probably ruined the chances of Richard and EM allowing us to vote here. So if you really are a collector then you've lost out too!

marveljoe said...

Jack of what now? He has nowhere near got the depth and character that firestar has WHAT is going on. Quasar is another favourite that has been around awhile but I can see he won't be in with a chance if this voting is being cheated.

Elementstv said...

@Marvelbeast :Well yeah you may be right but 5-10 more votes cannot compare with the huge amount of votes Jack Of Trades has gotten.If you want things to be fair,you should cancel the polls and find some other way to elect either firestar or jack of trades.And to be fair Firestar is a well known character of marvel universe whereas Jack Of Trades is not.Just check the internet info on firestar and Jack of Trades and compare.I am sad that you think I cheated but ,if you think that the firestar-jack poll is without cheating as it is,then you should be ashamed.I am open for any discussion.

jimbob said...

There is something odd about the firestar polls.As marvelbeast pointed out in the last blog on firestar vs mokingbird.I think that the firestar vs jack of hearts is the final.

I think that jack of hearts is popular he is one of my favorates out of the avengers lot,after being involved in the avengers disassembledplot.And would make a great figure with all the detailing in his costume.I dont no anything about firestar and she is not in the x-men or the spiderman ultmate guide book so i dont think that those fans would vote for her defanate.

I dont like the polls anyway,cause i just want them all to be done.I think that all the teams that will be done should just have the original line ups and not extended.
Also you should just do the four semifinalist.Whats happened to the double packs you said you where going to do.this will get alot done.

ps.200 i think is good number,dont wat to waste my money on unknown characters tho.
thakyou Richard

MrKurdt said...

Shang Shi is great, good job.

So what do you thing of the idea of product Humans characters like Mary Jane Watson ...

Long life to this collection.

(Sorry for my English)

Anonymous said...

Hey Jimbob..! Check this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N2A0D81HC8&feature=related

Watch all videos if you want.
And.... I didn't find something with ''popular'' Jack of hearts in youtube...!

And we talk about CLASSIC Collection. Not Ultimate.

Anonymous said...

I agree that getting friends and family to vote for the character you want is clearly cheating. It should be one vote for each CMFC collector, simple as.

There was clearly cheating going on in the Firestar v Mockingbird poll and I think it's clear it's happening now in the Firestar v Jack of Hearts Poll.

On The Superheroforums Firestar has hardly been mentioned at all until now, whereas Jack of Hearts is voted for time and time again.

Unfortunately the polls with 10-13 characters in also showed some signs of cheating as some lesser characters recieved a sudden unsuble surge. I believe Blackheart and Chameleon are fair winners and deserve their place in the extension, although I can't say I voted for them, I want to see them keep their places.

At the moment I'm disgusted that some individual(s) have ruined this amazing opportunity for us collectors to choose the figurines we want.

Personally I'd just make both Quasar and Jack of Hearts and either let EM choose the figurines for us, or move the polls to a much more secure site.

King Chris (Holy Wolf)

Elementstv said...

You mean to tell me that right now,the polls are cheat-free?Well that is absurd.Anyway if we take this poll into account ,then jack of hearts has won.But I think a more secure way should be found.Anyway...

Marvelbeast said...

I'm sorry Elementstv, I was angry when I was posting. I didn't mean to offend you.

In an ideal world the way that I'd like to see the collection continue to have our input is on an equal and fair basis. The only way I could see that happening is if we could only vote once each. That would include not having others vote for a character you want.

If you convinced other collectors to vote for your favourite character then that is different, as they have a valid reason for voting. They will also be affected by the vote because it is also their collection, any character they manage to get included is also for them. A friend or familt member who doesn't collect the figurines isn't affected by what characters are included, as they don't have to see it again after voting. (Unless they visit your home to see your display ;) )

Once again I'm sorry for my tone. I'm disappointed in the forum members and it may have come out sounding wrong.

Anyway I think this will all be sorted soon. I just hope that Richard hasn't been completely put off of asking our opinion as the vast majority of us appreciate the opportunity.

asura said...

