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. The Falconer Predator Mask Prop Replica is an incredible addition to any Predator legacy display, an outstanding beginning to Sideshow’s new Predators collectible line.

Check out all the photos, details and/or place your pre-order by clicking HERE!

In addition to the cool Pred helmet, Sideshow also released a couple of cool new goodies this moring… if you’re in to the AWESOME Hot Toys Iron Man figures, they just put the Iron Man Mark VI Sideshow Exclusive Edition up for Pre-Order,which you can view by clicking HERE.  If Terminator is more your thing, Sideshow has also just released a new T-800 Polystone Statue!  Click HERE for the Exclusive Edition or click HERE for the Regular Edition.

So, what do you think of the new Predators bios?  Anyone else notice the real lexan lenses this time? Hehe…

Enjoy!
Dan

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 Classic Predator Skull Prop Replica is an incredible addition to any Predator legacy display, an outstanding beginning to Sideshow’s new Predators collectible line.

Click HERE to check out all the pics, details and/or to place an order!  And don’t forget about our contest… send in those T Orders!

Enjoy,
Dan

You read that right, this is indeed a 1:4 scale kit, measuring just over 21 inches in height… BOOYA!  The kit comes in 25 parts, including 2 sets of horns (full or ground down) and 2 sets of hands for your posing pleasure.  The kit is being cast directly by team Narin, so this will be the same amazing casting quality and resin that he’s used for his Death Warrior, Bad Blood and other high end releases.  So you can expect these to be absolutely STUNNING out of the box and pretty much ready to clean with next to no clean-up.  Look out though, this killer piece is limited to 30 castings!

Retail price on this guy is $299.99 and Narin advised me that the molding process should be done and ready for castings in a week or two.  He also sent me a patch of good sized pics for your viewing pleasure… they are a bit dark so I apologize for that in advance.  Check them out by clicking the icon below:

Want to pick one up or would like additional information?  Contact me for all the details… and yes, I made the pic with the lightning effects, you like?  Click the comment button below to share your thoughts on this new piece!

Take care,
Dan

Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys are proud to present the 1/6th scale Berserker Predator Collectible Figure from the Predators movie. The movie-accurate Berserker Predator collectible is specially crafted based on its image in the movie, highlighting the newly sculpted and painted head and body armory, interchangeable open and closed mandibles, face mask and detailed weapons.

The Berserker Predator 12 inch Figure features:

• Authentic and detailed fully realized likeness of Berserker Predator in the movie Predators
• Realistic and accurate 1/6th scale of 14 inches / 35 cm tall
• Over 22 points of articulations
• Newly sculpted and painted head and body armor
• Interchangeable open and closed mandibles
• Two (2) pairs of interchangeable palms including:
• One (1) pair of fists
• One (1) pair of relaxed palms
• Each head sculpt is specially hand-painted
• Articulated shoulder cannon
• Three (3) interchangeable metal blades of different lengths
• Faux-leather kilt and straps
• One (1) pair of forearm armor, including one for inserting blade
• Mask with LED light-up function
• One (1) bone trophy
• Figure stand with Berserker Predator nameplate and the movie logo

Check it all out and/or place an order HERE!

And yes I’ve placed my order, so expect a review on here when he starts shipping out… BOOYA!

Enjoy,
Dan

The photos are posted on the blog of Joseph Tsang, the amazing artist that sculpts and paints the Hot Toys prototypes.  You can check out his blog and AMAZING goodies at hk.myblog.yahoo.com/joseph-figure and on there you will about 80 new photos of the Predator.  In addition to the preds, you can also find Aliens, Iron Man, and some human figures, and all of it is jaw-dropping.  You can also check out all the photos by clicking on the gallery icon below:

I think it’s safe to say we all look forward to seeing this baby come up for pre-order in the very near future!  You can order it direct from HT, however I expect Sideshow Collectibles will also be distributing this in North America so we don’t get killed on shipping.  What do you guys think?  Dig the new figure?  Click the comment icon below to share your thoughts!

Enjoy,
Dan

Predators is currently rated at 65% on the tomatometer over at www.rottentomatoes.com, which is a hell of a lot better than Alien vs Predator (21%) and Alien vs Predator Requiem (12%) and reviews posted so far range almost evenly from god awful to glorious. Over at the Lair, we’ve got a thread going where Predators fanatics from around the world are sharing their reviews and opinions, you can check that out by clicking HERE!

