July 21, 2006
Story & Photos by Josh Long (jlcmsu)
COMIC-CON 2006: BIGGER, BETTER AND OFF
DA HOOK!
This year’s version of the Comic-Con was truly even bigger and
better than last years. The amount of products alone shown by the
company was way more than last year then you toss in the amount of
people that came to the show, and you have an event for the ages. I
loved being able to go again this year and share with you all
reading this my thoughts on everything that I saw during my return
to Comic-Con.
I’m
going start off with talking about what I thought of Master Replicas
booth. They had some seriously nice stuff on display between the FX
sabers and all their limited edition items. The helmet line they
have is really very very cool and I wish that I had the money to get
a few of them. The Lightsabers all the type be it signed edition,
regular, limited by some means, .45, etc are all amazing and would
be cool if they worked as well. The most impressive thing though
about the booth was seeing the Millennium Falcon. This piece is
really really HUGE and the detail in it is just nuts. Imagine
something half the size of a dining room table and the detail of
what you see on a movie screen. That’s what you get out of this
particular piece. I believe it also is going cost something like
$2500 so it’s not cheap but cool none the less.
Hasbro
as you may have read has some really interesting items coming out
over the next year. The 3.75" inch figures look to be going in the
right direction with lots of clones like Mace Windu’s battalion and
various others from the Saga. The Galactic Heroes line one of my
personal favorites looks to be going in the right direction as well.
I saw several new additions like a new Vader, Tie Pilot, Leia, Wedge
Antilles, etc. So if you’re like me and have a little love for this
line we have some nice figures coming. The unleashed battle packs
have some really awesome figures coming as well such as a 501st
assortment and a shock trooper assortment. Those two if you’re a
clone collector like me are a must grab! The mini-vehicle line and
transformers line also have some cool stuff coming. So if you’re
into those lines you’ll have some nice things to be looking forward
too. The coolest stuff though came from the titanium line of
figures. We’ve got Darth Maul, Grievous, Ep2 Clone, X-Wing Luke, and
a couple others coming so be on the look out for these throughout
the next year.
Neca was another company that really impressed with me with a couple
of items they have coming out. First is the Balrog from we’ve all
been waiting on them to get out. This thing is nuts on how big and
wide it is. It in no way looks cheap like I feared it might because
of previous pics I had seen. The detail on it is pretty sweet and
impressed me enough that I will now be trying to add this item to my
collection of Lord Of The Rings products. The other item that really
got me very excited was seeing that they will be doing a He-Man
statue. This piece will be based on the new design of He-Man but the
character for me is a must have. He-Man means a lot to me on a
personal level. This piece is going to be quarter scale I believe so
he will be fairly large and only $200 bucks. So if you’re a He-Man
fan like I am then this is a must have.
Gentle
Giant has some truly awesome products coming out over the next year.
The animated maquettes they have coming out have me seriously
thinking of getting this line. Vader and Fett both looked truly cool
and I’m glad to have snagged those pieces. Leia also looked strong
as well so if you have her coming and are lucky enough to have Padme
already you’re in for a treat. The 3PO with Jawa is a very funny
piece. When I saw it this piece made me laugh because I could see
this happening in the Star Wars Universe and the reaction from 3PO
was truly on target. X-Win Luke was also another fantastic piece
that will go really well with other maquettes. The Star Wars
Mini-Bust line looks to also be really going full steam ahead with
the clone busts that will be coming out, Plo Kloon, Grievous, Chewie,
Mara Jade, and especially Darth Maul. If you collect this line I
highly suggest that you find a way to start saving every way you can
because the products coming your way can’t be missed. If you collect
Lord Of The Rings then you are also in for a treat because GG has
some really really well done pieces coming your way. The bust line
they have coming has some of the best likenesses I’ve ever seen on
any thing LOTR related. These are also going to be highly affordable
as well so if you get in early getting them all should be no
problem. The animated line of figures they are doing are also nicely
done as well. At the show they had Saruman and Gandalf The Grey
which are both must haves for this LOTR collector.
Finally,
I want to talk about the star of the show. Sideshow Collectibles!
They had without a doubt the best set of products at the show. The
Star Wars pieces they had topped anything we’ve ever seen before.
