Despite widespread assumptions that Sideshow’s Neytiri statue will play second fiddle to Legacy’s upcoming piece (which may still turn out to be the case), they have produced a very pleasing depiction of the sexy blue alien cat-person-thing in their own right.

So much has been said about the distinct separation at the hairline that I would be surprised if Sideshow doesn’t make some sort of amendment there. Personally that doesn’t even bother me much– I find the “Avatar” logo mashed amongst the wooden branches and foliage more distasteful. (contrast with Weta’s unadorned District 9 statues)

Still Sideshow’s faithful rendering of Neytiri’s portrait and good choice for a pose make for a visually appealing statue.

I did not find Sideshow’s Con offerings as engaging as in past years– no doubt exacerbated by their ‘jumping the gun’ month long online reveals– but Neytiri has a certain beauty about it, making it a bright spot amongst the usual Marvel and Star Wars overkill.

Neytiri is expected to pre-order this Thursday, 7/28 at around $300 for both versions.

[Update] The exclusive Neytiri is now sold out, and Sideshow’s posted the backstage pass video.

Sell out time: 1 day
ES: 600 | Exclusive: $299.99 | Regular: $289.99

10+ pics posted in our forum! Click through!

Need help deciding whether to pre-order Sideshow’s Avatar A.M.P. Suit Maquette next week? We’re here to help.

This one was a definite surprise. I was more expecting Weta to have something on hand for James Cameron’s latest. If it doesn’t look it from photos you may have seen, let me assure you: This thing is maaaasiiveeee. It’s approaching ridiculous how large collectibles are getting, particularly from Sideshow. Still, in this particular case, it’s a good thing. It works. It shouldn’t be any smaller. However, recognize that this will translate to more green out of your wallet.

And what it will cost is still a mystery. I cannot see this landing anywhere under $500, and could see it go as high as $1K. Also, the paintjob on this display piece was phenomenal. I have some real doubts that Sideshow can match its quality in production. Let’s hope they prove me wrong.

The Avatar maquette will go on pre-order this coming Thursday, August 20.

For even more images of the Sideshow Avatar A.M.P. Suit maquette, don’t neglect to peruse our Comic-Con 2009 Gallery!

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

And there we have it, the first salvo in the Avatar collectibles war…. and it’s from Sideshow! The Avatar A.M.P. Suit maquette has just been previewed and it’s looking good.

Still, we hope to hear something from Weta (you know, those guys who worked on this upcoming James Cameron opus of geekish fanboy dreams?) soon– you guys aren’t just going to let Sideshow play ball in your court are you? Say it isn’t so.

Avatar is like a unicorn. Us film geeks are simply salivating at James Cameron’s return to the big screen since his last film a decade ago. And yet I compare it to a mythical creature because even now, half a year out (film opens December 18), all we’ve glimpsed of Avatar were through hushed secondhand rumors and a handful of concept drawings- and even those only surfaced about a week ago.

Now, it’s finally beginning to feel real. And it’s getting exciting. The director appeared at Ubisoft’s (who are making a tie-in video game) E3 press conference yesterday to talk quite at length about Avatar. It’s really a bit surreal that this is the venue in which it’s happening, but if Paul and Ringo can re-unite onstage for a video game, anything is possible. Do however, consider that the Avatar video game is being demoed (and will be released pre-film) before we have seen a single frame of the film yet.

Quite funnily, much has been made about the rambling nature of his presentation (and it kind of is), but I was absolutely fascinated:

I wrote the treatment for this thing 14 years ago, and I took it in to my team at Digital Domain where I was the CEO and said, ‘Well what do you think guys?’ And they broke it down and said, ‘If we make this, we’re doomed. It can’t be done. The technology doesn’t exist’. So I put it way in the back of the drawer for about a decade.

And then I started to see things in movies, examples of photo real CG characters like Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and said maybe it’s time to dust this thing off….

You can check out his entire 14 minute long speech at G4.