I WILL NOT BASH ANTI-VENOM PRICE

I guess bashing Anti-Venom is what you guys are already doing all over the web. I come here today to comment about the failed attempts from Sideshow of make portraits of actors and actresses. Even though Loki looked promising. It’s infamous to compare the 1/4 renditions of Star Wars female characters Rey and Jyn Erso, with the supreme 1/6 Hot Toys versions. They look like unfinished prototypes when compared with the smaller versions. Stop. I’m being hyperbolic and untrue here. I have to admit that Sideshow Rey bears more resemblance with the actress than the Hot Toy’s version, but the lack of detail in comparison with the smaller version is what strikes me. I don’t know if it is the limitation of resin as raw material that impedes more detail in the molding or is simply that Sideshow don’t go that extra-mile to achieve what is possible in a much smaller figure. Jyn Erso is an absolute failure. When one compares the head sculpt with Hot Toys version is laughable. I don’t know how this statue will ever sell. Strangely, when Sideshow goes with their fictional faces this looks less apparent. I don’t know if it is because we don’t have no one to compare the face with or they just excel on their own creations. Take Captain Marvel, per example, it’s a superb face sculpt, more lifelike than Jyn Erso. Even Dark Phoenix has more personality and a more humane face than Rogue One protagonist. Superman The Man of Steel PF resembles the actor also but also looks too blocky, squared. This blocky face fits to fictional characters but in a market that have Hot Toys as plateau of comparison, Sideshow’s actor-based characters fall short. The last Captain America is another tremendous failure with its cockeye and almost no resemblance to the actor at all. I think the best effort so far is the Heath Ledger Joker but the makeup facilitates things a lot. Anyway, the point of the matter is that Sideshow should not stick its nose in this realm. Or if does, does it right. Joker and Rey are two steps in the right direction but about the rest, they are still miles away of what one expect of a fourth-scale representation of a beloved movie character should be.

And no I wouldn’t pay 860 bucks on Anti-Venom statue. It’s abusive, it’s unjustifiable, it’s just too expensive for what the figure is and the character it represents. Total pass. As Jyn Erso.

IS NOT THAT PRIME 1 IS BAD AT HUMAN PORTRAITS...

… Is only that Hot Toys became masters of it. The all-new Prime 1 rendition to Suicide Squad Harley Quinn bears little resemblance to actress Margot Robbie. I know is not as bad as Sideshow’s tentative of recreating Jyn Erso (that ended up more cutter than the actress imo) that bear almost none resemblance to the real person, but you got to admit that Prime 1 version dimmer is comparison with Hot Toys version. Of course, Prime 1 (as Hot Toys) inserted all the millions of details and tattoos the character carries with ultimate perfection but the face left a lot to be desired. It's difficult to represent beautiful people because they don’t have many distinctive traces. Prime 1 Will Smith is a much more faithful representation because the actor has distinctive traces.

If you go for Prime 1 Harley Quinn by the likeness with the actress then don’t. But if you’re a fan of the movie and want a character perfectly recreated to the minimum detail standing tall in your collection is that what Prime 1 offers you. And the bubble gun face helps a lot in disguising the non-likeness with the actress. One have to admit that there’s no competition in the market to match Hot Toys. The only statue I saw to come close was one from Rocky Balboa and his dog. Once again Stallone has very specific facial traits what turns easier the work to make a figure that resembles him. But this Rocky Balboa excels the norm and almost reach Hot Toys astounding work.

The problem is not Prime 1. They did a pristine job replicating a difficult beautiful face. The problem is that we grow used to Hot Toys pieces and their fidelity to the source material (actors and actresses) that is unmatched to this day. That’s why I don’t put much faith on the new Sideshow Wonder Woman based on BvS. Unless Sideshow was able to hire one of the top sculptors from Hot Toys! Lol.

