HARD TIME FOR SIDEHSOW... WONDERFEST

Even though Sideshow takes a share of every Prime 1 statue sold, when the two are offering (almost) the same characters, looks like Prime 1 wins by more than one neck the preference of the audience, what may put SS pieces in peril. Prime 1 revealed at WonderFest their Swamp Thing 1/3 and Dog Alien (1/3 maybe) and they put Sideshow’s Swamp Thing and Alien Queen to shame according with the opinions from people from the very Sideshow Facebook group in two recent posts I did comparing the statues. This could mean Sideshow will need to rethink its strategies for their pieces, like edition sizes and even prices. For the grace of Sideshow clientele. I’m not certain about that, it’s mere speculation I must add. But the reception of Prime 1 pieces were so overwhelming that one cannot avoid to wonder. And I wonder that when the RSVP for both Prime 1 pieces go online, the number will far surpass Sideshow’s offerings, giving clear sign that Sideshow have two problems on their hands and that are more to come when the new similar licenses from Prime 1 appear, like Predator and Marvel. It will be hard for Sideshow to justify a $ 1,150, 27 inch Jungle Predator Maquette against a 1/3 perfectly recreated Predator from Prime 1. Times are changing for Sideshow. The share they receive for each Prime 1 figure sold will not cover the loss of not selling their own. I don’t know if it will really happen. It’s just an indication from the answers to the questions I’ve posted regarding the four statues. Sideshow will need to review their market plans or only the more artsy guys, like me, will get their Swamp Thing, which I believe are a minority group in collector’s universe.

Swamp Thing went in two completely different directions in his characterization by the two companies. Sideshow dared to design an out of the box piece, with a bold and creative art direction that changes all about Swamp Thing but the essential for him to look like the character. Prime 1 stuck to the norm and made a very traditional ST statue (that will certainly please the purists) and added a ton of detail and attachments to it. Of course, the crowd, more conservative and amazed by the sheer amount of detail of the piece, preferred Prime 1 version over Sideshow’s. And, to be honest, the piece is fabulous, the small foliage and other plant parts compounding the figure are put in so much detail that are nothing short of magnificent. The only problem is that it carries no expressiveness whatsoever. It’s extremely well done but has zero personality. In one word, looks lifeless. In addition, it is too big for my room. The pose is uninspired and the expression looks dull. Looks like a computer thing generated to look perfect but looks much more like a doll than Sideshow’s statue.

Sideshow Swamp Thing lacks the detail and the fidelity but oozes personality through every vine. And has that vibe of a hand sculpted piece which I’m almost certain it is. For all of this – and for being 1/4 instead of 1/3 – I will go against the flock once more and opt for Sideshow. As I said in one reply, my mind says one thing regarding these statues and my heart tells another. I tend to follow my heart. This if I can afford Sideshow Swamp Thing, I mean.

About Alien Queen Maquette (Sideshow) and Dog Alien (Prime 1), figure alone, Dog Alien draws more attention and looks more detailed and well painted, even bigger than Alien Queen. Counting with the base Alien Queen surpasses greatly Prime 1, presenting an amazing highly detailed and rich display. Furthermore, Sideshow have the Queen, a pivotal character of the series. Much more than Dog Alien is. It’s a tougher match but those who didn't choose Prime 1 alone said would stay with both, none chose Sideshow only on the post. So, in the end, Prime 1 is still in advantage over Sideshow on this one too. The only differential Sideshow will have from now on is the price since an Alien fan or a Swamp Thing fan probably will not bother to have one 1/3 scale of their favorite character in their collections being the statues so amazing. If Sideshow keep prices on the rise, they may end up losing this game on the long run. Even getting a percentage of Prime 1 revenues, Sideshow may wind-up having lots of statues stuck in their stock and being forced to appeal to promotions to move pieces Prime 1 did better than them (in the majority of collectors’ eyes, I mean). Sure, in terms of RSVP, Sideshow began with a head-start since their pieces came out first and both were very praised on SDCC. But let’s see how many of these will convert into actual sales now that Prime 1 put its cards on the table. More chapters to come as Prime 1 starts to release all the others new licenses it now detains.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Sideshow fan. The only Prime one piece that I would have would be Batman Beyond Golden Version (but, then again, not enough room or money and SS Swamp Thing and new Red Sonja come first). However, it will be a fierce battle against Prime 1 from now on. Imagine a Prime 1 1/3 Wolverine Jim Lee style? I can imagine eBay flooded with Wolverine Legendary Scale statues…

