Sideshow Collectibles

This past weekend Hot Toys displayed a number of new products at the annual Toy Soul convention. While new Star Wars figures are nice and all, the real meat and potatoes was in the unveiling of the first Captain America: Civil War figures. These are the first new collectibles for the upcoming sequel that anyone has shown to this point, though only returning characters have been given the public spotlight so far. At least as far as the sixth-scale line is concerned. There were a few vinyl figures for some of the newcomers, but it would appear anyone holding out hope for the sixth-scale Black Panther or Agent 13 will have to wait until 2016 for a glimpse. Still, that we've been given a look into the future of Hot Toys' Marvel Cinematic Universe plans this early is exciting. Typically these sorts of tie-in figures are kept under wraps until the last possible moment. That nine have been revealed already certainly doesn't bode well for anyone hoping to grab a complete set, especially considering the characters that aren't included so far, and that Iron Man likely changes armor at least seven times in this film. So that's another dozen figures right there. Probably.

As the third figure in Sideshow's sixth-scale Marvel collection, the classic Wolverine is hardly a bad choice. While it's certainly true there's never been a lack of Wolverine merchandise and action figures available, that's not entirely true at this scale. To this point, there have been a few different Hot Toys pieces celebrating the Hugh Jackman iteration, but next to none based solely on the comic version of the Canadian mutant. Wolverine will join the recently released Deadpool and upcoming Punisher figures in Sideshow's line, but while those two have been based on what you could consider recent incarnations, Logan here is decidedly dated. The brown costume made its debut back in Uncanny X-Men in the '80s, and has been a fan favorite ever since. There's just something about that period in Wolverine's history that gives this outfit a bit more prominence over nearly every other suit he's worn. It's an inspired choice for Sideshow to use here, and helps make this Wolverine stand out.

Just in time for the return of his burned out helmet in the latest Star Wars film, Sideshow Collectibles has announced the Darth Vader life-size bust. For just under 40 years, the Sith Lord has been a science-fiction icon, and in that time he's had a great number of collectibles celebrating his ominousness. Few however have been as grand as this 27" recreation of his imposing visage. While Darth Vader won't necessarily be in The Force Awakens, that doesn't mean the Rebel nemesis is suddenly not going to be a part of the universe. In the lead-up to the seventh Star Wars, many of the new expanded universe stories have given some hints and details about Anakin Skywalker's legacy some 30 years after his death. If you've seen even a single trailer for The Force Awakens you've seen some glimpses of how Vader is worshiped in this new canon. Sideshow's new bust might not be exactly the same as the real, flamed out husk in Episode VII, but you wouldn't want to display something that gross anyway.

After a week of tiny teases, Hot Toys has finally revealed its new figures for Warner Brothers' upcoming action flick, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. As expected, there's a Batman and a Superman, but anyone holding out hope for a glimpse at Wonder Woman will be sorely disappointed. Then again, if you've been waiting for a new Superman or Batman figure from Hot Toys, you might be disappointed by these anyway. Unless you're looking for really expensive figures that don't really look all the great. Last I check, Henry Cavill was starring as Superman. Apparently Hot Toys didn't get the message. This new Man of Steel figure looks markedly worse than the previously released version from Zack Snyder's last film. Obviously it's early and the prototype may change before release, but this thing is shockingly off target. The company's made some strides in capturing likenesses as of late, but it's a major bummer that Superman looks more like a police sketch artist's version of Henry Cavill than it does the actual human being.

Spider-Man's deadliest foe will finally join him in the ranks of Sideshow Collectibles' Premium Format Figures. The Green Goblin has been a thorn in Peter Parker's side for decades. Though he's gone through more than a few alterations over the years, none have come quite as close to the menacing majesty of the original purple suit. Sideshow's put its own spin on the classic design, which modernizes the look of the man who for so long was the shadow looming large over Spider-Man's life. He didn't need five other guys to team up with him to be relevant either.

Finally. It seems like we've been waiting an eternity to get our first official look at Hot Toys' non-First Order/Stormtrooper figures from Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and now just a short 10 days before the movie premieres, the Hong Kong manufacturer has graced us with a proper glimpse at its upcoming Rey and BB-8 figures. Not that it wasn't cool seeing characters like Kylo Ren and Captain Phasma get the signature hyper-detailed treatment from Hot Toys, but the endless reveals of new, slightly-tweaked Stormtroopers has gone on long enough. We get it. They're an army. They're cool, but it's about damn time some of the actual faces of the upcoming sequel get their moment in the spotlight.

