USCM: ideas for HT

Yeah, I would like that. A lot. Bring us more Colonial Marines!!

A weapons pack would rock! I've a 1/1 Matsucorp sniper rifle that is nearly complete.

As far as the Pig, here's one-



And here's some fodder for kitbashing...:smoking

This would get around the likeness licencing issues with producing film characters, and with no need to sculpt new gear or faces they could quickly get the sets to market.

Click to expand...

I don't think you have a proper understanding of licensing. ALIENS is a brand name that is licensed by the "principal" 20th Century Fox. Hot Toys obtained a license from FOX through Go-Licensing in Hong Kong for 1/6 model kits on ALIENS. Without seeing the contract, it was prolly negotiated to include any character in the film (i.e. the 2nd film in the franchise ALIENS). The license is good for two years and consists of a flat fee and a variable fee that is based on percentage of sales but is a minimum guranteed to the principal. The license expires after 24 months and any production or sales beyond this period requires a new license taken for another 24 months. From the history of their release in the ALIENS line with: 1). Apone + Hicks + Vasquez, 2). Ripley + Hudson + Drake + Ripley & Powerloader lasted approximately a time period of two years.

It is likely that HT's license on ALIENS is done. Hence you won't see any new figures from this line. Unless they come out with say the 1/6 Queen as one of their employees hinted at as a possibility. In that case, HT will have to re-apply for a license from FOX. And if they do, they might as well make such characters as Bishop, Burke, Gorman, then Dropship pilots, Newt, and whatever else. Because a licensee must pay a flat fee to the principal as well as another payment in the form of a minimum guarantee in advance of any production and hence sales, it is a misconception to assume that a licensee "won't even make this or that from the film". The factual situation is that a licensee owes it to itself to make every possible character from the film, so long as they have been included in the license. A principal usually won't put limits on who you can do from a film and who you can't. Think of the principal as a merchant who wants to sell to the licensee everything he has for sale. A licensee who takes out a comprehensive license and doesn't do every character that it includes is simply wasting its investment, unless for some reason it believes there's no demand. But if HT believes that there's potential demand for a 1/6 Queen (even though that would be a huge store/warehouse shelf & shipping problem) to authorize an employee to hint at its release, then it might as well plan to do the rest of the charcters in the film.

But that's a BIG IF and pure speculation at this point.

I think you are referring to a separate issue which is using and marketing the likeness of individual actors. It was said that Sigourney Weaver personally would not agree to such a thing due to her anti-weapons/violense political belief. Al Matthews who played Apone heard about HT's Apone kit and said he was going to "have his people look into it" to mean he was going to check whether they used his likeness w/o permission or paying him. I think if you remember HT's Ripley & Apone -- there was definite intention on the part of HT to avoid that whole mess .. an lesson they were taught by ?? George Lucas over their brain-fart unauthorized release of George's headsculpt years ago.

I would think it is more likely to see Hot Toys release a new line of PREDATOR 1 characters, e.g. the entire "human character" rescue team, simply because their PREDATOR 1 license (which is prolly part of their AvP license which might include all of the PREDATOR franchise of films from the looks of their Pred releases so far) is likely still in effect.