On the 1/4 front they go almost head to head. Almost. I think Sideshow has the advantage as much as I disliked the new Wolverine and the new Magneto but these two pieces does not overshadows all Sideshow history of creative, expressive pieces. In the 1/4 realm, I believe XM is closer to Sideshow than Prime 1… for now. I find P1 pieces to be without personality whatsoever, just oozes detail and a nice finishing. It’s all bells and whistles and not much more. Additionally, I just happen to hate the “translucent resin” they use for skin, it only reminds me those sex dolls. Lol. But this is a personal taste. Or lack of it. Lol. Then again, Sideshow still have the advantage of price, but with its market strategy of increasing the prices of the figures at every new launch, soon it won’t be a factor anymore.

What I know is that a cold war has begun. Between allies. It is a very interesting moment to be part of this hobby. Who wins? The collectors with more options to choose, of course. Or loses if they choose to get the statues from both companies. Lol.

On a final note, I might be delusional and at the end there won’t be cannibalization of the SS market by Prime 1. Let’s wait and see. It will be fun to watch.  

RUN. FLEX PAYMENT STARTS IN AUGUST.

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TOP 10 SIDESHOW FIGURES FROM SDCC

All top tens are highly subjective. This one is no exception. Fell free do disagree, as I’m sure everyone who reads this will. I didn't count 1/6 action figures on this list. And only SS pieces, no Iron Studios or Prime 1.

10 – Suicide Squad Joker. I was in doubt between him and Batwoman but I ended up with him because of two major factors: it’s the first time that Sideshow does a real-life character that really resembles the source and by the outstanding mixed media clothing of the piece. Easiest one of the best efforts from SS Cut & Sew team I’ve ever seen. The figure just stands out from the crowd for its colorful outfit and, as I said, the fidelity to the source is unmatched regarding Sideshow. Batwoman comes close with her fabulous black white and red contrast and altogether beautiful sculpt but Joker just oozes personality and is a movie character I really feel like having and I’m not into movie characters.

9 – Deadpool Life-Size Bust. How do you do a realistic caricature? Simply you do a Deadpool life-size bust. Mixing the right amount of funny and detail, this is certainly one of the best busts ever done by Sideshow. The expression of Deadpool is priceless and he comes equipped with all the grenades and swords to be ready for a fight for your attention in every display. The paintjob is top notch and is another of those pieces full of personality and humor without being (too) ridiculous. I think Sideshow found a very special balance here that is so hard to achieve.

    

8 – Batman – Gotham City Nightmare. How to reinvent a character so overly done? The answer is to search in the realm of dreams or, better saying, nightmares. Highly detailed and expertly painted this terrifying take on Batman wowed me by the bold art direction. Not even the gargoyle was immune to the nightmare and seems to gain life as another scary figure, a companion to the man-bat figure over it. With an extra-head that bears more resemblance with Batman as we know it, this is a winner piece and proof that Sideshow is indeed the most creative company in the industry.

7 – Malavestros PF. From so many Court of the Dead excellent pieces was hard to choose one that stood out but on his second year on the Comic Con floor he’s still a sight to behold. Besides not being so monstrous as other characters of the line, the skinny jester is beautifully sculpted and detailed and his base is the best PF base sideshow had to offer this year. Full of details like books, coins, candles and even skulls. The scroll is a psychedelic sculpture by itself, depicting a fight between a little angel and a tiny devil and encompassing all the colors from blue to yellow. The paintjob of the piece is outstanding and make it stood out from the rest which is no easy task given the quality of the line where it belongs. Odium is a sight to behold with his gargantuan presence but the tiny Malavestros is still the best Court of the Dead has to offer as a whole (base + statue). If the first version of the devilish siren were still available, it would be harder to choose as that was a magnificent and creative piece as well but in her absence, the crown goes to the jester.

6 – Red Sonja PF. What can I say of this figure? It is simply the best female sculpture ever done by Sideshow. What is no small thing to say. Sideshow has been increasing year after year their capacity of doing astonishingly beautiful female characters, but this year they surpassed themselves by a mile with the most beautiful face and most feminine body ever. The pose, powerful yet relaxed and contemplative (and still sexy) of one who just experienced victory is unmatched. Even though the base is quite forgettable. From the not so red tip of the hair to the bloody tip of her boots, the new Red Sonja PF won my heart and if I have the opportunity to order only one piece next year she will be it. Obs.: I’m not really sure if this is a Sideshow statue since it didn’t appear on the Marvel recap video SS did and on the bottom of her preview picture there was the Dynamite name, so one just wonder… but I’ll take it as if it is.

