Sneak Peak! Hot Toys POTC: On Stranger Tides Jack Sparrow DX Figure

Came across these pictures on the Sideshow Collectors message board today. They show the upcoming Hot Toys 1/6th scale Jack Sparrow DX figure from this summer's movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", in the front window of Hong Kong toy store "Toy Hunters". Looking good! Enjoy.

Happy Easter!

Andrea and I would like to wish you all a Happy Easter Sunday! Spend the day with your family and eat some good food. Much love to all of our readers!

Sideshow Collectibles - Predator - Stalker Mask Life-size Replica

Sideshow brings you the Predators Collectible line featuring original Predator character designs by Steve Wang, award-winning creature designer and special effects make-up artist. Each piece is individually painted and finished, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. The Stalker Predator Mask Prop Replica is an incredible addition to any Predator legacy display, an outstanding addition to Sideshow's Predators collectible line.

Hot Toys - Iron Man 2 - 1/6th Scale Mark II (Armor Unleashed Version)

Hot Toys are again proud to present collectible figures from the Iron Man 2 movie - the Iron Man Mark II - Armor Unleashed Version 12-inch Figure! The movie-accurate Mark II collectible is highly detailed and deployed, specially crafted based on the image of Don Cheadle as Mark II in the movie, highlighting the authentic head sculpt, as well as the detachable chest, biceps, thighs armors and LED-lighted interchangeable boots with internal exoskeleton details.


The 1/6th scale Mark II (Armor Unleashed Version) Limited Edition Collectible Figurine specially features:
-Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Mark II with part of the armors unleashed in the movie Iron Man 2
-Head sculpt with authentic likeness of Don Cheadle with helmet as Mark II in the movie
-Approximately 30 cm tall
-Over 36 points of articulations
-Special features on armor:
-Metallic silver-colored painting on armor
-One (1) helmet with LED-lighted eyes (white light, battery operated)
-One (1) opened helmet
-LED-lighted micro ARC reactor on chest (white light, battery operated)
-One (1) detachable chest armor with internal exoskeleton details
-One (1) pair of detachable biceps armor with internal exoskeleton details
-One (1) pair of detachable thighs armor with internal exoskeleton details
-One (1) left arm missile launcher
-One (1) right wrist gauntlet (as shield)
-Two (2) pairs of interchangeable palms including:
-One (1) pair with improved articulations, movable fingers and light-up repulsors (white light, battery operated)
-One (1) pair of forceful fists
-Fully deployed air flaps at back of the armor with built-in metal flaps
-AirBrake deployment system on left and right legs
-One (1) pair of LED-lighted interchangeable boots with internal exoskeleton details and leg support inside (white light, battery operated)


Accessories:
-Figure stand with Mark II nameplate and movie logo
-One (1) more additional square-shaped figure stand with LED light-up function (white light, battery operated)


Artists:
-Head Sculpted by Kojun
-Head Painted by JC. Hong
-Head Art Directed by JC. Hong


Release date: Q4, 2011

Sideshow Collectibles - Comic-Con 2011 Exclusives

Sideshow Collectibles has announced their exclusives in celebration of Comic-Con this summer. Each of these collectibles will become available at seperate dates, starting May 19th-June 10th. The exclusives are G.I. Joe 12" Cobra Ninja Viper, Star Wars 12" Clone Commander, AVP Predator Mask Set, and Iron Man Bust Set. We'll update you all on the detial when they are released next month.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Battle for the 1/6th Figure

Naturally, as in any market, companies strive and compete to be the best. As far as the 1/6th figure market, Hot Toys, Enterbay, and Medicom are at the top of the game. Recently Enterbay and Medicom have been teaming up to manufacture figures together. One of their upcoming releases is 1/6th scale Jack Sparrow from Disney's upcoming movie Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Of course not to be outdone, Hot Toys answered back with a 1/6th Sparrow as well.
Going by the preview pictures...this should be one interesting competition. What's your take on this Jack Sparrow war? Which figure do you think we'll raise the bar above the rest? We'd like to read your opinions.

