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Archive for December, 2008

Dec 20 2008

The Old Man of Orthanc

Posted by Charles Song in Reviews, Sideshow Collectibles, Weta Collectibles, tags: LOTR, SSW

Review

Saruman the White | Artist: Mike Asquith | Edition Size: Open

Sideshow Weta’s seminal Saruman the White was my first introduction into the world of ‘high end’ collecting. And what a fine introduction it was; one that leaves you little choice but to be enticed by this new territory. Winning it as a prize made it all the sweeter.

And after all of these years– frightening how many it’s been– Saruman remains an undenied classic. It’s a statue that does not leaving you wanting or wishing for this or that. Furthermore, never is it clumsy or encumbered with unnecessities. If you’ve been collecting more than a short while, you know such balance is not terribly commonplace. Hat’s off to you, Mr. Asquith.

The image of Saruman ruminating over the Palantir is hauntingly iconic in the best way. There’s a certain classical aura here, as is there with the finest SSW pieces. It’s what sets these beauties apart from everyone else. The likeness, the pose, the composition; nothing is lacking here.

And then there’s Grima, a pairing with which adds an extra dynamic, though one should never make the mistake in thinking it a crucial addition. It’s Wormtongue that gets the most of out of this pairing. This White Wizard stands well, in his palantiri solitude or not.

It’s a complete piece of art, a satisfying one- the sort that never goes out of vogue.

Saruman the White at Sideshow | on Ebay
Review Index

Gallery (5 photos)

Sideshow Weta Saruman the White | Photographs: © Charles Song

Information

Saruman the White
Make: Sideshow Weta
License: The Lord of the Rings
Artist: Mike Asquith
Retail Price: $150
Edition Size: Open
Scale: 1/6
Type: Polystone statue
Purchase Options: Sideshow | Ebay

4 Comments »

Dec 18 2008

State of the LOTR PF: Vol 2

Posted by Charles Song in Sideshow Collectibles, tags: LOTR, polls, premiun format

You might have caught wind of the fact that the Moria Orc premium format has many seeing red, literally. The more vibrant shade of red on shipped production pieces has triggered a veritable meltdown, with swirls of bad blooded banter thick in the air. The technicalities of cameras and their ability to render said color is even being examined on a geekier level than ever has been in human history.

One thing is ascertainable by now, even if you have not seen the piece “in-hand”: the swatches of fabric do not match their sculpted/painted counterparts. Not the way they do did on the product photos and not the way they did at this year’s Comic-Con.

The MO PF IMO:

Along with the “red lipstick” Galadriel before it, this is the is precisely the sort of one-two punch the beleaguered line did not need. It’s bad press at a remarkably bad time.

I don’t believe Sideshow would still put up with the headaches on the production side if they didn’t genuinely love their pet brand. But be better. By any account this was primed to be a grand slam, but this incident has, to say the least, cast a dubious light on that distinction. We should be dazzled by Sideshow’s every new premium format, and not feel as though they’re going through the motions. If anyone has the resources and the know-how to push the form to new heights, it’s them.

There’s more at stake here than a potential sale- it’s the mountain of trust that Sideshow have admirably worked very hard to earn throughout the years that may slowly erode.

If this makes any potential customer just a little more leery now of committing $400 for that mighty elaborate Blackbeard premium format, could one blame them?

Hazy Shades of Orc

1. Official Moria Orc PF photo by Sideshow (original product photo)
2. Moria Orc PF at Comic-Con 08 photo by Charles Song
3. Official Moria Orc PF photo by Sideshow (360 turnaround)
4. In-hand Moria Orc PF photo by Jerseydevil
5. Packaging box art photo by Jerseydevil
6. In-hand Moria Orc PF photo by Darth Waller
7. In-hand Moria Orc PF photo by ronnin
8. Behind the scenes photo of film prop costume, DVD supplements
9. Sideshow Weta Moria Orc bust photo by Ringwraith
10. Sideshow Weta Moria Orc Swordsman statue photo by Zurko
11. In-hand Moria Orc PF photo by XMAN
12. Official Moria Orc PF photo by Sideshow (revised (12/18) product photo)

Comments 1 Comment »

Dec 10 2008

Street Fighter 4 CE Detailed

Posted by Charles Song in Gaming, tags: video games

If you saw our post back when Capcom conducted a poll asking gamers what pack-in goody they’d most like to see with their upcoming Street Fighter 4 Collector’s Edition, you won’t be too shocked by the outcome: the company has confirmed that ‘figurines’ will indeed be included with the pricier editions of the brawler.

For $80 ($20 more than the barebones editions), the following shall be yours:

The Collector’s Edition for Xbox 360 or PS3 will include a bonus disc with a 65-minute full-length Anime movie and promotional trailers; a CD soundtrack; a collectible Ryu figurine for the PS3 edition; a collectible C. Viper figurine for the Xbox 360 edition; a Udon/Prima Hint book; and 5 downloadable costumes. Ships February 17.

A bit of a shame that us 360 owners must settle for a C. Viper piece, but hey, we’ll live. Let’s hope they change that to Chun Li before release!

European gamers it seems will get both figurines at the expense of an omitted soundtrack. Fair trade.

Hey, this voting thing does work!

Comments 1 Comment »

Dec 09 2008

The Exclusive Knight

Posted by Charles Song in Movies, tags: Batman

Everybody wants a piece of “The Best Superhero Film Ever”, and naturally every retailer is voraciously after your Dark Knight dollar.

This film may in fact, have the most home video variations ever. Here at the Collectiblog, we help you sort out what really matters– the swag! And where to get it!

Amazon
Batpod (Blu Ray only)

Best Buy
Joker Mask (DVD and Blu Ray)

Wal-Mart
Two-Face Coin (DVD only)

Futureshop (Canada)
Steelbook (DVD and Blu Ray)

HMV (Not sold online. UK, Canada)
Batman Cowl (DVD and Blu Ray)

6 Comments »

Dec 09 2008

F.M.O.M. For The Holidays

Posted by Charles Song in Weta Collectibles, tags: newsletter, Rayguns

A new miniature Raygun and it’s not even Comic-Con yet! Yes, this be Weta’s third, and this time it’s the F.M.O.M. Wave Disrupter Gun that undergoes the treatment. If you happen to be in a ‘most-tongue-twisting-gift’ competition this holiday season, you’ll do no better than this.

$60 and limited to 900.

There’s a new “Dr Grordbort’s” satchel to go along with, too!

2 Comments »

Dec 04 2008

The Dead, Supersized

Posted by Charles Song in Sideshow Collectibles, tags: newsletter

Sideshow Roundup 12/4

In addition to being free (with any in-stock order), the all new 2009 Calendar also offers us a glimpse at the as-of-yet unannounced premium format debut from Sideshow’s original “The Dead” line, in the form of a Zombie channeling his best Magneto.