We’ve been waiting for months for the HIGHLY anticipated Sideshow Collectibles full-size Wolf Predator bust, a replica of the main Predator character from AvP:Requiem, and at last he has arrived! Today we pop him under the lights and break it down for you.

First off, as you may expect the box is absolutely HUMONGOUS and weighs over 50 pounds. The FedEx guy didn’t look too happy to be hauling that sucker up my steps. The packaging is the usual bit with the plain outer shipping box with a retail box inside. The retail box is also a plain brown box with some Wolf artwork stuck on one side. Inside we get the foam shell, and each side has a little compartment you open to pull out the dreads. You can already see the Wolf’s jaws sticking out! You then remove the top foam cover and you can see the Wolf in all his glory with more dreads on either side of him. I then lifted out the bust and found that the base is actually already glued/attached to the bust itself, it’s not two pieces. The bust is also surprisingly light, kind of making you wonder why the box weighs so much. So I popped that on the floor and started taking out the dreads.

Each dread is packaged in it’s own plastic sleeve and they almost feel gooey! Once out of the sleeve, the flexible dreads are still moist with oils from the casting and painting process and have that sweet “New Toy” smell to them. The dreads are numbered from 1 to 6, with 1 being the small dreads and 6 being the biggest. You can see the number is cast right in to the flat, fat end of the dread. And sticking out of each dread on the same side is the end of a threaded bolt. So all you do is look in each hole on the bust and you’ll find a number on the inside rim. Simply match the numbers on the dreads and push each one in… the threads will stop the dreads from falling out. Some go in very easily, a couple you might have to push a bit to get it in all the way. Once you’re done, your bust is ready to rock!

At this point I picked it up to put it in the photo booth, and THAT’S where you get the surprise… the dreads weigh a ton, and once they are all attached to the bust, the thing goes from 25lbs to 50lbs! Some of the dreads are also somewhat bent, but this will straighten out over time as they hang, or you can use a hair dryer to heat them up a bit and straighten them. Personally I’d rather let gravity do the work, just in case the heat does funny stuff to the dreads. The dreads appear to be some kind of foam cast dreads with some kind of rubber coating. They’re super smooth and oily, but look awesome! The dread rings are cast right in to the dreads, they are not separate pieces.

So, once I have it all assembled and up on the stand with the studio lights on, I can get a good luck at this and it’s VERY impressive in person. The bust is about the same size as the Sideshow Predator 1 bust, but this one taller due to the base. The paint job is OK for a pre-paint but I don’t feel it looks very close to the the prototype photos on Sideshow’s site, which has always impressed me with their big ticket Predator items so far. The P1 bust and the P1 Maquette both have production pieces that look very close to the prototype photos, but the Wolf seems to lack the paint details we see in their promotional photos. The main difference between the prototype photos and the real thing is there is no extra green detailing on the scars on the production piece. I really only have 2 major complaints with the paint job and that’s the scar tissue on the side of the face, and the the mouth.

I just feel that the scarring on the side of the face should be a different color than the rest of the skin and I think more attention to detail would have been good here. The sculpt is dead on gorgeous like the original prop, but the scarring could have used better paint detail. As for the veins in the mouth, it’s as though it was the last thing to do on the bust and they just wanted to get it over it. The P1 bust from Sideshow has awesome veins on the mouth, with layered effects. On the Wolf, they basically painted the entire mouth, then just with with a pinkish grey paint and just made lightning bolt patterns with a fine brush and that was it. It looks very sloppy and not realistic at all. They should have used purples and blues, then built up the inner mouth colors, then added a few more veins again for a realistic layered effect. I also think they overdid it with the pink in the mouth… So basically, the veins suck and it’s a tad too pinkish overall. Other than that, it looks pretty damn cool!

The sculpt is gorgeous and straight from the ADI molds… I actually saw the original casting ADI sent to Sideshow, so this sculpt is dead on. I have to admit I would have preferred static resin dreads though in a cool pose rather that these rubber foam ones, but it still looks great! I am SO glad Sideshow fixed the posing of the dreads. The quills look great too, and they are flexible as though made from a similar material as Bake and Blend, which is a type of clay medium used by guys that make mask quills for costumes. The material is very tough and flexible, which helps avoid damage in shipping and handling.

I also noticed a lot of people were concerned about painted eyes vs acrylic eyes… meaning were the eyes painted on the bust, or did they insert fake acrylic eyeballs in to the bust. I’m happy to report they used the superior method, acrylic eyes, and they look awesome!

So overall, I am EXTREMELY happy with this purchase and is definitely a keeper in my collection. I’m not 100% happy with the paint, I felt they did a better job on the Predator 1 bust, but this is still a MUST HAVE for Predator fans. Just make sure you have a sturdy table to put it on!