The 12” Maul, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Mace, etc are going to just knock
your socks off when they land in your collection. Then there’s Jabba
The Hutt and friends. Jabba is the single most impressive 12” figure
I’ve seen. His size is truly amazing and will be a space eater if
your collection is running out of room but don’t pass because of
that because you’ll beat yourself later if you do. Then you have the
expansion sets which include his throne which is as big as Jabba to
hold him as well as another set which has Salacious Crumb. Bib
Fortuna and Leia also are really fantastic pieces as well. The whole
Jabba set up is a must have and something I grabbed. The two newest
Premium Format pieces we hadn’t seen much of Luke/Yoda and Boba Fett
where show stoppers. Luke/Yoda looked great and really does a great
job of capturing what the part of the Star Wars Saga really had in
it. The exclusive is also pretty sweet and something that is a very
nice little addition to a piece. Boba though was the best of bunch
with all the detail in his suit and accessories. The hair in the
wookiee belt is really nicely done and looks so real it’s scary. The
piece just totally has the feel of Fett in the sense you look at it
and go I wouldn’t want to mess with him. The Yoda 1:1 scale bust was
also a show stopper. It’s like they took Yoda and froze him then
made a bust out of him and like the Fett PF piece you feel a sense
of Wisdom coming from this Yoda Bust. If you have the money and room
get it now while you can!!
The Lord Of The Rings items displayed at the show where not as many
as in years past but these items where still the best! The PF Lurtz
is just absolutely awesome!! He truly looks as if he walked off
screen and is about to take you out in the same manner he took out
Boromir. The detail in this piece makes him one of the top PF pieces
in SS history. Frodo is also really well done much more so than some
fans give him credit for. The likeness to Elijah Wood is much better
than we have seen in any pictures to date. You feel when looking at
this piece the sense of urgency to get through Moria before
something really bad happens. Also to finally see the One Ring
hanging around the Ring Bearers neck is the best treat of all. The
Legendary Scale Bust Line SS has started with two piece from LOTR
are also really awesome! The Morgul Lord and Cave Troll are must
haves if you’re into LOTR. I was truly amazed at the detail of these
pieces and how much I had to have them. I am looking forward to the
next bust announced because this line has already jumped out of the
gates with a fantastic start! The 12” LOTR figures shown at the Con
are showing folks that the LOTR line just might be the best 12”
figures Sideshow has ever done. The detail in the costumes and
likenesses are mind blowingly good. No detail was left undone in
these pieces and if you’re a fan of LOTR be happy knowing that our
story is in the hands of folks who hit major league homeruns!
Another line that really impressed me was the Marvel Line from SS. I
have a couple pieces on order and am glad I do. They are truly cool
pieces and if you’re a fan of Marvel you must get the Hulk PF
piece!! This guy is huge and the best hulk piece I’ve ever seen.
I
want to talk about a couple of events I went to during the Con. One
was the Star Wars Fan Club Breakfast. This event was pretty cool to
be at. I was among several other fans that got a chance to hear
about what was coming from Hasbro and Lucasfilm. We all got the
501st figure from Hasbro for free which was a nice touch but yours
truly won a Galactic Heroes figure set is sold out, and to top it
off at the end of the show I got it signed by Steve Sansweet
himself! The event was worth every penny of the $60 bucks I paid to
get in. The other event I wanted to mention was the Sideshow
Collectibles/Sideshow Freaks Message board party. This event was
held on Friday the 21st not long after the Con was over for the day.
Lots of members who are friends of mine showed up as well as lots of
folks from Sideshow themselves. This event is truly special because
you get to catch up with friends both from the board and folks from
Sideshow plus getting to chat with everyone on a more relaxed level
is awesome! This event wouldn’t be complete without giveaways and
some nice prized where handed out to lucky members from the Freaks
Board. This event is truly special and something I will be looking
forward to for years to come!
Overall, this years Comic-Con was just out of this world better than
last years. More products and more people just made this the place
to be. I hope you get a chance to go in the future if you couldn’t
make it this year or have never made it before. As the theme of SDCC
from Sideshow Collectibles was said by many San Diego Comic-Con You
gotta be here!!
PHOTO GALLERY To see the photo gallery
containing 126 photos click
here.
I’m
going start off with talking about what I thought of Master Replicas
booth. They had some seriously nice stuff on display between the FX
sabers and all their limited edition items. The helmet line they
have is really very very cool and I wish that I had the money to get
a few of them. The Lightsabers all the type be it signed edition,
regular, limited by some means, .45, etc are all amazing and would
be cool if they worked as well. The most impressive thing though
about the booth was seeing the Millennium Falcon. This piece is
really really HUGE and the detail in it is just nuts. Imagine
something half the size of a dining room table and the detail of
what you see on a movie screen. That’s what you get out of this
particular piece. I believe it also is going cost something like
$2500 so it’s not cheap but cool none the less.
Hasbro
as you may have read has some really interesting items coming out
over the next year. The 3.75" inch figures look to be going in the
right direction with lots of clones like Mace Windu’s battalion and
various others from the Saga. The Galactic Heroes line one of my
personal favorites looks to be going in the right direction as well.
