Tag Archives: sideshow

Nov 29 2024

DC Comics: Power Girl Premium Format Figure by Sideshow

Happy Day After Thanksgiving! Obviously, there was no review on Wednesday as I put in some extra hours at work and then spent some time getting stuff done around the house. Chances are I may be missing a day or two here and there as I move closer to moving. But, yesterday was a good day of rest and food and now it’s time to get back to it! It’s been a little bit since I last checked out a Premium Format release from Sideshow, and that’s because I really haven’t been picking any up. And as someone who is in the process of packing up his collection to move, the fewer of these I have to schlep 700 miles across two States the better. And because the lovely Kara Zor-El here is going to be getting tucked back into her Styrofoam bed soon, I figured it would be a good idea to check her out before that happens!

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to just how big these boxes are when they show up at my front door! I have wanted a Power Girl PF Figure ever since the last one Sideshow did. I came so close to pulling the trigger on that previous release, but truth be told, I just couldn’t budget it at the time and soon she was only available for stupid money on the secondary market. When this new version was announced, all my sorrows went away, because I liked everything about this version a lot more. But, the timing was bad, because I had my eyes and money on a different PF Figure about to release and so once again, I had to put her on hold. But she eventually wound up on one of Sideshow’s sales and the discount along with some unspent Reward Points got her down to a manageable number and she finally flew to my shelf. Yup, it was quite a roller-coaster getting here! Anyway, the box is colorful, and as big and heavy as you would expect a quarter-scale statue box to be. As usual, there’s some assembly required here, both magnets and pegs, but getting Kara slotted into the stand was a bit of a terrifying chore. I got there eventually, and I have to say the balance and stability on display here is a wonder of applied physics.

Oh, Kara my Kara! So, straightaway I’ll say that my two favorite improvements seen here over the last version is the better proportions and the dynamic hovering flight pose. Don’t get me wrong, I would have been perfectly happy owning that one, but in comparison, she looks a little chunky in the limbs and the regular stance on a rocky diorama base is a little pedestrian compared to what we got here. It may not seem fair to make so many comparisons against a piece I don’t own, but believe me I spent a lot of time pouring over those pictures back then. Here, Power Girl strikes a bold and triumphant pose, levitating in the air with a swirl of comic-art clouds miraculously supporting her not-insignificant polystone weight. Her left hand rests on her hip, while the right flexes. She offers a beautifully understated smile, looking off to the side while her half-cape flutters off in the opposite direction. It’s a comic book cover come to 3D life!

I love the proportions here and the beautiful curves of her pose. I think it would have been cool to have her raised leg kicked back into a tight bend, but I still love what we got. The previous Kara PF had a softgoods cape, at a time when Premium Formats almost always had some form of mixed media. I like that idea, but I can’t complain about the sculpted cape on display here. It flutters beautifully, giving a little more kinetic energy to the composition and you don’t have to worry about the material wearing or getting messed up. I also think they did a wonderful job on the boob window and I’m obviously a big fan! As for the colors, the blues and reds are deep and vibrant while the skin tone is warm and soft. The white one piece has a bit of blue wash to it, which I think looks very nice. Finally, you get the maroon belt and some gold leaf paint for the buckle and the cape braid.

The Exclusive release came with two head sculpts, with the extra one smiling, whereas here you just get the one. It’s always nice to have two options, but I don’t think I would ever swap out this one. Let me say that I have passed on a few female Premium Formats because I thought the portraits were too manly. The last Zatanna they did is a heartbreaking example of that. But what we got here is just beautiful. I’m not sure if it was intentional, but I see more than a bit Robin Wright in this likeness, and I’m digging it a lot. The slight smile is great and the paintwork for the eyes is some of the best I’ve seen in this line. The short hair is nicely detailed and frames the face perfectly. I don’t think the smiling face on the exclusive comes close to this one.

The base is impressive and terrifying at the same time. As I said earlier, it was tough to get her pegged into it and I was afraid to let go because it didn’t seem like the engineering here should work. You also don’t get any kind of satisfying click or thunk to suggest she’s locked into place. But the connection is strong and sturdy. She doesn’t get moved a lot, but I do try to be careful not to lift her from the snaking whisp of cloud even though it makes for an inviting and obvious handle. The limitation is printed on the base, and despite getting mine very late in the game, I wound up with 49 out of 1500. I think that’s my lowest PF number yet and it just goes to show you that the early adopters don’t always get the low numbers. Oh yeah, I always love the artwork they put on the bottom of the base. You will almost never see it, but it’s cool to know it’s there.

And just for some scale reference, here’s Kara’s Premium Format beside her Cover Girls of The DC Universe counterpart. Oh yeah, she’s a big girl!

I can’t express how happy I am to finally get a Power Girl Premium Format, and as it happens it all worked out well since I definitely prefer this one over the last one. I think they absolutely nailed every aspect of this piece and owning her is just something off my collecting bucket list. I think she originally retailed for $576 and yeah, I’m pretty much priced out of the Premium Formats at this point. But, between a sale and some Reward Points, I was able to get her down to a little under $400 so that wasn’t too bad in comparison. And alas, now she has to go back into her Styrofoam stasis pod for a couple of months.

Oct 25 2024

J. Scott Campbell’s Fairytale Fantasies: Sultana by Sideshow

It’s always exciting for me to sit down and spend some time with a new statue from J. Scott Campbell’s fantastic Fairytale Fantasies series. I can’t quite say as I’m All-In on these, as I’m not double dipping on variants, and I missed out on The Evil Queen. But, so far I’ve checked out four of these here on FFZ, including: Tinkerbell, The Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, and Red Riding Hood. Cinderella hasn’t had her time in the spotlight yet, but I still bumped Sultana to the front of the line. Sorry, Cindy, you’ll get your turn soon! As always, these are limited and numbered polystone statues based on the Great J. Scott Campbell’s artwork and featuring ladies from popular fairytale stories. In this case, we’re taking a magic carpet ride through The Arabian Nights!

This box is absolutely huge! They do seem to be getting bigger, but in this case the jump up in size is really extreme. A lot of that is because this particular piece invests quite a bit into the base, creating a really beautiful scene. The art box is quite stunning, so much so that I ordered a print of the character art that the figure is based on, as I do like to display them behind the different statues. In the past, Sideshow offered collectors editions, which included metal art cards, but I didn’t see an option for that here. Sultana was limited to 1500 pieces, and at 17-inches tall, she is about on par with the larger ladies in this collection. There’s a bit of assembly required, but all the pieces went together quite easily. Let’s get her set up and take a look!

Hot damn, is she gorgeous! As mentioned earlier, it definitely feels like this line has been slowly increasing the attention spent on the bases to give the ladies some context and boy is that ever the case here. Sultana is posed reclining on her magic carpet and holding up the Genie’s lamp, while a giant manifestation of the Genie’s hand holds her aloft amidst a swirling circlet of mystical fire. I absolutely adore the composition here! It’s pure dynamic cheesecake that suits JSC’s art perfectly. Plus, this is a large piece and really dominates the display, especially when set against the earlier release like Tink and Mermaid, but I’ll come back to that a bit more at the end with a group shot.