5 – Swamp Thing Maquette. First things first: Swamp Thing is my all-time favorite character and when I heard Sideshow would be doing a statue of him, I stayed in awe. I confess I’m on the fence about this figure because I’m probably overly conservative about my beloved character. However, I cannot deny the bold and creative art direction of this piece and the magnificent result. With complex texture that mixture plant with an alien-esque feel, Swamp Thing is imposing and claims for the attention of the viewer. I didn’t see him in person but it seems to be taller than your average 1/4 scale, as Swamp Thing really should be since he’s a big character on the comics. Even though not following with the fidelity I desired the comics one can easily identify that is Swamp Thing there. Even with a different color pallet. Even with the floating vines. Even if glossy. Apart all of this, Swamp Thing Maquette is an extremely well crafted sculpture and looks like it has been hand sculpted (what I like). It’s full of details and varied textures that really grabs one’s eye. Very artistic and conceptual. I have to admire it even though it’s not the Swamp Thing I dreamt of.  

4 – Alien Queen Maquette. Simply amazing. Maybe is not as dynamic as the Alien King composition with his horde of xenomorphs going out of the holes and following him but the Alien Queen is certainly full of movement as she menacingly runs into attack. The base is also incredibly detailed and complex with all those eggs rooted on the ship floor and the xenomorphs. All in all is an incredible piece that Aliens fans will certainly rejoice. I found it amazing even not being a movie character collector myself. One of the most detailed – if not the most detailed – piece presented by Sideshow this year. Most certainly, it has to do with Legacy Effects participation on the project. Kudos to them and Sideshow.

3 – Iron Man Mark III Maquette. Opposed to Swamp Thing I guess this is the Iron Man everyone dreamt of. Looks like Sideshow captured the platonic vision of Iron Man that inhabits our minds and transformed into a statue. The pose is perfect. It is so imposing that the statue seems bigger than it really is. The base is also very cool as well as the paint app. Everything in this Maquette is flawless. I think this Iron Man will be very tough to beat (note that I said Iron Man not Hulkbuster…). If I ever go for a movie character or a non-classic Iron Man this will be it.

  

2 – Hulk Life-Size Bust. I know this is quite polemic, there is a lot of hating about this piece. About all regarding it, the painting, the expression, the face altogether, the weight and blah, blah, blah. However, I find it to be the best bust in the history of Sideshow. I think it is perfect, the ultimate combination of comics feel with hyper-realism. And I love the painting. It’s so complex and full of textures, hues and details. It beats my former favorite one, Joker LSB. It beats almost every other offering from Sideshow this year on SDCC. It made me spend $980 in a piece, a thing I’ve never imagined I would do in my life. And will certainly be the last time I spend such an humongous amount in one single piece. This will be the central piece of my collection, my personal grail, my most beloved statue. Besides all criticism, I think this is really a work of art. Of pop art. But art nevertheless.  

1 – Thanos on Throne Maquette. It would be heresy not to put this one in first. It’s a perfect piece that is praised but just about everyone. I cannot see anything to complain about it. In an era when everyone puts everything on thrones, Thanos does not feel forced sitting on his. It’s completely pertinent with the character. The head sculpt on both heads is spot on; he is as massive as he should be. The outfit is cool and creative while not detracting from the original source material. The pose is astounding, the throne is immensely detailed and the gems still light up. In one word: flawless. A grail as we know it.

Did you notice a pattern here? Apart from the bust, the top five is all composed by Maquettes, what maybe mean that this is the new “excellence” line of Sideshow. The best among the best. Or maybe it’s just coincidence. I don’t know. Want to hear thoughts. What would you take and replace from this top ten? Someone just yelled to take out the ridiculous Hulk LSB from the list? I don’t mind. This is just my opinion. I’ll listen/read and respect yours.

