F4F Q&A #98 Recap: Dark Souls Mimic Exclusive Statue Pre-Order & More!

Posted on by December 14, 2018

98 Down, 2 to Go! The world-shattering 100th episode of the F4F Q&A is just two weeks away, but that doesn’t mean that Alex and Chocks are taking a break! Just like the year started with Dark Souls (Ornstein), it’s also ending with Dark Souls, as the Dark Souls Mimic Exclusive statue and its Chest Companion Piece are for order today after being revealed on the show! What wondrous secrets regarding this monstrous piece did First 4 Figures reveal during the stream? Read on and find out…

Dark Souls Mimic Statue on Base Q&A 98Announcements and The Week in Review:

  • Shovel Knight Game Giveaway is still going on on the F4F website
  • #F4FShovelKnightTreasureTrove in the comments for a chance to win the Shovel Knight game
  • First winner will be chosen after the stream to win the game, and then 1-3 more winners will be chosen to win 500 Reward Points
  • Hornet Ring Pre-Orders from Torch Torch have now closed
  • Shovel Knight Player 2 Pre-Orders are open until January 4th–no Validation, since it’s a Companion Series release
  • Cowboy Bebop Spike EX Last Chance Week has started–be sure to order him by December 21st if you want him!
  • Tekken Law, Spyro PVC, Guts, Warp Star Kirby, Alphonse and Psycho Mantis EX pre-orders are all still available for now
  • The 403 Gateway issue has been arising frequently lately, but IT believes that they have now fixed the issue; do let F4F know if you encounter issues accessing any specific pages
  • Metal Gear Solid Snake statue has begun to arrive for collectors in Australia/Asia!
  • Spyro Classic Resin has also started to appear in Europe and the United States
  • Big Boss, Raiden and Metal Gear REX were the top 3 voted-for choices for Metal Gear characters to be made as statues from MGS games beyond the original Metal Gear Solid
  • Solaire’s hands were revised so that he could be successful as a stage magician if he fells onto hard times
  • Factory has to paint the spots on all the rainbow Spyro PVC variants and then they can be submitted to Activision for licensor approval; even if these end up being Vaulted they’ll be a beautiful sight in the F4F Vault
  • Sonic TF PVC head revealed this week in the OCC; working toward creating PVCs for as many fandoms as possible
  • Skull Knight is deep in development and being painted right now
  • Facebook pulled the Mimic ad because they said there was too much skin showing; Alex Davis: “I got zucced!”
  • You can now postpone payments for up to 3 months if necessary; First 4 Figures is doing what they can to help collectors when life throws them curveballs
  • Gift cards are ready to roll next week–just in time for the holidays! There could be special deals for gift cards available at conventions next year, perhaps?
  • Alex saw Snake SD and Sonic TF at the PVC factory today; will see a mystery PVC next Friday
  • Photo of the internal lighting strip for Bowser shown in the OCC today
  • Alex checked out 10 Bowser pre-production samples in China today; there were some problems that will be corrected for the full production, but looking great so far
  • Did the Varia Suit Samus Drop Test at the factory today; may be posted in the club over the weekend
  • Artorias, Link and Crash PVCs will be on display at Macao starting tomorrow; will be giving away 1 PVC per day for 3 weeks at the show
  • Jessica Castick bowled a 279 in a game of bowling this week! Out of 300! 279!!!
  • When Alex first started learning to bowl, he purposely avoided bowling strikes because he paid per game and didn’t want to only get to bowl half as many times (since he’d be making strikes)
  • Fairy Tail TT: ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ votes are neck-and-neck; 400+ votes; “Not bad”
  • Strider TT: 116 ‘No’, 25 ‘Yes’
  • Celeste TT Next Week!
  • Jo-Jo’s Bizarre Adventure TT in 2 Weeks!
  • Chocks has got some special snacks this week–Kirby Hard Candies and Mario Gummies! He’s also got some, uh, ‘phallic’-looking candy. “Take a guess, guys! What’s this?!”; “It smells like it’s been up someone’s…”
  • “I did buy this because of its shape. This must have been quite an expensive mold, right…?” — Chocks