Sultana’s beautiful curves mixed with the magical curling of the carpet compliment each other so beautifully! And while I’m here first and foremost for the lovely ladies, I have to say that the figure and environment are so perfectly merged here, it’s hard to appreciate one without the other. Sideshow could have easily made the carpet be the base, but the Genie hand and magical effects elevate the whole presentation both literally and figuratively and I’m very happy they went for that extra wow factor here. There is clearly an intended sweet spot when displaying the statue, slightly angled with Sultana gazing at the beholder, but she looks great when viewed from all over!

As for Sultana herself, there’s a bit of seductive flavor to her position on the carpet, with her right leg in front of her, bent at the knee, and her left leg tucked under her. Lounging, she arches backward a bit, leaning on her right hand, while her left gently holds the lamp: The method of her mystical propulsion, spewing tendrils of blue magical energy from its spout. Her outfit consists of some shiny mauve leggings with cuts in the sides to expose her legs, a bikini-like top around her chest, and billowy sleeves, cuffed at her wrists, but open to expose her arms. She has gold slippers with curled toe fronts and a purple sash around her waist that drifts behind her, going nearly translucent at the end to show its delicate makeup. Meanwhile strings of gold coins adorn her outfit, like fringe. All of this detail is beautifully done and exquisitely painted. The gold leaf is bright and luxurious and the sheen of her outfit gives off an exotic flavor. The skin tone is warm and even with just the right amount of shadow to enhance the sculpt.

The portrait does a great job of capturing JSC’s singular art style. It’s a style that I doubt is very easy to convey in three dimensions, but Sideshow’s wizards seem to have mastered it going all the way back to their Abby Chase Premium Format. The almond eyes and sloped nose are practically JSC trademarks and her smirking lips are pitch-perfect right down to the red gloss. Another string of coins is sculpted across her forehead, as are clusters that make up earrings, and her voluminous raven black hair flows in the breeze with just enough detail to convey the effect while not stepping on the toony style. There’s a bit of glossy finish that comes off of her complexion under the studio lights, but not when displayed in normal lighting.

The carpet is practically a character unto itself, with every bit of the intricate pattern executed as part of the sculpt. The raised patterns around the border are painted in gold leaf as is a mystical circle in the center. The tassels on the front and back are incredible in the way they lick up at the edge and I have no idea how they are able to get the material to behave that way. It’s worth noting that the bottom of the rug includes every bit of detail as the top, even though it can barely be seen.

And that brings us to the base, which is so well designed on so many levels. The engineering and balance is impressive in and of itself, as the carpet and figure rests on one post with the rest secured by magnets in the fingers. I was so nervous when I was setting this thing up, but nothing budged at all as I carefully carried this heavy piece from the display shelf to the photo stage. The Genie hand has an ethereal quality to it with both iridescent blue and white coloring. He’s also got an emerald green bangle and gold rings, some with more mystic symbolism. The mystical flames that lick up from the black circular base are painted so vibrantly that under the right light it looks as if there’s a light up function, and that’s just so damn impressive. The limitation and hand number is on the bottom of the base, but I dare not try to flip her over to get a shot. I preordered the moment it dropped and got 325/1500. Not too shabby.

And here’s a quick shot of her with the other ladies on display in my office. She definitely gels better with the three more recent releases, while towering over The Little Mermaid. They are all roughly the same scale, but the poses and composition do make some look like some are scaled slightly bigger than others. I think Tink comes off as the slightest, but being a little fairy, that’s understandable.

These Fairytale Fantasy reviews always turn into me gushing on endlessly, and I’m fine with that because it’s impossible for me not to get all giddy and worked up over these pieces of art. I make it no secret that Campbell is among my top favorite comic artists and to get quality pieces like these based on his art is like a dream come true. And so far, this is a line that started strong and keeps on impressing me as it moves forward. I’d hate to have to choose a favorite, but right now this lady is pretty far up there. With Sultana being the sixth of these gals on my shelf, that just leaves The Evil Queen, which sold out a lot faster than I had anticipated. I’m on waitlist, so maybe I’ll wind up owning her, but if not that’s OK too. The newest reveal is The Cheshire Cat, and I’m not quite sure whether I will add that one. It’s a striking piece to be sure, but leans a little far into Furry territory for my liking. As for Sultana, she’s still available through Sideshow at the time I write this review at the not so trivial cost of $400.

Oct 2 2023

Clint Eastwood Legacy Collection (Pale Rider): The Preacher Sixth-Scale Figure by Sideshow

Sideshow hammering out an action figure deal with Clint Eastwood has been like a dream come true for me. I’ve been a fan ever since I was a teenager and whether he’s fighting bikers with an Orangutan in tow, drifting on the high plains, running down criminal scum, or sitting in the Director’s Chair, I’ve been there for all of it. He’s been responsible for some of my favorite movies of all time and I’m glad we’re getting these figures to honor him while he’s still around to see it. Indeed, Sideshow published a video of Eastwood touring the studio and inspecting the figures and the sense of joy and wonderment on his face just melted my heart. The first release, Dirty Harry, is indeed a masterpiece, and while I haven’t given the second release, The Man With No Name, a writeup yet, I’m going to jump straight to this third release just because he’s on my desk and ready to go.

The figure comes in a shoebox style package with some excellent artwork from the film. Released in 1985, nearly a decade after the masterful Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider was Eastwood’s only genuine Western released in the 80s and it’s a fantastic film full of strong performances and excellent cinematography. The mysterious Preacher arrives at the mining town, Lahood, and helps to defend a community of miners against a corrupt land grabber, only to reveal that he has a dark past with the mercenaries hired to drive them out. It’s a simple tale told with style and heart and some truly satisfying gunplay and dynamite chucking. It’s probably not one of Eastwood’s most noteworthy westerns, but I think the look of The Preacher himself has surpassed the notoriety of the film to be quite iconic. Needless to say I’m quite excited to see what Sideshow did with him!

The Preacher comes out of the box all ready for display. I was happy to find that I didn’t even have to attach his gun belt, which can be a deceptively daunting task with these figures. Starting with the outfit, there’s nothing too crazy or complex here, but the tailors at Sideshow really knocked this one out of the park. The Preacher has black trousers, a light blue collared shirt under a darker blue button-down vest, rounded out by a reddish-brown duster with some rather prominent lapels. He has a charcoal neckerchief tied around his neck, a gun belt with holster on the right, and a pair of boots with spurs. All of the clothing is beautifully tailored with just a touch of rustic 19th century flavor to it. I’m particularly in love with the coat, which has a really high quality feel to it and it’s stiff enough to get a little poseability without actually having wires in the edges.

The gun belt features a row of of cartridges between the buckle and the holster, each individually painted and on the other side you get two replacement cylinders to act as speed loaders. The belt hangs loose enough to tuck his spare gun behind the buckle, just the way he wore it in the film. I really dig the detail on the golden spurs fixed to the backs of his boots and even the buckle and snaps on the boots are immaculately painted.