So, want to see what I had to say? You’ll need to click on the link below to read the review due to massive spoilers…

OK I guess I will come right out and say this… I left the theater thinking the movie sucked, and completely failed at being better than the AvP movies in the slightest. They recycled most of the errors of the AvP films and set it in a lame done-it-a-hundred-times story line that seemed brainless. When all was said and done, the movie stood out as something done as quickly as possible for as little money as possible and cash in like crazy. I didn’t go in this movie with huge expectations either, I just wanted to see Predators with bad ass weapons light up the screen and kill stuff and kick-ass. Unfortunately there isn’t anything like that in the movie. Let me explain… first let’s run through the movie.

Movie Rundown

The movie starts off with immediate action… we start off with Royce, played by Adrian Brody, just starting to wake up as he’s free falling towards the mystery planet. He quickly realizes he’s about to become a large splatter so he struggles to deploy his parachute, which opens on it’s own roughly 50 feet from the ground, and he manages to survive slamming in to the ground at 300 miles an hour. I can’t help but think that was lame, but Predators are coming so I don’t care. The rest of the cast starts to arrive in similar fashion, including my favorite actor in the film, Danny Trejo who is playing the part of Cuchillo. We suspend all reality once again when one of the guys who lands carrying an all out mini-gun opens fire on Royce and Cuchillo from 50 feet away and somehow not a single round hits them as they dash for the nearest available fallen log for cover.

Eventually all the characters simmer down and start cooperating somewhat and we learn that they all have horrendous dialogue that makes you laugh when you’re probably not supposed to. I would like to mention that at this point in the film, I still don’t care because I know Predators are coming and will wipe their asses with these humans. Oh and I should also mention that there is a character played by Topher Grace who seems totally out of place. All the other characters are pro killers of one type or another, yet this guy is simply a doctor. He’s well spoken, smart, and readily identifies plants by their scientific latin names and seems to know all the smarty-pants things doctors know. Which brings me to another point…

We’re on an alien planet a bazillion light years away from Earth… why the HELL does the jungle look exactly like something from Puerto Vallarta minus the Tiki tents? The exact same trees, plants etc all happen to be exactly the same? LAAAAAME. And to really drive home the point, the good doctor even identifies a planet with a neurotoxin that is commonly seen on earth. Look, I’m not expecting Fox to dish out the coin to create another Pandora, but for the love of god I would expect the alien planet jungle to NOT look like my local bike path. About the only thing different from the alien planet’s jungle and something from earth is that apparently that planet has no animals, birds or ANYTHING for that matter aside from 1 mosquito and 1 large crawling bug, both of which Royce kills. There was simply no sense at all of this being an alien planet whatsoever, the entire jungle set lacked even the slightest flavor of being beyond planet Earth.

Eventually we get some action… The Predators apparently send a pack of Predator dogs after our group, and I do admit that I loved this part, it was cool, I dug the dogs! But then disaster strikes… THEY KILL OFF DANNY TREJO’S CHARACTER!!! WTF the best character in the entire movie gets killed off in the first 10 minutes, booooooooo! Oh and you know that line in the trailer “Does this look like a team oriented bunch of individuals to you?”? Yeah, that’s not even in the movie… At this point, I am not a happy camper, but hey… Predators are coming!

By now, Royce is the established leader of the group and he decides the best course of action is to follow the dog tracks to actually find the Predators, rather than the usual tactic of getting the hell out of dodge. This is when they stumble upon the Predator hunting camp, which is decorated with all kinds of carcasses, bones, oozing organs and WTF a P1 Predator strapped to a pole?! Whoa ok, I am digging this part… cool! There is a P1 style Predator tied up to some kind of giant spiky looking column, and when the Russian army guy prods it, the P1 Pred wakes up and start going apeshit, screaming and yelling and fighting against his bonds. The group freaks out, Royce is suddenly missing and then chaos erupts. Turns out, the hunting Predators were in the camp, but they were cloaked and Royce was using the group as bait. The African warrior dude gets skewered somehow and then it’s all guns blazing and random plasma cannon fire from all angles ad we get our first look at Predators in action. As the group runs in all directions to escape, they hit a steep slope, and a la Predator 1, they all tumble down and go flying over a ridge and tumble 100+ feet in to a lagoon and to safety. At this point, we see our first and only cool Predator gadget… a mechanical falcon is seen flying over our heroes, IDs them and then flies back to one of the Predators and sort of transforms in to a little box as it lands behind his shoulder. I was like.. ooo that was badass! Unfortunately it’s the ONLY goddamn cool thing we see. From here on it, the only weapons used by the Predators are wristblades and plasma cannons, end of list. We see no spears, no flying discs, no bombs, no shurikens, nothing, nadda, zip. A HUGE yawnfest in terms of cool Predator tech.

