The most interesting bit to me of this Battle of the Last Alliance diorama is the unfortunate party of Numenoreans before Sauron. I particularly appreciate the fact that they’ve crammed not two, not even three, but four soldiers (there’s a goner on the floor) into the piece which is as good as you could’ve asked for. The backturned soldier is a very smart logistics solution indeed as it allows you to see at least one face from Sauron’s front side. For top dollar price ($300), this justifies a much stronger case than the equally priced Star Wars Vader vs. Obi-Wan diorama.

Sauron himself is well done. Although there is some debate over his pose, it recalls his almost robotic nature from the film just fine. It could look very good indeed had the pose been frozen instead at the apex of his swing, but it could be splitting hairs at this point.

For even more images of the Sideshow Sauron vs. Numenoreans diorama, don’t neglect to peruse our Comic-Con 2009 Gallery!

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

Our pick for Comic-Con’s “Best in Show” last year– Sideshow’s Diablo III: Overthrown diorama returns again, and our savage Barbarian is looking better than ever. It’s the first chance for folks to see the new paintjob first hand, and it looks bloody fantastic. And it’s wowing con goers even without the benefit of the exclusive helm, which Sideshow’s curiously omitted.

This, along with the Venom Comiquette, and the Avatar Maquette, were the three best things on display at Sideshow’s booth.

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

• See pics of the unpainted Diablo prototype from last year
• See more In-Depth features from Comic-Con 09

If it looks familiar, it’s because the scene has been approximated before in premium format style. But for fans of the polystone, comes this The Circle is now Complete diorama.

Next in line for Sideshow’s Marvel dioramas: The Sub-Mariner vs. Iron Man

At long last, Sideshow’s Diablo 3: Overthrown polystone diorama has finally gotten some face time with a painted up version. As you’ll recall, the piece debuted at Comic-Con last year (click here for our photos) and has been stuck looking pasty for nearly an entire year. Still, considering the fact that good ol’ Blizzard hasn’t so much as even hinted at a release for the actual game, this doesn’t seem that grievous an offense.

Here’s a curiosity: Although the preview was up for about an hour tonight, the photos have all since been taken down. Curtain pulled before this barbie was ready? Luckily we have you covered here at the [[AP]]. [[Update]]: Photos are now back up at Sideshow

Adding further mystique, the product listing is also no longer on Sideshow’s site, though as mentioned in this teaser, a “relaunch of the Barbarian” is coming June 18th. Yeah, this one smells all kinds of bizarre. But the statue looks amazing, which thankfully leaves no egg on our faces for deeming it the Comic-Con “Best In Show” last year.

In this installment of Flipper Market Watch, we take a look at Sideshow’s Lord of the Rings flavored exclusive for this year’s Comic-Con, the Mount Doom diorama.

Sure, it’s only been two weeks since its priority pre-order came and went, and yet Frodo and Sam have already been plastered all over Ebay. With a relatively low edition of 300, we know that flippage was all but assured.

How have the flippers fared?

Of the 5 that have sold in that time, the highest price fetched was $199.99 (2 auctions managed this). Consider that after Ebay and Paypal fees, the gross total drops to roughly $178. And further if the sellers live in California, which both sellers do, it further eats away the number to result in a total profit of roughly $70. Not exactly a windfall considering the original out of pocket cost.

The lowest sold price was $148, which factoring fees and the good possibilty that this was the more expensive ‘non-attendee’ version (which also has shipping on top)– Mr. Flipper may very well walk away with less than he started out with. Yes, he’s doing the buyer a favor.

So if you missed out on this diorama, you might take some solace in the fact that flipping is barely worth the effort at the moment. Or get pro-active and scalp the scalpers by snagging a good deal out there.

Valuation: +78.4% Attendee | +63% Non-Attendee

(See latest completed Ebay auctions)

Forum member LOTR Fan shows us the ins and outs of Sideshow first entry of their Dinosauria line, the T-Rex vs. Triceratops diorama (exclusive).

Check out all of the gory details ahead!

(12 photos)

Forum member rook325 shows off the gladiatorial splendor of Sideshow’s latest Marvel “VS.” diorama, Planet Hulk: Green Scar VS. Silver Savage (exclusive).

(5 photos)

Forum member Vikingmagyar has some of the first in-hand photos of Sideshow’s “Dark Counsel” diorama, with Grima Wormtongue tending to a severely hungover Theoden. New Year’s celebrations will do that to you.

(9 photos)

High resolution shots from the Comic-Con show floor of Sideshow Collectibles’ Diablo 3 “Overthrown” diorama, featuring the Barbarian. The exclusive version features a bonus changeable helmed head. This piece is currently in pre-order phase.

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