Welcome to another round of Ask Sideshow! Every day we receive many new questions from our collectors, which have been submitted to our Ask Sideshow Form! We’ve chosen a few to answer below. If you are interested in submitting a question, please read about what questions we can and cannot answer at the bottom of this page. [Suggestions for Submitting a Question]

Your Questions Answered – 12/01/09

Do you plan to acquire a license for the Masters of the Universe?

We have a very healthy appreciation for MOTU, but we can neither confirm nor deny any licensing efforts!

I very much like your T-REX maquette, but I think it’s a little small, and I hope you make T-REX bigger (especially 16-inch 1:20 scale), and I really hope you will make more offerings of T-REX!

Great suggestion, and we’re definitely thinking alike!

I carefully watched your video on the license announcement of “Transformers: Revenge of Fallen” during the San Diego Comic-Con 2009. I am impressed by the images of Optimus Prime Maquette! I can’t wait the pre-order! When do you think he will be ready to show? And do you have other plans for the license other than Optimus Prime?

We’re currently finalizing the digital sculpt of Optimus, making that as perfect as possible before creating the physical sculpture and proceeding with the prototype. We believe we have three to six months left in the development process, so it’s likely that you’ll see the finished Optimus in early-to-mid 2010. We do hope to tackle other Transformers movie characters, but the process with Optimus will determine how we proceed.

I have bought 33 James Bond figures from Sideshow, and I think I deserve the full reasons why you are not making any more! Please tell me!

It would be very difficult to share all of the reasons that we’re not currently developing James Bond products at the moment, but the simplest answer is that we had such a long run with Bond that we exhausted the best candidates. It’s possible that we will seek a return to 007 in the future, ideally with a little fresh perspective.

Any more Planet of the Apes Premium Format Figures coming soon? It has been awhile with no new PF announcements for POTA. Thanks!

No, we’re not currently engaged in development of any additional POTA PF figures. Unfortunately, sales of Dr. Zaius did not meet with our expectations for the line.

When the heck is a WOLFMAN figure from the new movie going to be released?

To be honest, we’re waiting to see the film before beginning work on any Wolf Man products. The previews are looking very, very good though!

I love the Indiana Jones line. Are there any plans to make a Marion Ravenwood or Sallah 1/6 figure to go with the Raiders Indy?

At this time, neither Marion nor Sallah are currently in development, but they are high on the list of candidates. We’ll have to see how 2010 treats Indy and his friends in 12-inch – we hope that there’s enough support to keep the line rolling, but we do see the fan base shrinking back a bit post the event of KOTCS.

What’s the scoop with certain people selling reproduction SIDESHOW 1:1 ALIEN WARRIOR BUSTS? The busts look exactly the same in all dimensions and color schemes, but eBay listings state that they are not from Sideshow. Average price is $1,900 u.s.d. Will you be posting a word of WARNING to all SIDESHOW collectors?

We can assure you, these reproductions do NOT look exactly the same as the Sideshow product, and we are actively seeking the source of these reproductions. Several customers have already provided excellent information, and we are working hand in hand with FOX to follow up all leads. If you would like to report any sellers or auctions of these obvious copies, you may do so by sending an e-mail to FRAUD@SideshowCollectibles.com

Does Sideshow currently have a license to produce 1/6 scale Lord of the Rings statues (similar to what was produced under the Sideshow-Weta partnership)? I’m not asking if you are going to make them, but if you have the actual license to make them. I’m really pleased with all of your 1:1 scale busts. But when are we going to see some 1:1 scale busts from Lord of the Rings? A Berserker life-size bust would be awesome!!

We are looking to expand our LOTR offerings in some of the ways your describe, but it’s too early to confirm that exactly…

In a previous “Ask Sideshow” you mentioned that you really like the character “Pyramid Head” from the “Silent Hill” video game series, basically saying, you would like to make him someday. Is this any closer to becoming a reality? I think this would be an amazing piece. Thank you for your time!

No, we’re not any closer to developing for Silent Hill, but don’t hesitate to ask this again later on.

Do you guys have any plans to do any Padme and Clone Wars items in the near future?

Good question. At the moment, Padme is more likely to reappear in Premium Format form than in 12″ form, but nothing is definite. Clone Wars is a definite yes, in all categories, including several upcoming 12″ figures, some in Premium Format, and likely in Diorama too. Maybe, MAYBE even in Life-Size form, likely bust.

How much “input” did Lucasfilm have on Sideshow’s 12-inch Darth Vader? It seems for a lot of people that the helmet is a bit too narrow – or too small for this version. (Were the reference material actual movie stills or promotional material?) Also, how confident can we be that a future “Empire Strikes Back” version will show as much a striking difference from the first release as there were in the films?