On a side note, the first bust I’ve ever wanted to buy was this Hulk. It is absolutely breathtaken. Stunning piece of work. Of art. But I already know it’ll going to cost around (or over) 1k (not to mention the expensive shipping of such a heavy piece) so I don’t even get too excited. I think my collection really ends with SS Killer Croc. A much-underestimated figure if you ask me.

I want this so badly...

I think I will give up trying to reach the milestone for the petition pleading that Sideshow’s Payment Plan begins as soon as the pre-order is out diminishing this way the cost of the monthly fees and giving more time for average collectors to be able to acquire their desired figure(s). But I give it another try, since we’re close to the milestone. So, if you think these ideas are interesting, click on the link below and sign the petition. It will only take a minute and can make a huge impact in one’s hobby.

 https://www.change.org/p/sidewhow-collectibles-sideshow-we-want-payment-plans-with-more-and-lower-monthly-fees

And in case you want to order your Prime 1 Harley Quinn right now, here's the sponsored link:

12 DAYS OF SIDESHOW OVERVIEW

Here’s the full list of announcements/launches did by Sideshow on 12 Days of Sideshow:

1 – Thanos on Throne maquette;

2 – Wonder Woman PF (based on movie?);

3 – Pre-order Captain America Avengers Assemble statue;

4 – Alien Warrior statue;

5 – Pre-order Deadpool life-size bust;

6 – K-2S0 PF;

7 – She-Ra statue;

8 – Catwoman Stanley ‘Artgerm’ Lau statue;

9 – Thor Jane Foster PF;

10 – Gethsemoni Shaper of Flesh PF and Oglavaiel Legendary Scale bust;

11 – Ghost Rider sixth scale figure;

12 – Deathstroke PF.

The first thing to notice on this list is the big number of female characters: five (Wonder Woman, She-Ra, Catwoman Stanley Lau, Thor Jane Foster and Gethsemoni among the 13 pieces shown during the event. I don’t know if we can count K-2S0, Alien Warrior and Oglavaiel as male characters, but if count them out we’ll have the same number of male and female characters what shows that Sideshow is investing hard on the female front.

The other thing that got my attention was the great number of statues (smaller than PF): four (Captain America, She-Ra, Alien Warrior, Catwoman) against 6 PF statues, what maybe shows a new tendency of Sideshow to make more affordable pieces to the average consumer.

The four pieces with most wow/hype potential in my opinion were Thanos on Throne (by far the greatest revelation of the bunch) followed by Deadpool bust and Deathstroke PF and finally Thor Jane Foster.

Thanos on Throne is a sure bet to be a hit regardless the price tag. It may be PF size but it must be big to really grab collector’s attention. For the little the rendering reveals one can perceive that Thanos is not on a straight pose, leaning his head to the right, what is a breath of fresh air regarding figures on thrones that are always seating straight looking up front. Figures on thrones are an enduring trend I really don’t get, but collectors seem to love.

Deadpool life-size bust is a fun very well done sculpt. One can almost see the deformed face oddly smiling behind the mask. Pretty cool. Busts aficionados will undoubtedly jump over this one. It may very well be the first bust ever to the collections of many. The price is salty but nowadays is not really that expensive comparing with other pieces out now.

Deathstroke PF was a bold move from Sideshow since the Prime 1 version was so acclaimed by the public and sold a lot. Nevertheless is a great addition to Sideshow’s Batman series and brings a more realistic and yet more close to the comic books version of the character. Great piece altogether, as far as the picture reveals it. Hope it to be in a more dynamic pose than Prime 1 museum-posture 1/3 figure. Curious to know the price tag of this one. Hope it don’t hit the $ 700 range that is slowly being established as the norm price for 1/4 figures now.

Thor Jodie Foster PF is a beautiful new addition to the expanding hall of great female statues Sideshow is putting out (Dark Phoenix, Captain Marvel, Red Sonja, Black Canary). A couple of years back Sideshow wasn’t that good at female faces but nowadays they’re really nailing it. Jane Foster is another proof of that. And I loved the detailed armor. It can be a kind of heretic character for diehard Thor fans but the statue is turning out very nicely besides that.

