John, you are the winner of our autographed copy of ADI’s Inside the Monster Shop book!

So John is getting an email from me and we’ll get him his book, but I would like to thank everyone that took the time to submit a photo and enter the contest and I hope you enjoyed the contest. No worries, we’ll have more goodies in the future to give away.

In the meantime, please check out the contest gallery to see all the photos you guys entered (a couple of pics are missing because some embedded their photos in the email instead of attaching them and I’m too sick, tired and grumpy to convert them to JPG images).

Congrats John and I hope you like the book!

Dan

Hey guys! I am very excited to offer to you two new P2 kits that just came from my friend Joe Evans that he built and painted and I’m making available to you at a GREAT deal. And these guys are HUGE!!!

MKCS Predator 2 Exclusive

First up for grabs is an MKCS Predator 2 Exclusive sculpted by Narin in 1:3 scale! It’s over 26″ tall and is really one of the biggest scaled kits I have ever seen of a Predator… it’s really insanely huge. Just the spear is 25″ long! In fact, to get an idea of how big this thing is, click here to see a pic of it holding my regular size Motorola Razr cell phone. It’s a real beauty and the paint application is KILLER! Love the eyes on this one…

So if you would like to grab this before it’s gone, visit the shop HERE.

Urban Hunter Exclusive

Next up is a Painted Urban Hunter, which is a Predatorstuff.com shop exclusive sculpted by Narin in 1:4 scale, and is only slightly smaller than the MKCS Predator and includes an elaborate base. This was also built and painted by Joe Evans and is a one-time deal. This kit also includes the original COA and I have a pic of it sitting next to a Coke can (that only goes up to the knee) for size reference here. This is a huge kit… about the size of the Sideshow Predator 1 Maquette.

If you want to score this painted kit, you can grab it in the shop by clicking HERE!

Please bear in mind that both of these painted kits are one-time deals, these are not regular items I can get on a regular basis, so once they are gone, that’s all I have. In fact, that MKCS Predator is almost impossible to get, so that’s a nice piece… they sell for $300 - $350 unpainted when they were available.

Enjoy and feel free to contact me with any questions on these.

Dan

PS. Please excuse the sloppy pics of these kits… I actually buggered the settings on the camera and didn’t realize it until after I took the photos and I was too tired to redo them all. So my apologies… one of those days lol!

I am very pleased to announce a new contest with a very cool prize… I am giving away a copy of Aliens vs Predator Requiem - Inside the Monster Shop that has been hand signed by ADI owners Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr!

I posted about this book awhile back, which is an AWESOME trip behind the special effects of AVPR and no Predator fan should be without this book. You get a ton of great shots of the Wolf, the aliens and Predalien and a great look at many cool concepts and designs that didn’t make it to the screen. Every aspect of the special effects process is detailed in full color glory, and best of all, this copy up for grabs has been signed by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff, the owners of ADI.

Here’s how you enter:

In order to qualify for this contest, you need to email me a photo of your favorite Predator related collectible . This can be a photo of a statue, a prop, a poster… anything you want as long as it’s Predator related and YOU OWN IT AND IT’S YOUR PHOTO! So take your photo and send it to the following address:

Please be sure to put “Contest Entry” in the subject line and make sure you attach your photo before clicking send! I will be posting all entries in the gallery so people can check out what you crazy pred-heads are in to, so try to avoid anything with nude shots of you and/or loved ones.

Anyone who sends me an email with no picture will have their email deleted, so make sure it’s on there!

I will accept entries until 11:59PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME, February 25th 2008. Winner will be announced the following morning and will be drawn randomly from the submitted entries.

Please feel free to click the comment button below to post a comment or question and good luck everyone!

Dan

Hi Folks! I am very pleased to announce that the newsletter system is ready to go and you can sign up right away to get a heads up on new products and announcements right in your email and get a general look of the latest news and information posted on the site. This won’t be a regular weekly style newsletter, we’ll simply send it out when something newsworthy is happening. You can easily sign up by using the newsletter sign up form in the middle column of this site, just to the right of this article! It looks like this:

Just enter your email and click signup and you’re registered! You can unsubscribe at any time by simply replying to a newsletter and asking that your email be removed from my list. For those of you that prefer RSS feeds, you can find our site feed here!

Thanks and enjoy!
Dan

Hey folks! Just a heads up for those of you looking for when I will get more of the human cast member kits from Predator that were made by Rocco Studios, I will no longer be carrying them due to Rocco Tartamella being an insecure and self centered artist that has decided to once again be rude to a company that has shown extreme support for him and his products. So while I pull the knife out of my back from this asshat, I figure I’d let you guys know what happened and why I won’t be carrying them anymore.

As you guys have seen, I put up a nice article about his new kits here and have posted rave reviews and answered questions all over the forums I normally participate on. So my support has been unwavering and I plugged his products all over the place and worked hard to get his stuff in my shop. I think you’ve all seen this and know exactly what I am talking about.

