Good afternoon everyone, hope you all had a great weekend and look forward to another week of news and reviews in the world of Predators and anything else I happen to love from the science fiction world.  This afternoon however, we take a sidetrip to the world of Pandora and the insanely amazing art of Darren Harvey.  Specifically, I want to show you guys this INSANE 1:1 scale bust of Neytiri that he's producing…

I have sent an email to Darren to congratulate him on this piece and to find out a bit more info (like how much and how soon can I have this in my office?!) and here's the scoop on this INSANE piece!

This is a full size 1:1 scale bust in HUMAN scale, meaning that the head is the size of an adult human's head, not the enormous head of the Navi. Darren is a commercial illustrator by trade and this is his FIRST full scale, full size portrait. Yes you read right, this is his FIRST full size piece.  Is it me or are some people just so damn talented in makes my teeth itch….  anyhow, moving right along…

The sculpt itself was made in WED clay (not to rub it in, but this was also Darren's FIRST time using WED clay as well) and he used large clear Scleral shells with paper placed behind it to use as a visual reference.  I have to admit, that's a pretty awesome strategy, then again the extent of my sculpting skills doesn't go much beyond a pail full of sand with a couple of rocks on top of it and a well placed stick for a flag.  Once the sculpt was complete and molded, it was time for the hair… 40 feet of braided hair to be precise!  After four months of work, Neytiri was ready for the limelight, including a sweet removable Ikran flight visor with the insect wing lenses made from heat-formed vac plastic, resin tooth, and airbrushed to perfection.  The head itself is cast in hollow PU resin.  The eyes are painted, but before you grumble about how glass or acrylic eyes are better and more realistic than painted eyes, Darren is also a trained ocular technician (builds prosthetic eyes) so this is pretty much going to be the most kick ass pair of Navi eyes you'll ever see away from the screen!

OK I know, now you're screaming HOW DO I GET ONE?!  Well, you'd better have your checkbook ready and be fast…  Darren is limiting this to 10 fully finished pieces and 20 raw castings he will be offering to people he knows will have the piece as part of their private collection, he obviously doesn't want this baby getting recast.  I should also mention that 5 of the 10 are already sold!  Now for the all important question: How big a hole will this make in your wallet?  A fully finished piece will run you £1,500 (that about $2,222 USD) and a raw casting (the raw casting is the head only, you don't get the hair and bling) is £400 (which is about $593 USD).

Want to get in touch with Darren for more information?  Email him directly by clicking HERE! Want to drool at more photos of this incredible piece?  Click the photo icon below!

Congratulations Darren, your work is absolutely STUNNING and I think I speak for everyone when I say I can't wait to see more of your work in the future!

Want to see more sweet Avatar goodies?  Sideshow has been releasing a steady stream of gorgeous Avatar art prints known as "giclee prints" in very low release numbers, some of which are almost totally sold out.  They range in price from affordable to.. well… up there, but they are all gorgeous and pretty damn impressive.  The piece "Neytiri in the Forest" is easily my favorite of the bunch, damn that Navi is one sexy blue chickita!  Check them out below (click the image of the one you want for more photos and order information):

Hey, maybe you're not a Navi fan… perhaps your man is Colonel Miles Quaritch and that kick ass AMP suit of his.  If so, Sideshow has you covered with the INSANELY cool AMP Suit Maquette standing at nearly 2 feet in height!  Fire and brimstone attitude and live ammunition not included.

Launching the Sideshow Collectibles line of AVATAR collectibles is the AMP Suit Maquette, created in conjunction with one of the film's special effects studios, Legacy Effects. Created directly from 3D modeled by the team that created the 14-foot suit used during filming, the AMP Suit is a truly authentic scaled representation. 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 AMP Suite Maquette is comprised of polystone, cloth, resin, fiberglass, metal, ABS and PVC plastics and is the perfect addition to any display.

Product Size: 21" H x 18.5" W x 18.5" D
Product Weight: 51.00 lbs

Click HERE for all the photos and order information (there are only 10 pre-order spots left according to the low quantity alert meter) from the Sideshow product page!

Have I mentioned before that I love Avatar?  That's it for me gang, have a great day!

Peace,
Dan

Here they are folks… thanks to user 007 who just emailed me this tip, here's a look at the Super Black Predators we'll be seeing in the new Predators movie!

Check out all the images by CLICKING HERE!!!  What do you guys think?  By the way, don't forget these are production stills and crew photos, they won't look the same on the big screen with the edited lighting, effects and all that good stuff.  So bear that in mind when forming your opinions. Click the comment button below and share your thoughts!

Dan

Seems like we've had a recent influx of Narin's awesome sculpts!  So naturally with me coming back on to the Predator scene, we've got a new bust from Narin… a much anticipated follow-up to the Bone Hunter bust he released several years ago.  Ladies and gents, I present you with the Skull Hunter!

This is the latest piece from Narin, which he has sculpted and will be casting and distributing directly as he's done with the Death Warrior, Bad Blood and his new Encounter kit.  Perfectly cast in super high quality resin, this piece is sculpted in 1:4 scale and measures 12 inches in height, and comes in 19 parts including 11 individual mandibles and animal skull bones for the necklace.

