Posts Tagged “photography”
Our Comic-Con 2010 Gallery is alive and kicking! Nearly 200 photos and counting! What are you waiting for? Go go go!
See all of this and more:
Sideshow:
Neytiri statue, Optimus Prime maquette
LOTR: Gandalf PF, Morgul Lord PF, Gandalf maquette, Aragorn maquette
Kratos statue, Alien Resurrection, German Paratrooper PF,
Marvel: Hulk comiquette, , She-Hulk comiquette, Thor 1:1 bust, Wolverine 1:1 bust, Carnage 1:1 bust, Spider-Man comiquette, Black Cat PF, Psylocke comiquette, Ms. Marvel PF, Legacy Effects War Machine statue,
Star Wars: C-3PO 1:1 bust, Obi-Wan Kenobi LSB, Yoda 12-inch and hut, Aurra Sing, Cyborg Darth Maul, Jango Fett bronze, Boba Fett bronze
T-800 statue, Pop Culture Shock Guile, Thundercats: Lion-O, Jack Sparrow PF
Weta:
District 9: Exosuit statue, CJ and Son statue, Art of D9
Dr. Grordbort’s Rayguns
Lord of the Rings: Bag End environment, Prancing Pony environment, John Howe’s Smaug the Golden
The Wind in the Willows bookends
CJ jr. film maquette
Hot Toys:
Predators: Royce, Inglourious Basterds: Hans Landa, T-1000, Iron Man 2: Black Widow, Abigail Whistler, Ghost Rider, Michael Jackson
Cinemaquette:
Bruce Lee: Game of Death, Superman, Darth Vader
Gentle Giant:
Sucker Punch: Baby Doll, Amber, Sweet Pea,
Pan’s Labyrinth: SDCC exclusive Pan bust, Pale Man bust
Lucius Malfoy SDCC exclusive bust
Avatar: Neytiri, Jake, Tsu’tey busts
efx:
Darth Vader helmet (both versions), Luke’s X-Wing helmet, Vader concept helmet, X-Wing
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Weta’s Lord of the Rings Stone Pendants are not technically new as they have been on offer at the Cave for some time now– however for most of the planet, introduction came as Weta’s made them available on their web site with worldwide availability. They come in 3 flavors, each with a unique motif etched on the face: White Tree of Gondor, Arwen’s Coronation Crown, and Gandalf’s Rune.
Perhaps the biggest draw is to know that these river stones originate from New Zealand (better described on their product page) so that you can literally have a piece of the cinematic Middle Earth close to your chest.
What to make of these? At $32 USD they strike me as slightly pricey– but important to note I’m viewing from collector’s eyes. With the fact that each stone is unique and may vary in color and size noted, the pendant I have (Gandalf’s) is not that large, and if you’re buying these to accent your collectibles display in some way it may be an excessive concept unless your dedication to such idea is truly firm.
However, if intended to utilize these pendants as jewelry as designed, it doesn’t seem very unreasonable. Funny how perspective does that.
It’s the perfect Weta Cave product, as no doubt conceived; how wonderful to bring a piece of New Zealand home from your visit (especially more so if you live… not in New Zealand!). Buying over the internets perhaps takes a lot of this memento mystique away, but if you’re not likely to make the journey yourself in the foreseeable future (I feel your pain in earnest), aren’t you glad they’re available at the mouse click?
  
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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!
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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!
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Raygun afficionados, you simply cannot afford to miss our Booth Tour with nearly 30 photos covering every facet of Grordbortdom, life-size, miniature or otherwise! Weta actually displayed much more than I expected; you could not expect them to bring much more– because they seemingly brought everything. Including most every life-size Raygun past, present… and some future!
It was actually somewhat overwhelming because new Grordbort pieces have usually come at a trickle, but there were at least 10 different new products on display– in various stages of development, planned release, and other states of mysterious gestation. Some of the noteworthy pieces include the Righteous Bison, the $99 Raygun ($90 at the show!); a Pearce 75 in both 1:1 and miniature flavor; and even a miniature Victorious Mongoose!
