Sideshow Collectibles News Blog

HAN SOLO IN CARBONITE REPLICA BY SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES

COMING SOON: an excellent Han Solo in Carbonite - 12-inch Figure Environment from the original Star wars trilogy. Details are scarce on this piece at the moment but rumour has iut the item will ship in the 2nd quarter of 2009. Standing approximately 12 inches tall, the limited-edition replica will be cast in sturdy resin and is apparently to feature light-up elements down the sides of the carbonite casing, to emulate the instruments in the films. More news on ths excellent piece of STAR WARS memorabilia when it comes to light!

IRON MAN: 'STEALTH IRON MAN' STATUE FROM SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES

 This fantastic Iron Man 'Stealth' Statue is revealed just in time for the Iron Man DVD release and the growing rumours surrounding the hotly anticipated sequel. Bowen Designs have done themselves proud once again and delivered a statue that is simply incredible. This item will be available in the 2nd qtr of 2009 and really does capture the essence of the character, even with the custom 'Stealth' paint job.

Cast in high quality polystone and standing approximately 14 inches high including the sculpted 'flames', this Iron Man 'Stealth' Statue is sure to be an excellent addition to any collection. Furthermore, with Iron Man 2 said to be featuring War Machine and other variations on the Iron Man armour, this item is sure to become highly sought after very quickly upon its release.

300 KING LEONIDIS PREMIUM FORMAT FIGURE FROM SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES

This thing is huge. No, really. The forthcoming King Leonidis premium format figure from Sideshow is due to stand in the region of 21 inches tall, and as the promotional pictures will attest to, the large format of this piece has allowed for much more detail in the painting and costume. Set to ship in the first quarter of 2009, it will be of an as-yet-undetermined limited edition. News of this fantastic looking product comes hot on the heels of the leaked rumours of a 300 prequel being in the works. Now, I’m not sure if a prequel to that film would work at all, but this piece looks kind of magnificent.

That is, apart from the facial sculpt. I seem to be taking issue with Sideshow’s facial sculpts of late don’t I? The simple fact is, when they get them right, they are incredible, but when they could be better, it is rather noticeable. Of course, these images are just of the prototype figure and not the finished item, and we all know how things can change between design and release. Here’s hoping the face is touched up a bit. It is a pretty good likeness of Gerard Butler, but it could certainly be a little better.

Although, with that said, this is still an excellent piece and is sure to be a big hit for Sideshow upon its release. As 1:4 scale figures go, this looks extremely sturdy and impressive, and is sure to become a classic of their range. Cast in high quality polystone, hand painted and shipped with a numbered certificate of authenticity, this is a must have for fans of 300. You may be dining in Hell tonight, but at least you’ll be in good company…

SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES- THE SAN DIEGO COMIC CON ANNOUNCEMENTS

This year’s massive SDCC event certainly saw the heavyweights of pop culture slug it out to get fans’ attention, and Sideshow once again outdid themselves with their new wares. The list of new items unveiled at the SDCC this year is really quite astounding, and carries more than its fair share of surprises. Lets check out the full rundown of items announced this time around…

STAR WARS
The Star Wars range is to grow with some excellent releases. There’s the exquisite ‘Frames’ book set, featuring a collection of volumes containing gorgeous digitally reproduced stills from each film as well as new twelve inch figures of Darth Vader, Han Solo, a Storm Trooper and a Rebel Trooper. There’s a new Tusken Raider Premium Format figure on the way, a Jawa, and a Darth Maul VCD from Medicom. Oh, and the General Grievous Life-size Bust, which is nothing short of incredible.

ALIENS AND PREDATORS
The most interesting new Predator item has to be the She Predator kit, taken from the Dark Horse Comics series of Predator titles, as well as a Predator 2 Diorama, a Dog Alien Model Kit, the ‘Lost’ Predator Model Kit, and a new Alien Bust which looks fantastic.