If you read my review of Harry Callahan, then you know I was thrilled with how that portrait came out, and I’m equally pleased with this one as well. The hat is plastic and part of the head sculpt, which is really the only way to go here. I’m not sure a soft goods hat could have looked as good as this one turned out. As for the likeness, it’s another absolute banger. More than a decade separates Eastwood as The Preacher and Callahan and the age is well reflected in the portrait. The squint in the eyes is pitch perfect as is the sneer on his lips. If I’m going to toss out any criticism here, I think Hot Toys could have done a better job with the realism on the sculpt and paint on the beard and hair, but that’s not to say what we got here is in any way bad. I think everything here just turned out fantastic from pretty much any angle.

The articulation feels identical to the Callahan figure, and this one shares the same tightness in the shoulders, which I presume is being caused by padding to the figure. It’s not overly restrictive, but it can work against some poses. In the past, Sideshow’s figures have been plagued with loose joints, but that hasn’t been a problem with this series. Preacher comes with four sets of hands, which include a set of fists, gesturing hands, relaxed hands, and trigger finger hands. Each of these have their own posts which makes swapping them out a breeze.

As for accessories, well… here’s where things take a hit because The Preacher doesn’t come with anything besides his two pistols. Dirty Harry was also very light on the accessories, but that was excusable to me because I couldn’t think of anything really missing, but that’s not the case here. How do you release a Preacher figure without giving him a hickory axe handle? It’s the subject of one of the best scenes and best lines in the whole movie and it’s not like sculpting a piece of wood is going to break the bank. Also, how about a couple of sticks of dynamite? Again, that would hardly be a complex and costly accessory to add. If a figure is light on accessories and nothing is missing, that’s fine, but when it’s light on accessories and there are obvious omissions, that’s a problem.

At least what we do get is great. Preacher comes with his two Remington revolvers: A New Army converted for .45 Long Colt which he used as his main weapon, and a M1858 Pocket, which he kept tucked in his belt as a back up. Both are beautiful reproductions of the respective pistols with excellent finishes and even tiny screws sculpted in. The cylinders on both do spin, but the hammers do not cock.

And what’s our last stop on any Sixth-Scale figure review? You got it… the stand! And we get the standard plain black hexagonal base with a crotch-cradle post, which is identical to the one that came with Dirty Harry. It’s serviceable but part of me would have liked something with some art on the base or at least a name plate. If you flip the base over it does have the Eastwood Legacy Collection logo sculpted into it.

Sideshow is absolutely killing it with this line. From the tailoring to the portraits to the accuracy to the films, and The Preacher follows through on that in every way. Indeed, the only complaint I can have is what wasn’t included. At $275, this is very high end price tag for what could be considered to be a simple figure by many Sixth-Scale standards, but I have no doubt that a lot of the money went to Eastwood signing off on his likeness. It’s just something that he has never been willing to do. But with the price being what it is, it’s just a shame to find that there are what I would consider essential accessories omitted. Sure, it just took me a quick hop on Ebay to get a 1:6 scale crate full of dynamite and an ax on the way, but I shouldn’t have had to buy them separately. Nonetheless, I’m thrilled to have this figure in my collection and when I revisit this line in the near future, we’ll be checking out Blondie from The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly!

Jul 21 2023

J. Scott Campbell’s Fairytale Fantasies: Alice in Wonderland (Autographed Edition) by Sideshow

Sideshow dropped a huge reveal this week (at least it was huge to me) in the form of a preview of the newest statue in J. Scott Campbell’s Fairtytale Fantasies: Princess Sultana from The Arabian Nights! She looks absolutely stunning and it was great to hear JSC talk about it a bit on Sideshow’s channel. Of course, that got me to thinking about how I’m not caught up on my reviews of this series, so today I’m going to roll out one that I’ve had on my shelf for a little while. Let’s check out Alice in Wonderland!

Alas, I have the box for this one in storage, but here’s a shot of an art print that I have hanging above where I display her. This was offered a little while back on J. Scott Campbell’s store, which is also where I happened to get the Exclusive Autographed Edition of this statue. I’ve reviewed some of these out of order, with three so far under my belt: The Little Mermaid, Red Riding Hood, and Tinkerbell. But I think, Alice was the third piece released in the series, preceding Red Riding Hood, the most recent release. If you own any Sideshow statues, you should know the drill. She comes sandwiched between two big styrofoam bricks and there’s a little assembly required. Connections are achieved through easily fitted tabs and magnets, and it takes only two shakes of a Cheshire Cat’s tale to get the Alice ready for display!

Alice is a satisfyingly large piece, not necessarily because of her nearly 14-inches in height but the sheer weight of her mushroom base is quite impressive, especially when displayed next to Tinkerbell and Ariel. Every time I move this statue to dust, I’m taken back by how heavy this solid chunk of polyresin is. Alice sits poised on the giant mushroom with her skirt blowing up and a piece of the mushroom in each hand as if deciding which one to eat. Meanwhile, the monstrous Cheshire Cat coils around the base looking up at her with its rictus grimace. The composition is very nicely done with the serene Alice contrasted by the dark and foreboding goings on down below. And as with many of Sideshow’s previous JSC pieces, the colors here are to die for. The blue is so vibrant, matched only by the turquoise and purple of the Cat. Alice’s pale blonde hair has some nice gradient tones and all the paint lines are sharp and immaculate. I particularly dig the high gloss black they used for her shoes. Meanwhile, the mushroom has a bit of a dirty finish on it perhaps suggesting something nefarious about its nature.

Alice’s outfit exhibits that uncanny JSC style of mixing of the cute and innocent nature of Disney with a healthy dose of sex appeal. The striped high stockings with black bow-ties give way to a bare thighs as the frilled trim of her skirt blows up and reveals a flash of panties. Up top you get bare shoulders and an ample dose of cleavages, punctuated with another bowtie front and center and a super glossy red heart pendant hanging around her neck on a sculpted gold chain. The puffy effect on her sleeves is also well done.

And this portrait… oh boy! One of the things I love most about this line is the way the sculptors have captured the 2D style of JSC’s portraits in 3D, and Alice here is just another great example of that. The sweeping curve of her nose, the big, beautiful blue eyes, and the perfect pursed lips are all just dead on gorgeous. What’s more, the paint used for her skin tone is so soft and warm, especially in the cheeks. I may be guilty of saying this every time, but in terms of the portraits, I think this is my favorite of the series so far.

And shifting from the beautiful to the grotesque, check out the mug on the Cheshire Cat! The unsettling wall of teeth are painted with a high gloss to give them a slick, saliva coated sheen. He rests his head on his left front paw while admiring the view above like the dirty kitty he is. Either that or he’s about to bite off her dangling foot. I really dig the way he seems to blend with the mist as if he’s just materialized and his fur has a really cool and surreal look almost akin to crepe paper. The cracks in the edges of the mushroom look great and you get some ribbed texture in the stalk as it rises up out of the swirling mist.