Another that shows promise is She-Ra. Even though we get to see only the silhouette of the figure, the traces are very pretty. I am sure she will turn out another beautiful addition to female host of Sideshow. I am planning not to buy any new figures this year but must confess that She-Ra got me tempted. I hope she doesn’t end up so well as I expect her to so I can stick to my plan! Lol.

Catwoman Stanley ‘Artgerm’ Lau didn’t make the cut to me. It looked more like a toy than with a statue. The plastic glasses/mask (or whatever material it is) really broke all the magic of the piece. Besides that, all Artgerm female portraits seems to have the same face. It’s like having a Barbie with different figurines to me. It may be a too harsh comparison but it’s the way it feels to me.  

Wonder Woman PF is a hit or miss figure (with big chances of miss) since it looks like it’s based on the movie character and Sideshow is not good in replicating actors and actresses faces. One that grow used with Hot Toys perfection (or even Prime 1 1/2 WW) will most likely get disappointed with the end result of the head sculpt of this piece. Unless Sideshow outdoes itself in this piece. The armor and sword, on the other hand, looks amazing. Let’s hope for a big good surprise on this one. But I would not grow great expectations.

I don’t know why but the Avengers Assemble line didn’t hit the spot to me so far. I didn’t like Iron-Man and the same goes to Captain America. Maybe the case with Cap is that I believe I have the best statue ever made of him which is Sideshow (something) Against Hydra PF. I don’t like the head sculpt of this one and I don’t like the gigantic pouches on his belt. And it doesn’t seem very detailed either. I don’t know what’s going wrong here, I guess is the art direction Sideshow is giving to the characters because the Masters of Universe, albeit also 1/5, are as detailed – if not more – as any PF figure. What is not the case with Avengers Assemble line. But I didn’t loose the faith yet. Hulk seems to be very cool and Thor seems not bad either. Maybe it was just a rough start. Well, anyway, Captain America didn’t capture my attention.

In the Court of the Dead department, they will launch their most humane character yet in the shape of Gethsemoni. They showed only a concept art of her that resembles me of Shard. But I’m not into Court of the Dead (only character I would consider investing would be Malavestros) so I’m biased to talk. I’m sure she will please the fans.

I loved the bust of Oglaviel. Even though it is a piece that doesn’t match my collection, everything on it is fantastic with or without the jaw. Loved the head and the base. Only thing I didn’t like was the black cane in between them. I found a very poor simplistic solution given the level of detail of the rest of the piece.

One can’t go wrong with K-2SO. I believe that Sideshow may even had access to the movie 3D model of it.  But even without the aid of LucasArts or Disney it’s not a difficult sculpture to do especially working with 3D software. So it’s a carbon copy of the funniest and probably the best character of Rogue One.

 One can only do so much when the subject is Alien. Let’s hope the pose brings something new to the table, otherwise it will be difficult for this figure – that it’s not even a PF – to stand out from the several earlier iterations of the iconic creature.

Finally the little one, sixth scale Ghost Rider. It seemed a little bald to me, if you know what I mean, but it attends to the demand of the fans who wished the fire to be made of translucent material. It’s not the most impressive figure I’ve ever saw and of course it pales in comparison with XM’s statue. I really wonder who is the public for this piece and can imagine no one. It’s like they needed to do a sixth scale figure for their line and came up with this.

Well this was the overview of the 12 Days of Sideshow. Once again I beg to you sign the petition below asking payment plans to begin with the pre-order, lowering this way the monthly fees (because the value will be divided in more months) and giving more flexibility to us. Click the link below. It only takes a minute. And can make a great difference to all of us collectors.

https://www.change.org/p/sidewhow-collectibles-sideshow-we-want-payment-plans-with-more-and-lower-monthly-fees