It was a literal museum for the ever expanding line, and there’s a good chance they might bring the entire get-up to future conventions so don’t be too sad if you missed out! (well, except the handpainted Rayguns, which unless my definition of “sold” needs updating- will probably never be seen again at con) Until then, relive the splendor through our photos!
For even more show floor images of Weta’s latest, don’t neglect to peruse our Comic-Con 2009 Gallery!
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The vampy blue Adam Hughes Mystique Comiquette has only just made her debut but it’s already being hailed among the best of the AH! comiquette line. Seasoned sculptor Tim Miller is at bat again and may have netted Sideshow another home-run. Alongside She-Hulk and Black Queen, the bevy of busty AH! ladies made a strong showing at this year’s Con.
For even more images of the Sideshow Mystique Comiquette, don’t neglect to peruse our Comic-Con 2009 Gallery!
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Sideshow has a literal ton of Marvel stuff, past and in the pipeline, but the Venom Comiquette is something special. The Gore Group is behind this one, which gives any collectible a good head start. It bests their previous Venom statue, a film based version, which itself was very accomplished.
This “Comiquette” is based on the work of artist Ariel Olivetti, and is strikingly detailed, and as far as this display piece is concerned, wonderfully painted. It’s vile and vicious and raw, and a perfect depiction of the character. And the base is not neglected (with the Gore Group, it rarely is), which always earns points with me. Oftentimes, film based treatments can tend to overtake their comic counterparts (see: Iron Man)– not so in the case of Venom and his cinematic debut in the limp Spider-Man 3. This statue is an excellent example why.
For even more images of the Sideshow Venom Comiquette, don’t neglect to peruse our Comic-Con 2009 Gallery!
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It lives! It LIVES!
It’s true folks; come one, come all! Our Comic-Con 2009 Collectibles Gallery is waiting for your visit. Click on through!
Complete Gallery Listing (232 pics)
Sideshow Collectibles:
Weta Collectibles:
Hot Toys:
Gentle Giant:
- Pan’s Labyrinth: Pale Man statue
- Hellboy II: Angel of Death statue
- Hellboy II: Prince Nuada, Hellboy, and Tooth Fairy busts
- Harry Potter: Severus Snape statue
- Harry Potter: Albus Dumbledore statue
- Star Wars: Leia and Wicket statue
- Star Wars: Tusken Raider on Bantha statue
- Star Wars: Slave Leia and Twi’lek busts
- Star Wars: Obi-Wan bronze bust
- Star Wars: Yoda bronze statue
- The Wizard of Oz busts
Cinemaquette:
- Superman: Christopher Reeve
- Bruce Lee
- Godfather: Vito Corleone
Kotobukiya:
- Infinity Gauntlet
- Cable
- Venom
- Thor
- Blade film bust
- The Thing film bust
- Irom Man MKII
eFX:
- Tie Fighter
- Tie Intercepter
- X-Wing
- Millenium Falcon
- Obi-Wan, Ahsoka Tano Lightsabers
- Clone Trooper Captain Helmet
- Clone Trooper Helmet
- Imperial Stormtrooper Helmet
- Battlestar Galactica Helmet
MINDstyle:
- Dark Crystal Skeksis mixed media statue
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Review
Iron Man Mark III | Artist: Hot Toys | Edition Size: N/A
What’s this? An action figure review on [[AP]]?
It’s true, if you know me even a little, you’ll know that I’ve long preferred my collectibles on the sculpted polystone side of things. And in fact, this is the first ‘high end’ ($50 and up) “action figure” I’ve been impressed enough with to purchase.
One reason I’m not fond of figures in general is the use of fabric. To me, it is rarely successful even in 1/4 scale, much less 1/6.