The statue is autographed by Campbell on the back of the mushroom in an almost neon blue marker. Some may have preferred it be more front and center, but I kind of like having it in the back so as not to disrupt the aesthetics of the piece. This way you can have your shroom and eat it too. It’s also somewhat humorous to have the signature right below the panty flash. The Autographed Edition was available in two runs, one with a metal art card and one without. The art card edition was sold out by the time I could get to the website, but I was happy to get this one. This run was 4000 pieces and is hand numbered on the bottom of the base. I got #48 which is by far the lowest numbered Sideshow piece in my collection. It also came with the standard Certificate that is included if you buy signed comics from the JSC store.

Is this my favorite Fairytale Fantasies statue so far? Wow, that’s so hard to say. I do absolutely love it and I think the portrait is up there as one of, if not the best. I also have to give this one props for having such a complex base that really adds a lot of character. Still, I may have to give the nod to Tinkerbell as still being my favorite. I just love the way she’s standing on a compass and her wings are really pretty. It’s so hard to choose one, and I don’t want to hurt any of these ladies’ feelings. Anyway, the regular version of Alice retailed for around $375 and has long since sold out at Sideshow, while this one was just a smidge more at $399 for the Autographed Edition. And as you can see from my display, I have one more in the collection to look at here before I’m all caught up, so maybe I’ll bump Cinderella up to get her time in the spotlight soon.

Mar 15 2023

Star Wars “The Mandalorian:” Life-Size Grogu Figure by Sideshow

Sideshow ran a whole lot of good deals back around Christmas time, which is pretty dangerous for me. It’s a bad time of the year, and it doesn’t take much to make me dive into retail therapy to stave off holiday depression. One of those deals was Sideshow’s own life-size version of Grogu, which is probably one of the most expensive impulse buys I’ve ever made. Was it worth it? Well, let’s find out…

Baby Yoda comes in an enormous fully enclosed box with some nice wrap-around artwork from the show. I’m guessing this was released before the big name reveal, so the box refers to him merely as The Child, which Disney seemed to like better than Baby Yoda. The figure comes out of the box pretty much ready for display. You just have to peg him onto his base and pop his favorite shifter-knob into his right hand. While Grogu is pretty tiny on the show, a life-size version still puts him at just under 17-inches, which means he’s considerably bigger than Sideshow’s Sixth-Scale figures, which are about as big as my photo staging area can go. So give me a couple of minute to improvise something bigger and we’ll check him out!

Well, isn’t he just adorable! This little bugger comes clad in his fabric frock with a wooly-type material used for the collar and sleeve cuffs. It’s got that rough and shoddy tailoring like it does on the show, which makes me wonder why Mando hasn’t invested a little of that Beskar in a proper onesie. While Grogu is advertised as a figure, it would be more accurate to call him a statue, as the only articulation here is in the neck, and even that only allows for a little bit of tweaking. Hot Toys did put out a proper life-size Grogu figure with more articulation, and while I don’t own that figure, I will make a few comparison comments based on pictures that I’ve seen. The pose is about as simple as things get, with his arms more or less down at as his sides and his head looking upward. It’s perfectly in tune with what Grogu is usually doing in the show, so no complaints there. It is worth mentioning, that this is a piece that is best displayed below eye level, so he can be looking up at you.

Because Grogu’s frock covers most of him, the only real sculpt and paint are invested in the portrait and hands. In terms of sculpt, I think the head is spot on. The wide-eyed expression is designed to tug at heart strings and sell toys, and it definitely succeeds at both. The eyes are simply stunning, with a lot of complexity behind those lenses if you get up and personal. The downturned mouth suggests he was just chastised for eating lizard people’s babies. There’s a nice compromise between smooth skin and rumples and light creases, and the top of the head is graced with a field of white peach-fuzz hair, which is strangely satisfying to pet. The Hot Toys version had a little part in the lips to show some teeth, which is definitely a more complex sculpt, but I think I prefer the closed lips on this one for being a little less creepy.

A lot has been made about the rosy cheeks, and I can confirm that it looks a lot more obvious under studio lights than it does on display under normal lighting. Even the official Sideshow shots don’t really show you what you’re getting and that’s to the figure’s discredit. I’ve even seen people do comparisons between the actual prop and this portrait to show that the paint here is pretty much spot on to the physical prop, but a bit at variance as to how it looks on screen. Personally, I’m happy with the way the paint came out on this one, but I think the Hot Toys version comes a little closer, at least in the pictures. Whether that’s the case in hand, I can’t really say since I’ll never be able to make that direct comparison. I do think the ears on the Sideshow figure are painted better, as the Hot Toys’ version looks a little too glossy and fake to me.

The only accessory here is the shifter knob, which attaches to the right hand via a pretty strong magnet. This is a simple silver painted sphere with a blue stripe across the middle. It’s a nice touch, but it kind of gets lost in all the fabric when on display. It’s almost looks like Grogu is trying to hide that he has it.

If you’re wondering how much sculpt and paint is going on under that frock, it’s just the hands and feet. The fully realized feet are a nice feature, since you really can’t see them at all under the cloak when the figure is on display.

The base looks like it’s intended to be the deck of a ship, possibly the Razor Crest, and it looks good, but the cloak does cover most of the surface. Unlike most Sideshow statues, which use a metal rod to attach the figure, this has a simple foot peg, which is pretty charming, as it looks just like the kind of foot pegs used on playsets for the old Kenner Star Wars figures. I also like that the peg is on the base and not on the figure, so you can stand Grogu wherever you want without using the base. Either way, it does a good job of securing the figure, while making it easy to pick him up and put him back on it again.

The bottom of the base is fully illustrated with some colorful, stylized artwork. it always impresses me when Sideshow does this, as it will almost never be seen, but it adds a bit of value to the piece. The base does state that the figure is a Limited Edition, but it’s not hand numbered like the Premium Formats, and there’s no statement of limitation anywhere on the box or base, nor could I find one on the website.

Sideshow’s Grogu retails for $375 and at the time I’m publishing this review it’s still available to buy. I got him at $100 off and threw in $60 worth of reward points to knock it down to $215. That still makes it a pretty expensive impulse buy, but I was surprised at how delighted I was when he showed up and I got him out of the box. The Hot Toys version is probably the more desirable as it does have articulation and some might argue the better paint, but it’s also a lot more expensive, so I’m pretty satisfied with this guy on my shelf. One of my biggest pipe dreams has been to one day own a life-size Star Wars character, preferably R2 or 3PO, but I just haven’t been drunk enough to pull the trigger yet. At least now I can say I have one. As of now, Grogu is standing right by the light switch in my TV room, and I get to give him a pat on the head each night as I shut out the lights to go to bed.

Dec 21 2022

Clint Eastwood Legacy Collection (Dirty Harry): Harry Callahan Sixth-Scale Figure by Sideshow

My backlog of pre-orders at Sideshow has been slowly whittling down this year. Some actually shipped, a couple I cancelled, and a handful have been bumped back to 2023. But the Dirty Harry figure had to be one of the fastest turnarounds in all my experience with Sideshow. He was revealed and put up for pre-order in March and here he is squeaking in at the end of the year and landing in my hands by December. That’s crazy fast in the world of Sixth-Scale figure pre-orders where delays can often roll wait times into years instead of months. It’s almost enough to make me forget how absolutely insane it is that we got an officially licensed release of a Harry Callahan figure in the first place!

