Well, another Comic-Con has come and gone and this one was a winner! It started with my first Pre-View Night and it did not slow down until the plane landed back here in Kansas City. The atmosphere was just truly amazing and made you forget the pain in your back and the numbness of your feet.
Gentle Giant had a plethora of Star Wars Items at the show this year from all areas of the Star Wars Universe. The Expanded Universe gets a very nice statue in the form of the Black Hole Stormtrooper. We got not one but two Stormtroopers which looked better than any Gentle Giant statue I’ve seen. Last year we saw the Asajj/Dooku unpainted and this year it was at the show but painted which I must say still looks totally awesome. We finally get a Yoda statue and its Yoda during the Empire Strikes Back. Also at the show was the Boba Feet, Stormtrooper, Han in Carbonite diorama.
The animated Star Wars Universe was not left out what so ever! We got one new item from the OT which was Boba Fett with Han in Carbonite. Not a bad looking piece and a great addition for OT collectors. However, the best items at the GG booth where the new Clone Wars maquettes. We had several versions of Clones, Anakin, and Obi-Wan which all looked dead on to their animated counterparts. If you are not thinking about getting them I would say you need to really think about not skipping these.
We of course got several new Mini-Busts some of which are going to be driving collectors crazy to get. An unusual choice in Garindan was unveiled and looks quite nice but I will be passing on him. Lt. Rez was in the display case and he looks pretty cool and the chance to get him could be crazy with him being a Rebelscum/GG exclusive then you top it off with the outstanding move of Gentle Giant making the new Galactic Marine a Forbidden Planet Exclusive. The Galactic Marine was my favorite new clone at the show even above the new Airborne Trooper Bust which is a SWS/GG Exclusive. Joining the OT Troopers of course is the Tie Fighter Pilot and now the At-At Driver both of which are just really darn cool.
We also got a two pack for the new Force Unleashed. In the two pack you get the good and bad version of Vader’s Sith Apprentice. These two pieces are a must if you are into Star Wars and especially the Force Unleashed. I finally got a chance to see the Aayla Secura Bust and Shaak-Ti Busts both of which I have on order and am very glad about.
Lord Of The Rings fans got a couple of busts at the show but sadly that was all. The two busts are the Berzerkers that attacked Helms Deep. You get one with his sword and one with a torch. No word on if it’s a change of arms or not but either way I think it came out quite nicely. I am quite disappointed by the lack of LOTR items by Gentle Giant but they where not the only company to do little with LOTR.
The Halo and Indy pieces from Gentle Giant also came out looking quite nice in the forms at the show. If all the final products come out looking this way I can see myself adding a few pieces from the Halo line at least since I’ll be leaving my Indy items to Sideshow.
Sideshow Collectibles won the show by a large margin in my book and even with items that where not on my radar. Star Wars got treated to some of the coolest items at the show with in hand shots of previously announced items and some new ones as well. We finally got a chance to see the Armored Obi-Wan which was just exceptionally well done and he was joined by Jedi Ki-Adi Mundi . The Rebel Fleet trooper was also at the show and for a generic character he looks really good and will make a nice addition to the Military line.
The big announcement and showing was a mixture of black and white. Since the Star Wars 1:6th line started fans have been asking for Darth Vader and Stormtroopers. Now, we’ve got them and boy did Sideshow do the absolute best job possible. The detail in both these figures shows just how great Sideshows talent level is at. The Stormtroopers are pre-production and upon hearing that it was great news because we’ll be seeing just that level of greatness when they ship later this year. Vader is among the best 1:6th pieces to be put out on the market and if you want him you better make sure to get him. I’ve owned the Premium Format and this piece is better than that which is amazing at the scale. It was quite mind blowing having a chance to see this piece in person. 1:1 bust fans where not left out either as we finally got the see the Grievous Bust which is pretty darn sharp.
That wasn’t all for Star Wars fans either! We all know Sideshow works with Medicom to bring in some of their items and we got to see just how freaking great those are gonna be. The Medicom Episode Clone Trooper is very cool and film accurate since you do see all white Clones but I will be doing some work to mine. The Royal Guard was also at the SS Booth and it looks exception really a little light on items for the price but a nice piece either way. We got a chance to look at a couple new VCD figures one of which was a must for me. I’ve wanted a Darth Maul VCD since I got into this line and it was quite a happy moment for me to see this piece finally announced and to go with the Eowk and Yoda figures we got a Jawa. Medicom did a nice job this year with the exception of the Han Solo which is alright at best and the price is just way too much.
Lord Of The Rings got treated to a few great pieces at the Con. The Grima and Theoden Diorama is a very nice looking piece and was glad I could see it to make my mine up on ordering it. The likeness on both characters is very very well done but I will be skipping this piece. W. The costume is just mind boggling in the detail the folks from Sideshow where able to get into it. Also I like how you’ll be able to change some items out on the Exclusive because this really gives you a chance to show just how ugly Orcs are. One of the best pieces was the Gandalf The Grey vs Balrog Diorama a piece which I’ve been asking for since the line started. It’s just crazy the size and detail in this piece especially Gandalf who looks awesome especially since he’s smaller than past humans done in this line. Sadly we did not see any new 1:6th even the Gandalf piece which is shipping this year. Hopefully Sideshow is gonna keep this going as it would be a crying shame to not finish what you started.
