I AM A FANBOY. IS THIS A BAD THING?

I even have their t-shirt and the printing and the fabric are not that great
but I'm feel pretty comfortable with it. Lol.

I came to an obvious conclusion watching the Wonderfest: I am a fanboy. A Sideshow fanboy. Though I hear, read, see and know the faults of Sideshow, something in me that grew I don’t know how makes me prefer their statues over the others. Not by far but from a safe distance Prime 1 and XM can’t touch. I won’t mention ECC because I’m not into movie pieces (except for their Gizmo) and they are a selected niche company in an already niche market. So I’ll focus on the big three. I know and I see that XM and Prime 1 have undeniable strengths. XM packaging, the weight of their statues, the creative bases, the attention to detail, the quality of the production and finishing, the daring projects (X-Men vs. Sentinel diorama or Hulkbuster, for instance) the variety of characters offered all adds up to the legacy the company has built and that they deserve. Almost the same can be said of Prime 1 gargantuan figures and bases (minus the creativity). The two of them offer some major works and in some regards their pieces surpass Sideshow’s. It’s a fact I cannot deny. The flaming Ghost Rider in his devilish motorcycle it’s a sight to behold, the beautiful contrast of black and vibrant shades of orange really grabs the eye. But assembling it is almost as puzzle solving. And I don’t like that (I gave up my P.O. on Malavestros for the same reason). To me it breaks the magic of the statue even though these several-pieces figures are done that way to minimize breakage. The intention is the best I just don’t happen to like it. The less parts the better. I start collecting Bowen figures. And yes I know the hobby evolved in complexity and keeps evolving in unbelievable ways since I started collecting, so measures like that are the guarantee to deliver the most astonishing pieces possible. One can give me all the reasons in the world to buy a statue with dozens of pieces to assemble, I don’t care I just won’t get the statue. But enough of this subject.

The one thing I care the most about a statue is the portrait. And Sideshow is simply the king of portraits. They amped the game to extremely high standards this last SDCC (as long as they don’t try to do portraits based on actual people, they completely suck in this category, they’re extremely bad on that. If you want a figure of a celebrity, go for Hot Toys or Blitzway). I was completely blown away by most of the SS portraits shown in 2018, all of them with different facial features, each of them with unique personalities. For this reason alone – my main decision factor to choose whether to buy a figure or not – Sideshow owns me. Completely. I think Prime 1 statues to have lifeless uninspiring portraits while XM have them too generic (apart from Kingpin, Vulture and that old screaming Inhuman’s guy, the name escapes me now). This is the main reason I am a Sideshow fanboy. Added to the fact they tend to do bases that are good in size and don’t distract the attention from the character. I really don’t like convoluted bases with dozens of elements or big ones that overshadow the statue. Prime 1 is notorious to do that and XM in some cases does the same (though with much more finesse, in my opinion).

As a fanboy – what I certainly am – I have the bad side of it, in other words, I have prejudice against other companies. I don’t like this side of mine and try to keep it to myself as best as I can. I try not to go on criticizing other companies on the communities, I think it leads nowhere; it’s impolite and irrational, as I believe any fandom is. It’s quite an emotional thing. And I can’t criticize what I don’t have, what I just saw in the pictures posted by the community or on sites. However, here is my space and I feel free to be more outspoken regarding my tastes.