You mean to tell me there was still an Iron Man armor Hot Toys hadn't released? I'm shocked. Shocked, I say. At this point, the only thing surprising about this release is how late in the game it was announced. There were a bajillion armors in Iron Man 3, and Hot Toys had been putting them out with some regularity up until all the Star Wars reveals. That's when the Stormtroopers became the new Iron Men, with all the slight variations on almost identical sculpts. For all the completionists out there though, the arrival of one of the few remaining armors from Shane Black's masterpiece (yeah, I said it) should be good news. I know I like to give Hot Toys a lot of guff over the number of Iron Man armors, but reusing molds like they have with the Iron Man MK XXVI (a repaint of the MK XXV) is smart business. Molds are expensive, and anytime companies can reuse them for similar figures just makes it that much easier on them to give us long-running lines and more variation in other departments. It's a tactic every toy company uses, though when it's for $15-20 figures it's not that big a deal. When a figure costs nearly $300 and it's just a reskin of one that came out before (with a much nicer paint job, in my opinion) it's a little harder to swallow. Especially in the wallet.

Boba Fett wasn't always the Mandalorian armor-wearing bad-ass that made it into the final films. Star Wars concept artist Ralph McQuarrie originally envisioned Fett as a sort of super-trooper (meow) in the Imperial army. The concept also stemmed a bit from the original ideas for Darth Vader, though we all know how that turned out. The Fett we saw on screen was a further modified version of McQuarrie's concepts that was finished off by Joe Johnston, who was an art director at Lucasfilm at the time. While the white armor even made it so far as to be screentested, the final version deviated from McQuarrie's original plans quite a bit. There have been a few different figures and collectibles over the years to commemorate Boba's original all-white armor, but none that were based solely on McQuarrie's original design. That's where Sideshow Collectibles steps in. As part of its new Star Wars Concept Art series of premium format figures, the Boba Fett that had previously only lived as a painting or sketch will soon be realized in 3D.

Few characters from the Star Wars saga truly transcend the franchise. Most everyone knows Darth Vader, and the recent media barrage means they probably know a few other characters, too, but Han Solo is a rare character indeed. Not only is he one of the most memorable rogues in cinematic history, but since his appearance in Star Wars in 1977, dozens of films and stories have tried to capture that very same essence of character Harrison Ford portrayed. Even nearly 40 years later, Han Solo has endured, which is more than you can say for a lot of fictional heroes throughout history. That's why adding this Hot Toys Han Solo figure to my collection was a no-brainer, even if it's not quite up to the company's usual standard of likeness excellence. It's actually hard to believe Hot Toys never dabbled in the Star Wars universe before, but until this year, the company didn't have a hand in arguably the biggest license in the collectible market. However, that all changed this year with the arrival of The Force Awakens. Since the deal was announced, Hot Toys has not held back in the least when it comes to announcing new figures for the line. There's been a solid mix of classic trilogy characters mixed with some of the new blood, but to this point, there haven't been many unmasked characters released. There have been Stormtroopers a plenty, but when it comes to the faces of the franchise, Hot Toys' selection has been a little light in that department.

Robert E. Howard may not have created Red Sonja directly, but his inspiration for the she-devil with a sword Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith would craft for the Marvel Comics incarnation of Conan the Barbarian is undeniable. Since appearing in that comic back in the 1970s, Sonja's gone on to be a rather large part of the Hyborian mythos, expanding beyond mere guest-star in Conan tales into her own full-fledged adventuress. As one of the preeminent fantasy bad-asses, Red Sonja's always been able to find and inspire audiences no matter which publisher has been telling her tales. While she's been a staple of Dynamite's catalog as of late, there are surprisingly few Red Sonja collectibles on the market. There have been statues from time to time, but Sideshow Collectibles has been the leader of the pack when it comes to Sonja goods as of late. Already with one impressive Red Sonja statue under its belt, the collectible company has another in the works that shows a different, more detailed side of the crimson-haired warrior.