The lone debut from Cinemaquette at Comic-Con this year, they compensated for the lack of new statues (Bruce Lee and the Godfather are 2008 repeats) by building a tremendous amount of buzz on the back of the Christopher Reeve Superman. They did a good job with the likeness, and the hair even looks good for the most part. Though the fly-aways are troubling– if the CM crew themselves cannot contain them, it may prove to be an arduous task for the customer.

The pose selection and execution are also well done, though the base is incredibly plain. The color of the costume also may need some further adjustment, though I will rightly leave it to the experts on just what and how.

For even more images of the Cinemaquette Superman, don’t neglect to peruse our Comic-Con 2009 Gallery!

• See more In-Depth features from Comic-Con 09

Details are scarce other than the above graphic teased on Cinemaquette’s website, but a lock is likely for being a Christopher Reeve rendition of the iconic superhero, judging by the characteristic styling of the symbol. As noted, this piece will make its debut at this year’s Comic-Con. As always, stay tuned right here for coverage from the event!

[Update: We've got photos!]

To continue on the Predator theme this week comes news from the Cinemaquette front. By opening up pre-orders for their anticipated 1/3 scale take on the subject, they’ve finally, and officially, joined the hunt for the most important trophy of all- your wallet.

It’s been years since this collectible first made the rounds. In this retrospective, we present a collection of photos from Comic-Cons past.

For those of you who’ve budgeted 2 large for this statue, this gallery’s for you.

• See more In-Depth features from Comic-Con 08

High resolution pictures direct from the show floor of Comic-Con 2008 featuring the Bruce Lee statue from Cinemaquette.

• See more In-Depth features from Comic-Con 08

Closing out the week of Comic-Con coverage, here is a roundup of thoughts and recollections. First thanks to the great industry folk who all in some way made the con this year a memorable experience: Tim, Magnus, Linda, Greg, Martin from Weta; Jennifer, Corie, Dusty, Heath from Sideshow; Kevin from eFX. And also salutations to all the visitors from Statue Forum, Sideshow Freaks, The Shadow and Flame and across the net, I hope your visit was worthwhile.

But I did catch up with my friend, Tim from Weta Collectibles. I have to admit to being impressed with his vision for the company under his management. He maintains a strong sense of awareness in what collectors are looking for, and is willing to broaden that knowledge, through chatter on forums, blogs, or face to face. In short, he recognizes the value of ideas from Average Joe collectors like you and I.

As a Weta collector, it will be exciting indeed to see just where the new team takes it.

Comic-Con 2008 Roundup

Everyone Wants A Piece Of: Bruce Lee
Sideshow, Cinemaquette, Enterbay, MINDstyle (and loads of others I’m sure) all had their own take on The Dragon. (Last year’s winner: Halo)

Most Improved Booth: Cinemaquette
They finally, finally, moved from the outer rim ’skid row’ where they’ve been eternally stranded. Much more plush, much less bright neon ‘Cafeteria’ signage reflections in photos. This relocation did cause me to nearly miss their booth on preview night. But I don’t hold a grudge guys. I’m happy for you.

Memorable Faces: Hot Toys and Gentle Giant
Hot Toys does it again with their Robert Downey Jr. headsculpt for their Iron Man Mark III figure. Gentle Giant had strong portraits with their Harry Potter line- their Weasleys (Ron, Ginny, Twins) were very lifelike. Cinemaquette’s Bruce Lee is certainly no slouch, but I have some reservation that the production statues will look the same. I hope they prove me wrong. (Last year’s winner: Hot Toys Elizabeth Swan)

Coolest Thing You Can’t Buy: Weta’s Unnatural Selector Raygun
It’s unclear whether this will be made available just yet. But sitting tantalizingly out of reach atop the Rayguns display case, it was certainly very popular with con attendees. (Last year: Lifesize Lord Cockswain and Moon Mistress display)

Longstanding geek-void filled: Pan’s Labyrinth
Gentle Giant took up the mantle with a big unfinished clay Faun statue and a con-exclusive Faun bust signed by Guillermo Del Toro. Prediction for next year: Firefly.

Most Detailed: Weta Dr. Who: The Cyber Controller

Eyesore: Medicom oversized VCD’s, GG Classics busts, GG LOTR Berserker busts

Best Action Figure: Hot Toy’s Iron Man Mark III

Best Mixed Media: Sideshow Thor premium format

Best Statue: Weta Cortana, Sideshow Species Sil (tie)

Best Diorama: GG Boba + Carbonite Han dio

Best Life-Size: Sideshow Iron Man bust

Best In Show: Sideshow’s Diablo 3 “OVERTHROWN” Diorama

• [[Arist Proof]] Collectiblog Comic-Con 2008 Gallery
• Enter our Weta Collectibles Hellgate: Cabalist Giveaway
• Enter our Sideshow Collectibles Elvis premium format Giveaway

That’s right, our super-duper-mega-deluxe Comic-Con 2008 Gallery is now online! Marks the first time this site has gone down from traffic, a proud achievement! Come on in and see what the fuss is about!

(Over 200 photographs!)

Note 1: I declined to post a ‘reference’ photo, as a single photo would not sufficiently represent Aragorn/Viggo as he appeared throughout the course of the trilogy– depending on costume, hair/makeup, expression, what he ate that morning, or a combination of.

Note 2: I tried to use stock company photos where possible- could not find a large enough image for Weta’s Elessar, so you get to see mine instead. Aren’t you lucky?

Don Vito was a popular guest at SDCC this year, mugging it up at a number of booths. This means one thing: You will soon hear some variation of “An offer you can’t refuse” way too many times from a marketing department near you.

Above are three takes on the man, all of which aptly capture Vito’s apparent fondness for raising his hands, but differ greatly in execution. From left: Mcfarlane, Sideshow, Cinemaquette. Somehow I managed to overlook the SS Don at the con, so a stock photo will have to stand in here.

Obviously, the Cinemaquette outclasses the others, which may be a bit unfair considering for the price of the CM, you could likely buy 3 or 4 of the Sideshow Vitos with a case or two of the Mcfarlane’s thrown in and still have enough money left over for an iPod. Either way, at the end of the day, none of them quite hit the mark.