Oh, and be sure to check our newest interview with Imaginarium Art owner! :)

RAMBLINGS ABOUT SS ON SDCC

Having nothing better to do, I decided to write. The SDCC at least on SS side is becoming tastier and tastier. I’m sure disappointed with the recycling of the characters presented by the company but if Red Sonja is any indicator of the improvements over the tried and true characters I am very excited about the new Wolverine even though they could make a less obvious take of him like a Weapon X version for a change. Magneto is the most expected character of the show and I think the probability of disappointment is big. For my side I mean. Since I’m expecting something truly innovative and cool without loosing the characteristics of the master of magnetism. Not an easy achievement. But the thing I’m more curious about Magneto will be it’s price tag. Depending on the base, I believe it could hit the $800 price point. What is bad news, of course, meaning the crazy price escalate isn’t showing any signals of slowing down. The creative director of Sideshow numbered increasing complexity of the pieces and rising production costs in China as the main villains of the price frenzy, what I believe just to be half-true. The fact is that our hobby became so popular that there’s always demand for the prices they ask. But I will not complain about it anymore. Got tired of it. My next figure will only come when all my reward points are in, this means December 2018, so I will keep on the fridge for a long time. If you want to fight the prices somehow I’ve created a petition, it’s on the right side of this blog (if you’re not seeing it on a cell, I don’t think it appear on the cell mode of the blog). The change.org petition asks for flex payment to begin as soon as the pre-order is open giving more months to pay therefore lowering the values we pay for a figure each month. If you think it’s a good idea, you can sign it. They maybe never change the flex payment terms but at least we tried. The more we are the more noise we’ll do.

Back to SDCC, others that must be excited with it are Court of the Dead fans with two or three figures to be unveiled. None of them has the appeal of Malavestros to me but I’m not CotD fan, to be honest I’m not this or that fan, I buy what catches my eye and fits into my pocket.

I’m not excited at all, by the way, with Lady Deadpool, but it fits well its place of companion piece to the uber over the top Heat Seeker (which seems to be a flop since the ex is still available for pre-order almost a year after it’s release). What differentiates this year from the last, in my opinion is the investment on life-size busts which were absent from last SDCC apart from a CotD mask as I remember it (my memory is one of my weak spots, so I might be mistaken). One point that got me thinking is that many collectors are running out of space to display their figures having no option but resell part of their collections or stopping collecting for once. I already have (or will have, since my room is not yet ready to display my figures properly) problems with that, I can only imagine the truly addicted collectors. Yes, because I discovered collecting is addictive. I’m doing my best to not fall into addiction but I admit the new Sonja alone already got me salivating since I don’t have any version of her, love women statues and she looks so darn pretty. But I’ll keep my abstinence until December 2018 no matter what. If she is still available, what is not impossible, I may consider acquiring her with my reward points.

People were complaining about Boba Fett's neckless bust

Other point that Sideshow seem to be investing more heavily than last year is on Art Prints, even though, apart from the Adam Hughes Star Wars ladies panel, the prints seem very uninspired compared with earlier efforts. To be honest I only have one Art Print – Spider-Woman – that I’ll finally frame when I do the reform of my room in 2018 (or so I hope). Meanwhile, back to SDCC. It’s still ten days away and every day, as soon as I get home, I run to check my e-mails to see if there’s another exciting reveal from SS. It’s been fun and surprising so far. Star Wars fans are in for a treat with several products coming their way including two life-size busts. They better get some room in those man caves. Lol.

Aliens fans must also be rejoiced with the launch of Alien Warrior and the announcement of Alien Queen maquette, even though some think the Alien Warrior is small and made of plastic (or PVC whatever) not resin. The price suggests both. I hope that at least the plastic part is not true because it would be huge letdown and a scary prospect for future Sideshow releases. They didn’t even put the weight of the figure on the pre-order page what is a bad sign. I have to get ready for my appointment today so I continue once I get back, hoping news from Sideshow have already arrived and that they will be cool. Let me finish saying that to me the best piece to come from SS in the near future was already revealed. Hulk life-size bust. I made the crazy move of ordering it on day one, yes, I talk about it very much but I can’t stop thinking of it. When the flex payment comes in in August I’ll have a hard time with my mother since she controls my pension/finances and will be enraged with the $176 bucks on my credit card plus the last payment of Killer Croc, and one month later with the start of Malavestros payments. It is a thing that worries me a lot but it’s a statue that I must have. To me is the best version of Hulk ever done, beating even OG Hulk. As OG Hulk was my all-time most desired figure (green version), to have the opportunity of acquiring one piece that beats him is just too sweet. I don’t believe another figure will wow me as much as this Hulk bust but I may burn my tongue. I don’t believe Magneto will be the figure to top it. Red Sonja is a very distant contender but I’m very curious to see her full body. Well, let me go to my appointment. I come back later. 8:14. Gotta go.