I could write volumes on what Clint Eastwood’s film career has meant to me over the years, but let’s stick with the one particular film related to today’s review. Released the year before I was born, Dirty Harry is an absolute classic of police drama cinema and like many of Clint Eastwood’s films, it’s become a go-to watch of mine for lazy, rainy Saturday afternoons. Hell, even though it was released only one year into the decade, it would go on to characterize the gritty 70’s cop film genre, thanks partly to a successful string of sequels, but mostly because it’s such a wonderfully watchable flick with an absolutely batshit crazy villain. It practically introduced the tough-as-nails, doesn’t-play-by-the-rulebook cop trope that was, and largely still is, appealing to a nation sick of rampant crime. Nowadays, it’s also a movie out of time. There’s throwaway dialogue here that would never fly in a world with today’s ultra-fragile sensibilities, and that’s what makes this seemingly impossible release so unbelievably welcome. I’m curious as to whether Sideshow got any flack for choosing to pursue this decidedly un-politically correct license, but it seems to have done well for them, because while the figure did not sell out in pre-order, it is already listed as Low Stock Remaining. Anyway… the shoebox-style package features some beautiful art from the film, which conveys the gritty subject matter. It’s the first release in Sideshow’s Eastwood Legacy Collection, and you do get a stylish band around the inner tray with a facsimile of his signature. Otherwise, the presentation here is everything you might expect from a Sideshow figure.

Callahan comes out of the box all ready for action, and ready to patrol the filthy streets of 1971 San Francisco. Wearing his trademark herringbone jacket, gray slacks, a white button down shirt under a burgundy sweater vest, striped tie, and black shoes, he’s the epitome of 1970’s fashion. I find that it’s a lot easier for these companies to successfully reproduce flashy superhero costumes in this scale, than it is to make convincing everyday clothes, and with that in mind, I’m extremely pleased with how the tailoring on this outfit came out. The jacket is a work of art, complete with elbow pads, buttons, a sharp interior lining, and some immaculate stitching. The trademark herringbone v-pattern in the jacket’s stitching is absolutely gorgeous. The same can be said about the impeccable tailoring found in the “twenty-nine-fifty” pants and the vest. The tie is a little stiff, but still looks great. The only thing I can nitpick is the collar takes a lot of futzing to make it sit right, and even then I think it looks just a tad too puffy. The costume also includes a dress belt, a shoulder holster for Harry’s trusty wheel gun, and a really spiffy watch on his left wrist. The jacket is removable, but I’m not messing with taking it off. A finely tailored suit may not be the most exciting thing to see on an action figure, but it sure looks great here!

The portrait is an absolute homerun. When the figure was first revealed, I remember wishing that it was Hot Toys doing it, mainly because I think they were better equipped at doing portraits, and I was a little skeptical about the figure looking as good as the solicitation shots. I’m happy to say the final product is an absolutely fabulous likeness. I think a Hot Toys portrait could have awarded a little more nuance to the paint, maybe made the eyes pop with a little more life, but I am still one hundred percent satisfied with what we got here. It would have been easy to lean into a caricature, but I feel like the sculptors swung for the stars and it paid off big time. The bulging brow, the squinted eyes, and the prominent chin all look superb. I also really dig the way Sideshow recreated Eastwood’s majestic bouffant. It’s a fabulous sculpt, which compliments the portrait perfectly. It would have been great to have had an Exclusive with an extra head with more of a sneer to it, but this one will still do just fine.

The accessories are a bit on the light side here, as Harry only comes with his gun and badge, along with a hefty selection of hands. I think the most obvious omissions here are the yellow money bag and the switchblade that he sticks into Scorpio’s leg, as both seem like they should have been included. I suppose you could argue that the outfit isn’t right for those scenes, but still. The hands are pretty standard stuff, with a pair of relaxed hands, a pair of fists, a right hand designed to hold his badge, another designed to hold his gun, and a left hand designed to cup around his right wrist to stabilize his aim when firing. To make the last hand work, you really need to take the jacket off, which is a shame because it would have been great for recreating one of his more iconic poses. There’s some padding in the figure, which can curtail the range of motion a little, and you get more of that in the shoulders of the jacket, but all in all, the joints feel good, and not at all floppy, as has sometimes been the case with Sideshow’s figures. I’ll also note how nice it is that each hand comes with its own hinged peg, so swapping out the hands is extremely quick and easy, and there’s never a worry about snapping a peg like there sometimes is with Hot Toys figures.

The badge is very nicely done, with a beautiful recreation of his ID. The wallet is meant to stay open, so he’ll be perpetually flashing the badge. I would have really liked to see a left hand for holding it, so I could pose him with his gun drawn and his badge out, but then that might have been a little out of character for Dirty Harry.

As for the gun? “My, that’s a big one!” Naturally, “this is a.44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world” and it’s an excellent sixth-scale representation of Harry’s favorite sidekick. The detail includes the checkered grip, safety lever, and the chamber even spins and can flip out. You even get a little rubbing to the blueing around the edges and where the chamber spins, showing that it’s seen its share of action. The weapon is a tad fragile, and once I got it into his hand, I doubt I’ll take it out again, since it’s the only reason that hand would ever be used. With all that having been said, I would not mind picking up a diecast version of this gun and giving Callahan an upgrade.

The last thing in the box is the thing I have the least to say about and that’s the stand. It’s perfectly serviceable with a plain black hexagonal base and an adjustable crotch-cradle in the post, but it represents the absolute bare minimum in effort on Sideshow’s part. This is an expensive figure, and the base gave Sideshow an opportunity to flex a bit and do something cool, and they just passed. I would have loved to see a shield on the front with Dirty Harry and the facsimile Eastwood signature under it, but really just any kind of personalization would have been nice.

Even with this figure in hand, it’s still hard to believe I own an officially licensed Dirty Harry figure, let alone one of this quality and released in 2022! At $275, the price on this one seems high for a figure without a lot of accessories, but I probably would have mashed the pre-order button even if that price tag topped $300. Just don’t tell Sideshow that! What makes me even more ecstatic is that this is only the first of three figures in this line so far. Blondie from The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly and The Preacher from High Plains Drifter are both up for Pre-Order now. Naturally, I’ve committed to each of those figures, and oh boy, am I hoping for a Josey Wales! Indeed, I’d much rather Josey Wales was released before The Preacher, as I just think he’s a far more iconic character and an overall better movie. But the real question is will the universe bless us with Philo Bedoe and Clyde from Any Which Way But Loose? That could be too much to hope for, but at this point, I won’t rule out anything!