The Skull Hunter features one pissed off looking hunter with LOADS of details on his armor, bead and bone necklace and his face.  He also sports a huge monster skull on his shoulder as armor and a string of smaller animal skulls across his chest.  The bust includes a sweet base, decorated with human skulls, his favorite trophy!

The bust is already released and castings are available from Narin, so please contact me if you would like further details on this piece!  In the meantime, click the gallery icon below to check out all the photos of this latest Narin piece…

Enjoy!
Dan

Holy mother of God, I just had a major nerdgasm thanks to Narin and his AMAZING Dutch vs Predator kit titled "The Encounter" and after MONTHS of tweaking it is finally ready to show off and has been made available in kit form in a  limited run.  Check it out!

I had first seen a roughed out concept of this sculpture ages ago (I think summer 2009) and I remember thinking how kick ass it would finally be to have this moment captured in a kit with good size and jaw-dropping details.  No offence to UK Kits who originally did this concept way back when, but I was really never a fan of their encounter kits plus garage castings were not exactly top notch like they are now.

Narin kept this project pretty tightly wrapped up, I barely saw anything during the build process as he wanted to surprise everyone… and man, did he ever!  The sculpt is 17" tall including the base and rings in at Narin's usual oversized 1:6 scale.  In fact, the Predator itself is 15" tall without the base, so you can imagine how big this dio is when completed.  The base itself is 9.5" deep, 14" wide and 2.5" high and the entire kit weighs just over 12lbs!  Cast in solid high quality resin (same casting material as the Death Warrior and Bad Blood kits), the kit comes in 89 parts, including 58 separate dreads, plus a brass name plate and issue number stamped on the back.  This is a limited run of 50 kits only.

New with this kit is a new feature Narin has added… flexible resin on the dreads!  You can bend and flex the dreads as though they were made of rubber without worrying about breakage.  This adds a whole new dimension of reality to the kit, not to mention cuts down on breakage and other things that make us kit collectors cry.  Narin informed me that castings will be made per order only, so there is a 3 week casting period once an order is placed, then 3 – 4 weeks for delivery as these are all going SAL due to the weight.  EMS for something this heavy would be fairly ridiculous in price.

Now for that all important question… how much?  The kit is huge and heavily detailed, and the flexible dreads increases the cost of creating the kits so this puppy rings in at a higher cost that the DW or BB.  Retail is $499.99 per kit, and you will find this is a standard price across the board and Narin has set all pricing for anyone selling this kit.  It's pricey, but the kit is absolutely INSANE and in the end, well worth it as all Narin kits are.

Please note that the kit does not include the foliage seen in the buildup example (which by the way was done BEAUTIFULLY by Narin himself) and as always, all kits require assembly and painting.  OK, who's ready for photos?  Click the photo icon below and check out all the pics, including a nice shot of everything included in the set and some nice detailed shots Narin sent me of individual parts.

I just can not stop looking at this kit, I have been waiting for this dio scene for so long, to see it finally pulled off by Narin brings a tear to my nerdy eye!  The likeness on Arnold looks completely fantastic, which in all honesty would have been the deal breaker for me had it been fubar.  Well done Narin, you've totally blown me away once again, and I hope I can get my hands on one of these for a review.  Want to know more about this kit? Contact me for further details!

Enjoy gang!
Dan

ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG!

http://www.predators-movie.com/

Dunno about you haters… looking pretty cool to me

Hey gang!  Just got word from Predastore that their 2 Guns Cleaner kit featuring the Wolf from AVPR is officially complete and on the way from Narin… about time we got something new from Narin!

Today I am super happy to announce the release of a new kit produced by Predastore (The same folks behind the Double Axe and Aqua Hunter kits) called the 2 Guns Cleaner, which was sculpted by Narin and features the Wolf from AvPR standing knee deep in sludge, plasma cannons powered up and ready to rock on some alien ass!  This was a very special project as Predastore asked me months ago if they could use my original Wolf kit as the base for this piece, and I was happy to give them the OK.  This new pose with the weapons and liquid base looks KILLER and I love how this turned out.  The kits are solid high quality resin and comes in 9 parts.  THIS IS A LIMITED RELEASE of 50 kits only, and each kit includes a COA from Narin and Predastore.  The kits are already cast and are currently en route to Predastore in Switzerland from Narin via surface, so please allow about 3 weeks for the kits to arrive.  From there Predastore will inspect and box them up and they will be ready to roll.  The kits are $175 each plus shipping and ship direct from Switzerland to you.

You can check out more pics of this kit by clicking the photo icon below:

Should you want more information about this kit or how to go about getting yours hands on one, please feel free to contact me!  Post your thoughts on the new piece by clicking the comment button below!

Enjoy!
Dan

Toy Fair 2010 has come and gone in New York and NECA has the Predator community pretty stoked about some upcoming action figures they have coming down the pipe!  Fellow Pred-head Jason Schwab reports in to Predatorstuff.com with the latest scoop on these new pieces.