Chocks Phallic Candy with Smiley FaceThe Q&A!:

  • The factory misunderstood what they needed to do to improve Banjo-Kazooie, so they have to go back and make the revisions again now
  • Yakuza looks good and probably ready to be submitted
  • Mini figures are going along slower than expected, but still being worked on
  • Lots to do to prepare for Q&A #100 in two weeks!
  • Chocks and Alex don’t have any plans for the holidays
  • Crash Racing could be its own line if the first statue does really well
  • Will Jet Black be the last pre-order of the year? “Maybe yes, maybe no!”
  • Christmas sneaks? “We’re working on that! Chocks and I are talking about that.”
  • Progress on M.ental H.ealth A.merica? “It’s really mental, if you know what I mean. There may be some. There may not be some. It’s one of those. If we were going to tell you that we had M.ental H.ealth I.ssues, it would not be in response to a Q&A. Just for your reference.”
  • Gift cards coming next week!
  • No progress on Xenoblade figures
  • Alex tried his best to please everyone until he realized that there is no pleasing absolutely everyone and stopped trying to; “No matter what you do, there will be people that you can’t please.”;
  • Alex went from being as nice as he could to “…being yourself.” — Chocks to Alex
  • Mega Man PVC has been submitted to Capcom; will see what kind of feedback they send back
  • There’s only one way that prices go: up. F4F does their best to keep prices within reason, but the trend is upward. If 10 people are working in a factory with all of those people making statues, the owner will make the decision on what orders to take based on how much profit the factory will make. The more that the price of the industry goes up and up, the more F4F has to offer the factory in order to get factories to produce pieces, which causes the MSRP to go up. The harsh reality is that if every other company raises prices, First 4 Figures must raise prices somewhat too or else no factory will produce the statues.
  • This is why F4F is focusing on PVCs to keep reasonable prices possible, and also why 1:6 scale is starting to have a bit of a resurgence.
  • Bowser isn’t at the stage yet where the numbers have to be finalized at the factory, so Alex hasn’t decided yet if the edition needs to be raised to 1100 from 1000 or not
  • GamesCom codes don’t expire until the end of the year–in fact, two people used them today
  • Nito is still being worked on and is a while away
  • Haven’t announced any Metroid statues beyond Meta-Ridley; can’t say if more are being worked on
  • No reason only Metroid Prime statues have been done thus far; no new major games since Metroid Prime is all; lots of people still asking for different suits from the Prime series
  • Alex suggests paying off Shiranui before True Form Midna
  • No Christmas Tree at the F4F Office. Alex doesn’t know if the staff celebrates Christmas as much as Chinese New Year.
  • 500 Rewards Points for Q&A #100? “Jesus… sounds like a lot!”; “That’s probably a good idea.”
  • Some movement on Faye’s pose; going in the right direction but a little bit paused
  • Alex has already chosen the Ed & Ein pose, and it’s already in 3-D and looking good!
  • “The first pre-order of 2019 is…. yeah, nice try.”
  • Genos tweaks have been made; looking good
  • 1000+ Votes for Wolf Link & Midna PVC doesn’t mean anything regarding hope for that piece; Nintendo PVC range is a set thing that’s hard to move around; only see Nintendo 1-2 times per year
  • Maybe F4F could invite themselves to go see Nintendo HQ during ECCC?
  • No news on Darksiders or Yu-Gi-Oh
  • Conker PVC? “Let’s see how the Conker resin does.”
  • No life-size statues at this time
  • Final Fantasy VII? [Alex laughs hysterically.]
  • Alex’s favorite Mortal Kombat characters: Baraka and Sub-Zero; Chocks always uses Sub-Zero, but says Liu Kang is easy to control
  • The chicken came before the egg
  • Sonic and Tails are at the duplication stage
  • Ornstein SD won’t be the first launch of 2019
  • The gap between Ornstein and Mimic was longer than expected; hopefully the time between Mimic and Nito won’t be so long
  • Keeping close ties with GNF Toyz, will be a while before they get to the modern characters
  • Alex thinks GamesCom 2019 is a 100% ‘Yes’; Only thing that would keep First 4 Figures away would be inability to get a space at the show
  • Resins are expensive and difficult to move to conventions and display there; will still bring a few resins (around 5) to conventions, but will primarily be PVCs at cons for logistical reasons and because PVCs sell much better at them
  • Alex is just going to chill out at home for the holidays with the little ones
  • Katamari King of the Cosmos: “See you in two weeks” [“…For you to ask the same question again, and we’ll play chicken and see who blinks first”]
  • Card stands won’t be individualized for each series
  • No restrictions on how many statues can be on Flexiplay at once
  • Only ship statues after full payment has been made
  • Spyro Resin Wait Lists unlikely to convert at this point if you’re just joining now; not sure about Varia Suit
  • Reignited Spyro resin is slightly bigger and far more complicated than OG Spyro resin; “very ambitious”
  • Haven’t had a chance to check Player 2 Shovel Knight sales; probably will be very limited in terms of success; not much pressure on this to do good numbers; will have a sticker instead of a unique box
  • Skull Knight statue is based on the modern Berserk anime; that’s what the license with Crunchyroll is for; looked at all scenes for reference to select the pose
  • Potential statue pre-orders for Q&A #100 are in the air
  • Aku Aku Masks and Shovel Knight in production now
  • Starter Pokemon Choices — Alex: Charmander; Chockles: Squirtle
  • Alex misses the UK every now and then
  • Core range of F4F merchandise being worked on with shirts and such