OK so the humans regroup and we finally run in to Morpheus… sorry I mean Laurence Fishburne. He plays the character of Nolan, who despite 10 seasons of being trapped on this planet fighting for survival and scrapping for anything he can scavenge, is fat. Huh?! OK first off, to have been chosen to be on this planet, he would have to be some kind of elite killer. I would think that elite killers, warriors etc would have to be in shape in the first place, and second, I doubt he found a stash of pork rinds on the alien planet, so why is he overweight? First off, he should have been in shape when he got there, and second should be emaciated after years of borderline starvation. Weight issues aside, we soon realize Nolan is actually over-the-top insane and tries to kill our group of friends by trapping them in a room and suffocating them with smoke. First off, once again going back to the elite killer thing… shouldn’t that mean he’s pretty much psychologically hardened? OK fine, even if he cracked over being stuck in my backyard and being hunted by an alien species, his insanity was just too ridiculous and seemed.. well… ridiculous. Anyhow, Royce fires off a round of his auto-shotty to attract the attention of the Predators and get Nolan out of their hair. So, within 5 minutes of finally seeing Morpheus, he gets blown up by a Predator cannon shot and we’re back to the Predators hunting humans.

Before Morpheus got himself perished (I love that line – god bless the Crow movie), we did learn a few thing about the movie to help conveniently explain a few things. Once again we are faced by 3 Predators, and apparently there is a blood feud between the super black predators and the smaller ones we’ve come to know by way of the first Predator movie. No mention of where the football style AvP Predators stand in this relationship by the way. We also learn they have a ship parked in back of the hunting camp. That’s about it.

This is when the writer decides to use the ol’ “If I go down, you go down” tactic and we repeat the ridiculous error of AvP by killing off 2 of the 3 Predators within minutes of each other, I can’t stand it when they do this, ARG! So, without seeing ANYTHING from 2 of the Predators, the first one goes down when he’s face to face with the Russian, who is holding two grenades or claymores or some other such devices and they all go down in a fiery explosion as the rest of the group make their escape. Was it just me or was the fire ball CGI hilariously bad… it looked like anime style fire, I was like WTF?!

A minute later, we see yet another familiar Predator 1 scene when Yakuza (he’s the ninja of the group) pulls a Billy and decides to stop running and just take on the Predator toe to toe with his samurai sword, which by the way somehow appears during the Nolan scene… I am guessing it was part of Nolan’s scavenged inventory. So now we completely ignore the established fact that the metal Predators use for their weapons is an alien metal MUCH more dense than any element found on earth and would cut through the steel of a samurai blade like butter, and Yakuza and the second Predator have a sword fight. This was cool I guess even though the Predator would have simply taken one swing and cut through Yakuza’s blade and continued through his neck, but then once again Yakuza and the Pred each deal a death blow at the same time and they both go down and lay bleeding out next to one another. *sigh*

At this point, the remaining characters are Royce, the chick sniper and the doctor, who so far has been useless. In fact, now the doctor is injured from a trap (I love how he exclaims how lucky he is that the trap missed some major artery by an inch as a 1 foot long bear trap is attempting to shear his foot off) so now he’s a complete inconvenience. Royce decides to ditch the loser, but sniper chick being a sensitive woman decides to stay with the doctor (hee hee) and help him walk in the general direction of Royce. Royce actually has a cool plan… he’s going to free the P1 Predator in exchange for it’s help flying the alien space ship back to Earth! BRILLIANT! Fast forward a bit and the P1 Predator is freed and programs the ship from his wrist computer to fly to earth and he fires up the engines… I did have a tear in my eye when the P1 is free and he picks up his battered bio helmet and places it over his face and resumes his complete kick-assedness. Royce is about to kiss him when the last Predator shows up and it severely pissed off. Royce books it for the ship and the P1 takes on the Super Black Predator, and now I am REALLY in to it… GO P1 PRED GO! KICK HIS ASS (I am yelling this in the theater by the way).

While this is happening, the doc and sniper chick have fallen in to a pit of some kind, and this is where the movie takes a wrong turn in to WTFville again. While she is turned around, the doctor pulls out his little pocket knife that he dipped in to the neurotoxic plant I told you about earlier and nicks sniper chick with it. Down she goes like a wet noodle and the doctor starts ranting about how he fooled them, he’s not a doctor he’s a killer, he feels at home with the Predators, he’s one of them blah blah blah. Once again I was scratching my head wondering what the hell this was all about. This cuts out to a scene where Royce is smiling and looking up at the ship that is waiting for him… then it cuts back just in time to see Super Black Predator slice the P1′s head off. I instantly start booing the shit out of the screen. Then Super Black looks up to see his ship flying away, presumably with Royce in it. He looks on for a second or two then casually opens his wrist computer, pushes a button and BOOM goes the ship. I laughed my ass off and then sat back and waited for the scene to switch back to the ranting doc about to do whatever to sniper chick and then see Royce save her at the last second because he decided to go back for them.