Nothing short of amazing.

9:17. I'm in the CAPS (Center of Psychosocial Aid). There are two groups happening, gardening and soul collage. I'm not in the mood to none of them. The gardening group is composed for people with more severe mental disorders. They are noisy but funny and happy, not depressed as is common around here. The CAPS is divided in two houses one for people with problems like depression, panic, addiction (my case along with bipolar disorder, both under control, thankfully). The other house is for people with things like schizophrenia and other more disruptive disorders. The people from the second house participate from the gardening activity that's why they are here. I don't know why I am talking about this, I think it is to give an overview of my weekly activities. I come here on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays because are the days of the AD (Alcohol and Drugs) groups. I’ll put the iPod on since there's too much noise around for me to concentrate on the writing.

10:10. It's a pain to write on the cell. Gosh. But back to figures. One thing that I've read and that made sense to me is that bases of the figures are getting bigger (especially XM's) and that they take even more space from collectors' caves or rooms. My room is rather small so I can't afford to have dozens of 1/4 figures nor have money to do it. Besides this, I live in Brazil so it's almost impossible to acquire a XM statue and to be real sincere they don't attract me, I don't know why, I think I don't get what's so special about them, I think they lack personality albeit being highly detailed and well finished. I know that there are the amazing bases but my focus is on the character and nobody does characters with so much personality like Sideshow. Their head sculpts are unbeatable and the face is the focal point of a statue, as once stated Mark Newman, one of the greatest sculptors of our hobby. If I would happen to have one XM piece it would be Vulture or Black Bolt because I think both captured the characters Sideshow style. Prime 1 also does not do the cut for me. I think their figures extremely well done but without a soul. They're also super detailed and presents impeccable production value but lacks the personality Sideshow oozes. I guess I am a Sideshow fanboy, forgive me for that. I guess all my texts are biased towards Sideshow. But that's who I am and this is the way my texts go. There are one or two pieces I would like to have from Prime 1, like Two Face and that nightmarish villain who uses a hallucinogenic gas which name I don't recall right now. Scarecrow! I asked a geek friend from CAPS now. Other than that, especially on Prime 1 1/4 front, nothing attracts me; well apart Spider-Man 2099, which I think, is very cool. All the others seem blunt to me, no matter how detailed they are. But what I dislike the most about Prime 1 are the prices, especially from their 1/4 line up. I think they’re driving the prices up in the market sending the message that there is demand for very expensive 1/4 pieces, but it may be only conspiracy theory of me. However, I don’t demerit neither Prime 1 nor XM, they do really astounding figures, the only thing is that they don’t match my taste. I know it sounds like heresy or dumb to prefer Sideshow pieces over Prime 1 and XM ones, since these two are the darlings of collectors, but to each their own. I respect both companies but I believe none of them would be capable of doing a Hulk bust like the Sideshow one, just to cite an example.

13:27. I am already at home had lunch and ran to see my e-mails a check Sideshow’s site. I found the Adam Hughes Art Print to be expensive even unframed. $125. If I were a Star Wars fan I would give it. Alias if I were a Star Wars fan who haven’t promised himself to only buy a new collectible when the reward points enter in December 2018, I would buy it. It’s definitely not my case. Apart that novelty, there is the launch of SS line of Suicide Squad PF. If there’s one thing Sideshow is terrible in is replicating an actor/actress face. You can see it on the Harley Quinn that’s for pre-order and not see it on the Joker preview that they prudently photographed with the face hidden. To be honest in a world where there is Hot Toys you can’t compete. Prime 1 effort on Suicide Squad Harley Quinn is laughable too. So nothing too exciting about SDCC on Sideshow today. So far… I will revise it, get the images and post it.

14h50. One thing that I noticed when searching the figures for this post is that in the “Coming Soon” section of Sideshow’s site Magneto’s preview simply vanished. So did Red Sonja. Maybe it means something? Or it was just a flaw they committed. Who knows? 

P.S.: this is my 90th post! :D
P.S. 2: they fixed the Coming Soon and added Magneto and Red Sonja. Did they read this? Or was it just coincidence?

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SIDESHOW “MONSTER” AMILCAR FONG INTERVIEW

Dangerous aliens.

