I've loved the previous releases by Sideshow in this Masters of the Universe statue series. The new aesthetic is a nice interpretation on these cartoon characters, blending the iconic 80s features of the characters whilst giving a more mature style for today.
I thought the prototype of She-Ra looked fantastic, and overall the final production version is pretty close. Click through below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbsup and subscribe to the channel too!
The box art comes in the same style as the previous statues, with nice photos of the prototype. It's always good to use those pics to compare the final production version and see if there are any major differences. For this one, there are a couple of minor tweaks to the head sculpt to change the facial features slightly.
Everything is packed in foam nicely. I got the exclusive version which comes with the additional swap out left arm holding the shield. This is a pretty nice exclusive accessory to differentiate it from the standard arm. The shield itself looks pretty nice, and the paint application is decent.
As I mentioned, the head sculpt is tweaked from the prototype. I think the prototype version had fuller and softer features. The final version has sharper lines and seems a fraction more elongated, giving it a more Amazonian-warrior look. I think both sculpts are nice, and this stronger look is equally appropriate for the warrior princess.
The main issue I had with my head sculpt was the helmet or cowl. It doesn't sit quite perfectly centred on her face, so the side pieces down her cheeks aren't quite symmetrical. They are a softer plastic so there's a bit of play to move them, but it would've been nice if they had centered it perfectly when glueing that helmet piece on.
The sculpt of the body is great, and captures her beauty and grace pretty well. The flowing hair, and ability to bend the wire in the cape to match the flow in the wind is nice. The shoulder pauldron piece that clips the cape to the body is a little fiddly, but once connected properly it does a pretty good job in keeping it together. Just take some time folding the cape in a realistic manner and it'll look great on display.
Mine isn't quite as good as I would want, but I've left it for now. I'll adjust more once I swap out the replacement shoulder piece. I got a replacement since the paint app on mine was scratched up. Sideshow have sent me a new one, but I haven't had the chance to change it up yet.
The skin tone over the body is even and consistent. There's not too much in terms of skin texture though, so a bit of subtle freckling would add a tad more realism to the paint application. One problem I did find with the paint app was around the white parts of her dress. Particularly towards the hem, the green tinge of the underlying body or paint layer shows through, giving parts of the dress a greenish, almost corroded look.
I don't think this was intentional, and I've seen photos on the forums of statues with far worse green than mine. For She-Ra, her dress should be a bright white with perhaps a bit of weathering. But I do think the green is just a QC issue where sufficient white paint was not used to hide the green underneath.
Overall though, I think Sideshow have done a pretty good job with She-Ra. She complements He-Man and the others well with this style. The base of course sticks out from the rest, but that's to be expected of the Crystal Castle. The transluscent parts perhaps could've been done to look less plasticky, as well as the jewels on the sword and shield, but they're not too bad in the scheme of things.
I'm hoping that Sideshow announce more characters in this series. I really hope others from the core cast, such as Sorceress, Man-At-Arms, Beastman, Merman etc are all made. They would look fantastic in this style. Orko is up next though, and has been delayed until around September. I'm hoping that turns out great too!
Got the new Sideshow Collectibles AT-AT Driver recently, and it's definitely another solid addition to the Star Wars collection!
Click through below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to give it a like and subscribe for more reviews up soon :)
Box art is pretty stock standard these days. Accessories aren't that many to discuss. The exclusive is the larger rifle, which is nicely done. The detailing and paint application in the helmet is pretty nice, with some additions that make it more screen accurate. I think there are still a few inconsistencies that really detailed fans will be able to pick out in the helmet. But for more it looks pretty great.
The flight suit is similar to other suits that Sideshow have done for other figures, including the recent TIE Pilot and X-wing Luke. It's nicely tailored with decent stitching. The gloves and boots are molded plastic, which could be nicer, but still look OK enough on display.
The hoses attaching the chest piece to the helmet restrict the head movement, but look OK. Some futzing of the hose is probably needed to make it look its best, but overall its a decent representation based on movie screenshots I've seen. So again, it's a nice addition to the Star Wars collection, particularly for those that are looking for more troopers from the Hoth battle.
Here's my look at the recent Sideshow Collectibles R5-D4 1/6th scale figure. Check out the review at the link below to the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel :)
It came in definitely the smallest box I've received from Sideshow. I guess that's understandable since there really isn't too much to the figure.
