ODE TO HULK LIFE-SIZE BUST AND A BIT OF SWAMP THING

I know you dislike the half-mouthed grunt. I know you dislike the face sculpt altogether. Looks like he had a stroke you said. I know you hate the brown shading. I know some of you see it as a “half” life-size bust because there’s no back. I know most of you disliked because is very light to its size. In one word, you’ll never get the Hulk LSB. I did. And don’t regret a bit. On the contrary, it’s the statue I’m most excited to receive ever. No other sculpture generated – and generates since it is yet to come – such a frisson in my collector’s mind (and heart) than this one. Forget OG Hulk, this is the Hulk to get. The ultimate Hulk sculpture. The expression of Hulk is incredible as is the facial sculpture altogether. It gives him character and personality. Prove of this is people find it looks like many different persons, generally ridiculing him (I also think it resembles Clint Eastwood by the way, which is a good thing to me! :) ). What people don’t realize is that Hulk is a monster and as such it’ll never be pretty. The half-opened mouth give dynamics to an otherwise very static figure. The brown shadings ads depth and variation to the piece otherwise, with all shadings green, would look very one-dimensional according to a professional painter who happens to like the paint scheme all of you detested. Apart that, the figure is a perfect merge of reality and fantasy with hyper-detailed skin marks and pores and a comic book face sculpt. It’ll be an impacting piece in anyone’s collection and it’s decidedly the center piece of mine. One cannot deny that Hulk LSB causes a strong impression even if you are a life-size bust collector. It’s a piece that grabs you attention and doesn’t let go. I get to look at the pictures of Hulk LSB every day like I’m kind of in love with it. Like watching pictures of a beloved one who travelled. That’s how strongly connected I am to this statue. I’m just enchanted by it. Enchanted is the precise word about my feelings towards this piece.

Say all you gonna say it won’t move me a bit from my decision. The only thing I dislike about Hulk LSB is that I will have to ship it directly to Brazil (what won’t be cheap) since the box will be too big to fit checked luggage specifications. It is by a far margin the most expensive statue I have ever bought and also the last I will pay this astronomic price for a piece. I just wished I live in US like my brother… but the thing is I love Brazil, I really enjoy where I live and I’m retired and I could not receive my pension in US let alone live there. Nor I would trade my country just because of statues! I just hope Swamp Thing box to fit in checked luggage specifications. In addition, I expect it to be around $700-750 max. I don’t see why even with the size, for a niche DC character with simple casting to be more than that. I know it’s big. But it’s not Hulk LSB big (only in height). The base is not complex. It’s not a difficult statue to paint. No Heat-Seeker complexities on that piece, no throne. So it can be more affordable. Even though $700-750 is no small money. But it can’t cost the price of a 1/3 statue. Because it’s not. Bane, which is also a massive DC character and only 3 inches shorter, with a much more complex composition and mixed media went for $699. I hope it goes for $750. I will not pay more than this for this 1/4 figure even if it is my all-time favorite character (which Swamp Thing indeed is). I just find it outrageous to the consumer to ask more than that. Loyalty to a brand has limits and Sideshow nowadays are pushing the limits far too far. Better keep the feet on the ground and make everybody happy than have a stockpile of unsold figures since only the wealthy collectors will be able to afford. And there isn’t as much people interested in Swamp Thing as there is in Thanos on Throne. Be certain of that, so Sideshow should pick an inclusive price tag to gather as many lovers of the creature from the swamp as possible, not alienate them with preposterous prices. And, please, Sideshow, make a box that fits checked luggage specifications! The more compact the better without sacrificing the piece safety of course. Just like Killer Croc box organization would be fine. I believe there won’t be many parts to attach to this figure otherwise it would break the flow of the body vines and ligaments, breaking this way the whole concept of Paul Komoda as well. 


P.S.: a new interview may be coming soon. 

TWO SUBJECTS

I realize that whenever Sideshow launches a new line of characters they start with only two subjects of the two main characters of a given universe. That’s how it happened with the Masters of the Universe line when they brought He-Man and Skeletor as the opening pieces so to grab the most fans possible. It’s a smart move because the bet is high since a line can flop and bring loss to the company. They make at least two so that the piece don’t stay out of context in one’s collection. So they bring a companion piece most that bough the first one would be interest in acquiring. The same move is being taken for the Gotham City Nightmare line. They revealed Batman and will be bringing Joker as the companion piece. However, in GCN case I don’t think the art style of both statues match at all. I see them as two completely different takes on the concept of the line with art directions very different from each other. I don’t know if this will give unity to the line at all. Both are devilish and distorted versions of the characters but in very different ways. I guess the art directors were different for each project. You can take a look and judge for yourselves on the video below.