This sculptor seems to come from another world. A very dangerous one indeed. He was responsible for the sculpting of Sideshow’s alien statues on SDCC 2016: the Alien King, the Predator Maquette and Wolf Predator Legendary Scale Bust. Those really put the spotlight on him. And as the community voice rules, we’re here to talk about this otherworldly pieces with the man who worked on them all: Amilcar Aldana Fong.

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1 – Your pieces causes quite a sensation on SDCC this year. Is it coincidence that you get all the aliens characters or is it a personal choice or people at Sideshow knows you’re good with monsters and pass them up to you?

Amilcar Aldana Fong (AAF): Well, I think the short answer would be they know that I love monsters and because of that, I developed a kind of taste that seems to fit with what they want. So every time they want to create a new piece based on a monster character they count on me.

2 – Among the three pieces which one was the most complicated and which one was more fun to do?

(AAF): Well, I actually designed and sculpted just one of them, the Wolf Predator Bust. But I helped them to design the Alien King and to conceive the pose for the Predator 1 figure. The Alien King was the most fun of the three. We had to play and create and imagine a new alien member of the hive...WHAT CAN BE MORE FUN THAN THAT?!!! The other two characters were already stablished, so it was a matter of making a very good representation.

3 – Do you have a preferred one among the three? And among all your work what are your favorites?

(AAF): The Wolf Predator and the King Alien were some of my favorite projects. I can also say that the work we have done for Sideshow’s original line Court Of The Dead is marvelous.

One of Almicar's favorites.

4 – I assume all of them were created digitally am I right? Or were some of them manually sculpted or partially hand sculpted?

(AAF): The Wolf Predator Bust was entirely made by hand. Also the Predator Maquette. The Alien King was made digitally.

100% hand sculpted.

5 – I saw that in order to create the Alien King, Sideshow had the collaboration of preps artist John Rosengrant (co-owner of Legacy Effects). We all saw his side of the history on Sideshow’s video. I would like to know your take about the partnership.

(AAF): Me and the David Igo (Sideshow art director) and Anthony Mestas (project manager), as well as artists like Simon Lee and Allen Williams, were involve in the creation of this new character. After the design was approved it went to Legacy Effects and also had to pass through the vail of FOX. So it was an amazing opportunity to work with the Legacy team. I mean, they were involved in the creation of the Queen Alien for Aliens. So as an artist, as a kid and as a professional it was a privilege.

6 – We have seen in the last couple of years an astounding inflation on Sideshow’s prices. So much so that many longtime fellow collectors are about to give up the hobby altogether because they can’t handle the prices anymore. What can you say about that? Is there a real reason or just the laws of demand and supply? The collectible market had a boom of popularity and so did the prices?

(AAF): I really cannot say anything about it since I am just an artist. However, whatever price they put on the Wolf Predator Bust, it is worthy. It was such a complex piece, and took so long to be developed, from the making to the production, I mean it have been more than two years to bring that piece onto the stage. So, I don’t know anything about price and market demand, but I can say that it took a lot of effort to get that piece done at such high quality.

7 – Another usual complaint of the community is about the number of defective pieces they receive from Sideshow. Especially painting defects. Do you know if the company is taking measures to avoid it to the max?

(AAF): I can say they do their best to bring best quality with each piece and product. That is all I can say.

8 – Sorry, I needed to ask those last two, as they are centerpieces of the community debate about collectibles; so let’s get back to sculpting: is there a part of the job you like more than the others, like body sculpting or head sculpting or something else?

(AAF): It is ok, I understand. Well, I wouldn’t say parts of a character or a piece. I would say that I do really enjoy any project that put to the test my imagination.

9 – How was to you the migration from traditional hand sculpting to work on computers? Was it hard, did you resist or was all smooth sailing?

(AAF): Computer programs are the present and the future. My nature as an artist is to constantly move among mediums. Pencil, pen, markers, clay, ZBrush, KeyShot, you name it. For me it is just a matter of keeping my mind open to the new tools the technology nowadays offer.

10 – When you do your personal projects, if you do for personal amusement and practice, do you use the computers or go back to the roots and dirt your hands in clay?

(AAF): Today I face my personal work in both realms, the traditional and the digital.

11 – The Maquette Predator can’t come without an unmasked head (even the non-exclusive version) it would be an offense to the fans to be otherwise. So considering this, can you tell us what the exclusive item will be? There’s a lot of curiosity around this matter.