If I had to choose one figure from Prime 1 and one figure of XM to have which I would choose? As for Prime 1 I would contradictorily go for one of the most lifeless museum-esque figures of their catalogue: Batman Beyond Golden Version. A golden 1/3 Batman would really add up to my collection it would look like a gigantic trophy of sorts and would complement my SS Hulk LSB as the center of my collection. Unfortunately, I don’t have money for it right now. Would have to sell some pieces in order to get him. It’s a case to think. A gigantic golden Batman appeals highly to me. As for XM I know the obvious answers would be Magneto on Throne or Ghost Rider but I don’t like the head sculpt of Magneto, as much as I like the overall design, concept and execution of the piece. It’s the one throne figure to rule them all because it makes sense to me he's seating on a Sentinel’s hand. It tells a story others figures on throne don’t. Unfortunately, I don’t like the portrait and don’t like those mandatory grails every great collector must have in order to prove themselves so. And I don’t like figures on thrones either! Lol. About Ghost Rider I don’t like it because it’s awkward shape turns him a pain to display and I think the main character on this piece is the bike not Ghost Rider. It’s a pretty cool piece beautifully executed but not my alley. I think I would get the Inhuman’s guy, I guess his name is Blackbolt. The screaming portrait is phenomenal and makes one wonder what would happen if the guy did that in the comics.

To finally close this post I will enumerate some pros and cons of Sideshow. Please, keep in mind that despite being a longtime collector (since the Bowen era) I don’t know much about the market as you guys do.

CONS OF SIDESHOW

- Their figures seem poorly or cheaply casted in comparison to XM and Prime 1, hence they’re lighter (or so you say). I love my Hulk LSB but I bet I would love it even more if it was casted in polystone instead o fiberglass. It doesn’t really make a difference while on display but it bothers me I don’t know why. That being said, if I had the means I would buy SS PVC Swamp Thing simply because he is my all-time favorite character and I think the sculpture is just fabulous. (Yes he comes first Batman Beyond Golden Version on my list).

- Sideshow still have quality control issues, though I think this have becoming to be addressed more seriously and I hear less complaints in this regard on the communities than a couple of years ago. I’m optimistic about it but, hey, I’m a fanboy and never got any defective piece. Maybe I’m just lucky.

- It’s a pain to get replacement parts or figures that came defective. Or so I heard.

- Bases can be very simplistic to many collectors.

- Not much variety in characters released. Which I think changed a bit this last SDCC but it’s far from what XM has to offer.

- This is a polemic one, but I really don’t see the point in the Court of the Dead line. I know that to launch a new IP is a tremendously bold step that leads to a lot of creative freedom and the sculptures are just fabulous but I believe it’s a thing that exists more in the mind of Tom Gilliland than outside of it. I ended up ordering Malavestros and canceled it not because I disliked the statue but because (as I mentioned) I disliked it came like a puzzle to assemble what I truly hate.

- Not akin to take much risk regarding characters but then again they launched a PVC statue and have an IP of their own.  

- They suck when trying to replicate real life portraits.

- Head seams. They just turn me off of a figure completely. Sideshow should learn from XM and Prime 1 in this respect. They nailed it. Sideshow is beginning to learn. I'm all over Rebel Terminator because she happen to look like Natalie Portman to me but I don't know how the interchangeable heads will work. The pictures don't show any seam but I believe the production piece will have an ugly seam since there's no necklace or something to hide it.

- They’re capitalist as hell.

PROS OF SIDEHOSW COLLECTIBLES

- The portraits of fictional characters are unmatched. Period.

- The price of the delivered product is the best when comparing to XM and especially Prime 1. Not saying it is cheap but it’s the most affordable high-end collectibles company I’m aware of. (Apart F4F!)

- They still have some artists who hand sculpt which I believe is a dying art and most of my statues are hand sculpted.

- The figures are generally designed to be display-friendly which is a great plus to a collector that have only his own room to show the figures (like me).

- They’ve made me a believer of digital sculpting with what they achieved in this last SDCC. It far surpasses the competition. The portraits and poses and the level of detail are just amazing and could not be achieved by hand sculpting alone.

 - They have the best distribution service on the market.

- They congregate almost all of the great brands, they’re site it’s a joy to navigate.

- The customer service is second to none. (I know many will disagree with that. Lol. But they always solved my little issues).

- There aren’t many substantial delays on their schedules.