I took a TON of photos of this badboy, so please check it all out by clicking on the photo icon below:

In addition to the photos, I also did a little mini review and posted it on Youtube. Basically let’s you see how this looks and I share a few thoughts on it. You can watch it below:

So that’s it guys! Would love to hear your comments on this, so please click the comment icon below and tell me what you think of the review and/or this piece! If you would like to purchase this bust, they are in-stock at Sideshow, so click here to purchase one!

Dan

A month or two ago I received a couple of AWESOME new build-ups from Joe Dunaway of a fullscale Rambo style Gizmo and Mohawk Mogwai from Narin’s Gremlins 2 series of sculpts. Tonight I finally had a chance to break out the camera gear and have some fun!

This is supposed to be a series of 5 sculpts from the Gremlins 2 movie, featuring 5 key Mogwai characters, but so far Narin has only issued 2 of the 5 sculpts. Not sure if we’ll see the other 3, but for now we get these two awesome fellas! They are fullscale sculpts and are around a foot tall and quite heavy. My favorite of the two is probably Mohawk, due to the entire attitude of the pose and Joe’s buildup is just gorgeous. I love the way he did the eyes! I had a lot of fun photographing this in my daughter’s playroom in front of her barbie dollhouse.

The kit comes in 2 parts, the head and the body, so it’s fairly simple to assemble and prep for painting. Joe advised me that his kit had numerous pinholes that needed filling and I have since addressed this concern with the producer, but other than that assembly was a snap. I just can not get over how life-like the sculpt and paint application is… the combination of a Narin sculpt and a Dunaway paint job is truly the ultimate combination and you end up with a museum quality piece.

We currently have this piece available in our shop and it’s in-stock, you can click here to purchase Mohawk.

Next up is the very cool Rambo style Gizmo, complete with paperclip bow and flaming pencil arrow!

Gizmo is just as impressive with this iconic pose from the film, and you can either built this with the resin cast pencil, use your own real pencil, the scale is dead on. The liquid paper bottle is sculpted with the flames, so most artists choose to steam off a label from a real bottle and glue it on, which is what Joe did. Again, this piece is SUPER life-like, especially the eyes and the mottling Joe applied to the fur. When my daughter first saw this, she thought it was real!

The part breakdown for this guy includes the head, body, hands, pencil and bottle, paperclip and string. Due to elastic bands rotting in storage, you will need to supply your own for this build-up.

In fact, this piece is so lifelike, especially when painted right, that a Clubhouse forum member recently posted photos of his buildup that won him GOLD at an IPMS Event AND it won Best Figure! (Congrats Dethstryker, your build-up was amazing!)

Gizmo is also available and in-stock in our shop! You can click here for all the order info.

Bottom line on this one folks, if you are a Gremlins fan, you can’t beat these sculpts, especially for the price. I personally LOVED Gremlins and HAD to have these as a tribute in my collection.

And of course, I took a TON of pics! I had some fun with playroom photos as well as some nice booth photos, so please click the photo icon below to visit the gallery:

So a HUGE thank you to Joe Dunaway who did an AMAZING job on these! Now to bug Narin to do the other 3 sculpts so I can complete my invasion of Mogwai! Would love to hear what you guys think of the pics and the kits, please click the comment button below to share your thoughts!

Next review coming next week… The Sideshow FULLSCALE Wolf Bust! Aaaaaaand a new website layout is on the way!

Enjoy,
Dan

hey guys, this is a heads up that the pre-orders for the Sideshow Exclusive Predator 2 Diorama has JUST been activated on the Sideshow site! GO HERE TO ORDER!

As of right now the exclusive edition is still available but you should order fast because this will sell out VERY fast. The exclusive includes both a masked and unmasked head, whereas the regular edition will be masked only. Check out all the awesome pics and place your pre-order by clicking here!

HOT TOYS LOST HUNTER IS UP TOO!

The new Lost Hunter Predator from Hot Toys is also posted but they didn’t put the pics up yet… click here to order! This will also sell out very fast like the other Hot Toys, so I suggest you grab it fast!

Enjoy!
Dan

Hi guys! I’ve got another cool Narin piece that is available for Pre-Order, and it’s his creative take on the Vampirella character in all her sexy glory!

This is a gorgeous original take on the Vampirella character sculpted by Narin in 1:6 Scale. Narin wanted to create his own style Vampirella sculpt, and the end result is this gorgeous gal with a massive sword surrounded by old kills. Kit measures around 14″ tall and requires painting and assembly.