The most disappointing aspect for me is the fact mine arrived with the centre leg assembled in reverse. But local retailer Popcultcha Supastore sorted me out with a replacement hassle free, so can't complain too much,
It would've been nice if the final production weathering paint app was more similar to the great look on the prototype. The final paint app is very clearly handbrushed on in some areas, especially on the dome.
But on display with Artoo and Hot Toys Luke, and definitely with the Jawa set coming soon, it'll look great and be a worthy addition to the Star Wars collection.
I got the new Hot Toys Darth Vader from A New Hope recently, and decided to do a full decomposition comparison with the previous Sideshow Darth Vader from Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi. Normally that sort of thing scares the crap out of me, but this time I was pretty much forced down that path since the elbow on my Sideshow seemed to be stuck. So I had to undress the figure to access the underlying body to force the elbow to bend properly.
In the end, I'm glad I did this anyway since it was a great way to learn about the base bodies of both figures, and really see what the pros and cons of both figures are. Click the link below for the full comparison video over on the channel :)
And here are some pics. Overall, I have to say I prefer the new Hot Toys figure over the older Sideshow, but as you can see from the video, there are definitely design elements that I prefer on the older one too.
It's actually pretty amazing how they've been able to lay out the accessories and cram so much into such a small space! Luckily no damage problems like the old Sideshow had when it was first released with lots of reports of damaged helmets.
The overall package that comes with the figure is sweet indeed! The only negative I can say about the accessories is the larger clamshell plastic base of the Interrogator Droid. That was definitely an afterthought by Hot Toys, with terrible quality on the base.
And here is a pic of the two figures (Sideshow on the left, Hot Toys on the right) fully decomposed into their parts. Definitely a lot of fun comparing the two! I think for Star Wars fans, you'd be happy with either figure, so pick which one you want based on the movie you prefer.
It's been a long wait for these two iconic characters to finally reach my collection in 1/6th scale form. Overall I think Sideshow has done a pretty fantastic job, particularly with the TIE Fighter Pilot. The only real negative on the Luke figure is of course the head sculpt and sub-standard facial paint application.
Check out my full video reviews of both figures below! Scroll further down for some extra photos :)
TIE Fighter Pilot:
X-Wing Pilot Luke Skywalker:
TIE Fighter Pilot Summary:
Packaging is the usual Star Wars black and grey style, so not much to discuss there.
Doesn't come with all that much, and the exclusive is an additional small blaster which I believe is the gun that the vintage toy had back in the day.
Best thing about the figure is definitely the outfit, the tailoring of it, and the overall solid underlying body. The details are pretty nice on the molded boots and gloves as well. Together with the other Sideshow troopers, they look fantastic!
The helmet is awesome too, and really shows what Sideshow can do when they don't have to worry about painting a human head sculpt! The helmet looks great, and the soft hoses to the chest piece are nicely done. It's a shame the eyes seem to be painted black, and are not a nice translucent plastic to replicate see-through lenses. But other than that, the TIE Fighter Pilot is a fantastic figure worthy of any Star Wars collection!
X-wing Pilot Luke Skywalker:
As with the TIE Fighter Pilot, the packaging is the stock standard style of these Star Wars figures.
At $240 retail price, there's not much that comes with this figure, which is a shame. At least include a blaster and lightsaber to sweeten the package! At this price, Sideshow really needed to nail the head sculpt, and they didn't which is a huge disappointment for me (more on that later).
The tailoring of the suit is awesome as it was with the TIE Fighter Pilot. The suit looks bright orange in photos, but has a subtle weathering in hand, as well has nice weathering on the white sections of the vest.
The helmet is also nicely done, and separates well to allow for the placement over the head sculpt.
The head sculpt itself is actually very good, and I think is better than the Hot Toys Tatooine Luke figure. However, the flat paint app is what really brings the head sculpt down, where is simply does not have the detail, texture, and realism on Hot Toys head sculpts.
If Sideshow wanted to charge $240 for this, which is actually more expensive than Hot Toys' version which comes with more accessories, then they really needed to get the head paint app right. But there's not that much of an improvement on their previous figures, so in a side by side comparison, the HT version looks better despite not having a better sculpt! Realism in a head sculpt will also win out.