I saw several new additions like a new Vader, Tie Pilot, Leia, Wedge
Antilles, etc. So if you’re like me and have a little love for this
line we have some nice figures coming. The unleashed battle packs
have some really awesome figures coming as well such as a 501st
assortment and a shock trooper assortment. Those two if you’re a
clone collector like me are a must grab! The mini-vehicle line and
transformers line also have some cool stuff coming. So if you’re
into those lines you’ll have some nice things to be looking forward
too. The coolest stuff though came from the titanium line of
figures. We’ve got Darth Maul, Grievous, Ep2 Clone, X-Wing Luke, and
a couple others coming so be on the look out for these throughout
the next year.
Gentle
Giant has some truly awesome products coming out over the next year.
The animated maquettes they have coming out have me seriously
thinking of getting this line. Vader and Fett both looked truly cool
and I’m glad to have snagged those pieces. Leia also looked strong
as well so if you have her coming and are lucky enough to have Padme
already you’re in for a treat. The 3PO with Jawa is a very funny
piece. When I saw it this piece made me laugh because I could see
this happening in the Star Wars Universe and the reaction from 3PO
was truly on target. X-Win Luke was also another fantastic piece
that will go really well with other maquettes. The Star Wars
Mini-Bust line looks to also be really going full steam ahead with
the clone busts that will be coming out, Plo Kloon, Grievous, Chewie,
Mara Jade, and especially Darth Maul. If you collect this line I
highly suggest that you find a way to start saving every way you can
because the products coming your way can’t be missed. If you collect
Lord Of The Rings then you are also in for a treat because GG has
some really really well done pieces coming your way. The bust line
they have coming has some of the best likenesses I’ve ever seen on
any thing LOTR related. These are also going to be highly affordable
as well so if you get in early getting them all should be no
problem. The animated line of figures they are doing are also nicely
done as well. At the show they had Saruman and Gandalf The Grey
which are both must haves for this LOTR collector.
Finally,
I want to talk about the star of the show. Sideshow Collectibles!
They had without a doubt the best set of products at the show. The
Star Wars pieces they had topped anything we’ve ever seen before.
The 12” Maul, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Mace, etc are going to just knock
your socks off when they land in your collection. Then there’s Jabba
The Hutt and friends. Jabba is the single most impressive 12” figure
I’ve seen. His size is truly amazing and will be a space eater if
your collection is running out of room but don’t pass because of
that because you’ll beat yourself later if you do. Then you have the
expansion sets which include his throne which is as big as Jabba to
hold him as well as another set which has Salacious Crumb. Bib
Fortuna and Leia also are really fantastic pieces as well. The whole
Jabba set up is a must have and something I grabbed. The two newest
Premium Format pieces we hadn’t seen much of Luke/Yoda and Boba Fett
where show stoppers. Luke/Yoda looked great and really does a great
job of capturing what the part of the Star Wars Saga really had in
it. The exclusive is also pretty sweet and something that is a very
nice little addition to a piece. Boba though was the best of bunch
with all the detail in his suit and accessories. The hair in the
wookiee belt is really nicely done and looks so real it’s scary. The
piece just totally has the feel of Fett in the sense you look at it
and go I wouldn’t want to mess with him. The Yoda 1:1 scale bust was
also a show stopper. It’s like they took Yoda and froze him then
made a bust out of him and like the Fett PF piece you feel a sense
of Wisdom coming from this Yoda Bust. If you have the money and room
get it now while you can!!
I
want to talk about a couple of events I went to during the Con. One
was the Star Wars Fan Club Breakfast. This event was pretty cool to
be at. I was among several other fans that got a chance to hear
about what was coming from Hasbro and Lucasfilm. We all got the
501st figure from Hasbro for free which was a nice touch but yours
truly won a Galactic Heroes figure set is sold out, and to top it
off at the end of the show I got it signed by Steve Sansweet
himself! The event was worth every penny of the $60 bucks I paid to
get in. The other event I wanted to mention was the Sideshow
Collectibles/Sideshow Freaks Message board party. This event was
held on Friday the 21st not long after the Con was over for the day.
Lots of members who are friends of mine showed up as well as lots of
folks from Sideshow themselves. This event is truly special because
you get to catch up with friends both from the board and folks from
Sideshow plus getting to chat with everyone on a more relaxed level
is awesome! This event wouldn’t be complete without giveaways and
some nice prized where handed out to lucky members from the Freaks
Board. This event is truly special and something I will be looking
forward to for years to come!