You can order this beauty right here in our shop by clicking here! As you probably know, I’ve managed to become the semi-official distributor for Narin pieces in North America, so I’m starting to get a wide spectrum of his products, which is cool… it’s nice to see something other than Predators from time to time!

Joe Dunaway did a GORGEOUS build-up for me of this kit, which will be used for the cover artwork. You can check out all at the pics by clicking the photo icon below:

NEW SHIPPING RATES FOR OVERSEAS!

Please note the new Air shipping pricing is now live in the shop for anyone outside of the USA, Canada or Mexico! This means shipping is now HALF THE PRICE! *Happy Dance*

SDCC COVERAGE

I have been keeping a close eye on the action at the San Diego Comic Con and photos of the new Predator products are coming in! Figures.com has a GREAT SDCC 08 gallery going and here are some links to cool new products that are coming up:

Sideshow Collectibles Predator 1 and Predator 2 Dioramas

Hot Toys Lost Hunter Predator and the Predator 1 Bust

As of now you can order the Predator 1 Diorama HERE and the you can grab the Hot Toys Predator 1 Bust HERE… the others are not yet posted for sale but will be any time this weekend so look out for the announcement!

By the way, the Sideshow site is getting HAMMERED, so if any of the Sideshow links time out, keep trying and you should get through.

Enjoy!
Dan

Hello everyone! I’ve got quite a few things to tell you folks about today, so let’s get right to it! First off, I am very excited to announce a BADASS new Hellboy kit from Model in the House, the same guys who made the huge AvP Attack kit.

This kit is absolutely massive! The kit features a dynamic sculpt of Hellboy cast in to 16 parts, including his coat in 2 parts and includes the short and full length horns. Kit is over 14 inches tall including the base, and the base measures about 15 x 10 inches. Overall, the kit weighs an impressive 8lbs! You can order this right in our shop by clicking here!

I’ve received a bunch of photos of a painted sample and this looks awesome. Check it out by clicking on the photo icon below:

NEW PREDATOR 2 DIORAMA

This week and weekend is the San Diego Comic Con, and depressingly enough, I am missing it. Oh well! I did the Disney thing this year, so SDCC 09 is all mine! Anyhow, all Predator fans should be keeping an eye on Sideshow Collectibles as they always announce new goodies during the show, and this year they’ve announced a new Predator 2 Diorama!

There are no order details or anything yet, although an order link will probably go up on Friday. keep your eyes peeled to this blog for the pre-order link as soon as it’s available! There will be an exclusive and regular edition. There is a preview link though you can check out and leave a comment if you like… check it out on Sideshow’s site by clicking here.

They’ve also got a new Predator poseable figure listed on their SDCC product list… it’s listed as “Lost Predator” but there are no preview links yet. I suspect this is the special Lost Hunters release that I heard about months ago, featuring the Predators seen in the ship at the end of Predator 2. I’ll update the site when I find out more!

I should also mention that my jaw dropped at this one… a FULL SIZE General Grievous Bust!!!

COME TO PAPPA BEAR!!!

CHEAPER OVERSEAS SHIPPING!

For those of you outside North America, I’m sure you will be VERY happy to hear that I am working on a new drop-ship system that will slash overseas air shipping in HALF! Basically you will be paying the cheapest surface style shipping, but it will be shipped EMS from the producer instead, so do a little dance and make a little love, because cheaper shipping is almost here! This will apply to about 90% of the items in the shop and I am hoping to have the new prices live by tonight or tomorrow. I will post when this is in effect.

So that’s it for now guys! I’m keeping an eye on SDCC coverage this week and I will post updates as soon as I can!

Enjoy! As always, please click the comments button below to share your thoughts
Dan

I am EXTREMELY proud and happy to introduce to everyone a VERY special project that was brought to me by Mark of Nightmare Collectibles and is now officially ready to roll for you guys! Ladies and Gents, please give a warm round of applause for the new Bug Killer!

Sculpted by the amazing Narin, this AWESOME kit features the only P1 style Predator ever sculpted by Narin bringing down an A2 style Warrior Alien in a powerful mid-air leap with his trusty combi-stick. The kit is cast in solid resin and features over 40 pieces, including a gorgeous detailed base and the Predator includes a masked and unmasked head that can both be built and painted and swapped on the final kit as desired with no visible seams!

This kit is officially a Nightmare Collectibles exclusive release, and is only distributed by Mark and myself here at Predatorstuff.com and was released today to celebrate the awesome hobby of kit building and this year’s Wonderfest 2008! Mark is on-hand at Wonderfest today to unveil this kit to the crowd and has 10 on-hand for the lucky few that made the trip and managed to score this kit. But fear not, we have more on the way and you can order this RIGHT NOW in our shop by clicking here. Stock will begin to arrive towards the end of August and we’ll be filling pre-orders by date received, so the sooner you order, the quicker you get your kit!