Another is articulation, or rather the means to achieve it– cheap looking joints do not jive with my sensibilities.
Just so happens that Iron Man’s suit conveniently mitigates both ‘inadequacies’. But the appeal of Hot Toys’ Iron Man figures (they’re also pumping out the MKI and MKII) is not the circumvention of any action figure shortcomings, but their excellence overall.
When a figure is superior in most every way to its available sculpted counterpart(s)– which in my opinion almost is never the case– any collector, no matter the preference, has to take notice.
And it is the case here, with Kotobukiya’s Iron Man Mark III Fine Art statue being the only alternative I’m aware of. Hot Toys’ offering is better proportioned, better painted, better sculpted, more detailed and outclasses Koto’s offering in nearly every way. If you want to add insult to injury, consider the fact I haven’t yet mentioned the poseability, or Tony Stark head- both Hot Toys only. Similarly, Hot Toys’ Mark I figure is looking more impressive than Sideshow’s 1/4 maquette offering, but that’s a discussion for another day.
Back to the Hot Toys MKII: As mentioned, the ’sculpt’ is wonderful. There are a lot of nifty doodads that open and close, including air-brake flaps on the back (that thoughtfully conceal one of the light switches) which qualifies the ‘action’ in action figure. It’s all fine and well, but I’m more concerned with the bigger picture. The helmet looks superb with no wonky proportions. The same could be applied to the rest of the armoured pieces save for the waist area which is on the narrow side.
Contrary to complaints you may have read, the color is as close to the film costume as can be reasonably expected. Don’t believe me? See our pictures of the actual screen used suit (which also graces our header) and compare for yourself.
Despite Tony’s directive to Jarvis, the red of the film suit is more of a deep wine red than it is “hot rod” (though under the circumstances, both would be fitting). And yet it can appear considerably more vibrant under different lighting conditions. Perfect. The lustre is again accurate– shiny but not glossy or overly reflective.
The overall result is really quite visually impressive. With such astute attention paid to the actual prop it’s hard not to be. It is an expensive figure, but an incredible one. When you flick on the lights on top of it all, it really kicks things into overdrive. Great engineering. Great execution.
The alternate Tony Stark head is also top shelf by any estimation. In addition to the very faithful Downey Jr. likeness by T.J. Cha, the paintjob is also worthy of kudos. Again the word precision comes to mind, in conjunction with transparent shading that blends together with a finesse I have rarely seen for a massed produced collectible.
So, the look is nailed down tight. But how’s this bad boy handle?
At the end of the day, this is a plastic action figure- and it plays the part. I was taken aback the moment I took it from it’s plastic prison– blame it on naivete.
The articulation can awkward, which can very well be attributed to my inexperience with action figures– though I have read the sentiment echoed from other collectors. I don’t mind the stiffness of the joints, which improve stability, but the range of motion can feel limiting. Some leniency is given considering the mind numbing logistics of the ‘actual suit’ as it were.
Take it as a compliment- an action figure so visually accomplished that you are expecting to be as heavy and solid as it looks. I think if Hot Toys made a ’sculpted’ Iron Man statue cast in heavyweight metal, it would simply be one of the more serious displays of ass-kickery rarely witnessed. Now I don’t believe Hot Toys has their heart seriously devoted to anything other than the 1/6 figure with which they so excel at, but I think it clarifies my position.
My pipe dreams aside, Hot Toys can easily stake their claim to the finest Iron Man film collectibles currently available.
Information
- Hot Toys Iron Man Mark III
- Make: Hot Toys
- License: Marvel
- Artists: Howard Chan, J.C. Hong, Jason Woo, Ray Ling, Monster JR., Fred Leung, Ho Wong, Gary Wong, T.J. Cha, Yulli
- Retail Price: $159.99
- Edition Size: N/A
- Scale: 1/6
- Type: Poseable 12-inch figure
- Purchase Options: Sideshow Collectibles | Ebay
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