Nov 18 2022

J. Scott Campbell’s Fairytale Fantasies: Red Riding Hood by Sideshow

I’ve been working on getting caught up on showcasing the Fairytale Fantasy statue collaboration between J. Scott Campbell and Sideshow, when a brand new release hit my doorstep and I decided to bump her to the head of the line. This time we’re checking out Red Riding Hood! If you’re not familiar with this series feel free to get caught up by checking out The Little Mermaid and Tinkerbell, but basically these are polystone statues based on J. Scott Campbell’s take on famous ladies from timeless fairy tales! And while Red Riding Hood here will be the third statue I’ve covered here, I still need to double back to check out both Alice from Wonderland and Cinderella!

Red comes in the biggest box yet. I mean, I was seriously not expecting a box this big. I imagine that’s because the scale has been a little varied here. The Little Mermaid is only partially showing above the surface of the water, making her a bit on the small side and Tinkerbell is a small subject to begin with. But Red here is a full Sixth-Scale statue, measuring about 19-inches if you include the base and branches. Needless to say, this box is plenty big. It feature some really classy designs, as well as the actual art that inspired the statue on the front panel. Red was available in a Standard Edition and a Sideshow Exclusive, which is the one we’ll be looking at today! This edition was limited to 2,000 pieces and hand numbered on the box and the bottom of the base. Mine is number 704! Assembling the statue is pretty simple. She pegs into the base, her arms are attached by magnets, and the tree components of the display attach to the base by magnets as well. Let’s have a look!

Well, this is not the little Red Riding Hood that I remember seeing illustrated in my storybooks when I was a kid. If it were, I might have hit puberty a little earlier. Here Red cuts quite the shapely figure wearing a black and white corset, skimpy skirt, high black boots, and indeed a red hood with a short cape. She also comes equipped with a trusty crossbow and a basket of special goodies. I do love the pose here, as it’s fairly neutral while still evoking a bit of a story. While tracking through the snowy woods to Grandma’s house, she suddenly stops in response to a twig breaking, or perhaps a distant wolfy growl, (or maybe spotting the giant wolf tracks in the snow!) and readies her weapon for the first sign of trouble. All the while, the sinister woods snake around her like spindly claws waiting to strike. Wow!

As always, JSC knows how to bring the sex appeal with his art and the wizards at Sideshow have done a beautiful job recreating it in polystone. Red’s outfit is not overly complex, but it does show some lovely flourishes, like the sculpted red laces in the corset, and the red bow that secures her cape around her neck. You get sculpted ruffled finery around the top edges of her bodice and a sense of simple elegance to the buccaneer style boots and gloves. The short cape and skirt are sculpted to lick up behind her, agitated perhaps by the wind, or from a sudden turn as she investigates a noise. Not only does it add a little energy to the pose, but it also gives you a little glimpse of Red Riding Hiney. The colors are great and have a soft matte finish, with some shading to the red garment and some soft, worm tones to Red’s skin.

Red’s portrait is JSC perfection, and boy I don’t say that lightly. His distinctive style is not easy to replicate in three-dimensions, and while Sideshow seems to have it nailed down, I can think of a few other producers who have missed the mark over the years. But here, it’s unmistakable in Red’s large almond-shaped blue eyes, her perfectly parted lips, and her shapely little nose. Her high cheeks have a warm rosy complexion, and the way her hair falls about her face is poetry in motion. I could stare at this beauty for hours!

The crossbow is a nice piece of kit, with a traditional wood-style stock and a metal crosspiece. The design has a few flourishes, but for the most part it emphasizes function over flair. The weapon is clocked with a bolt ready to fly. And I’m going to go ahead and assume that’s a silver tip.

Red’s left hand grips her basket of goodies, which has a beautifully sculpted weave pattern and a red cover to conceal its contents. Well, most of the contents. She does have a brace of bolts for her crossbow peeking out. What else could be in there? Caltrops? Holy Water? Crude sulfur grenades? I guess we’ll never know.

Moving down to the base, we get a simple disk pedestal holding a slice of snow-covered terrain, and dominated by two large wolf prints. Is the wolf hunting her, or is she the one hunting the wolf? The white-blue snow is disturbed by the claw-like tree branches, which sprout up as if to encompass her in their grasp. I absolutely love the way these are designed, with one low and reaching up, and the other snaking it’s way as if ready to grab her from behind. Perhaps they’re evil spirits of the forest come to life, but mostly I think they’re simply the artist’s license to add a further sense of danger and dread to the piece. The bottom of the base is fully illustrated and hand-numbered, and I hope you’ll forgive me for not photographing it, but this statue is heavy, and I don’t want to disassemble her to get the shot.

The Sideshow Exclusive release comes with a metal art card and stand. This is similar to what was issued with the Tinkerbell Exclusive, but that card was more concept art and this one looks more like a finished piece. I wasn’t able to get a metal card with The Little Mermaid, and as for Alice in Wonderland, I opted to get a signed statue over the card, so right now only two of my Fairytale Fantasies have the metal cards to display with them. I did, however, pick up this art as a signed print.

Red is still available through Sideshow at $340 for the regular edition, but with the Exclusive priced at only $10 more, why wouldn’t you? The prices on these have been creeping up since the initial two releases, but I didn’t mind so much with Red because she is absolutely huge compared to the other two releases I’ve showcased here. Besides, I can’t get enough of J. Scott Campbell’s art and I’m happy to see someone making premium statues that really do his unique style justice. And with Red finally under my belt, I’ll make an effort to take a look at Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland before the end of the year, so I can be all caught up. The newest release, The Evil Queen is already up for pre-order and expected to ship sometimes next year!

Nov 17 2021

Dejah Thoris “Princess of Mars” Premium Format Statue by Sideshow

I try my best to avoid picking up Sideshow’s Premium Format statues. They’re always stunning, but that beauty and craftsmanship comes at a price, not only in money but also in real estate. These things are big and it’s getting harder and harder for me to find room to display them. Today’s piece is the fifth Premium Format in my collection, and will likely be the last for a while, or at least until I move into a bigger place next year! It also happens to be one that I’ve been hotly anticipating ever since they first teased it. Straight from the pages of Edgar Rice Burroughs Martian novels, comes The Princess of Mars herself, Dejah Thoris!

Dejah arrived in what was possibly the largest Premium Format box I have received to date, which explains the unprofessional picture of it sitting on the floor. It’s colorful and shows off pictures of the statue, while also being unbelievably heavy at a whopping thirty-two pounds! I think I had the misconception of this piece being more reasonably sized because she’s reclining and not standing, but she still measures up at fourteen inches tall with a circular base that measures sixteen inches across. The assembly is a bit more involved than any of my previous PF statues, but there’s still nothing too crazy. The chair pegs into the base with keyholes, and there’s a blanket and a pillow that attach onto the chair in the same fashion. The figure comes in four pieces, which include the main body, the arms, and the head. Everything fitted together perfectly and once together, she makes for a sturdy and stable display. Still, carrying her from her display shelf to my photo setup was quite the ordeal!

And here she is all set up, and what can I say? Is there any doubt why I fell in love with her at first sight? I’ve been a reader and book collector for most of my life and Burroughs’ John Carter of Mars series captured my imagination at a young age. Likewise, Dejah Thoris was probably my very first literary crush. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed seeing different artists’ visions of her in their work, and it’s always been a dream of mine to own something like this statue, depicting the Red Princess of Barsoom in all her sultry glory!