Did you see how different they are in terms of… everything? I don’t think this is really a bad thing, just don’t give the line the unity, in my head, it meant to have. I think both statues bold and creative and really shows what makes Sideshow different from the other companies. I really hope this line to be a success since I cannot imagine what they can do with other characters from the Batman universe. Though I will not buy this line I will gladly watch what’s the next step, who’s next in line to receive the nightmarish treatment and save pics of the characters for myself as I often do with figures I wish I have but can’t own. (See I still have some sense in my mind. Lol.)

Wish the best for this line as I find one of the most creative and daring undertaking Sideshow ever embraced. I'm all in to creative freedom and this line seems to give Sideshow artists just this, what is extremely rare outside the realm of custom figures. Kudos to the company for that.  

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On a very different subject, who seem to be losing their minds are the money guys from Sideshow. The last two PFs launched by the company cost well above $600. If this is a signal of things to come, the future seems very bleak for the average collector. The figures in question are Lady Deadpool PF and K-2SO PF. Although I didn’t get so surprised with Lady Deadpool price, since she has all the bells and whistles that allegedly raised the production costs and overall final price of Deadpool Heat-Seeker, I was very surprised with K-2SO price. The piece has metal legs, light up feature in the eyes and is a taller statue than average but none of these, nor the Star Wars license justifies such an abusive price for such a simple statue. I don’t know where Sideshow was with its head when priced K-2SO. I certainly hope it’s an off the marker mistake took by the company or else I’ll not be able to afford the pieces I intend to acquire in 2017-2018. To be honest I’m really concerned about the future of collecting. Two years ago the PFs average prices were around $400-450 now as it seems PFs are furiously galloping to the $600 plus average. This is simply unbearable to many collectors and I hope this not to be really a trend. I know and said it before that Prime 1 pushed the prices up with their 1/4 scale figures but each one has different target customers. Prime 1 brings to the table a higher quality product whereas Sideshow (used) to bring cheaper pieces. The quality of the casting of Sideshow cannot compete with Prime 1’s, which has heavier better-finished figures. The only downside of Prime 1 – a trap they set for themselves – is the so-called translucent resin they use for skin that doesn’t seem to support a lot of detail as normal resin does. It works just fine with 1/3 figures due to their sizes but not translate well for smaller 1/4 figures. But I’m deviating from the subject. All I really wanted to say is that the new Red Sonja to be under $500 and the Swamp Thing Maquette be no higher than $750. These are fair prices and everybody gets happy with them. Sideshow for selling well their pieces and the costumers for paying a decent amount for the products they get. Otherwise, the nightmare won’t be only in Gotham City.   

ARE WE ADDICTED TO COLLECTING?

The adrenaline rush of buying a figure be it on the company site or after a good hunting and negotiation on eBay or Facebook is awesome and all collectors I believe experience that. I know I do. Closing an excellent deal or finally grabbing that XM figure you sought for so long is a great pleasure. As is receiving the box from the mail. The ritual of opening, assemble and examine the piece is the icing of the cake. But once the thrill is over and it goes after a short period of time once having the figure (ever shorter the more figures one have) and you (and me) are already thinking about the next thrill. This is imho means you (and me) are addicted to collecting.

SDCC and the other toy fairs and conventions are like drug spots where dealers – the companies – highlight us all the pleasures to come. The next thrills. Not to mention the customs side market. Many find special pleasure in doing business with their statues, so their collections are always rotating with old figures being substituted by new ones in a never-ending cycle. By new I don’t mean only new releases but figures that were never possessed before. There are those that even sell or trade a figure to regret and acquire the same figure later, possibly for a higher value. There are all kinds of behaviors regarding collecting but when they turn compulsive is where the problem begins. When the urge of the thrill becomes relentless. If one compromises his/her finances in order to acquire figures I guess it's time to seek for help. It means one lost control of the habit. I had very compulsive collecting moments. I spent a great deal of my father’s inheritance in three months buying figures on eBay on a time figures weren’t as expensive as they are nowadays. I entered in the manic cycle of my bipolar disorder and went completely out of control. Sold the majority of them afterwards, some grails, in terrible negotiations because I happen to be terrible in business. From 2016 to today I managed to acquire “only” six figures but given the figures prices nowadays I’ve spent a great deal of money, around $4k. Not counting the shipping.