Surprise surprise, we go back to the rambling doc who is inches away from sniper chick with his half-inch pocket knife and OMG TWIST OF THE YEAR Royce shows up at the top of the pit and says he guys, wassup? *groan* The doc plays innocent, saying that the Predator did something to the girl and Royce hauls thm out of the pit. Royce has his back to the doc as he’s prattling on about how they got in the pit and Royce’s attention is totally focused on the dazed sniper chick. As he’s talking, he once again pulls out the poison tainted knife and moves in to stab Royce with it, but Royce suddenly tuns, grabs the docs hand and drives the knife through his neck upwards in to his face and delivers a cool line that made me chuckle. With the doc down (but not out), he focuses his attention on killing the Predator.. he uses the doc as bait and dumps a ring of gun powder or some other similar substance (a bag of whatever this is happened to be nearby, possibly from a movie previously shot on this set) and when the Predator moves in to finish the doc, the Super Black takes 10 grenades to the FACE! This doesn’t leave a SCRATCH on the Predator somehow through, despite a shank from the death row guy doing damage to one of the other Predators no problem. Royce then lights up the gunpowder ring on fire and this totally screws up his thermal vision. The Predator appears totally confused by Royce’s tactics (who is covered in mud a la P1 movie again) as he darts in and out with some kind of club and smashed the Predator in the head about 50 times. Right, so let me get this straight… the Predator is a high-tech killing machine and uses these hunts against the best of the best to hone it’s killing and hunting skills, yet is rendered helpless by a ring of fire?! Are you kidding me?!

The Predator finally manages to show a sign of life by firing a plasma bolt towards something he sees with his vision that is caused by Royce’s beating heart. Royce is dazed but luckily sniper chick has regained enough of her motor skills to use her sniper rifle and blows a hole through the chest of the Predator. The Predator turns around and fires his gauntlet blade in to sniper chick and Royce loses his mind. He grabs the same axe that Super Black used to behead the P1 Predator and proceeds to beat the living hell out him with it… we get to see the face of the Super Black for a few more seconds (total unmasked time was roughly 5 seconds) and then Royce beheads him too.

Everything calms down and somehow sniper chick is no worse for wear after taking a two foot Predator blade to the body when they look up to see more prey strapped to parachutes fluttering down and Royce announces it’s time to once again find a way to get off the planet. He doesn’t care that more human psychos and caged beasts from other planets are seconds away from touching down (oh I forgot to mention, at one point in the movie they find broken cages from other kinds of aliens that have been dumped on the planet for hunting purposes).

What was good

Honestly, I have a hard time picking out anything I thought was particularly good about the movie. I liked the music, does that count? I thought some of the lines were funny too, I liked Royce’s character. I am sitting here staring at the monitor trying to think up some other stuff that I thought was cool but nothing is hitting me… let me move along to what I though was bad and maybe some additional good stuff will hit me.

Edit – Just though of another good point! Unlike the two previous AvP movies, this film wasn’t drowned in darkness… you could see pretty much everything that was going on.

Edit #2 – I should also mention I liked the Preds armor and gear from what little I saw, specifically the biomask designs. The Berserker bio with the lower jawbone was pretty damn cool.

What was bad

I’m sorry guys, I just through this movie was terrible… in fact, I enjoyed AvP Requiem infinitely more because at least the Wolf Predator was AWESOME! I know the movie sucked ass, but at least we had a cool, badass Predator! We don’t even get THAT in this movie. So aside from my comments in the movie rundown above, here’s what I didn’t like.

- WAAAAAAY too much human time, not even close to enough Predator time. We spent way too much screen-time with humans.. I was there to see Predators, and the total 10 minutes of Predator screen time was not even close to enough. We saw almost nothing of the Predators, no weapons but the basics we saw in the first film, no personality, barely any action, barely any time to understand their skill sets etc. We got to know most of the humans right down to the names of their kids (literally), but we didn’t learn a damn thing about the Predators aside from what the humans talked about.

- Once again we have 3 Predators that appear fairly useless and 2 die within minutes of appearing on screen and minutes within each other.

- The story is old, tired and boring. I wish movie makers would stop recycling the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” over and over again… the story was boring back when I had to read it in junior high, and it’s boring now, even with Predators added in!

