Gaming Heads to Release Headcrab Zombie Figure

[Dekstar]

Gaming Heads, the company behind the high quality (yet expensive) Heavy and Tank models featured on this site a while ago, are releasing another model; the Headcrab Zombie.[br]According to the company, it's the first of an entire range of 1/4 size Half-Life 2 collectibles, with hopefully more being announced before the zombies' Q2 2011 release.[br]The stats on the zombies are:

• 20 inches tall
• Cast in high-quality poly-stone and hand-finished
• The exclusive edition will include a miniature saw-blade (like the Tank model that came with a shotgun)
• The regular edition will be limited to 750 units world-wide, while the exclusive edition will be limited to 300 units
• The regular edition is priced at $299.99 (£188.69); the exclusive edition is $314.99 (£198.13)

Personally, I think Gaming Heads are under-estimating the size of the Half-Life fan-base with the quantity they're producing these models in, but as a sales tactic rarity is one of the best ways of getting people to buy things. Anyway, here are some pictures for your perusal:[br]

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[br]For the full run-down, head over to their pages for the regular and exclusive editions. Pre-orders are now live, so you're welcome to be one of the lucky few who own one of these collectables.

 

[knut]

i didn't even think twice about the size of it until i saw the coke can size difference in the last picture. i thought it was just going to be a small desktop kinda size, but **** that's pretty big.

 

[ríomhaire]

Seriously, I want a two inch tall sentry gun that costs twenty bucks, not these monstrous things.

 

[Stormy]

Far to expensive, its a shame, would really love something like this.

I'd be happy to pay £50 for something smaller!

 

[MJ12]

Yeah, not a figure lol. It's a statue like the rest.

Honestly, this company is incredibly disappointing so far. A pretty good sculpt, but no ****ing way good enough to warrant the 300 dollar price tag. Hell, McFarlane's 18 inch figures are better detail, are posable, and about an 1/8th of that price.
Produce some 9 inch statues at 30 bucks a piece ya bastards.

Valve should have went to McFarlane or Neca.

 

[Dekstar]

To be fair, the statues are damn detailed. Kotaku has a few really up-close pictures:
http://kotaku.com/5655829/a-closer-look-at-half+life-2s-headcrab-statue/gallery/

But yeah, the price tag and limited numbers are a huge turn-off for me. Gaming-Heads could probably rake it in by producing cheaper models.

 

[SgtSpamBoy]

Seriously, I want a two inch tall sentry gun that costs twenty bucks, not these monstrous things.

I second that!

Again, who are these giant, expensive sculptures FOR? Still quite a niche audience if you ask me. I think they would make more money by volume if they sold smaller figures in the $20 range. I would LOVE to have the HL2 or TF2 characters on my desk. These sculptures they're creating are not for the average desk or consumer.

 

[Barnz]

I wish I could afford one. I'm a fan of HL1 zombies, but this looks gorgeous.

 

[Natan]

you know what I like about the bioshock figures Neca put out?...I COULD AFFORD THEM ALL.

" Hell, McFarlane's 18 inch figures are better detail, are posable, and about an 1/8th of that price. "

I don't know about more detailed I guess it depends on the piece your comparing this thing to. Lets not forget Mc farlane and Neca figures are made of cheap plasic and in some counties that are real hot, collectors have to deal with figures warping from the heat.

maybe the heavy and tank weren't selling as well as they thought, so they made a lower number to test the waters so to speak.

 

[kupocake]

A wii owning non-FPS gamer told me the other day that she'd buy the shit out of an affordable Dog figure. My hope here is that Valve are just living out a personal fantasy - having premium quality, multi-hundred-dollar collectables released - before trying the kind of affordable, compromising range that far, far lesser games have already got (there's a Crysis 2 nanosuit coming from NECA in the new year, but that's more of an intelligent gamble than the fact that there's collectibles for Army of Two and Dante's Inferno). It makes a kind of sense after all: if there was a $20 Zombie out there, would anyone really care that much about this beautiful thing?

I dare say I have an above average amount of this kind of stuff, but there's still a very limited range of things I'd buy. Orange Box toys would basically bankrupt me, but they'd have to hook me at a low enough price.