(AFF): I don’t know much about it. Sorry.

12 – What is your all-time favorite character?

(AAF): King Kong and Alien (from Alien).

13 – Which character you would love to sculpt but didn’t have the chance yet?

(AAF): I think I would love to give my personal vision on many characters. Not just sculpt it as it is.

14 – How does it feel working on Sideshow?

(AAF): It is AWESOME! They are very open to hear your opinions about the project you are working on and that is not, as far as I know, very common.

15 – Do you also know painting? Did you have an input in the coloring of Wolf Predator? It’s a figure with a very complex paint-scheme. Lot’s of different weird color texturing. And about the Predator Maquette, were you involved in the painting and the use of mixed media?

(AAF): No, I am not involve in the painting process. I usually think in forms and lines, not color. It is a realm that still alien for me!

16 – When they decided to put several aliens lurking around Alien King did you think “great idea” or “holly cow, now I’m f*ckd”?

(AAF): The idea came from a Simon Lee Shabant (Chavant clay) sketch where he used a tiny alien to stablish the size of his version of the Alien King. And we all say, let’s use it!!!

17 - Since we spoke so much about aliens I would like to know what would you astonish the most: to see an alien or to see a ghost?

(AAF): A ghost of an alien.

18 – Three bands you really enjoy and three movies you love.

(AAF): Bands - Buena Vista Social Club, QUEEN and the music composed by James Horner. Movies - King Kong (1933 version), Alien, The Thing (Carpenter version).

19 – What advices would you give to a person who wants to become a collectibles sculptor?

(AAF): How the general shapes talk about the character personality or behave and its world are the most important aspect. Pay attention to that and the level of detail won’t matter at all.

20 – Leave a phrase, or a quote or a bombastic news to our fellow readers.

(AFF): THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN THE WORLD CANNOT BE SEEN OR TOUCHED, THEY ARE FELT WITH THE HEART.

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Thank you for your time in this planet, sir. I hope you enjoyed your stay. Now serious, congratulations for your superb work. If I had the bucks, I would buy an Alien King but I’m probably one of those who will be saying goodbye to collectibles very soon and cannot afford this awesome piece. Peace!

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ALIENS FANS DON`T LOOSE YOUR HEADS

Sideshow Collectibles just launched three awesome additions to its Aliens line: three life-size replicas of the heads of three of the most emblematic Aliens in the series: Alien Warrior, the Blue Warrior and the Alien Newborn. Made with astounding attention to every gruesome detail, these pieces will knock your head down. The prices are a bit salty, ranging from 1,199.99 to 1,299.99 but they worth each ounce of polystone spent to bring these beloved and feared characters to life. Here goes some pictures to make you droll as an alien.

THE STORY BEHIND "THE ALIEN KING"

The video of how the Alien King came into being. You'll learn about the close relationship of Sideshow Team with one of the leader artists behind "Aliens" movie to create this piece. You can also see the video and detailed pictures of the figures on Sideshow Collectibles site.

I’VE NEVER BEEN SO HAPPY FOR NOT BEING AN ALIEN SUPERFAN

Sideshow recently opened pre-order for a stunning Alien piece entitled the Alien King. They have help from the guy who work on the effects of the Aliens movie to imagine how would be if in the aliens hierarchy besides a queen there was a king. The result is nothing short of awesome. The menacing figure has a more pointy and sharp design than your normal alien and is posed on a complex diorama where several smaller aliens soldiers come to aid crumbling out of their holes is fantastic. A dream came true to every Aliens franchise fan out there. I’m glad I’m not one of them (even though I think the Aliens series is one of the best there are, I like all the movies very much, being the first two obviously at the top) I say that because the figure, which is not that huge, is pricey: a thousand dollars!

Looking at the sculpture with the gigantic main character and the several perfected modelled soldier aliens you can say the price is fair. Aliens is an expensive brand and the design, modelling, casting and painting of this image are extremely complex and requires a lot of work. This is no ordinary piece. Is a tour de force of what Sideshow can produce. A serious contender to Skeletor as the best statue to come this year. (but my heart is still with Eternia’s main villain!). If only I have a deeper wallet and there was not a Deadpool on my way I would certainly pick one of those kings to me. Not so much because I like the series but for the craftsmanship of the piece. Epic. Worth every penny to whom have all these pennies to spent. Take a look at some pics.