There’s an old saying that applies to any artist that wants to be successful… you never take criticism personally, you use it to improve and grow as an artist. So when I told Rocco recently that I thought the upper body on his upcoming Dillon kit was too small compared to the legs (A comment made by MANY of you fellow collectors, including the esteemed Anthony Mestas, who made this exact comment right here on my blog), I told him in hopes that he could address the issue and make this a more accurate kit. Instead, like a petulant child, he took it as a personal attack and then proceeded to cry like Paris Hilton in the back of a squad car.

Here is a PM I sent to him after I made the comment about the sculpt, which was friendly and constructive and not “wow this sucks” in any way. I was VERY enthusiastic about these pieces and I only wanted the best possible sculpts as this was a chance and finally having these awesome pieces.

Hey dude,

They have arrived! The box was heavily damaged but everyone survived *happy dance* Beautiful sculpts and nice casts… top marks man these are awesome and the scale is kick ass. So now my question is, can I get more? LOL! I need 3 or 4 more of each, how soon would you be able to get them out?

Thanks!
Dan

This is how he responded:

Hey Dan,
I’m no longer wholesaling kits, as it turns out it isn’t worth it for me in the end. I appreciate your business and your level of enthusiasm over the quality, but to be succinct, I’ve read your posted comments about these kits and to put it briefly it left me dumbfounded. I don’t understand why you would go so far out of your way to put these kits down on several forums and then p.m. me with how much you want and like them. Certainly, I don’t understand it after the deal I gave you on your last order and after I posted that you were a trusted source to get these kits in Canada. With friends like you who needs enemies, eh?! I really don’t know what to make of you, but it’s negative comments like the ones you’ve made (without even seeing the kits first hand, mind you) that lead to lost sales and then to the eventual discontinued status of such collections. Other than these, I am at a loss for words.

So this is how Rocco takes constructive criticism folks and this is how he treats people that support him. No wonder I had several prominent members of the kit community warn me that talking to Rocco was like walking on eggshells and that he was very sensitive about his work. Wow, Rocco, get a life man and learn to accept that no one is perfect and there’s always room for improvement.

I then communicated with Rocco exactly how I felt about his ridiculous outburst and more or less demanded and apology as I had clearly supported him fully and was bringing him SIGNIFICANT sales and I even left the door open to him to resume business with me. He responded with:

Dan,
You are not going to threaten me into selling you kits. I’ve told you where I stand, so leave me alone.

Apparently demanding an apology from someone clearly in the wrong is a threat… who knew?! So there you have it folks… I will no longer be carrying his kits and I sincerely hope that Rocco’s balls drop in the near future and that he’s able to accept criticism like any real artist should and conduct himself accordingly instead of alienating people that give their time and money to supporting him.

Dan

I am REALLY excited to let you guys know that Predatorstuff.com will be featured in a couple of articles and with our first ever advertisement in the upcoming Kitbuilders Magazine #59, due out in the first week of February!

The magazine is going to feature 2 buildup articles… one by Joe Dunaway on the Hybrid buildup, and another kit build up by Al Degregorio with some crazy customization. We’ll also be featured in 2 mini-reviews and we have a half-page ad running! So be sure to check out the next issue, due out in a week or two… you can subscribe at www.kitbuildersmagazine.com and request you start with this issue. We’ll also have some goodies in future issues hopefully, but #59 is our ice breaker!

I’d also like to thanks Dan and Barb at KBM for their tremendous support and helping me get the ball rolling with all this.

Take care guys!
Dan

Good afternoon ladies and gents! Today I have a special treat for everyone… we’re going to play classroom! History specifically, and today’s subject is the classic Rooftop Predator, that was originally issued back in 1992 and is due for a re-release this year. This kit has a tremendous amount of history and has undergone many changes since it was first cast, and it’s my pleasure to bring you this special report on a wonderful kit. before we get started though, a huge thanks has to go out to Ian Campbell, who went on a HUGE fact finding mission for this piece, and who also supplied all the photos. This is really Ian’s article, I’m just typing it out on his behalf.

The Rooftop Predator was originally conceived by the talented mister Mike Hill and the 1:6 scale sculpt was first produced by Phoenix Models out of the UK. Mike is the same guy that sculpted some of the oldest Predator related kits out there, including Predette and Sprogette, a Predator Bust and a nice Dutch kit. The kit had light texturing, and included a base, which came in the form of a rectangle piece with some surface texturing and a skull on it. The entire “Wall Hanging” concept had not yet been added to the kit, and would come later once Gary White of G-Force Models got his hands on it. The exact number of kits issued by Phoenix Models is completely unknown.

Fast forward a bit to 1993, and Gary White of G-Force stepped in and acquired the rights to the kit, and with permission from Mike Hill and Ray from Phoenix, sold the re-release under the name Replicants Inc. However, once Gary received the mould and kit copy, it because very obvious that a new mould and some re-tooling would be needed to make the kit a winner.

During the re-moulding process, Ian Dickson re-textured the whole body, made accessories and fitted parts. He made the mask, hand weapon, medical kit (with respirator) and re-made almost all of the armour and strapping. Dean Eyre made the shoulder Cannon and mount. Then Gary came in and designed a new base that could also be wall mounted. Apparently the Rooftop Predator was the first kit released that was wall mountable!