Indiana Jones which is a new license for Sideshow since last years Comic-Con as far as products being announced. I finally got to see the Indiana 1:6th which is spot on for Ford and will be among the best Indy products we’ve ever seen. Medicom has a few products out there but none of their Indy figures match what Sideshow has done with this character. Indy also has received the Premium Format treatment and if you don’t have this piece coming I ask you to get it now! Cancel what you must but get this piece! Rene Belloq will be the next figure in the Indy 1:6th line and he looks fantastic! The suit is amazingly well done and the likeness is pretty darn good not quite as good as Ford but I’m quite happy with it. The exclusive piece though is a must with the Idol and Chamber it also allows for all kinds of possibilities with the Indiana Jones figure. Medicom did have one solid Indy figure and it was Jones Sr. That figure looks totally awesome and unlike other Medicom figures doesn’t have that slick skin look to him.
Marvel fans including myself are all gonna like having some of these amazing items in our collections. The first piece I want to talk about is something we’ve seen already announced but it stopped me in my tracks. The 1:1 Iron Man bust is among the best items I’ve ever had the chance to see in person. The detail in it just screams this was seen on the big screen. I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted to make sure I ordered something so quickly but I did on this piece. This was not the only Iron Man piece that was at the show or one I ordered. Hot Toys had announced a while back the 1:6th figure and it made an appearance at the Con which was as mind blowing really as the bust. The detail they got into something at this scale shows why Hot Toys is leading the charge in trying some really crazy stuff with 1:6th scale. The likeness to Downey Jr is also very nice and I plan to use it for a custom figure once I get it.
The Iron Spider Maquette is phenomenal! I had no real interest in it till I saw it at the show but its on my order sheet none the less. The detail is superb but the size of this piece really is what shocked me. Another great piece is the Ghost Rider on Throne which if you have the Doom PF I think these two will look exceptional together. The Thor and Mystique PF’s where also totally worth buying and I’m glad I have one of them coming my way. The Rouge Comicquette is the best piece of that character ever done and Tim Miller did a super job taking what Adam Hughes had done and brought it to life.
There where so many products at the Sideshow booth I can’t list them all but honestly I didn’t see anything that was really a let down. I really think Sideshow took the gold at Comic-Con 2008 and our wallets have never been in more danger.
Thursday during the Convention I got a chance to go to the Sideshow Collectibles Panel which was the panel I wanted to see the most. It was pretty cool getting a chance to hear what they go through and see what they go through on a product. We got to hear specifically about GI Joe and how excited they are to be working on that line and with what we saw of the Snake Eyes and Cobra Commander figures things are going to kick some serious backside. Of course during the presentation we got to see images of items on the floor with Sideshow explaining a little bit about each item. They did announce two new licenses with those being Terminator Salvation and 300 which we got to see a sneak peak at the King Leonidas Premium Format.
The next day I got up early with a roommate and went to the Star Wars Fan Club breakfast. It was a good time really since we got to hear about the new Clone Wars stuff from Dave Filoni the supervising director and Tom Kane the voice of Yoda. Hasbro had Daryl Depreist there who talked with us about what Hasbro was up to with the Clone Wars. Overall a good time and I did get Tom Kane’s auto out of it which was the best part of the deal.
Friday night though was the best part of the whole con! The Sideshow Freaks Party which is something I look forward to all year long especially during the cold Missouri Winter. It’s a chance for those of who yell, cuss, and drool over these things to meet in person and talk with the great folks at Sideshow. They of course team with Dave Stephens the owner of the board to give away prizes which this year where just among the best ever! Its something really though unless you get a chance to see you just can’t quite grasp how special it is to be among this group and call all of them friends.
Comic-Con 2008 was a real blast. I was helped once again by the folks at Sandtroopers allowing me to cover as press and Odie in particular with coverage. So Thank You Odie for the help and I look forward to working with you next year. I want to thank Susan Stockman at DK Publishing for allowing me to interview Jason Fry and for the Free Books. Next, I must thank the folks at Sideshow for treating me so well when I’m at the booth and for allowing me to talk your ears off. I must of course thank all my fellow freaks for just adding to the experience you guys really make it just the Con that much better and thanks for making my Dad a part of the group. So a big thanks to Danny, Ill, P!TU, Bagles/Mrs. Bagles, Rumi, Loki, Dee, Matt, Adam, Lonnie, Carl, DarkArtist, Jen, Tom, Toe, Zoom, and anyone else I’m forgetting. The final thanks of course goes to my Dad (JDad @ Freaks) for going with me a 3rd year in a row. Always awesome having ya with me and sharing in the nuttiness that is Comic-Con and for the extra help with getting my stuff home. I’m tired, sore, and feel pretty beat but this I’m ready to suit up for action again and looking forward to next year! I hope you all have enjoyed the coverage. Till next year this is The Josh taking a breather.
I haven't taken shots of my free Star Wars Blue Prints book, free signed by the author Clone Wars visual guide, Hayden Panettiere Auto, Amy Allen Auto, Watchmen Auto Poster, New Clone Wars Autoed by Dave Fioni Clone, Tom Kane (Yoda) auto from SW FC Breakfast, Julie Benz from Dexter auto. I think thats all. 
My claim to fame is a picture of me with Jeremy Bulloch lol.
Just glad I could help ya out. 