Side View of Mimic Dark Souls StatueDark Souls Mimic Reveal & Base Discussion:

  • The Dark Souls Mimic Exclusive statue will go up for pre-order after being revealed at 11AM EST today–stay tuned!
  • This section will be filled in as it happens during the stream…
  • “All things Mimic will be discussed!”
  • Price for Mimic EX was already announced at GamesCom [$550]
  • Mimic was announced almost exactly one year ago as a Christmas sneak peek as coming in 2018… and he is. Debuted at the E3 2018 Bandai Namco booth next to Artorias in June. Also shown at GamesCom 2018 in August and at MCM London in October.
  • Big, big square base! “That’s right, you can play chess–it’s 8 by 8!” — Chocks
  • Shout-out to Jeremy Bierson, who chose Mimic as his congratulatory sneak peek when he became an admin years ago!
  • You first encounter the Mimic in Dark Souls is when you have your guard down; usually found in serene, open areas without any enemies around
  • From software was very specific about needing to have openness around the Mimic and not a lot around it on the base
  • Dark Souls is about exploration and not epic boss fights; the whole point to having open space is to have your guard down
  • You can tell just by looking at the floor that this is an old building; lots of dirt and grime on the floor; the licensor was very specific about the feeling and details on the floor; needs to feel dark and lonely like the game
  • Floor has cracks and different height levels; some tiles are horizontal and some are diagonal
  • Mimic is absolutely MASSIVE, just like in the game!; Taller than Artorias even!
  • Selected creepy pose where Mimic is reaching for you, as opposed to the booting pose where he kicks you across the room; the kicking pose would have been extremely difficult balance-wise
  • Emphasis on this pieces is on the hands and the tongue
  • Chain is positioned to give the impression of movement and forward motion
  • You can’t see all of the details on the livestream webcam, but you’ll be able to see the details in 4K once the documentary is posted later today
  • Big cracks in the base are where the feet go, to give the emphasis of weight and power of the Mimic
  • Can see dirt on skin and boniness of body (since Mimic doesn’t have much meat on him)
  • Veins popping out to illustrate tension
  • Black wash running down muscles of legs
  • Because Mimic is naked, F4F had to look at the anatomy very closely and consider the fact that there’s a lot of skin and brainstorm what they could do to make the statue look more lifelike and interesting
  • Little bits of fiber-y hairs all over the Mimic’s body; very subtle, just there to give the detailing a little something extra
  • Viscous, PU resin used for the saliva wetness; each piece will be slightly different saliva-wise
  • Not sure if the final teeth will be metal, PVC, resin or ABS–want to be 100% sure that they won’t get broken since they’re so thing; will know for sure when Mimic gets to the production stage