I can’t think of anything else. All I know is that I prefer Sideshow style of sculpting above all other companies. And they keeping getting better. I know they’re maybe more money thirsty than other companies but I believe this leads them to stay always on top of the competition which is not a bad thing for collectors. Answering the question of the title, I don’t think it is bad to be a fanboy, it’s limiting in more ways than it needed to be, but so is my money. And I like to spend it in what I truly love and the company that hits my sweet spot is Sideshow. Again I don’t know why. It’s like a favorite band I guess. I consider myself lucky from the financial standpoint though. If I was a Prime 1 or XM fan I would be in real trouble (with all due respect for the companies). I just wonder why there’s so much hate towards Sideshow and only praises about the others. Maybe being at the top attracts this type of hate. I don’t know. You, that is not a Sideshow fanboy, could explain it to me?

P.S.: the experiment testing the power of the Facebook communities mentioned in the last post will take place on Wednesday, one hour after Sideshow Live on Statue Collectors community. Let’s unite our forces and try to make a difference regarding Sideshow line of PFs. I believe dreams may come true. Do you? Be ready. :)

ADENDUM

GOOD NEWS ABOUT REBEL TERMINATOR - If you read my post, you know I hate Sideshow’s figures head seams. I’m very interested in acquiring (if I can) the Rebel Terminator figure since she resembles my dear Natalie Portman (to me at least). My only concern was that it had an awful head seam since the EX is an alternative portrait. Therefore, I asked Sideshow about it and here’s the answer: “As you can see (pun intended), you cannot see any seam anywhere - the break comes all down to the shirt. As such you should have no issue with ordering the item.”

Indeed the only issue I have now is to arrange the money. Someone has to leave in order to her come into my collection. Sideshow is learning from its previous mistakes and seems to have realized that crude head seams are not tolerable by today (high) standards. I’m more fanboy then ever! I have to move things around fast, as the ES of exclusive version is only 350 pieces.

WHY THE SAME CHARACTERS EVERY YEAR? (AND OTHER TOPICS)

I’m a Sideshow fanboy and I’m not ashamed of that (maybe I was just lucky to get all my statues in perfect condition until now). Even so, I must admit that one thing that XM, which I see as the main competitor to Sideshow, excels is in the variety of characters offered. Sideshow is lacking badly in this department. Ok, we’ve got Swamp Thing and Green Arrow and X23 what was kind of a miracle, but this year, once again, we see Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Joker, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern, Spider-man, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Red Sonja, Darth Maul, Darth Vader etc. and etc. I don’t know if they choose the characters based on some kind of marketing research but I don’t believe so. If they heard the Facebook communities (the right place to watch because the majority of the hardcore collectors clusters there), they would know that many, many of us want Nightcrawler, Flash, Beast and many others that XM addressed in their line-up. And XM excels even further not being afraid to approach the villains with the same ratio they address the heroes, another thing Sideshow lacks too. It’s always Venom and Joker. I believe they would make the same money if they give attention to other, more low profile, characters. Even more, perhaps. If they were able to simply revolutionize the quality of their sculpts to the level achieved in this SDDC, why don’t revolutionize the choice of characters made as well?

By the way, my greatest concern is regarding the production pieces of these more sophisticated new figures. Once it goes to mass production. The painting jobs of the prototypes were top notch as ever. I’m not paranoid yet because they delivered with Red Sonja and with Wolverine, the two first pieces of that new generation of Sideshow sculpts.

Two things I would rethink on Sideshow are their 1/6 articulated dolls and the obsession with Court of the Dead. They really have to had some classes with partner Hot Toys to learn how to sew clothes that fit well in the character, they’re definitely are lacking on this. Court of the Dead, on the other hand, looks to me as a big effort that appeals only to a few.