- The jungle setting was stupid… there was nothing alien about it and there were absolutely no creatures in it of any kind. The hunting camp set felt cheap and indoors.

- We were all happy about barely using CGI and sticking to practical effects… little did we know this had nothing to do with getting back to basics as it did with lets spend as little money as possible. The CGI for the dogs was fine, but looked hockey elsewhere, especially for flames/explosions. They needed CGI to add alien plants/trees and indigenous planet critters for the jungle at the very minimum… Call it what you will, the film felt cheap.

- Stop trying to pay homage to P1 so hard… I liked the occasional nod, but I lost it when I saw Brody shirtless and covered in mud in the firelight like a bad Arnie impression, it was hilarious. Like a before and after Steroid ad or something.

- I can’t STAND IT when companies use scenes in a trailer that is not actually in the movie, in fact I think it should be illegal to do that. At least 4 scenes shown in the trailer don’t exist in the movie.

Conclusion

It is with a heavy heart that I admit that I thought this movie stunk… I disliked the story, the Predators, the sets, everything… I was totally disappointed in every way and didn’t get NEARLY enough Predator action as I had hoped. The plot holes and circumstances were big enough to drive 18-wheelers through them and there was simply no fear, suspense, surprise or interest felt at all. We got no cool Predators with cool gizmos, no mind blowing scenes or effects and quite frankly if this was a fresh new movie and we had never seen or heard of Predators before, I would have thought this was complete garbage.

I know people worked really hard on this film, in fact I know some of the folks that worked on the suits and props etc and I know they are extremely talented, the best in the business. I love you guys and what you do, but I feel the people at the helm of this movie just didn’t deliver anything of quality in this story. The bottom line is that I feel this was just as bad, if not worse than the AvP movies.

What do you think guys, you agree or did you enjoy the movie? Please click the comment button below and share your thoughts!

Take care,
Dan

 This is a piece I acquired about 3 years ago from a producer that goes by the name Nosfera Toys, who has been selling this kit for a number of years and you can see his items on his eBay page by clicking HERE. This kit was initially sold through a company called Rat Factory but at some point the production rights and molds changed hands and Nosfera Toys began casting them.  There has been some debate in the community about the legitimacy of Nosfera Toys producing this kit, but I have never actually heard from Andy (the sculptor) or Rat Factory say anything about it, and Nosfera has been selling this kit for about 4 years now.  So if Andy or anyone else wants to confirm the rights, feel free to contact me.

As for the kit itself, she’s sculpted in a 1:6 scale format, although she is closer to a 1:5 scale at nearly 14″ in height in a crouched position.  The interesting concept with this kit is that it can be purchased with options depending on your budget.  The base, figure and extra weapons are sold separately, so you can just buy the bare minimum figure, or you can go all out and purchase all 3 options together as a package deal. When you contact Nosfera (do it through their eBay page), just tell them what you want and they’ll send you the pricing… I bought mine years ago so I imagine the prices have since changed.

SCULPT - Let’s start off by talking about the base, which is pretty huge at 12.5″ wide, 9″ deep and the stack of skulls reaching 4″ in height.  I absolutely LOVE this base, the skulls are beautifully detailed and look awesome, and the ground texture is full of nooks and crannies and looks extremely realistic.  The cool part is that you can actually buy JUST the base and use it to display any 1:6 or 1:5 scale kits, statues or figures.  In fact you could use this base and display a couple of Hot Toys Predators on it and it would look kick-ass. So top marks on the base, it’s beautiful.

Next up is the weapons pack, which I love… the weapons are all bladed weapons that are a combo of metal blades and bone handles, and the cool thing is that you can build them in several combinations.  For example on my kit, you see in her raised hand she has a double bladed weapon, but this could have been separated to be 2 daggers.  The default weapons pack includes the following: 1 knife, 1 sword, 1 maul, 1 small glaive, 1 large glaive and 2 sheaths.  You can request specific weapons or doubles of anything, just ask!  And apparently these look awesome with Hot Toy Predators if you want some custom gear for your HTs.

Here’s a little close-up of the base, check out the details…

Now lets talk about the missus… she’s sculpted with a distinct P2 style flavor, with the obvious parts being the armor.  The lower leg armor, back, and shoulders are all carbon P2 copies with a custom heavy duty metal bra for the girly parts.  She’s also fully decked out the with usual hunting gear: wrist blades, cannon, medipack and the ol’ trusty netgun, which is also P2 style.  Did I mention she also has a bubble butt? BOOYA!