Special thanks to Joe Dunaway who was able to paint this just before heading off to Wonderfest and was able to get some shots to me! Want to see the rest? Click the photo icon below for all the photos and this bug stomper having himself an Alien brochette!

Ready to order? Click here to place an immediate pre-order with us and reserve a kit today! I would also LOVE to hear your thoughts and feedback on this new kit, so please click the comment button below and mouth off!

Enjoy and hope you love this as much as I do!

Dan

Get ready folks, tomorrow, Saturday July 19th, Predatorstruff.com and Nightmare Collectibles will be unveiling the brand new exclusive kit sculpted by Narin and released to celebrate the awesome kit show Wonderfest 2008!

Be here tomorrow at 5PM Eastern Standard Time for the official announcement, photos and your chance to be among the first to place a pre-order and get in on the first few shipments of this AWESOME new kit. I am VERY excited about this release, the kit is absolutely BRILLIANT and you P1 fans are going to dig this sculpt I guarantee it!

See you tomorrow evening gang!

Dan

Hey all… I know this is mainly a Predator related collectibles website, but I like quite a few movies and I am really impressed with the awesome stuff coming out of Sideshow so I wanted to show some of my favorite items as they get released. Next week is SDCC so I know they have a PILE of new items coming (can’t wait to see what Predator goodies they are planning) but there’s some killer new stuff in the last couple of weeks. For those of you that are in to Hellboy, check out the BIG BABY!

Sideshow is proud to bring you the Big Baby Life-Size Prop Replica from Hellboy II: The Golden Army. The Big Baby Prop Replica features six removable shells and a musical wind-up feature that plays the tune Lullaby and Goodnight, and comes complete with a sturdy display base. The Big Baby Life-Size Prop Replica is the perfect addition to any collection, a reflection if Sideshow’s dedication to quality.

I’m sorry, but this thing absolutely ROCKS, it’s insanely cool. I especially love the little baby bottle shotgun shells. You can check out all the pics and information and preorder by clicking here on the Sideshow product page. If this is a tad too rich for your blood, check out the new 1:4 scale version they just released for $64.99 by clicking here!

They also have a HUGE full size bust of the Angel of Death, full size prop replica of the Right Hand of Doom, and even a Hellboy full size bust! Check it out for all the goodies, they’ve got Hellboy fever at Sideshow!

For you Transformers fans *raises hand* looks like PopBox is following up on their very cool Bumblebee scaled bust with this KICKASS Optimus Prime bust!

Sideshow Collectibles is proud to present the Optimus Prime Electronic Bust by PopBox! The ultimate manufacturers in the electronic bust format showcases the Transformers Movie favorite Optimus Prime - a true CG replica of the Autobot with mechanical intricacies. This highly accurate, movie-real, super detailed robotic bust stands just over 11 inches high atop a decorative Sector 7 shaped base with Autobot logo. Comprised of over 40 separate ABS plastic and die-cast metal components for highly accurate realism and detailed production, the Optimus Prime bust easily transforms from normal to battle mode with a detachable mouth shield. Each piece features light sensor activated light-up LED eyes and includes a voice recorder to play back your favorite movie character scenes (3 AAA batteries required - batteries not included). The robotic Optimus Prime bust is sure to be the centerpiece of any Transformers display.

Needless to say, I’ve got mine on order as this will probably sell out fast. I’m on the Bumblebee Waitlist, so hopefully I can get my hands on both! If you want to check out more photos on Optimus or place an order with Sideshow, click here for the product page!

And finally, for the Lord of the Rings folks, Sideshow has released a brand new premium format Moria Orc statue that looks as cool as the Lurtz statue, which is the only Lord of the Rings piece I own.

The Moria Orc Premium Format figure is a stunning 1:4 scale reproduction. Standing 20 inches tall atop the display base, the Moria Orc posed in the heat of the battle, ready to attack any man, hobbit, or wizard foolish enough to enter Moria. Each figure is hand-painted and hand-finished, and individually hand-numbered for authenticity. This stunning figure is an outstanding addition to any The Lord of the Rings collection - reserve yours today!

Yep, you guessed it, I ordered one of these as well… I really LOVE the Lurtz statue, so I think this new Moria Orc will fit in nicely next it him. If you want to see all the pics and info on this bad-boy, click here!

That’s about it for the Sideshow update this week… can’t wait to see what happens at SDCC! I’m also hoping to hear more about the Cinemaquette Predator, would be nice to get some kind of approximate ship date for those things. We’ve only been waiting 4 YEARS!

Enjoy!
Dan