0h31. I went to smoke, I never smoke in here where my figures are. Am drinking Coca-Cola Zero with lots of Ice. I live in Brazil and thought while smoking that I am a completely failure in every aspect of my life. First, the law considers me as an invalid citizen. In other words, one that cannot even vote, work, drive, marry, that have to have a tutor, a person to take care of me and control my pension (money). This tutor as for now – and I hope for a great while for sure – is my mother. She is very tight handed regarding money, so to acquire the statues is a complicated process, especially because she thinks I have too many already. I don’t know if I’ll be able to acquire another statue even though I have some money on PayPal because it is an Brazilian account and they do not accept transactions with Sideshow. I’m in a dead end here. Worst I’m in dire straits because I didn’t resist the offer of Blanka (the Brazilian Street Fighter) Player Two Version discount at the time PCS distribution went to Sideshow and bought the figure. My mother already said that if I buy something without talking to her first she would cancel my credit card. I’ll try to lie saying that the Red Sonja (that she knows about and should be my last statue) launched early and the remaining installments came at once. I hope this works. PCS Blanka already arrived at my brother’s in the US. I want badly to acquire The Little Mermaid (me and J Scott Campbell think she is perfect! Lol) and one of the new SS DC or Marvel girls (probably Harley Quinn since her expression is so hard to sculpt and the overall piece from body to base is extremely detailed). However, then again, I don’t believe my mother will believe in my Red Sonja excuse and will cancel my credit card. Let’s see what life will bring me. Apart that, I bought a PS3 game called Persona 5 during Amazon’s Prime Day and to that I have no excuse at all. And I’m not even playing my systems anymore (PS3, Wii U and Nintendo Switch), I’ve got saturated of games, Persona 5 would be my last try. Call me a heretic but although a huge Zelda fan I didn’t dig Breath Of The Wild at all. It’s an artistic masterpiece but there are too much stressful variables that push me away from playing it. I can see the grandiose about it but is not my alley. I don’t believe that at 41 I will get into a JRPG like Persona 5 but the critical and public appraisal was so high that I felt impelled to buy it (an it also went to my brother’s) and give it a try when it eventually come to my hands. Hey, but this post should be about statues. I got carried away.

Here is where a spend the most part of my life and I dream to transform into
a collectors room with all my figures on display.

-x-x-x-x-

13h54. Waked up and saw I told a bit of my personal drama as a collector and as a gamer. And as a human being. Well, maybe I have to give up collecting after Red Sonja. I don’t even know if all my statues fit in my room, since it will be remodeled to accommodate them all and it’s not a big room. It’s my bedroom and office and will become my man cave as well (maybe I’m expecting too much of my room but everything will have to fit, the games, the CDs, the DVDs, the books, the clothes, my statues and figures not to mention my stereo and my bed! The architect will have a hard time to figure this mess out! Lol). In other words, I don’t know if I can accommodate two more pieces. I think there’s space for a smaller figure like the Little Mermaid but maybe there’s no space to Harley, or maybe Rogue, or Psylocke. And I happen to have a bad taste regarding statues, since I only choose underrated pieces which are sold on eBay for prices below the one I paid (Ralph McQuarrie Boba Fett EX, The Thing Maquette – the one based on the movie – or Three A Iron Man anyone?). Well, I’m starting to feel that the new bunch of fabulous pieces Sideshow unveiled in SDCC 18 will not find a way into my collection. What is a pitty. And it’s not. I believe it’s better for me for one side, because this hobby is too expensive to my reality and the display of the statues I dream of is one that is not crowded, I think the visual pollution of some displays too overwhelming and ugly. The display I dream to my room is each PF put side by side. For the smaller figures (Batman Black & White pieces and PVC anime figures) I don’t mind that much if it turns to be a more convoluted display and cannot be any other way since I have about a dozen PF (max) and around 50 smaller figures so there is no way I can display them all side by side.