Overall the sculpt is beautifully done and the castings are great quality, no pinholes and solid high grade resin that won’t destroy dremel bits.  We all know my addiction to Super Edge and Narin kits, but I am really happy I strayed and tried something else because this kit does not disappoint.  It’s always nice when you open a kit box and the two first reactions are “wow nice castings” and “wow this is bigger than I expected”.  Minds out of the gutter fellas…

PAINT APPLICATION -Now what’s a kit without the expert touch of Joe Dunaway? This is one of the earlier pieces I bought from Joe and I was totally blown away by the hyper realistic skin he creates.  He’s able to layer the veins and colors to create an amazing translucent effect that is so realistic it’s almost scary.  The detail work in the armor is also mind blowing, he’s able to work in metallics, dents, armor paint chips and weathering in every area of metal, right down to the tiniest dot you can barely see without a magnifying glass.  Time and time again, Joe proves himself to be a paint master and top of the class for monsters and is the undisputed champion of Predators.  Joe has painted easily over 100 Predators at this point, and each one is unique and stunning and I will always be extremely proud and feel honored to have housed a collection of over 50 pieces created by Joe Dunaway. 

This week I put together something a bit different in terms of video… rather than a single review, I decided to change up the format a bit and went with a news show style format by talking about the latest in the Predator world, SDCC, and included this product review.  So rather than a quick review, we’ve got a 22 minute show that covers all kinds of cool goodies.  Because of YouTube’s 10 minute video limit, I’vehad to divide the video in to two parts.  The review itself is in the second video, but I welcome you to check out both parts for all kinds of interesting info as well as a contest for free swag!  Please click the links: Video Part 1 of 2and Video Part 2 of 2. I would really appreciate your feedback on this new format, do you like a longer show covering multiple topics or prefer just single subjects at a time?

I’ve had this collectible in my case for 3 years now but never took photos of the poor lass… so here’s a brand new round of photos of the Huntress I took yesterday for your viewing pleasure!  Click the icon below to view the gallery:

Hop you enjoyed this review and the kit!  If you have any questions or comments about Andy’s Huntress, feel free to contact me directly, or contact Nosfera Toys for purchase information.  Just a heads up that the kit seen in this review is available for purchase!  Contact me if you’re interested or stay tuned as this well be posted on eBay within a couple of days.

Don’t forget today is the big day!  Predators the movie starts in theaters today, so please be sure to post your feedback if you’ve seen it!  Reviews are streaming in on http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10012256-predators/and so far the tomatometer is at 68% and it seems people either love it or completely hate it, not much middle room lol!  Personally as long as we see Predators kicking ass, I am a happy camper.  Unfortunately I won’t be able to see the movie until early next week, so keep the spoilers to a minimum.  And in case you didn’t see this, Sideshow has just announced 3 new Predators products just in time for the film release, check this out:

The Berserker Predator helmet

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. The Berserker Mask Prop Replica is cast in fiberglass and features a light-up targeting site and the Berserker’s trademark animal jaw. Each piece is complete with a polystone stand that can be displayed on a desktop or shelf or mounted on your wall. This detailed The Berserker Mask Prop Replica is an incredible addition to any Predator legacy display, an outstanding beginning to Sideshow’s new Predators collectible line.

The Berserker Predator helmet – Check out all the details, photos or place and order by clicking HERE!

The Tracker Predator Maquette EXCLUSIVE EDITION

Sideshow is proud to partner with KNB EFX GROUP to bring you the Predators Collectible line from the 2010 film release. 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. Presenting a scaled full-figure study of the newly developed Predator and dog-like alien creature designs for the film by KNB, The Tracker Predator Maquette is an incredible and detailed addition to any Predator legacy display.

The Sideshow Exclusive version of the The Tracker Maquette includes a unique feature available nowhere else: Print of The Tracker design artwork

The Tracker Predator Maquette EXCLUSIVE EDITION – Please click here for all the details, photos or to place an order!

The Tracker Predator Maquette Regular Edition - Please click here for all the details, photos or to place an order!

San Diego Comic Con 2010

Don’t forget, SDCC starts in 2 weeks!  Preview night is July 21st and then the doors open to all July 22nd to the 25th.  We’ll have full coverage on Predatorstuff.com of course, and we’ll be hanging out in Sideshow’s SDCC chat, which opens same day as Preview night I am assuming (same drill each year).  So if you’re not at the show, keep your eyes peeled here for full coverage of all the coolest goodies.