From the rest of 2017 to the end of my life I intend to buy just two more figures, SS Swamp Thing and the new Red Sonja. The hobby just went out of my financial reach and I believe I don’t have more room to display properly the figures I acquire. I cancelled one order to be able to accommodate these two new figures in my collection and because I found the painting of the final production piece disappointing compared to the prototype showed on the site. Thank god I buy only Sideshow statues, apart some Bowens and one Gentle Giant piece I have. I would be in big trouble if I collected XM and in a huge trouble (pun intended) if I collected Prime 1 pieces. I happen not to like their styles I cannot exactly say why. I feel only blessed I think this way or else I would be on a much bigger trouble. My last acquisition was the Hulk LSB (my most expensive piece ever) and I have a problem since I live in Brazil. The custom taxes here are 60% over the declared price of the product plus shipping. I generally send the figures I buy to my brother’s home in US and he brings me one every time he comes to visit us or I bring another when I go visit him (what only happened once at the time being).  But with the Hulk LSB I won’t be able to do that because the box is too big to fit checked luggage specifications. So I’ll have to ask Sideshow to ship the figure directly to me what will cost me around $800-850 in custom taxes if the shipping cost is akin to Deadpool LSB. Apart the shipping cost itself of circa $300-350. It’s a very heavy hit. I will pay well more than twice for the figure. I won’t give up because it will be the centerpiece of my collection. I believe it is the best Hulk portrait ever done and I need a Hulk in my collection and I want the best. Or, in other words, I just fell in love with the statue as I only did with the new Red Sonja, Gentle Giant Babydoll, Bowen Man-Thing, and with Hatsune Miku Mebae Version. Yes, I collect PVC and vinyl figures as well. My collection is pretty varied. I happen to have even a Hot Toys Jack Nicholson Joker though I’m a terrible poser. Lol. On the other hand, regarding Hulk, this “in love” thing maybe mean I’m still on the thrill of acquiring it. The thrill of addiction. I cannot say for sure.

I cannot say for sure if I’ll buy Swamp Thing out of addiction or because he is my all-time favorite character. I don’t know if when I fall in love with a statue I’m on my “addicted mode” which I believe so. I don’t know if I will be able to quit after acquiring these last two statues I intend to buy. I don’t know what the next SDCC has in store for me. All I know is that my room is not yet prepared for display my statues and I’m planning to reform it in 2018. At least reforming costs are a lot cheaper in Brazil than is US (and in most first world countries for that matter). Sure won’t be cheap as well. However is a sad collection one that is being kept in the boxes. The only figure I dared to take from the box and keep out of it is my SS Daredevil because right now I only have space to display him in my room and because most of my figures are still in US. It’s an even more sad collection one kept in the boxes thousands of miles away from the collector. My brother won’t come to visit us this year so only god knows when I will get my hands on a new statue of mine. In addition, my brother already said to me “no more statues at my home”. That’s another reason why I want to send Hulk directly to Brazil. But my brother is such a good person I think he will forgive me for three more statues to come, Malavestros, Swamp Thing and Red Sonja. At least he will not receive the gigantic Hulk LSB box that would certainly piss him (and especially my sister in law) the most.

Then I guess will be it. However, when planning my room, I will try to leave space for a couple more statues. You know the addiction. One never knows what the next con will bring. But the only thing I could devise to tempt me is another beautiful female character. Other than that there are no more characters I want. I guess. Swamp Thing and Hulk were the last of them. Though I love Alan Moore and Watchmen is the best comic ever to me, statues based on its characters wouldn’t appeal to me. Nor even V for V for Vendetta would appeal to me even though is my second favorite character. So I guess there isn’t anything Sideshow could bring to the table that I don’t have already. And I can only wonder how high will be the prices next year. So I really hope I’ll be out of the game by then. Still I’ll try to leave a some space left. After all, one never knows what may come down the road. Moreover, there’s one thing I’m sure about addictions: once a addicted, always an addicted. You can quit but you’ll always be addicted to it. It’s like a dormant beast, if you tease it, it may wake up hungrier than ever. I’m addicted to other things. I quit them all. I guess collecting will be the easiest one to give up. And the prices are pushing me out of it already. Still the spaces will be there. Maybe for an Iron Man MK III Maquette, or a perfect comic Iron Man (maybe I end up buying a Bowen), a perfect Beast (which was already launched as a custom, that one will be tough to beat, and I missed it…), or a perfect Joker or… well, I thought there wasn’t nothing more I desire but you know the drill, you know thrill…

There is one addiction I couldn’t and don’t want to quit: smoking. I just changed to e-cigarettes. And I even happen to smoke one real cigarette when I wake up and another when I go to sleep. Is collecting another addiction I don’t plan to give up? I honestly don’t know. But I certainly would like to. And about you? Are you addicted to collecting? What makes one person addicted to it, in your opinion? Do you plan to quit someday? When and why? Is it really a bad thing if you can afford it?

One may wonder why I posted these making of images of Swamp Thing. Well,
because it's one of the figures I intend to buy and to remember that these figures
are a form of art of sorts and should be regarded so.