 

[MJ12]

" Hell, McFarlane's 18 inch figures are better detail, are posable, and about an 1/8th of that price. "

I don't know about more detailed I guess it depends on the piece your comparing this thing to. Lets not forget Mc farlane and Neca figures are made of cheap plasic and in some counties that are real hot, collectors have to deal with figures warping from the heat.

I'd rather put up with the minor risk of my figures warping. I have a lot of McFarlane figures, and the only time I've had to worry about warping is if I packed them in a box and stored them in the garage for a few summers

I would argue that McFarlane does an equal, if not better, sculpt on a lot of their stuff.

 

[DoctorWeeTodd]

" Hell, McFarlane's 18 inch figures are better detail, are posable, and about an 1/8th of that price. "

I don't know about more detailed I guess it depends on the piece your comparing this thing to. Lets not forget Mc farlane and Neca figures are made of cheap plasic and in some counties that are real hot, collectors have to deal with figures warping from the heat.

I would rather have a figure that breaks and I can easily replace for eight times than have one statue that I can't pose and will be afraid to dust.

For a comparable super expensive toy.


The Dark Knight MMS DX 01 1/6th Scale Joker figure:


It includes:

-Over 35 points of articulation
- Stands approximately 12 inches / 31 cm tall
- Dressed in Gotham City police suit, hat, belt, Gotham City cop badge and shoes, the characters wears for assassination scene in the movie.
- Weapons-M1 Garand Rifle
- Additional costume: Improved & movie-accurate Joker costume of an overcoat, sport coat, vest, shirt, tie, pants, socks and shoes, with grenades rig and suspenders
- Weapons and accessories: Five pieces of grenades, knife, pistol and Joker cards
- Seven Interchangeable posing hands
- An interchangeable and new make-up Joker head featured with Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS) and colored Translucent Iris.
- Deluxe figure stand with LED lights

**About Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS)

PERS is a brand new technique applies to Hot Toys MMSDX figurines, special features include:
- Unique designed eyeballs with colored Translucent Iris
- Simultaneous Positionable Eyeball Function
- Work in all direction, as natural as human eyes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE5rjGxPRdw&feature=related

All that sells on ebay for $125.00 and had an original retail price of $165.00. Compare that figure for a statue of a headcrab zombie that has no points of articulation, so you can't play or pose with them that is $299.00 and requires an extra $15.00 just for a polystone saw blade!

 

[Natan]

ZT your right McFarlane would have done a better job in the sculpting dept and Price.

 

[dogboy73]

Personally, I think Gaming Heads are under-estimating the size of the Half-Life fan-base with the quantity they're producing these models in.

Really? You think there is a big market for this kind of thing then?! I think you'd have to be a pretty big HL fan to want to spend £200 on a mutant/zombie statue. I mean what would you do with it? Put it over the fireplace? I don't mind blowing them away in a game but I'm not sure I'd want them as an ornament. People would think there was something wrong with me if they came round to my house & saw this there

 

[Dekstar]

Really? You think there is a big market for this kind of thing then?! I think you'd have to be a pretty big HL fan to want to spend £200 on a mutant/zombie statue. I mean what would you do with it? Put it over the fireplace? I don't mind blowing them away in a game but I'm not sure I'd want them as an ornament. People would think there was something wrong with me if they came round to my house & saw this there

Well just thinking about it, Team Fortress 2 has their fans, but the Half-Life series is one of the most popular. Surely there'd be more than 750 odd rich/middle-class Half-Life/Half-Life 2 players.

But yeah, my main point was if they reduced the quality/size slightly, and sold them cheaper and in larger quantities, then either way they'd get a load more sales by appealing to the everyday gamer.

 

[Natan]

I agree with Dekstar. and alot of the HL fans were 14 or so when the original game came out, and now they are in their late 20's and can fork out the extra cash for something that goes back to their childhood. Granted this version is based off of the HL2 incarnation. but it's still the classic headcrab zombie at heart. However we are in a deepening recession sliding toward a depression. and cheaper figures made of cheaper materials would have made it possible for more average people to buy this thing. I'm guessing they are testing the waters of 1:4 scale HL2 statues cause they know they are taking a risk and maybe the tank and heavy aren't moving as much as they originally thought.

they should have made their HL2 statues in 12" scale like their other stuff IMHO.