In fairness to Allyson, Ryan and their Poser predecessors, V4 out of the box is not exactly a stunner. Blocky figure, mediocre lo-res texture, ugly purple second-skin bikini, buzz cut that looks like it was borrowed from Michael... I remember being disappointed when first loading V4.0 without any add-ons. A lot has to be done to (and spent on) Vicky before she resembles any of those hottie renders we're accustomed to seeing on product pages.

But everyone is right that Vicky is much easier to get to where you want her to be, thanks to widespread product offerings. Like many people I started with the Poser figures, Jessi, Sydney, etc. I held out against V4 and M4 for a long time, but once I started on the DAZ figures my G2 girls and their tiny wardrobes were abandoned. 

Anyway, I think as free supplements to Poser, the SM figures serve a purpose... to get you started. I don't see them as being successful standalone products.