Ask Sideshow - Aliens / Predator / AVP Edition

Hey guys, thought you would like to check this out… it’s some of the more recent questions collectors have asked Sideshow Production regarding new products for Predator, Aliens and AvP.  Not sure if you guys check this feature out at Sideshow, so thought I would share them here… enjoy.

Q.Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Things have been kind of quiet on the Alien front. Would Sideshow ever consider making life-size figures of the various alien creatures from the Alien films? What about the Predator for that matter?
Certainly; possibly continuing in the life-size bust line. We’ve had the ambition of making full-size creatures for a long, long time, and eventually will devote our energies to make it happen.

Q.Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Can we expect tons of newer product from the upcoming Predators movie?!
Yes, certainly. Roughly a metric ton of it. We’ve partnered with KNB EFX Group (the effects company who worked on the film) to create a very large range of products from Predators, and we’re eager to share them with you!

Q.Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
Is Hot Toys planning to make the Predators from the new movie coming in the summer? If so, will there be any Sideshow Exclusives to the figures?
Only time will tell, but we hope you’ll check back soon! 

Q.Monday, July 5th, 2010
Can we expect a bigger Alien Newborn than the polystone statue? Maybe as a Premium Format or, better, a life-size bust or from your future Legendary Scale Bust line?
Possibly, but we feel that there’s quite a bit of ground to cover for the Alien and Predator species products, and we’re more likely to concentrate on purebloods rather than half-bloods for the moment.

Q.Monday, July 5th, 2010
Any chance of an “ELDER PREDATOR MASK” life-size, please???
We have a very healthy line of new Predator bio masks planned for release through 2010, 2011, and beyond. We think you’ll be pleased.

Q.Sunday, July 4th, 2010
Any chance that we will see a Predator – from any movie – in the Premium Format line?
That’s tough to answer. Yes, we are likely to bring a new Predator to life in roughly 1:4 scale, but we don’t know whether it would be a fit for Premium Format or remain a Maquettesort of special release.

Q.Friday, July 2nd, 2010
In all reality, so we can put this to rest, could, would, will there ever, be a day when Sideshow will produce a 1:1 or even a 1:2 scale Queen Alien Bust from James Cameron’s Aliens?
It’s difficult to imagine that many collectors have the space for a true 1:1 Queen Alien bust or that we could safely ship one, so we’ll go ahead and say no, it’s VERY unlikely. A 1:2 scale piece could be very interesting, and it’s something we’ll give more serious consideration moving forward.

Q.Friday, July 2nd, 2010
I’m wondering in what direction you will be going with the Predator species in the near future…I have to say that I have been very disappointed that you guys have only released one true Predator maquette so far, and only two Predator busts (Predalien is more alien). Will you guys be producing more Maquettes and Life-Size busts at a steadier pace any time soon? Also, is there any chance you guys will visit the Lost Hunters from Predator 2?
Very good question. We’re very keen on bringing some new visions of the Predator species to life, both film-accurate and more imaginative. The new Predators film will have us busy for the remainder of 2010 and into 2011, but we’ve also started work with Steve Wang on some very interesting work. In short, you will see much more of the Predator species from Sideshow moving forward.

Q.Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Please make the ALIEN maquette a standing pose. The crouched pose is getting old!
We will pass that comment along to the design department.

Q.Wednesday, March 31st, 2010
Can you please suggest (firmly, if possible) to Hot Toys to re-release their AVP merchandise? They must still have molds. Even if not, business-wise, it’s a solid idea. They can be priced at $200, and hundreds would pay that price, including me! I bought an Hot Toys Celtic Predator last night, only to find he was actually sold out. This really broke my heart.
Not a problem. We have an open line of communication with Hot Toys, and we will relay your thoughts and represent your request as friendly and diplomatically as possible.

By the way guys, check out my two videos that I posted earlier in this article for additional personal comments I made on this Q&A if you’re interested… just me adding my two cents where it’s not wanted!  You can find more Q&A on all kinds of topics on the Sideshow site by clicking HERE!

CONTEST TIME!

Did you know one of the best ways to help support this site is by using Predatorstuff.com as a referrer when you buy your collectibles?  For example, when you click on an item from this site that takes you to the Sideshow Collectibles site and you purchase something, I make a small commission off that sale.  That commission is what pays for the site, server, prizes and products for reviews.  My advertising and referrals are critical to keeping this site alive and I am VERY grateful for all of you that use me as a referrer.  So to reward all of you, I am going to keep track of all your referred orders from now until September 12th (my birthday) and then I will draw 5 random names and each person will win a cool mystery Sideshow prize.