But still, with a fantastic outfit, this still looks pretty great on display. Especially since Star Wars collections have an over abundance of blacks, whites, and other dull colours, the splash of colour that this figure brings is much appreciated!
Posed with the helmet and exclusive version gloves, it does have presence on display, and will definitely look great next to my Lego UCS X-wing!
So the Scout Trooper is definitely not complete without his ride, so here is the recent Sideshow Collectibles Speeder Bike! I was really looking forward to this, but it's not without its faults.
Click through to watch my full video showing the assembly process and where I had trouble with the bike. Note that after I filmed the review I did manage to futz and align things better, such as pushing the handle bars flush so that they sit straighter.
I am a little disappointed in the overall build quality, but on display it's definitely a standout in my collection at the moment, and complements the Scout Trooper perfectly.
Here's a pic of all the contents you get. Assembly pieces are fragile and requires a lot of patience!
Another classic Star Wars original trilogy trooper finally joined the collection recently with the release of the Sideshow Scout Trooper! And overall it's a pretty damn impressive figure.
Here's the link to my full video review on the trooper. Hope you can check it out! For more pics and descriptions, scroll on down below too! :)
The packaging is the usual black and grey Star Wars styled box with photos of the figure. Nice and simple.
Accessories are decent, especially if you got the exclusive version that includes the long sniper rifle. The trooper really does look a lot better with the longer weapon! Also love the diorama styled base with the logs and rocks. Adds a nice touch to the display.
People have complained that the helmet is too long in the face. But I think it looks fine. The weathering over the armor and pouches is subtle and blends together quite well in hand.
And here is the new Scout Trooper along with his other OT brethren! Love how these troopers look together! Now just waiting on his Speeder Bike next! :)
It's been a long wait, but I finally got my order in for the Sideshow Collectibles Tauntaun Deluxe statue. And man it was worth the wait! This thing is HUGE!!!
For my full video review, click the link below to head on over to the channel and check it out! Hope you can subscribe too! :)
Definitely glad I picked this up. Now it just makes me want to go back and get the Dewback!!
It's been a long wait, but recently I finally got my Sideshow Collectibles Luke Skywalker and Han Solo figures in their Hoth outfits! Overall, they're pretty nice figures, but do have some faults worth mentioning.
Here are my full video reviews of both, but scroll down below for more info and photos.
Luke Skywalker YouTube review:
Han Solo YouTube review:
Packaging:
The packaging for both figures is the usual matte black and grey styling that has been around for years now. Nothing too fancy to mention, but at least this time they remembered to put on the exclusive version sticker unlike the recent R2-D2 release.
Accessories:
There's no shortage of accessories with these figures, especially with the exclusive versions that come with additional head sculpts.
The Luke figure comes with three head sculpts in total, with the battle damaged Wampa smashed face the worst of the lot in my opinion. It has the least accurate likeness to Mark Hamill, whereas I think the other two sculpts have a great likeness. Similarly with the Han Solo figure, the additional head sculpt (only two this time) is also very good, and I prefer it over the Hot Toys DX05 Indiana Jones sculpt.
The common thing lacking with the head sculpts is the rather flat paint application that does not have the level of realism that Hot Toys has with their facial paint applications. There's just that amazing skin freckling effect that is missing which would really up the level of these sculpts to that of Hot Toys.
The usual array of hand sculpts is provided with both figures, and I still love that Sideshow continues to give each one its own wrist joint. If only Hot Toys would do this too so that joint breakages were minimised!
Both figures get the binoculars with fake leather strap, and the paint app is nicely detailed and weathered. Luke comes with his blaster and unlit lightsaber hilt, which still doesn't have the nice clean paint app that is evident with the Hot Toys DX07 lightsaber.
The lit lightsaber for me is the most disappointing accessory. The blade has some weird white speckling effect to it that looks like snow, but in the end just gives the blade a rather cheap look to it! I would've much preferred a clean translucent plastic like the DX07 figure.
Han comes with a separate accessory in the "life-detector" that includes separate extended and non-extending antenna pieces. This piece is also nicely weathered with a great white strap that is also beautifully dirtied up to complement the Hoth look.
Both figures also come with their fake-leather belts and pistol holsters that are nicely done. The material is nice, but some weathering would have been a nice bit of detail.