Dark Souls Mimic Exclusive Base with LED Light Up Messages and Warnings

Dark Souls Mimic Exclusive Base with LED Light Up Messages and Warnings Close-Up of LED Base Lights on Mimic Statue Dark SoulsDark Souls Mimic EXCLUSIVE Reveal!:

  • The Exclusive is about to be revealed…
  • Artorias, Sif, Ornstein are all absolutely epic boss fights that you felt absolutely amazed and happy when you beat them for the first time. Is overcoming impossible odds what Dark Souls is to you? Or is Dark Souls more than just epic boss fight after epic boss fight to you?
  • Solaire is an example of a character that has a following and isn’t a boss fight
  • It’s really easy to make Artorias and consider the concept since you know what the location for the base is; same with Ornstein and Sif
  • But Dark Souls is about exploration and not just boss fights. Collectors are buying these statues to capture the feelings they felt when they played these games.
  • The EX for Mimic is a base with light-up LED messages and warnings written on it!
  • Alex thinks there’s no element that would bring an element of the Dark Souls franchise to the Mimic than the messages, which are something unique to the Dark Souls franchise and makes more sense to happen with Mimic than with any of the previous characters done in the line
  • Some blood staining and sprays on the arm; could be more blood added
  • Mimic looks top-heavy, but there will be metallic rods running through the body to keep it stable; F4F won’t release a statue that’s just going to tip over

Dark Souls Mimic Chest Companion Piece Specs Dark Souls Mimic Companion Piece ChestCOMPANION PIECE! Mimic Chest!:

  • From day one, F4F knew that they had to offer a Mimic in chest form
  • You could consider this to be a DE (Definitive Edition), but it’s actually a Companion Piece since Dark Souls fans who just want the chest aren’t forced to purchase the full Mimic statue if they don’t want it
  • You can get a combo discount if you want both the full Mimic and the chest!
  • Chest comes with Animated Base and is Animated to move itself!
  • Chest can be placed wherever you want on the base

Dark Souls Mimic Exclusive DimensionsPricing and Ordering Details:

  • 12-Month Flexipay Plans are available with a 10% Deposit
  • Standard and Exclusive priced at $549.99; $41 monthly payments on the 12 month plan
  • No customs fees or taxes in most countries
  • Standard & Exclusive Companion Piece Chest & Base: $349.99 ($26/monthly payments for 12 months)
  • Combo Pack of Mimic and Mimic Chest Exclusives (with two bases): $824.99 ($62/month)
  • Definitive Edition with Mimic and Chest but only one base available for $739.99 added as an option due to popular demand from collectors
  • Shipping Costs for Mimic: $55 USD to the US; $55 to EU; $75 to Canada; AUS/NZ $165 USD; $165 to other countries
  • Shipping Costs for Companion Chest: $45 to US/EU; $65 to Canada; $115 to AUS/Other Countries
  • Shipping Costs for Combo Packs: $100 to US/EU; $140 to Canada; $280 USD to AUS/Other Countries
  • Once Mimic POs go live, the FAQ will be posted on the website
  • Gleam giveaway contest on the website for Mimic later today! Up to 12 entries possible!
  • There will also be another game giveaway for Dark Souls Trilogy on Christmas Eve
  • Validation day for low numbers will be next Friday, 12/21

Mimic Reveal on F4F Q&A 98The Dark Souls Mimic EX Statue and all the different SKUs are now up for order! Now that you’ve seen the statue’s full reveal, are you sold, F4Fans? Is the Mimic a must-buy for you, or are you passing on perhaps the creepiest F4F statue ever made? And hey–how about that Companion Piece Chest?

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