Year after year, Sideshow brings dozens of amazing collectibles to San Diego Comic Con and 2008 proved no different. Sideshow’s booth was one of the centerpieces of the show, featuring not only their own productions but also the work of several independent studios. Sideshow will be expanding many of their already-extensive lines by adding new and fantastic figures and collectibles to shelves across the nation. We spent some time with the good folks at Sideshow and were able to view these new products without the barrier of a glass case. Read on for all the information about the upcoming G.I. Joe, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Alien/Predator product… and a whole lot more!
The impending 1/6 scale figures alone are enough to empty any fan’s wallet. With incredibly popular brands such as Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and G.I. Joe filling out the 12” ranks, Sideshow is sure to draft many collectors into their loyal customer base. The previously announced 12” Indiana Jones figure will be joined by Dr. Rene Belloq as well as a Fertility Idol Base (available only in conjunction with the purchase of Belloq).
Sideshow’s Star Wars line will continue with figures from A New Hope, including a Stormtrooper, Darth Vader and a Tantive IV Rebel Trooper. These are announced on the heels of prequel Jedis Obi-Wan Kenobi (in Clone Trooper Armor) and Ki-Adi Mundi (a Sideshow direct-to-consumer exclusive).
The 1/6 scale G.I. Joe series will begin strong with the upcoming release of Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander; and while I pushed for news on upcoming recruits, our Sideshow tour guides let nothing slip. My money is on either Destro or Flint… but as I said, no other characters were specified for the next releases.
Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft, Sideshow’s premiere video game property in the 1/6 scale, was also on display. True to Sideshow’s portfolio, the character was looking as adventurous as ever (and by “adventurous” I mean “hot”). The Dead, Sideshow’s in-house 12” zombie line, will also see newly risen & grisly flesh-eaters. Expect to see undead versions of a Street Prophet and a Mall Santa all coming before Christmas.
Not all of Sideshow’s 12” figure collections will add members to their fellowship. Sadly, no new 12” scale Lord of the Rings figures could be confirmed at the time of the show. Given the investment already sunk into tooling the new bodies for the previously-released Sam and Frodo figures, one would assume that Bilbo, Merry, Pippin, or perhaps even a pre-corrupted Smeagol could be released some point. However, neither these nor any other new 12″ figures in the LotR line could be confirmed.
Anyone familiar with Sideshow’s work knows that the company has plenty of goodies to offer beyond their 1/6 scale figures. On display at this year’s SDCC, fans got a glimpse of upcoming 1:1 scale prop replicas like the Eye of Shangri-la and Dragon Dagger from The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor as well as the Big Baby from Hellboy 2: The Golden Army. Other 1:1 scale pieces included full scale busts of Hellboy, The Angel of Death (from Hellboy 2), a movie-inspired Iron Man (developed in conjunction with Stan Winston Studios), Predator and Nosferatu.
The Premium Format figure line will continue with stunning multimedia pieces sure to dazzle collectors. From the Star Wars galaxy comes the incredibly detailed Asaaj Ventress from (Clone Wars) and a Tusken Raider (A New Hope). Other popular film characters such as the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Hellboy, Conan, Indiana Jones and a Moria Orc (Lord of the Rings) will expand the Premium Formant line’s movie-based assortment. Acting legends Bruce Lee, John Wayne, Elvis and an animated Elvira will continue the celebrity-inspired portion of the line. The 1/4 scale Marvel line will get another mutant in the mix with Mystique and Laura Croft will serve as the first video game inspired figure to get the Premium Format treatment.
Additional maquettes and statues will continue as a large element of Sideshow’s product line. Fans of the highly-detailed, unique work for which Sideshow is known will have a plethora of polystone to purchase over the next year. While no new products could be confirmed for the Lord of the Rings 1/6 scale line, Sideshow will be producing a pair of Two Towers-inspired statues. A portrait-inspired Grima Wormtongue standing next to the cursed, enthroned King Theoden and Gandalf vs. Balrog mid-battle were both on display. Several new Sideshow-produced Marvel statues will also be forthcoming as well, including Ghost Rider on a throne, Iron Spider-Man and Rogue. The high-quality 1:3 scale Marvel bust line will also continue with Sabretooth, Thing and Apocalypse.
Cult classic flick Species will receive its first nod from Sideshow with a 12″ tall maquette. Sci-fi/horror heavy hitters, Alien and Predator, will be represented with wall-mountable pieces featuring the a version of the creatures from each film (pieces from AVP, Aliens: Requiem, Alien and Aliens were not displayed but are planned for a future release). Tapping into video game giant Blizzard’s popular licenses, Sideshow unveiled a 1/4 scale Berserker statue (Diablo III) and a polystone Blood Elf vs. Draenei diorama (World of Warcraft). Horror-based statues from Universal’s legendary monster films will also be released the coming year; as will collectibles featuring Sam from Trick R’ Treat. The numerous additional Star Wars dioramas that Sideshow has previewed over the last several months were also on display, as well as the upcoming FRAMES, a six-book collection of 35-MM prints covering each of the films in the saga.
You can read more of C.J.’s musings on film, toys and music over at stunksstage.com.