Sideshow Collectibles - The Terminator - Premium Format Figure

From the original film comes the The Terminator Premium Format figure, an outstanding 1:4 scale piece featuring a detailed likeness of Arnold Schwarzenegger as robotic villain. Each piece is individually painted and finished, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. The Exclusive version will include a switch-out battle damaged portrait. More details will be released tomorrow. We'll keep you updated. The Terminator Premium Format Figure is an outstanding representation of the villainous Skynet cyborg, a stunning addition to any display.

Common FAQ's in the Collectible Market

Hello everybody. How's your week going so far? Collectible news is a bit slow lately so we figured we'd take the time to clarify some of the most frequently asked questions in the collectible market.


To get started, I want to explain something that puzzled me when I first started collecting high-end toys. If you collect Hot Toys, you've most likely noticed that at the end of a products description on their website you'll notice that they list a released date. The dates are always listed as "Late" or "Early" quarters.
Manufacturers of everything from toys to dishes operate under what's called a fiscal year. One of the tools used for a fiscal year is dividing it into four sections called quarters. This helps the manufacturer let the public or distributers have an idea of when the product will be available for purchase. The manufacturs use these quarters as reference points when they're not quite certain exactly when the product can and or will be released. Companies such as Hot Toys use quarter references usually to allow themselves time to work out any kinks in a figures appearance or functionability.
The four quarters of the fiscal year are as followed: January through March is the first quarter, April through June is the second quarter, July through September is the third quarter, and October through December is the fourth and final quarter of the year. Refer to the picture below for a chart of the quarters.

Another commonly asked question would be about the scales of figures. Many people wonder what the actual inches to scale conversion is. To answer that question sounds easy enough, but involves a bit of Math. The way that scaling works is that for every amount of inches equals one unit of the scaled item. For excample a 1/6th figure, for every 6 inches of a human is scaled down to one inch. So a 6 foot man in 1/6th scale would be 12 inches.
Also, contrary to the way numbers accend, scaling is the complete opposite. The smaller the number of the scale the larger the figure. For example, 1/6th scale of a 6 foot man is 12 inches...where as 1/4th scale would be 18 inches.
There are many different scales to choose from in the collectible market. Companies such as Hasbro or Jakks Pacific release many 1:18th scale figures, which usually measure about 3 3/4". Some of the more common scales used by companies such as DC Direct, McFarlane, Neca, or Mezco would be the 1:12th figures. These figures aren't usually known for the scale, most know them by the 7" they measure in at. The scale that seems to offer the most detial and posability would be the 1/6th scale figures like Hot Toys, Sideshow Collectibles, BBI, Dragon, or Medicom. Some of the more high-end collectibles usually are in the 1/4th scale range. These items usually vary depending if they're busts or full standing figures. Examples would be Sideshow Collectibles Premium Format sculptures, or Neca's 18" figure line. After that, comes 1:2 scale and the best of all: the 1:1 scale or what's better known as "life-size".

I hope this clears up some commonly asked questions. Hopefully some newcomers will read this, and have a better understanding starting off in this hobby. I apologize if this was a little much. I get to thinking about all the ins and outs of the hobby and just want to share it with all of you guys. We'll get back to posting more entertaining things to read soon, lesson time is over for awhile. lol Anyway, everyone have a great week.

Possible Custom 1/6th Figure Projects

Its no secret that I(Jon) love to collect 1/6th scaled figures. Im a a true collector of Hot Toys figures with the occational 12" Neca or McFarlane figures. Something that I've recently taken an interest in is custom figures. I've worked on two since I've been a collector (Scarecrow and Bruce Wayne), and feel the need to do more. Both of the figures I've created used marketly-available headsculpts manufactured by Hot Toys. After joing some message boards, I've been exposed to so many custom figure possibilities. Many of the figures I've wanted to own don't exist on the market, but customizing and kitbashing make is possible.
So the following pictures are of three figures Im considering to make. I've done the research, it's now just a matter of costs and availablity. Hopefully I'll get at least one completed before the end of the year, but we'll just have to wait and see.


1) Inception's Dom Cobb

This is a figure that I thought of the minute I stepped out of the movie theatre. Inception was another of Christopher Nolan's masterpieces and it's a shame no manufacturer picked up the licensing rights to the movie. There are several nameless "generic" versions of Cobb figure out there, but for the sake of copyright laws, the likeness always falls short of Dicaprio's likeness. There is but one headsculpt marketly-available, but I feel like I must wait for something better. Time will tell if this figure will be a reality.