Once the new parts and mould were done, sales resumed in 1994 and in Issue 1 of AFM, there was an add on page 42 with the kit listed.

Eventually the kit was no longer produced, but with renewed interest, Gary is once again looking to dust off the Replicants Inc. banner and release a new version of this kit, once again with some re-tooling improvements! With the new 2008 version coming out very soon, Gary has announced the following changes that were sculpted in by Scott Herel:

1. The groin and torso will be 1 piece with the leather pouch attached to the waist
2.The left foot has been adjusted to lift the heel off the ground
3.Base details are now textured rather than smooth
4.Rather than solid resin, the kit will be cast hollow in the thicker areas to reduce overall weight and will include with original wooden base and parts

In total, 5 artists have had their hand in this project to bring you the latest edition… Mike Hill, Ian Dickson, Dean Eyre, Gary White, and Scott Herel. I really look forward to seeing the new version and hope to see some nice painted sample photos soon! Keep your eyes peeled on the latest news and I will post when this kit becomes available.

Thanks again Ian, and all the best to Gary with his new release!

Dan

Hey gang! Hope everyone is very well and that cabin fever isn’t hitting those of you piled up with snow too hard. Tonight I have a VERY exciting update for you guys and gals, and I am really quite honored to have had a chance to ask Tom Woodruff a couple of questions that you guys have been asking me. What exactly happened to the props that were used in AvP and AvP-R? Here’s the scoop from the man himself…

PStuff: What happens with the props and costumes after filming? Are they destroyed or distributed to the actors and crew or does ADI simply store them?

Tom: Some of them actually get destroyed (or badly damaged) during the shoot. Anything that survives the production is returned to us and stored. Occasionally we’ll get the chance to re-use certain pieces like some of the Alien suits from the first AVP for AVP-R, with new heads of course. With the Alien body count as high as it has become, it’s useful to have a low-cost solution to providing fodder for Predators!

PStuff: Are there any channels that collectors can go through to acquire original movie props used by ADI?

Tom: Unfortunately the studio is not keen to part with actual effects pieces, especially when it can serve their needs for a future installment. At this point we have no idea if there will be another AVP, but they will want to keep their options open by keeping close rein on the stock.

PStuff: ADI works with companies like Sideshow to produce reproductions of props used in movies, such as the AvP Shuriken, the Wolf’s bio helmet and the Wolf’s Cannon (In fact, I have all of these on pre-order as I type this!). How can the average collector express his or her wishes for additional items? As an avid collector and someone that is greatly involved in the community, I know for a fact that fans have been waiting for an AvP spear since the first AvP was released. Is there a way to convey this desire and have it considered for production?

Tom: We can definitely pass along what we hear from the fans. It might also serve to address Sideshow Collectibles directly online with interests in possible products.

So there you have it guys… now you know what happens to the props that we’d all trade our souls to own! I would like to say a huge thanks to Tom Woodruff who took the time out of his crazy schedule to answer my questions and I suggest you guys keep your eyes open to win a special gift from the folks at ADI next month.

A SURPRISE GIFT FROM KRE8-FX

I am absolutely stunned at a gift that has recently shown up at my house, sent to me from Pete at Kre8-FX. For the last 2 months, Pete has secretly been working on a full size Wolf bust for me as a thank you for helping out with the costume sales and helping get Kre8-FX on it’s feet. I am truly shocked by this piece, it’s HUGE, insanely kick-ass, and I am very humbled by Pete taking the time to make this for me.

This is a full 1:1 scale bust, cast in latex and foam filled with a wicked paint-up, Bambooie dreads and a gorgeous custom stand with a movie plaque and the Kre8-FX logo. The sculpt is massive, and overall this piece is bigger than the Sideshow Predator 1 bust, it’s amazing! For those of you already drooling and wondering how to get one of these for yourself, we don’t have any plans on selling built up pieces like this (Hey! It’s MINE and no, you can’t have it!) but we may sell a couple of extra pulls in the shop. If we do offer it, I’ll post a shop update announcement so you’ll know it’s available.

So again, thank you so much Pete, I’m just floored with this thing. Be sure to check out all the photos I took of this beast (It didn’t even fit in my photo tent, I had to improvise) by clicking the photo icon below… Oh, and there’s a few pics of Pete working on it as well!

MONSTERZ.NET EXCLUSIVES ARE IN STOCK!

Heads up guys! All of the Monsterz exclusives I had on order have arrived and are in stock in the shop, but quantities are very limited, so act now or you’ll be waiting another few months! I know a bunch of you were waiting for the clocks, and those are in as well.

Here is what’s arrived in stock:

I’ve also received a ton of stock for the regular Narin kits I carry and I have more Chopper and Celtic kits coming tomorrow as well as the first shipment of Hybrids (Sorry, they’re all pre-sold, but no worries… next one will be here in 4 weeks or less). So check out the shop for all the latest goodies!

That’s about it for now guys! Going to be a crazy week for shipping, so enjoy and I’ll cyas on the next update! be sure to leave your comments by clicking on the comment button below and using the form to leave me a note.