Dejah reclines on a chaise lounge, atop a pile of pillows, each strategically placed to support her curvaceous form, while a satiny blanket spills off onto the floor. She has her right leg extended and her left leg tucked under it. Her left arm is drawn up to cradle her head with splayed fingers, while her right arm is extended behind her, partially concealing a Radium Pistol. I think the composition here is absolutely perfect. It conveys Dejah’s extreme sexuality, her cunning and self-reliance, and above all her absolute regality. Despite her skimpy attire and leisurely setting, she comes across as totally empowered.

All of that character is not only conveyed in the body language, but also the beautiful portrait. Dejah is sporting a rather serious expression, peppered with just a touch of courtly boredom. She looks like she’s tired of someone’s shit, and there’s a good chance that when her patience finally runs out, she’s going to make use of her pistol. The facial features are beautifully realized in the sculpt with some absolutely perfect paint applications. The lips, eyes, and eyebrows are all razor sharp. The glossy red they used for the lips is quite striking, and the eyebrows are sculpted as well as painted. The sculpted hair cascades to her shoulders, with a collection of strands partially covering the right side of her face. The other great thing about the portrait is the detail in all the jewelry. She has multiple earrings, and the tiara features some great scrollwork as well as a few metallic colored stones.

When it comes to her outfit, there’s not a lot of it. As a result, a great deal of Dejah’s figure is just reddish-brown skin conveyed though a spectacularly soft and even paint job. She wears a veritable web of gold chains, which connect to a waist chain and two golden cups to cover her nips. Some of this, like the waist chain, is sculpted onto the statue, while some of it is actual chain, giving it some great depth and realism. Her rather elaborate necklace features a purple stone dead center, she has a rather wide wrist bracer on her right hand, smaller bangles on her left, bicep cuffs on both arms, and various ring fingers. All fo the jewelry is painted with a sumptuous gold leaf paint. Down below she sports a rather skimpy G-string, secured with a mix of gold chain and pearls, she has several anklets, and even some toe rings.

The Radium Pistol is a great example of the steampunk-like depiction of Helium technology over the years. It’s design is quite reminiscent of a single-action open-top revolver from 19th Century Earth. It features a long and slender barrel, with a sculpted extraction arm underneath it, and a rather elaborately sculpted grip. Dejah clearly isn’t one for practicing trigger discipline, as her finger is looped through the guard and ready to squeeze off a round at a moment’s notice.

The base consists of a very thick and heavy disk, the surface of which is carved with a map of Barsoom with studs representing each of the Martian Cities. The chaise lounge locks into it with keyholes and remains very sturdy. Some amazing detail has gone into the individual pillows that Dejah reclines on. You get some ornate Eastern patterns, some gilt decorations, and plenty of tassels. It can’t be easy to make polystone look like soft and inviting cushions, but they sure got the job done here!

The base has one removable accessory, and that’s this rather ornate water jug. At one point, I thought this was an Exclusive piece, but in reality, Dejah didn’t have an Exclusive available. And that’s just as well, because it would have made a pretty lame exclusive. The jug doesn’t attach anywhere, so you can just rest it on the base somewhere and pray that you remember it isn’t fixed down the next time you move the statue. I dig it a lot, but the fact that I am only introducing it now suggests that it can be a little distracting from the figure. There’s room to place it in the front, as pictured, or in the back, where it can be less obvious.

I believe it was about a year between the time I pre-ordered Dejah and the time she finally showed up at my door. She’s easily my most anticipated Premium Format figures in my collection, and that means she had a year’s worth of anticipation to live up to. I’ll confess to having been a little apprehensive when opening her. Could she possibly live up to all that pent up excitement? Well, the answer is an astounding yes. I’m happy to say that Dejah met and exceeded all my expectations. Everything about this piece comes together so perfectly. The paint, the sculpt, the overall composition. I can honestly say, that there isn’t a thing here that I would change or want to make better.

May 31 2021

Spider-Man and Mary Jane Maquette (Exclusive) by Sideshow

It’s been a week, but I’m back and ready for action… and something a little different for this Marvel Monday! When Sideshow solicited their new maquette based on J Scott Campbell’s cover for The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #1, I may have sprained my button pushing finger on that pre-order button. And then the waiting came. And I mean WAITING! My pre-order was placed in November of 2019, and about a year and a half later this statue finally showed up. I’ll concede that my patience has been wearing thin with Sideshow and pre-orders these days. When I first got into this game, it seemed like six months was the standard, and now over a year is not uncommon. With the exception of a Must-Have piece like this, I’m going to start rolling my dice and trying my luck with buying after release. But I digress! Let’s get to the goods!

You can dig around in FFZ’s past to find that my love for J Scott Campbell’s work runs deep, and I’m always happy to see him turn his talents to Marvel characters. I probably have at least a half-dozen of his Mary Jane covers, all signed, but sadly I don’t have the cover of Renew Your Vows #1 that this work is based on. I do, however, have it as a signed 7×11 art print, and I’m pretty content with that. Still, the front of the box also has a recreation of the art for reference, along with a rap-around red brick deco of the NY apartment, which looks quite nice! The box is absolutely huge, clocking in at close to Premium Format proportions, while the statue itself measures only about 12-inches tall, making the figures close to sixth-scale. The boxes large size comes from the fact that this statue comes spread out in a lot of pieces. Yes, there’s assembly required, but it’s all done with one connecting rod and a lot of magnets. In the end, I had not troubles fitting anything together.

And here is the piece all set up and I am absolutely in love. The composition sees MJ reclining on a comfy purple armchair, propped up on a couple of blue pillows, with one leg out and the other folded back under it. Meanwhile, Peter squats on the back of the chair, unmasked but still in his Spidey outfit. Their arms are intertwined, framing MJ’s face in the center. I was especially curious to see how they were going to engineer that web of arms, and the execution was quite clever, and the connections are for the most part fairly seamless. Spidey is secured to the chair with a peg, but MJ simply rests in molded indentations in the chair, and yet it still feels solid, even when I was transporting it from the studio to the display shelf. It is a satisfyingly heavy piece, mainly because the sofa is a solid block of polyresin.

The attention to detail in the costumes aligns perfectly with the art. MJ is wearing a long t-shirt, cut-off jean shorts, and a pair of Spider-Man themed knee socks, while Spidey dons his classic blue and red suit. Every detail, including the web pattern is incorporated into the sculpt and the paint lines are immaculate. They did a nice job applying some blue shading to MJ’s white top, and I really like the gradient colors in the chair. Indeed, everything about the colors here just pop like crazy! I’m particularly in love with the vibrant blue used on Spidey’s outfit.

Both portraits are a real triumph and a credit to the sculptor, Steve Schumacher. He also did the Abby Chase Premium Format, and I also own his Domino Premium Format Figure. It always amazes me when someone can take the very distinctive art stylings of Campbell’s and translate it so perfectly to three-dimensions. I love Peter’s wide, beaming grin. It’s almost smug in knowing that he has indeed hit the jackpot. Meanwhile, MJ is just looking as gorgeous as she always does when JSC sets to drawing her. The paint application on both portraits is just about flawless.

