umm, mizrael? [channels inigo montoya:] you keep using that word -- factoid -- i do not think it means what you think it means. :)

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comparisons are sophomoric? blink. and to think that i make them all the time when i am deciding where to put my hard-earned money. don't be silly. comparisons are a perfectly valid tool, we all use them every day in nearly every venue. saying one figure is not as well-developed as another is a reasonable assessment when -- as in this case -- backed up by evidence. if that alone discourages a merchant, maybe they're not ready to be a merchant. i'm all for encouragement, but not at the expense of truthfulness. that said, i think the clark bashing should stop now, and people who want to play with him shouldn't be lambasted. i also don't believe there is an actual choice here between a great figure and a mediocre one -- apollo and clark are not the only male figures in existence, and we have several new ones on the horizon. if anton is going to hurt his own figure by withdrawing apollo, well, i am sad to see that, but ... what can you do if somebody insists to cut off their nose to spite their face? an artificial choice forced on us should not make us give special concessions to the maker of the better figure. i don't think temper tantrums by merchants should be encouraged either, ya know?