COMICS HEROES
The heroes and villains of the printed page were very well represented in Sideshow’s SDCC-revealed items. The latest items unveiled included the 1940's Captain America Shield Replica, the 1960's Captain America Shield Replica, the Classic Thor Helmet, and the awesome Iron Spider-Man Comiquette. Plus there’s the Ghost Rider on Throne Comiquette, the Iron Man Mark 3 12-inch Figure and the Thing Legendary Scale Bust. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Whedon fans were shown the new Electric Tiki editions of the Buffy 'End of Days' Statue, the Glory Statue and the Dark Willow Statue.

AND NOT FORGETTING…
The king is back with the Elvis Presley 'Comeback Special' Premium Format Figure, Lord of the Rings fans get the Duel of Light and Fire Diorama, and the Electric Tiki range gets the addition of the Captain Action Statue, Darkwing Duck Statue and Elvira pieces. In addition there’s the Sideshow ‘Dead’ range additions Subject 138: Street Prophet 12-inch Figure and Subject 1206: Mall Santa 12-inch Figure. MGS fans get the Solid Snake - Olive Drab RAH 12-inch Figure by Medicom, while Street Fighter fans will get the gorgeous Cammy Statue from Pop Culture Shock. Other awesome items unveiled at the event were as follows: Belloq 12-inch Figure, Cobra Commander 12-inch Figure, Dragon Dagger Prop Replica, Eye of Shangri-la Prop Replic, Conan Premium Format Figure, Diablo III OVERTHROWN Statue, Tarantula Bust, Marina Bust, Medusa Bust, Lord of Darkness Legendary Scale Bust and the Species Maquette. Sideshow’s Disney licenses included The Rocketeer Bust, the Triton Bust, Captain Hook Bust – Disney, Wicked Witch Bust, Snow White Bust.

No doubt there will be another huge batch of fantastic items from Sideshow at SDCC 2009, and we’ll be covering those in detail. Until then, there’s a wealth of great new items on the way from Sideshow, who are proving again and again that they stand head and shoulders over the competition.

SPECIES MAQUETTE COMING FROM SIDESHOW

Long before the days of direct to DVD sequels like Species 3 and Species: The Awakening, the mid nineties saw the advent of a new icon in sci fi/horror cinema- namely the creature designed by ALIEN legend HR Giger for the MGM science fiction actioner SPECIES, starring Natasha Henstridge, Ben Kingsley and Michael Madsen.Sil (Henstridge) is an alien hybrid with one intention- to kill and breed. Now Sideshow are to offer a superb depiction of her alien incarnation in a dramatic pose, brought to you with Sideshow’s usual flair for detail and sculpture. The Species maquette is set to become a highly sought after piece, and will make a fine addition to any fan’s collection. Check it out:

Due for release in the 4th quarter of 2008, the statue is to be of an as-yet undisclosed limited edition. The team at Sideshow have gone all out with this piece to ensure that one of the most striking images of the previous decade remains intact all the way onto your shelf. The Species maquette is to stand approximately 12 inches tall, but bear in mind this is still quite a large piece as Sil is presented in a dramatic crouch position. Cast in high quality polystone and supplied in the customary movie themed box, it is excellent apart from one or two slight deviations from the movie design. To these eyes her face looks a little different, as well as the musculature of her body, but hey, its not like I could do better.

Aside from those slight imperfections with the sculpt, this is a very cool piece and it is great to see another statue from Sideshow that doesn’t conform to the standard upright standing poses of other genre manufacturers.

ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK PREMIUM EDITION FROM SIDESHOW

Sideshow have revealed their new Premium format figure of Cassandra Peterson’s famed horror hostess Elvira- Mistress of the Dark! The buxom wench known the world over for her witty asides while introducing movies (as well as two feature films of her own and a popular comics series), will soon be available as a high quality collectible figure. From the gallery photos Sideshow have posted, she is looking as gorgeous and kooky as ever, and with the stylized sculpt she has been given is sure to win over the hearts of her adoring public all over again.

I love this piece. The expression on her face is absolutely priceless, and it pleases me that this bastion of 80s horror kitsch is still popular today. The Elvira- Mistress of the Dark premium format figure from Sideshow is to ship in the 2nd quarter of 2009, but can be pre-ordered from their site now. Standing at 19 inches tall, the piece is to be of a limited edition, yet the exact number is yet to be announced. The diorama base looks perfect for the piece, and while the facial sculpt isn’t perfect, it does capture the essence of this well loved character very well. What a pair of… eyes!