On a side note, there’s something in common about collecting and other types of addiction, most people don’t understand and even have prejudice about it. My family and friends just don’t get my hobby and don’t understand why I spend so much on it. They see my pieces as toys or junk I’m accumulating. It’s a bless to have these Facebook groups to share my passion and being understood in our addicting hobby. The only downsides are the desirable new pieces shared that tempts myself getting but it’s good to train one’s will power. Lol. Jokes apart these are places where I feel right at home and can discuss and share my opinions without being afraid of prejudice since we’re all on the same boat here. A boat we all love sailing.    

   

MAQUETTE IS SS NEW NAME TO OVERPRICED PIECES?

I warned you last year that Prime 1 Anti-Venom for $860 wouldn’t do any good to the industry. So here we are at 2017 with one 1/4 figure from Sideshow selling for astounding $1,2k. Sideshow apparently found a new venue to make us swallow overpriced figures. They simply call them “Maquettes”. If you happen to like one of the Maquettes showcased on SDCC17 (Iron Man Mark III, Swamp Thing and Alien Queen) you are in for a bittersweet taste when the figures and their prices be revealed. Looks like Maquette is the “deluxe” line of the company, what frees them to put Prime 1 1/3 scale prices (or more) on 1/4 pieces, what is just preposterous. I may be wrong and Thanos is an exception, along with Voltron’s Maquette $1,250 price tag. However, two are one too many Maquettes to call it a coincidence. I think Voltron due to its size and complexity is an expensive piece to produce but it doesn’t justify the overwhelming price. Let alone Thanos which seems a very simple piece to produce. I’ll give you that he is big (as Thanos should be) but the price is much bigger than any reasonable scale. It’s not an 1/3 scale figure. It doesn’t come close. Well there is the throne, one may add. But with or without throne the price is simply too expensive for a 1/4 scale figure. So don’t buy it and shut the f* up, one may reply. Of course I won’t buy it, I don’t even like or know much about the character to justify such immensely abusively inflated price. But I won’t stop complaining. It is my right as a Sideshow fan to point when the company is being greedy and unfair to its customers.

Come an get me if you can face my artificially inflated price.

So I’m scared with the term Maquette and what it may mean, if people buy these pieces, to the other lines of the company. Per example, how much will the new Wolverine PF cost? The last Wolverine, still available on the site, is up for $480. It has quite an elaborated base, not too far from the mechanical Sentinel hand the new one is on, though the hand is a bigger base. Let’s see the prices of the new figure. Sideshow cannot allege the price (if much higher) is due to the license of the character nor the complexity of the figure, since they’re on par with the Wolverine they’re selling right now. The only thing left to blame is the rising production costs in China. However, First4Figures doesn’t seem to have the same issue (one can only wonder why) since they’re new Metroid Varia Suit 1/4 Exclusive figure (with lighting features all over the body) costs $429. So who is to blame? In my opinion (in the case the new Wolverine comes for a much higher price than the last one and the prices of the new Maquettes hit around 1k) is Prime 1 and it’s 1/4 line, since their price plateau for this line is stratospheric. One can argue that Prime 1 quality is unmatched, that the quality control is virtual flawless, that the Witcher’s bases are very cool and all… but $860 on Anti-Venom? This opened the door to Sideshow overprice their Maquette line. This will make the new Wolverine cost a lot more than the old one imho. This will make my beloved Swamp Thing to be no less than $800, though is not a complex character to produce, just big (so I still dream for a $700 price tag). But Swamp Thing is not 1/3 big to be priced as such. Prime 1 showed the way and Sideshow is gladly following, hitting hard the average consumer of their products. Deadpool Heat-Seeker for $700? Come on. Lady Deadpool for $675? Come on twice. Hulk and Deadpool LSB for $980? Without ES? When the marvelous mixed media Joker LSB costed $700 an year or two back? Come on… Not to mention the ArtPrints that jumped from $90 to $180 only god knows why….

Sideshow Swamp Thing will be the last statue I will buy in my life. Depending on the price. Only because is my all-time favorite character. I never imagined somebody would do a 1/4 figure of him. And a marvelous figure at that I must admit. At first, I was shocked with the bold, daring art direction but grew to love it with passing of time and more images revealed. I just wonder how much it will cost… And the 1/3 Swamp Thing from Prime 1, for that matter… If their prices are somewhere near I’ll get extremely pissed.

On a side note, I know I said I would quit with the last figure I bought but I would never imagine Sideshow to do a Swamp Thing. Never crossed my mind. And now that it is coming into fruition it happens in a market with artificially inflated prices. So inflated I might not be able to afford it. It’s almost ironic if it wasn’t tragic. And yes, I assume I’m addicted to collecting and that will be hard to let go the habit. However, Sideshow forces me to do it and may well force many others too. As the last bastion of affordable 1/4 comics-based pieces, Sideshow is falling short…

Sorry for my broken English I’m a self-taught English speaker and not a good one at that… :P