There’s no actual base for this piece, the chair serves alone in that capacity, and I think that was a great idea. It sits slightly off the ground on four stubby legs, and remains perfectly stable with no wobble to worry about. I do, however, recommend displaying this one toward the back of the shelf, as MJ’s one leg does reach out pretty far in front and it would be a shame to catch it on your arm when walking by. The bottom of the chair has an illustrated finish, along with the hand-numbered statement of limitation. Yeah, I really should have snapped a picture of that before putting this thing together, but I was just too excited to do it. Mine is number 244 of the 1200 piece Exclusive run. So before wrapping, up let’s take a look at what makes this the Exclusive!

The Exclusive includes the little stuffed tiger that’s depicted in the original art. It’s an adorable little fellow and it’s designed to just sit right between MJ’s rump and the chair’s arm. Lucky bastard! This tiger really hit the jackpot! In reference to the cover art, the absence of the tiger is a bit conspicuous, so I’m not sure it was the best incentive for exclusive. I would have probably rather the tiger be included with the standard edition and we got a metal art card with the Exclusive, but then the Exclusive is still available at Sideshow, so anyone jumping on this even after release will be able to get it.

It’s tough for a collectible to live up to a year and a half’s worth of anticipation, but this maquette managed to pull it off. The paint and sculpt are both absolutely sterling, and the quality control is positively above reproach. I don’t think there was a single month in all that time where I didn’t find myself on Sideshow’s site and drooling over the pictures. And on the positive side, the $525 price tag is a lot easier to swallow when amortized over eighteen months. It’s great to have another killer piece for my ever expanding J Scott Campbell display.

Apr 28 2021

DC Comics: Premium Format Wonder Woman Premium Format by Sideshow

The fact that I only own a few Premium Format Statues by Sideshow proves that as a collector I at least have some willpower left. These things are huge and expensive, and I frequently find myself with glass of Jameson in hand drooling over them on Sideshow’s website into the wee hours of the night. I’m fond of saying that I got my first taste for free when I won a Sideshow contest for the Batman Returns Catwoman, but it’s today’s Wonder Woman statue that was the first Premium Format to get me to open up my wallet. I actually had this lady in my sites for a long time, hoping that she would sell out so I could finally stop agonizing over the decision. But a couple of years ago I got a nice bonus at work and decided to treat myself.

These statues usually come in pretty big boxes, but this Wonder Woman’s box is absolutely massive. It features absolutely no images of the figure inside, just Wonder Woman’s name and logo and some stars against a red and white backdrop. Inside, the statue is nestled between two large Styrofoam bricks, with the individual pieces wrapped in tissue paper. As always, there’s some assembly required, but nothing here was too difficult and all the pieces fit together with ease. Before proceeding, I’ll start with an apology. This piece is well beyond the comfortable constraints of my little studio set up, which is designed for action figures, not mammoth pieces like this. As a result, when I reviewed my camera roll, I wasn’t happy with many of the pictures I took. This piece deserved better, but until I can put together a larger studio space, I have no reason to think a reshoot would have had better results.

Here she is, standing majestically among crumbled ruins of Themyscira and meauring something like 24-inches high. Her right hand is held out at arm’s length, clutching the shaft of her spear and balancing it on her shoulder and behind her neck. Her left hand grasps the handle on her shield, while her left foot rests up on a piece of ruined architecture. Sideshow has done several excellent Premium Formats based on the Amazonian Princess, but the composition of this piece is probably the one thing that makes it my favorite. Diana looks like she just got finished pummeling the combined armies of Ares, and now she’s coming for the Big Guy himself. Simply wonderful!

Probably the next thing that attracted me to this piece was the portrait. I’ve got to say it, maybe two-thirds of the time, Sideshow’s female portraits let me down. I was willing to throw money at their Zatanna figure when it was first teased, but I couldn’t get past the somewhat masculine head sculpt. What I like about this one is the way it portrays Diana as both tough and beautiful. The portrait isn’t inspired by the likenesses of Gal Gadot or Linda Carter either. Not that there’s anything wrong with those lovely ladies. I think they each look perfect in the role, but I just love that this isn’t influenced by any of the movies or TV. Either way, here she has a strong, determined brow, and an upturned smirk as she assesses the confrontation ahead. Meanwhile, her hair blows off to the side. The paint on her eyes is razor sharp, and there’s a nice glossy finish to her lips.

Her costume is certainly one of the more abbreviated designs. There’s no skirt, but just the blue panties with white stars. Her gold belt offers up her trademark WW logo, and she has the Art Deco-style golden eagle motif on the front of her chest. Meanwhile, everything in between is painted with a rich crimson. The coloring is lush and deep, rather than being too flashy and bright. It definitely has a patina of realism too it, or at least as realistic as you can make an outfit like this look! It’s simple and elegant, and the quality of paint application is above reproach.

The spear is a simple wooden shaft, which has a sculpted ribbon tied around it. Once upon a time, Premium Formats all had some form of mixed media incorporated into them, and while that hasn’t been the case in a while, I do wish they had made this ribbon out of real cloth and sewn a wire into it to make it poseable. It’s not that it looks bad, it actually looks quite nice, but I just think some cloth would have been a great touch here. It also would have been a lot less fragile. She also carries her coiled Lasso of Truth on her right hip. This piece is sculpted with braids and painted with the same finish as the gold portions of her costume.

The shield is an absolute masterpiece, and it definitely draws the eye toward it almost immediately, thanks to that brilliant high-gloss finish. It’s a cool contrast with the matte coloring of the rest of the costume and it really pops from across the room. The concentric circles feature a blue ring of stars, a silver ring of Gracian patterns, and a central red disk with two silver stars and a raised golden eagle. Sideshow also released an Exclusive version of this statue where the shield could be swapped out with an battleax. It wasn’t too much more, but I still opted for the regular release, since I couldn’t imagine myself ever displaying this figure without the shield.

And that brings us down to the base, which compliments the figure perfectly. It’s quite large and adds some height to what is an already impressive piece. The crumbled stone texturing is exceptionally well done, and Diana attaches to it securely. A sword and helmet serve as some additional ornamentation. I wasn’t able to get this beast turned upside down for a picture, but the bottom surface of the base is fully illustrated and the statue is hand numbered. Mine is 4172 of 6000 total pieces. Not a low number to be sure, but it does represent how long I wrestled with myself over this one before finally buying it.

I can still remember my anticipation over this piece arriving. It was more money than I’m used to spending on any single collectible, and I was worried that I would come down with a case of buyer’s remorse. Not to mention the stress over it arriving broken or with some horrible QC issue, which has been known to happen with these statues from time to time. But after getting her unboxed and up on display, I found that I was delighted with my purchase. I don’t buy a lot of collectibles from DC Comics these days. I mainly blame that on the lack of a sustained, cohesive action figure line and my rage at them changing scales and styles so often. But, I do have a small collection of Wonder Woman statues, so this lovely lady is in good company.