Returning to the initial debate of this post, I think competition, especially between XM and Sideshow to be very positive for us collectors because one is always trying to surpass the other. Including in quality control. I sincerely think Sideshow is taking more care regarding the mass production of their pieces than they used to do. I remember to hear a lot more complaints from the community about this subject a couple of years ago. Talking about production pieces, I just don’t know what happened to the eyes of the SS Wonder Woman based on the movie, they differ completely from the prototype version. I think they intended to make it resemble more Gal Gadot and changed the blue eyes for smaller black eyes, which didn’t help the figure at all, the result was ridiculous. If I have ordered the piece based on the prototype pictures, I would feel myself fooled and scammed. Thank god I didn’t. But other examples as the new Wolverine and the new Red Sonja proves that their quality control evolved. If I happen to buy Harley Quinn though, I will wait for production pieces pictures before buying, the figure has a very complex and detailed paint scheme and I’m still uncomfortable with Sideshow QC (even though, as I said before, I have no issues with my SS orders so far). In this regard, XM excels Sideshow largely. Their quality control is second to none and you know that what you see is exactly what you get. Same must be said of Prime 1. I believe the big complaint collectors have with Sideshow is quality control of their production pieces, as the prices seem to be stabilized around 500 – 600 for a Premium Format Figure. It’s not a small amount by any means, but collectors are already used to it. Hope pricing stays like this for the time come.

As though I am a Sideshow fanboy and only have Sideshow 1/4 and 1/5 pieces, I greatly admire the work of XM. It just not fit my tastes. If I have to choose between a Prime 1 or a XM piece, I would definitely grab an XM. I’m not too fond of Prime 1 sculpting I think they produce soulless figures, there’s something strange about their pieces, a lack of humanity, personality that bothers me. Not to mention the sizes, 1/3 (most of it) is definitely not for me due to the lack of space issue and because is so big it freaks me. I hate the gargantuan bases as well. And there’s the issue of my brother bringing the pieces to Brazil. My country does not allow oversized luggage to be dispatched and the taxes and shipping costs to Brazil are astronomical. I had to pay twice the original price to have the Hulk LSB to be delivered directly to Brazil (since it could not come by plane with my brother due to oversize).

In resume, I think XM has the creativity, the quality and the variety of characters. It is a company more akin to take risks, sometimes big risks as the Sentinel vs. X-Men diorama. I appreciate that. Their characters have personality and soul. I like that too. Sideshow does not have the same quality control of their pieces and like to play it safe most of the time (albeit they launched the Fairytale Collection, The Court of the Dead line and the Gotham Nightmare duo which are big departures from the more of the same they usually do). That being said, Sideshow has the most beautiful and well-rounded sculptures to my taste. Prime 1 figures look big lifeless museum pieces and I truly dislike them with some notable exceptions like Poison Ivy that I think is magnificent even though is such a massive piece I can’t even imagine the price. Nevertheless everything about the figure is quite perfect, the SS Ivy pales down by comparison, even being a beautiful piece with its own merits it is no match to Prime one offering. For some irrational thing on me, the statue I really wanted from Prime one is perhaps the most lifeless statuesque of them all: Batman Beyond Gold Version. But is an unreachable dream so I don’t care with this contradiction. The only massive statue allowed in my room is Hulk LSB and that’s enough for me.

On a final note, I don’t mind edition sizes if they don’t compromise the final product. Be one among 2k people to have the statue is still pretty exclusive to my taste, considering the planet to have around 7 billion people. Lol. Oh, and I’m having fun with customs being called now “fan art” as if it justified the legal infringements of producing and especially selling these pieces. I cannot complain at all since I’m a proud owner of a “fan art” Wolverine. I also think that the big companies follow the customs market closely as they have used the works of Daniel Bel and Kuchareck Brothers on recent pieces. That surprised me a lot and I thought was an excellent move from the big companies. May this trend thrive, we collectors win with it because we don’t have to pay extortive “fan art” prices for their works and, better yet, the figures come already professionally painted so one don’t have to pay for that either. I know the exclusivists may not agree with me but I’m not rich to pay 1k plus for a statue, so I love these talented artists being contracted by the big guns.

Well, I touched many different subjects on this post. Maybe one too many. But when I start to write I like to put it all out. Would love to hear some opinions. Thank you for reading and sorry for my broken and poor English. See ya! I hope…   

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! :)