2) Batman Begins Henri Ducard/Ra's Al Ghul

The infamous missing piece, one of the most saught-after figures in the custom community, and the figure that for some reason or another Hot Toys completely ignored. Any collector of Nolan-Batman films would absolutely love to own this figure. It's puzzling how no manufacturer thought to produce a 1/6th scale figure of the man who trained the mighty Batman. The headsculpt is very rare to find, and most that you will find are unpainted. I'd have to say that this is the figure I would like to create the most, and plan on doing so as soon as I locate an adequate headsculpt.


3) District 9's Wikus Van De Merwe

The charismatic leading role, the driving force behind the movie, the comedic relief to the dark soulful masterpiece that is District 9. Amazingly no one aquired the rights to this amazing movie, and therefor leave us empty handed of District 9 collectibles. In my opinion, I thought the movie was amazingly done. The overall real feel pulled me in and made me feel like I believed the story. So it's a huge shock to me that nobody thought to market anything from it. A 1/6th scale Wikus has been on my mind since 2009 when the movie premiered, and to my disappointment, the rarity of a headsculpt is shocking. Few artist's have attempted to scuplt one, and fewer have succeeded. Hopefully one day soon I'll find the perfect one, and I can make this dream become a reality.

Sideshow Collectibles - Battle Damaged Classic Predator Mask

Sideshow is proud to partner with KNB EFX GROUP to bring you the Predators Collectible line from the 2010 film release. Each prop replica is an exact full-scale reproduction of the original on-screen prop, as created by KNB. Each piece is individually painted and finished, each with its own unique quality and detail that is the trademark of a handcrafted Sideshow Collectibles product. Reflecting the original creature design, the 'Cracked' Battle Damaged Classic Predator Mask Prop Replica is an incredible addition to any Predator legacy display, an outstanding addition to Sideshow's new Predators collectible line.

Hot Toys - Pirates of The Caribbean - 1/6th Scale Jack Sparrow

Hot Toys is proud to present the 1/6th scale Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie from the DX series, highlighting the highly detailed head sculpt with two interchangeable faces with different gestures, sophisticated costume and the movie-accurate rudder as accessory.


The 1/6th scale Captain Jack Sparrow Collectible Figure specially features:
- Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie
- Approximately 30 cm tall
- TrueType body with over 30 points of articulation
- Highly detailed hair sculpted piece by piece with accessories and red hair band
- Two (2) interchangeable faces with different gestures with real-like beard and plaits on chin
- Parallel Eyeball Rolling System (PERS) patented by Hot Toys Limited for both faces
- Nine (9) pieces of interchangeable palms with rings and glove on right side including:
One (1) pair of relaxed palms
One (1) pair of palms for holding flintlock pistol
One (1) right palm for holding saber
One (1) pair of palms for holding rudder or telescope
One (1) pair of palms showing his iconic gesture
- Each piece of head sculpt is specially hand-painted


Costume:
- One (1) leather-like detachable brown-colored hat
- One (1) piece of cream-colored long-sleeved shirt
- One (1) blue- and brown-colored patterned vest
- One (1) dark brown long jacket
- One (1) pair of dark brown pants
- One (1) dark brown and (1) light brown leather-like belt with buckle
- One (1) dark brown leather-like patterned shoulder band with saber sheath
- One (1) pair of brown boots


Weapons:
- Two (2) flintlock pistols
- One (1) saber


Accessories:
- One (1) left lace wrist band and one (1) right wrist band
- One (1) scarf
- One (1) piece of feather on waist
- One (1) compass
- One (1) small telescope
- One (1) head sculpt of his mother
- One (1) duck’s foot sculpture
- One (1) movie-accurate rudder with base and movie nameplate
- Figure stand with Captain Jack Sparrow nameplate and the movie logo


Artists:
- Head Sculpted by KOJUN
- Head Painted by JC.HONG
- Head Art Directed by JC.HONG
- Hair Sculpted by KOJUN & GOX (EOM JEA SUNG)
- Accessories Sculpted by T. J. CHA
- Costume designed by HAI LIM


Release date: End Q2 2011