Figureprints make great gifts... or do they?
You are no doubt aware of the new, if somewhat costly, service provided by Figureprints in cooperation with Blizzard, which allows you to receive a real-life statuette of your character from the game. This likely appeals most to players whose characters have progressed far enough in either raiding or PvP to acquire some of the really impressive looking gear for their characters. Yet, as these two comics from Penny Arcade point out (part one and part two), they don't exactly make for good gifts, unless the giver is very keen on the wishes of the recipient. For players who haven't acquired high-end class armor, the appearance of our characters may inspire more shame than pride. Certainly a lot of the armor we might happen to possess isn't the kind of stuff you'd want to place on the mantle above your fireplace.
Nonetheless, if you were to receive such a gift, you wouldn't necessarily have to quit one's job to grind honor and raid for a few months. There are some relatively attractive sets of armor available for purchase on the auction house, and, though they won't impress those friends who really know their WoW gear, they might just look good enough to impress everyone else.






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Matt Jan 2nd 2008 2:10PM
i had thought about this...having the shadoweave set and 2 pieces of the aldor regalia, i would say my character looks good, and definately not shameful...but still id love to deck him out in one of the sexy armor sets before i buy one of these things...tho it would be kinda cool to do a progression set...like every 10-20 levels...to show how your character started and progressed =-P
Scoottie Jan 2nd 2008 2:25PM
do they give you another one when you upgrade your gear? great money making widget but stupid gift/real world item
Philo Jan 2nd 2008 2:47PM
I really don't see how it's a "stupid" gift because the figurine doesn't reflect your gear 24/7... Sheesh.
Smurk Jan 2nd 2008 2:54PM
Is there a lot of appeal for something like this if you have a complete set of T6 gear or whatever? Because, sure, it's "your" character, but that gear also makes you look like a PTR drone. If anyone here has ordered a figure already, I'm interested to know what sort of gear you locked in for the design.
seamus Jan 2nd 2008 3:09PM
Ok, everyone calm down. I'm pretty sure they give the option of ordering your character in whatever gear you want. You don't have to grind anything or raid anything. Wanna order your toon in T^? Just go right ahead and place the order and ask for T^. Voila! It arrives as purty as can be.
Langerhans Jan 2nd 2008 3:21PM
@ Seamus...
Actually you can't just order up whatever gear you want. It's pulled from the Armory into their own tweeked version of Blizzard's Model Viewer.
Go read their FAQ on their website, it explains everything for you.
And to add my two cents... I think it would make an awesome, if not somewhat expensive gift. Sure, I'd love it if my tauren warrior didn't look like a laundry basket of armor just exploded, but it would still be cool.
WyldKard Jan 2nd 2008 8:58PM
@Smurk
Exactly. It seems to me that players are better off finding aesthetically nice gear than "ueber" gear, since it's less cookie-cutter. Why would I want a figure it PvP/PvE set gear when it's hardly unique?
seamus Jan 2nd 2008 3:11PM
That should say T6 up there. As in Tier 6. ;-)
klink-o Jan 2nd 2008 3:14PM
If I ever get a chance to have one of these made, I'm dusting off the ole tier 1. Nothing beats Felheart in my book.
Gryphon Jan 2nd 2008 3:25PM
Actually the figureprints website specifically says you must own the gear that your figureprint comes in.
Green Armadillo Jan 2nd 2008 3:33PM
It's funny, my main is a mage, and there's a rule somewhere that all casters must wear dresses, so I seldom had any idea of how absurd my pants, boots, and bracers look. I have helm display off anyway, and most cloth belts and shoulders (other than set piece shoulders) are relatively understated, so I really only had to get my gloves and my robe to match. Then I took dusted off my old Pally alt. Oh boy.... :)
Lunati Jan 2nd 2008 3:41PM
To be honest... I have a character decked out in raid gear (A mish mash Tier 4 and gladiator gear, but it still looks nice) but I honestly wouldn't want to use a figure print to show them wearing THAT.
Wearing my fishing gear or a pirate outfit, or that gorgeous purple dress and tiara I have saved in my bank would look better as well as being more a reflection of my character than some raiding set. If you have a unique look you've been working on that doesn't look like some chaotic mess it works, but you certainly don't need to work for epics.
Hell, my favorite shield looks like all the ones the goblin bruisers use, and it's a level 48 blue. I'm never tossing it. But I'm probably going to toss epic gear when wotlk comes out.
Addie Jan 2nd 2008 11:50PM
If I get to make one for Addie, it'll definitely be in her fishing gear... Blue Overalls, Nat Pagle's Boots and Pole (I wonder if they can do a fishing pole?) Stylin' Jungle Hat! She has some gloves and a belt that looks good with the boots too.
Poxus Jan 2nd 2008 3:50PM
What is funny is I was part of the PA guild on Dark Iron and remember running ZG and Gabe bringing his mage along, decked to the T in pvp gear
Spyker Jan 2nd 2008 3:51PM
Heh. Deadly Borer Leggings FTL.
PeeWee Jan 2nd 2008 4:37PM
Well, nothing says it's the T5-T6 that look the best. I can think of a few green sets that look bloody awesome, especially on female characters. ^^
Kevin Jan 2nd 2008 4:39PM
My best memories of wow would be reflected in my full Bloodfang rogue. So glad I never had the guts to vendor it when BC came out. Now I just need to win the auction to get a chance at making my statue come true!
Mel Jan 2nd 2008 5:04PM
Actually, I couldn't care less - even if I tried very, very hard - if my friends or someone else, no matter how "WoW-savvy" she is, is impressed or not.
I have to like the look of my character, and no one else.
s256 Jan 2nd 2008 5:58PM
Right, I can't wait to pick up a Crystal Pulse Shield and The Essence Focuser to show off my shaman/paladin. And whatever other BOE healing gear I can get.
Actually.. I know some people who would be very amused by that. =p
energyvortex Jan 2nd 2008 7:17PM
Female Night Elf.
Black Mageweave Cloth set (minus the robe)
Full of Win(tm)