To round out the accessories, both figures include a stand with attachable snow/rock pieces that is a really nice touch. They paint on the snow and rock is great, and on display with the figures just gives that added bit of realism to the Hoth environment.
Thoughts on Luke Skywalker:
Overall, the Luke figure is a solid figure that feels well built. There weren't any issues with any of the joints on mine, with articulation throughout, hindered only by the outfit in certain areas as expected.
The covered head sculpt with the goggles is my favourite. I love how the goggles can be placed over the eyes, but do be careful in stretching that elastic band as it might snap. The radio antenna is also fiddly to insert, so be careful to line up the correct way to avoid snapping anything.
One of the biggest letdowns on the figure though is the vest, which is not only the incorrect colour but also too small. The prototype photos and even the box art all show the vest to be a more accurate beige colour that is different to the pants. But the final figure has a grey wash similar to the pants that doesn't let the vest stand out.
Add to that it's too small, and so when buttoned up, it tends to splay open between the buttons. A lot of collectors have resorted to mods where some velcro has been added to close up the vest. Another annoying part of the vest is the rank badge, where the pocket is too small for the badge resulting in it sticking up at the top. It's a nice concept badly executed.
But I do love the pants and the other aspects of the outfit, which overall are all nicely tailored. The soft plastic of the gauntlets and boots look a little off at first, but after a bit of futzing they do look pretty decent.
The biggest nitpick for me on the figure has to be its scale though. The body they have used seems a little too big, so it's slightly larger than the Hot Toys DX07 Luke and also larger than the Han Solo figure!
In the end, I'll be displaying Luke on top of the Tauntaun, so the height difference won't be so noticeable. But considering Han is much taller than Luke in the movies, this was one detail they should not have screwed up!
Lastly, here's a comparison shot between the DX07 Luke head sculpt and the new Sideshow Luke head sculpt. As always, the realistic paint application of Hot Toys is a major difference, but for me I think the Sideshow sculpt looks more like Mark Hamill.
If only we could somehow get a Hot Toys paint app on the Sideshow sculpt, we might just have the best Luke Skywalker head sculpt ever made! :)
Thoughts on Han Solo:
Overall I definitely feel that the Han Solo figure is a better figure than the Luke. The tailoring on the thick brown jacket is really nicely done, and closes nicely over the body unlike the vest on Luke.
The fur around the hood is pretty delicate, so be careful when moving the hood up and down. I think you also need to be careful around the cap to no put pressure on the front lid of the cap. I have seen pics where there are cracks forming along the edge of the cap near the bottom of the goggles. The goggles work essentially in the same way that they do on Luke.
I love that they included the blue Bespin thin jacket underneath the larger jacket, with the white shirt too! It mostly won't see the light of day in most poses, but it's a great bit of detailed layering in the clothing.
The gauntlets and gloves are very similar to Luke's, but due to the thick jacket, they do look a little odd and give him a slight astronaut type look in that lower arms. But posed properly, you don't tend to notice it too much.
I think the belt on Han is nicer than Luke's apart from the excess material around the leg. The ring around the leg is too loose, so it takes a bit of creative posing to make it look right. Luke's wraps around his thigh so has a tighter fit that looks better.
The paints on Han are also nicely done in a similar khaki type material. It feels very supple and natural, and again is tailored really well.
With the photo below, you can clearly see that Luke is slightly taller than Han, and that is my biggest complaint about this pair of figures. Han should really clearly be taller, so it's a shame such a critical detail was missed when there's so much else that is great about the figures.
Closing Thoughts:
The Empire Strikes Back is by far my favourite Star Wars movie, and the opening Hoth sequence is still one of the best ever in movie history. Sideshow have done a pretty nice job overall with these two, and put together with their recent Tauntaun, you really do get an amazing representation of those characters from the movie.
It's such a shame that the pretty awesome head sculpts are again let down by some flat paint application. It's an improvement over their head sculpts from a year or two ago, but they still have a way to go to reach Hot Toys' quality.
But with the large array of accessories, decent tailoring on most parts of the outfits, and nice snow/rock based stands, these really do have some presence on the display shelf. I can't wait to get more 1/6th scale Star Wars figures from both Sideshow and Hot Toys throughout this year :)
