SIDESHOW COLLECTIBLES HOLLOW INSIDE?

A journey from suspicion to certainty...

I was talking to a fellow collector who just got his first Prime 1 Studios figure (a TMNT Raphael from the last movie). He said that the statue was so heavy that two of them would weigh the same as his wife. We were talking about price and quality and I’ve mentioned the Sideshow Skeletor PF statue as an example of an extra quality statue for a reasonable price (given nowadays prices). He then said that the figure must be hollow inside because no 1/4 statue would weight just 15 lbs (6,8 kg) and lol on me. The commentary bothered me. It never crossed my mind that my Sideshow Statues would be hollow inside.

I didn’t believe it (even though I’ve never had a Prime 1 Studios 1/4 figure in my hands to compare) but looking for the weight of Prime 1 Studios statues in Sideshow’s site I was astonished to discover that none of them has the weight on the description.  That bugged me. Even if it didn’t prove Sideshow statues were hollow it was suspicious not to put the weight of Prime 1 Studios pieces.

But you know something? Even if it Sideshow figures are hollow it doesn’t bug me that much because I know Sideshow it’s the most recognizable collectible figures brand today. And they may have a super quality control for their products. If it’s feasible to do hollowed parts of the statues without losing quality and durability, why would I bother? If it’s a way to keep the costs low and make figures more accessible I’m more than happy with it.

Even though I would prefer to know them to be solid. Which they can be, after all, my fellow collector is not an expert. He just found Prime 1 Studios figures heavier than Sideshow’s but he was also comparing a massive almost Hulk size piece with a normal one.

All I know is that he is now a Prime 1 convert. And I’m still a Sideshow collector and fan. To be honest I find Prime 1 Studio figures too bulky and static, heavy and without personality (with few and far exceptions), whereas Sideshow pieces are full of movement, personality and life. But one cannot deny the quality of a Prime 1 piece, it’s just fantastic (by the pictures I see, I must add, since I never saw one face to face in my life), better than Sideshow in many regards. But then again, my heart is with Sideshow. Hollow or not hollow. I just wish they stop rising their prices. Sideshow is by far the studio which prices raised the most in the last couple of years. The new Deadpool PF may very well be my swan song from collecting. Depending on the price. I hope it comes around $ 450 because I can’t afford a Prime 1 price statue.

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Addendum

Sideshow community confirmed: Sideshow Collectibles statues are hollow but bulky enough to handle shipping and handling (most cases). Beyond that, other companies does the same, so I've learnt it is a common market practice to make hollowed figures with size bigger than 1/6. With the exception of Prime 1 and other top tiers maybe (or theirs is less hollow, who knows?).

The naked truth: hollow Joker base filled with spare parts to give it weight.
Also a common market practice according to another experienced collector.

Addendum 2 (things get worse)
A fellow collector and restaurateur say he's repairing a broken Sideshow Red Hulk that came with an ultra thin layer of polystone on the knee, so be careful when manipulating your collectibles, folks. 

A quote from the restaurateur: "what I'm saying is.....they have a high dollar product that is made as cheap as possible. Paint jobs are questionable and castings are crap." [note of the editor: comments about Sideshow]

Even so, what can I do? I just love their figures... :(

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Addendum 3 (unbelievable) 
This video got me impressed on how thin the polystone layer is or, put in another way, how hollow is the statue:

I don't know but I guess if Sideshow does this being the most famous brand on the market today, everybody does it to a greater or lesser degree. All I know is that I'll handle my polystone figures with extra care from now on. In times like this I miss Bowen Studios... if their figures weren't also hollowed... :/

Addendum 4:
I've saw a video of two guys mounting Cinemaquette Hulk and by the sounds of the video one can realize the statue is clearly hollow too. Judge youselves.

Addendum 5 (thanks to Bum J.):

Addendum 6 (thanks to Vittorio G):
Nothing is lost after all, as explained by fellow collector Vittorio G. from Statue Collectors Facebook group (which I recommend):

“...First of all, you start talking about Prime1 and the weight on their pieces, but their 1:3 Batman weights around 20-24lbs, which means the body is hollow to some degree.

[…] the real point is not about the quantity of material, but the density of it, which makes the statue harder or easier to break. There are materials that are incredibly thin and yet incredibly tough to break, like the fiberglass used on Rhino comiquette.

"Polystone" can mean everything and nothing, you'll see that some statues have incredibly sturdy parts (i.e. the spikes on the Diablo Overthrown armor, the weapons on the Fury of the Beast) and some other statues have the same parts done with shitty and fragile material (i.e. the spikes on Arthas, the weapons on the latest Conan PF).

And just because it was mentioned, XM pieces are done with cold cast porcelain, which is an incredibly sturdy material, much more than standard polystone. Which is why the breakage % on XM pieces is substantially lower than on other statues, especially on smaller parts like hair.”

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I would like to know if possible the opinions of members of this community about this issue. Does any manufacturer make solid figures? It's really common practice to do hollowed statues? And about cramming hollow figures with spare parts, is that common? Does Sideshow Collectibles quality control really sucks? Want to hear from you folks, you know the market way better than me!