So let me explain what this referrer thing is…  let’s pretend you went to THIS ARTICLE about the new Sideshow products from Predators.  While browsing the article, you click on the photo of the Berserker helmet and that takes you to the Sideshow site.  Sideshow knows that you just came from my site, so if you buy that helmet or anything else from their site, I get a bonus from Sideshow for referring you to them.  So if you place an order, with Sideshow at this point, you will receive a T order number and a confirmation that your order has been placed.  On my end, I receive a confirmation that someone has just purchased something after being referred to me and I also see that T order number.

So, if you do place an order after clicking on a link from my site and you want to enter this contest, all you do is contact me and send me your name, address and your T order number.  I will verify that your T order is a legit referred transaction and your name is in the hat.  If you make 10 purchases from now to September 12th 2010, then your name is in the draw 10 times!  And this applies to all Sideshow orders, be it for an in-stock item or for a pre-order item.

If for some reason there is any confusion about how this works, just post a comment below by clicking the comment button at the end of this article and I will answer ASAP.

So that’s it for tonight gang, have a great weekend and hope you dig the movie!

Take care,
Dan

Just a heads up, Sideshow has just posted 3 AMAZING new Predator goodies for sale from the movie Predators, which comes out today!  Check this out:

The Berserker Predator helmet

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. The Berserker Mask Prop Replica is cast in fiberglass and features a light-up targeting site and the Berserker’s trademark animal jaw. Each piece is complete with a polystone stand that can be displayed on a desktop or shelf or mounted on your wall. This detailed The Berserker Mask Prop Replica is an incredible addition to any Predator legacy display, an outstanding beginning to Sideshow’s new Predators collectible line.

The Berserker Predator helmet – Check out all the details, photos or place and order by clicking HERE!

The Tracker Predator Maquette EXCLUSIVE EDITION

Sideshow is proud to partner with KNB EFX GROUP to bring you the Predators Collectible line from the 2010 film release. 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. Presenting a scaled full-figure study of the newly developed Predator and dog-like alien creature designs for the film by KNB, The Tracker Predator Maquette is an incredible and detailed addition to any Predator legacy display.

The Sideshow Exclusive version of the The Tracker Maquette includes a unique feature available nowhere else: Print of The Tracker design artwork

The Tracker Predator Maquette EXCLUSIVE EDITION – Please click here for all the details, photos or to place an order!

The Tracker Predator Maquette Regular Edition - Please click here for all the details, photos or to place an order!

They look AWESOME!!!!!!  Can’t wait to see this movie!  And be sure to check out Predatorstuff.com later today for new videos and news that I put together

Thanks,
Dan

Easily one of the most unique poses I have seen in a long time, I absolutely LOVE this sculpt and the concept of having the Predator crouched down with a seriously pissed off look on his face and the body of a fresh kill at his feet.  This HUGE kit is just about 1:5 scale, and measures over 16" in height fully assembled.  Take a close look at the base by the way, that's no regular alien gushing acid blood laying there… it's actually a Predalien with a Michael Broom style jaws/mandibles and Cory Schubert head (this probably means nothing to you unless you own the AVPR Inside the Monster Shop book from ADI).

The kit itself is produced by Sky W from Hong Kong and ships directly from them when ordered.. and apparently this is actually already available and shipping!

The kit itself is beautifully cast with a TON of individual parts… here's the part breakdown (thanks to Ian for the list):

01) Base (hollow-cast)
02) Predalien body/torso
03) Predalien back tube "A"
04) Predalien back tube "B"
05) Pred body/torso/left leg
06) Pred right leg
07) Pred left arm
08) Pred left hand
09) Pred right arm
10) Pred right hand
11) Pred head
12-15) Four Pred mandibles
16) Metal nameplate
17-63) Forty-Seven (47!) individually numbered dreads

I personally don't have one of these to review in-hand, but the photos seen above from Joe Dunaway (who painted up a sample for Nightmare Collectibles to present at this year's Wonderfest) are absolutely killer!  The unique and highly detailed armor looks amazing, and the individual dreads with the huge beads at the top look fantastic.  I also love that this piece is 1:5 scale rather than 16 scale, which means it's closer in tune with the larger Narin pieces than say the smaller scale of Super Edge kits.

Be sure to check out all the pics Joe Dunaway took of this piece by clicking the photo icon below:

Absolutely amazing kit, and for the retail price of $219.99, it's also an awesome deal for you kit builders!  If you want any additional information on this kit, please feel free to contact me by clicking HERE.  Congrats goes out to Nightmare Collectibles and Sky W on the release of an AWESOME new kit!  What do you guys think? Please feel free to click the comment button below and share your thoughts on this new release.

Enjoy!
Dan

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