I really don't like Firestar. She definitely has one of the most bad-looking outfit of all characters! :P
I see some comments like "Firestar is a famous character, she HAS to be in the collection anyway"...why firestar more than another character ? Everyone has his favourite character and now, at this stage of the collection, it is even more desappointing if our favourite character isn't made. Even if the collection is facing uncertainty for the future, I think we, collectors, have to be patient and also to calm-down.

Moreover, I wanted to know if Onslaught was still planed ?
And just to make some suggestions to Richard:
- Red Hulk (as special or a new paint as a variant)
- Vulcan (3rd Summer brother)
- Warpath (I'm sure he will make a great-looking figure)
- Drax (we need more cosmic figure and it's the actual icon of the cosmic story arc)

Anonymous said...

Firestar is sexy, very very hot and beautiful.

Firestar has bad-looking outfit??? Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

Elementstv said...

There is nothing to be sorry about we all want things to be fair.Anyway the polls will continuou and the ultimate decision is up to the ones that take such decisions!!!!We can only hope and pray...

MrKurdt said...

I watch the teaser off Watchmen for the 999 ... time.

Watchmen are DC caracters can they figure in the DC collection ?

Sorry, I know this is the Marvel Blog but there isn't one for DC.


(Sorry for my bad english)

Anonymous said...

MY main concern about Firestar is that she has a plain yellow jumpsuit and red hair, very similar to Crystal and we all know she wasn't greatly appreciated in terms of the appearance of the figurine. Jack of Hearts on the otherhand would be an amazing figurine aesthetcially.

Don't know whether you've seen or not Richard but some of us on Grim's forums have managed to combine all our polls into a 'perfect' list of 20, which fortunately has come out with quite a varied and popular bunch:

Ant Man
Jack of Hearts
Cannonball
Scarlet Spider
Drax The Destroyer
Sunfire
Toad
Blackheart
Jubilee
Chameleon
Jocasta
Prowler
Ares
Wrecker
Tiger Shark
Hydroman
Moondragon
Marvel Girl/Rachel Grey
Northstar
Quasar

With Omega Red, Annihilius and Sauron as possible specials. Any thoughts?

Sage said...

This tournament poll had turned into a farce and the blantant cheating is really pathetic, certain people are gonna ruin the polling for all of us.
I just hope the Editor looks at the result and discounts Jack of Hearts vote!
I think Quasar or Friestar should be awarded the victory. If not then the cheaters win and the cheating will continue if they think they can get away with it.
Cheating a character into the line up is really sad!

Anthony Stark said...

Nevermind Jack Of Farts or the forgettable Firestar, King Chris has a great list of characters there for consideration. I would be behind that list one hundred & ten percent.

Well... Maybe you could lose Drax The Destroyer and Tiger Shark in favour of some Iron Man villains.

But give it a look Richard...

Especially...

***Scarlet Spider***

Anonymous said...

A list is not a list without Firestar...........

Crystal and Firestar is not the same.... I can't hear that things.
Firestar is similar to Jean Grey too. So...? All characters are similar with someone other... I am sure Firestar can be a super sexy figurine like Black cat!

Kisses...!

jimbob said...

Ive just seen spiderman and hes amazing friends clip and think that firestar would fit into the collection well.I like her retro look and would go for that if she made it into the list.There is still a 3rd place play off Richard said at the begining of this tournament.

Anyway i've made a list for the last 20 i would like to be in.

1 Antman
2 Wasp
3 Toad
4 Tiger shark/Black tom cassidy
5 Morbius
6 Hydroman
7 Avalanche
8 Pyro
9 Blackheart
10 Blob
11 Jack of hearts
12 Jubilee
13 Forge
14 Crymso Dynamo
15 Scarlet spiderman
16 Puck
17 Northstar
18 Quasar
19 Snowbird
20 Firestar

MEGA SPECIAL : Giant man

SPECIAL : Sasquatch

SPECIAL : Odin

I hope it will extened around 200 then hopefully everyones favourite characters wont be left out.

Anonymous said...

I don't think Jack of Hearts should be completely disqualified because of the vote cheating. Baring in mind Firestar got through under suspicious circumstances last time I don't think anyone can fairly say either of those characters should have won.

Even before the JoH v Firestar poll gained an extra 400 votes firestar was marginally ahead but their poll still had more votes than the Quasar Stingray one.