PREDATOR ON HORSE STATUE FROM SIDESHOW

Okay, I’m not too sure about this one. It does look cool, but it also looks faintly ridiculous. The Predator is meant to be a lone warrior, using its own speed, strength and agility to hunt and bring down its prey. Here we have a Predator on horseback, looking like a cross between something from Lord of the Rings and Warhammer 40K. The horse seems to have been sculpted from a traditional, earthbound animal but then had its skin stripped off. Ouch. It is definitely an impressive piece, but I do think it looks a bit silly, even for a Predator piece. Originally only available in Japan, the Predator on Horse statue is to be made available in the West for the first time by Sideshow, in a limited quantity. The item is to stand in excess of 14 inches tall, and features an excellent sculpt that errs more on the side of fantasy art than the old school badass aliens that Predators are usually cast as. Odd as the design may be, Sideshow have lavished it with their customary high levels of craftsmanship, and the sculpt and paintwork look amazing. The musculature of the horse beast doesn’t quite look 100 percent right, but it still looks suitably meaty and unnerving. The Predator on Horse statue is due for release in the first quarter of 2009, and the limited edition run is yet to be announced. I’m guessing it will be somewhere in the 250 region.

DRACULA DIORAMA FROM SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES

It is a nice thing to see that despite the slew of merchandise released by Sideshow for the latest blockbusters, they still find the time to bring us new items based on the absolute classics. Few films/books/franchises/legends are as Bram Stoker’s undisputed masterpiece Dracula, and here Sideshow are offering a piece that does that legend justice. This is an excellent depiction of Bela Lugosi as Dracula from Tod Browning’s iconic movie, capturing the vampire when he confronts Renfield.

Cast in fine polystone and standing approximately 13 inches tall, this exquisite piece of memorabilia is due to be shipped in the 4th Quarter of 2008. I love the fact that this Dracula diorama has not been stylized in any way, offering a faithful representation of the actors and the characters audiences have loved for generations. Also of note is the base, which instead of a standard logo-adorned effort is a nice sculpted staircase, giving the figural parts of the diorama much more fluidity in their pose and a bit more drama to the piece. Its great to see such a traditional collectible offered on the current market. The trend for overly dramatic poses and unusual materials has here been eschewed in favour of simple, high class craftsmanship. I’d love to see some other old school Universal stuff released again by Sideshow, as there’s really nobody out there that does it better. The only thing I'm not 100% sold on here is the pose itself- from some angles it looks as though the two pieces are about to have a bit of a smooch. Other than that, the Dracula diorama looks great. Now how about some new Mummy, Frankenstein, Wolfman and Creature from the Black Lagoon pieces too?

SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES: MERCHANDISE AND MEMORABILIA COMING SOON!

Another unofficial, independent look at the latest from the licensed memorabilia giant. INDIANA JONES: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 12 INCH FIGURE While waiting for the latest epic Indiana Jones movie, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL, why not check out this excellent figure from Sideshow? Sideshow Collectibles’ first Indiana Jones figure captures the legendary adventurer as he appeared in the first film in his legacy, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, and from the look of the images, we’re in for a momentous figure. The sculpt, while not 1900% accurate, is pretty damn close, and while the the costume does look a little oversized on the body of the piece, it is as close to the real thing as we’re likely to get.

The heavily articulated Indiana Jones figure, standing approximately 12 inches tall, is set to be absolutely stuffed with accessories (well, not literally stuffed, but you get the idea). All of the usual high standards of costume, display base and packaging are there, but where this figure is really going to shine is the extras. You get his whip, pistol, extra pistol with a removable magazine, Indy’s ever-present satchel, the Idol itself, and all the extra hands you could find a use for. Sideshow Collectibles are certainly going to have something of a hit on their hands with this one, but in future I’d like to see a little more attention paid to how the costumes sit on the figures themselves.