Neca is releasing not just toys based on the new Predators film, but figures based on the Original Predator and the Elder Predator from Predator 2 as well! The original predator figure will have 3 different figure poses - masked , unmasked open mouth , unmasked closed mouth.  The details is simply amazing and I have high hopes for these toys to be the ultimate predator toys on the regular market.

Here are 3 links for those of you who want to find out what they look like with pics and a video from the toy fair convention of 2010.  Check them out below:

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/19103

http://toyfair2010.figures.com/showgallery.php/cat/562

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSmenb2ZLo4

Take care folks, and keep an eye out for pre-orders for the ECA original Predator toys and the Predator 2 Elder Predator toy figure coming soon… and remember,Predators is in theaters July 7 , 2010!

This is Jason, signing Out!

" Get to da Choppa "

Jason is a fellow Predator fan and I want to thank him for taking the time to send in this scoop!  Check out Jason's blog by clicking HERE and be sure to contact us if YOU have any scoops you want to share with us.  Be sure to click on the comment button below to share your thoughts on these new figures!

Thanks,
Dan

Time to get back to business folks, and today I have a sexy new review of a helmet I received months ago from my good buddy Paul Thornton, aka Hez!  This is a gorgeous and very inexpensive Gort style helmet based on one of the Lost Hunter Predators seen at the end of the Predator 2 movie known simply as the Gort Pred.  (This helmet was actually made at SWS when they were doing P1) Read on to get the details on this helmet and how you can get one…

For whatever reason, I've always found it difficult to find a decent Gort helmet that was well crafted, well cast with a sweet paint up, and didn't cost a small fortune to own.  So when Paul contacted me about a Gort style helmet he had recently completed and offered one to me for a review, I was all over it!  By the way, I should apologize in advance to Paul for taking so long to put this review together, but thanks for being so patient with me!

UPDATE 02-07-2010: Sorry guys, I made an error on the pricing… the RAW helmet is $140, then FINISHED version as seen in this video is $240.

When I opened the box and unwrapped the latest addition to by bio collection (which has now been reduced to 2 helmets) I was immediately in love with this piece, it's gorgeous, especially for the price, which is way under $200!  The helmet is cast in solid grey resin, with a shiny and smooth interior finish.  The casting is thick enough to be durable, but not to thick that it would be heavy to wear on a costume.  It's important to note that the casting is thick all the way to the edges, which makes the helmet less likely to get damaged if you're looking to wear this on a costume and lug it around to a convention hall.  I've seen many helmets with solid thick castings, but were paper thin at the edges.  The castings details are also very crisp… this helmet has a ton of little rivet details, lines and ribbing and all of it is clean with no details lost to air bubbles or other molding defects.

The helmet is thick but light, weighing maybe 2 or 3 lbs and measures 12" at it's widest point and has a height of about 19" snout to crown.  This should definitely fit the average Predator latex mask with no trouble at all.

As always, I like my helmets ready to display right out of the box, so I ordered one fully painted with lenses installed.  I've said this about Paul before and I will say it again, I absolutely LOVE the way he weathers his helmets, it looks phenomenal!  The helmet is LOADED with tiny details in the weathering patterns and you can see he uses several paint colors, not just silver and black.  He mixes it up in different spots making burn-type patterns and the overall effect is amazing and very realistic.  So as usual, Paul's paint job rocks my socks, no complaints at all.  And for the lenses, WOW!  No dollar store glasses uses on this guy… Paul uses 1/8" thick lexan!  The only way you could break the lenses in this thing is with a 15lbs sledge hammer!  The lenses are dark, but suitable to be worn or for display.  To me that always makes a perfect prop piece… durable enough to be worn on a pred suit, but also detailed and sexy enough to be proudly shown in a display case.  And this my friends is exactly that.

And finally, the inside of each helmet is numbered, signed and named (yes, he gives nicknames to his helmets… don't ask).

I am completely impressed with Paul… once again he proves you can have an affordable prop piece that looks absolutely fantastic and won't get damaged by a mouse farting on it.  Anyone that's had a mouse fart on their shoddy recast helmet knows what I am talking about.  So congratulations Paul on another amazing release!  Anyone looking to pick up one of these bad boys, please contact paul directly by clicking HERE!

OK enough rambling, I know you guys want sexy pics!  Click the gallery icon below for all the goodies:

I also think it's safe to say we were WAY overdue for a video review amrite?  So I put together a little bit of a blabbity blab video for you!  Might want to keep an eye on the credits, perhaps someone snuck in a blooper or something in there… Check out the review in full HD by clicking HERE or click on the YouTube icon below.  First review of 2010!

And with that, I bid you adieu and I hope you all have an awesome week.  Please be sure to share your thoughts on this piece or my review by clicking to comment button below, and I look forward to seeing you guys on the next review!  Please don't forget to check out my collection sale at http://www.predatorstuff.com/2009/11/26/950/ and contact me if you have any questions.

Take care!
Dan