HELLBOY II VINYL FIGURE Mezco and Sideshow have come up with a hell of a nice figure (whoops, what pun?) for the release of the forthcoming blockbuster HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY movie. I love these roto-cast figures. Chunky limbs and a brilliantly stylized sculpt make for a very attractive prospect indeed, and more than validates the price tag. There’s a whole line of these on the way, of which this is the first.

The Hellboy II vinyl collectible boasts 12 points of articulation, a very nicely detailed costume (that doesn’t go overboard with minutiae), and of course ‘Samaritan’ and ‘Big baby’ weapons extras. Its nice to see that they haven’t gone 100% movie-realistic with this figure. I think that with a bit of artistic license in this manner helps the figure capture more of the character, instead of less. Look at the face! Now THAT looks like Hellboy.

LIFESIZE STAR WARS DROIDS!!! Full-size replicas of R2D2 and C3P0? The force is strong with this one! Okay, these things are ridiculous, but they are utterly fantastic. The size of these items is a beautiful thing, and softens the scare of the asking price a little. Bear in mind these are LIFE SIZE. How cool is that? They are the most authentic replicas ever produced, crafted in fibreglass and other high-end material, and are definitely amongst the most lavish, too.

Aimed squarely at the hardcore Star Wars fans with both the funds and the space for their own droids, R2D2 and C3P0 are to feature sound and lights in accordance with their celluloid counterparts. Details on these functions is scarce right now, but I think it will be safe to assume chirrups, bleeps and the odd utterance of  “I am fluent in over 6 million forms of communication”. Apparently they’ll even include restraining bolts like in the movies. Sideshow Collectibles have gone all out with these pieces, producing what appear to be full-on museum pieces. Okay, we’ve had Sideshow Collectibles create helmets, droids, weapons and more in their officially licensed Star Wars range- what next, the Death Star in lifesize? Mmmm…. Death Star…

SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES: STATUES, FIGURES, TOYS AND MORE

Hey all, time for another peek into Sideshow Collectibles’ latest treasure trove of new licensed figures, statues and merchandise on the way. We’ll be talking about an awesome trio of new releases this week, so without further ado, what’s on offer now from Sideshow Toys?

IRON MAN HELMS

Sideshow have teamed up with publishers Marvel Comics to bring us these stunning scaled helms from the forthcoming IRON MAN movie. The two that are being made available are the Mark 1 and the Mark 3 helmets.  Sideshow have gone all the way with these fantastic looking Iron Man Helms and have cast them in actual metal as opposed to resin or plastic. This alone makes these items very interesting indeed, not to mention much more accurate. Set at a scale of 1:4, these are going to be highly sought after when they arrive in the 3rd quarter of 2008. The bases are cast in polystone, but they do still look appropriate for the helmets, which, incidentally, are hand cast and hand painted.

STAR WARS EPISODE II: PADME VS NEXU POLYSTONE DIORAMA

The latest addition to Sideshow’s array of high quality STAR WARS pieces is the Padme Vs Nexu diorama. Depicting a tense moment from the climax to Attack of the Clones, Sideshow Collectibles and Lucasfilm are bringing us geeks something pretty damn special. I do believe this is one of the most interesting pieces we’ve see on the market in a long while - the pose and the sculpt really do seem to capture a moment of high drama and Star Wars action, and the statue is going to look incredible on a shelf.   Cast in polystone and hand-finished, it’s going to be at 1:9 scale, which, frankly, means the piece is going to be huge- approximately 19 inches in total! Now, my only concern is that this Padme Vs Nexu diorama may well be a little *too* big for most fans, but it would most certainly look incredible.

IRON MAN FULL SIZED HELMETS

Oh god look at this thing! A full size metal replica of the original IRON MAN helmet itself? Hell yes! The Iron Man wearable helmet has been hand-made in steel from the designs originally seen in Iron Man’s first Marvel Comics appearance! Even the display stand is made of metal. Two versions of the Ironman helmet will be made available from Sideshow Collectibles - one silver, one gold, with a total run of 1,963 (geddit?), so numbers are low! This should be available at the end of 2008, so make sure you get in there early! Now all we need is to see the Iron Movie itself …

More news coming soon...