We notice a growing trend of blame on Lucasfilm for any detail that isn’t well received by the collector community. For the record, our friends at Lucasfilm are fantastic, and some of the most knowledgeable licensing representatives that we’ve had the pleasure of working with. No other licensor maintains as extensive a reference library as Lucasfilm, nor of any competitive quality. Don’t be too hasty to lay blame on licensors. At the end of the day, our design team uses the reference and tools that they provide to make product, to make decisions, and to do their very best in terms of quality, accuracy, and efficiency.

You can rest assured that our creative and production staff members do read the comments and criticisms, always with an eye for righting any wrongs and satisfying the majority at the next opportunity. We’ll gladly accept constructive criticisms and take our lumps, and if you look at the history of our product line, you’ll see that each exercise helps us to learn and grow and produce visibly better results. Manufacturing is not magic, and there are elements of the process that are beyond complete control, but our trend is ever-increasing ambition and matching quality.

When we do bring a new Darth Vader figure to market, you can be certain that the helmet will be heavily scrutinized by all involved.

Now that the 30th anniversary for “Empire Strikes Back” is upon us… is there a Hoth gear Han Solo in the works? (maybe blue coat like the Hasbro from the 80′s for the exclusive eddition) And how about Luke with Hoth gear? Have you guys thought about Taun Tauns or maybe Dewbacks… and maybe a Landspeeder!

Yes, we do have some special plans to celebrate Empire’s 30th. We’ve given thought to all versions of Luke and Han, including Hoth, and even the Dewback and Landspeeder are under consideration.

Will you think to make 1/6 scael Count Dooku and Grievous figures? These 2 figures are very important in Star Wars Universe!

Don’t spoil the surprise for anyone else, but the answer is yes. Dooku is underway now, and Grievous is getting a serious look-over as a likely candidate for late 2010 or 2011.

I collect as much of the Star Wars 12-inch line as possible… is there any chance of a 12-inch Cad Bane from the Clone Wars series?

Cad Bane is THE most exciting character we’ve seen come from the Clone Wars, and we’re eager to work him into our plans. We have a semi-clever idea to bring him to a product sooner than later, but we’re going to take our time to get a real, meaty Cad Bane figure worked out – whether that is in 12″ or Premium Format or something else remains to be decided.

Wondering if now that we’ve seen a Venom comiquette from Sideshow there’s any chance of a matching Carnage comiquette sometime in the future?

Yes, Carnage is on his way. Sneaking, stealthy, slithering.

I’m a big Wolverine fan but recently I have been in love with his son Daken. Is Sideshow planning on making a statue for Daken anytime soon? Also, I was wondering if any of the Dark Avengers are on your mind? I would love to have a Sentry or Ares!!!!

The Dark Avengers are high on our list of candidates, but we haven’t really given Daken much attention yet. We’ll certainly share your suggestion!

I love your line of Marvel Comiquettes and I have the Ghost Rider and Pre-ordered the Punisher. I was wondering if a few of my other favorites would be hitting the Comiquette line, like Thor, Daredevil, Dr. Doom or Silver Surfer?

All of the characters that you list are rather sure bets. Some are coming in 2010, and some will come a bit later.

The 1/2 scale Iron Man maquette looks amazing in the pics, and no doubt the mix of materials will add to the realism. However after seeing the Hot Toys battle-damaged Iron Man with that level of detail in a 1/8 scale, I have to ask: Why is the Sideshow 1/2 scale Maquette lacking in all that extra detail and realism, for instance the forearm rocket pod, wrist gauntlet, air brakes, munitions pod, counter measure dispenser, flight propulsion system, and even the detail under the chest plate? I appreciate that the formats are different but surely it would be easier to get the detail into a statue of your scale? I’d love to get the 1/2 scale but want all those extra details for the price!!

The 1:2 Scale Maquette piece served a very important role in the development of the Iron Man film, serving as the physical exploration of the armor concept that informed both the physical costume and the 3D effects. You could say that it is THE granddaddy Iron Man film piece, ancestor of all later evolutions of the design and related products. It would certainly have been possible to refine the 1:2 Scale maquette to add in the details as evidenced in the film and final costume, but we love the maquette for the role it served within Legacy’s development of the character. We love it just as it is.

Any chance of Hot Toys releasing any more “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” 12-inch figures? I’m especially interested in Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth.

We’ll certainly share your suggestion with the decision makers at Hot Toys!

Thank you all for submitting such intriguing questions. Keep watching our Production Blog and listening to our Podcasts as we continue to answer more Ask Sideshow questions in the future!

Suggestions for Submitting a Question

Do you have a question for our Production Team? [Ask Sideshow!]

Please Note: If you would like to submit a question using the form, please remember that Ask Sideshow should NOT be used as a way to solicit for a job, contact Customer Service, ask about a shipping date, or register a complaint. Most of those questions, comments, and solicitations can be most efficiently sent to us by filling out our online Customer Service Request Form.

Also, a fair warning: Questions that ask, “Will you be doing/Why don’t you do [insert license or character name]?” will probably never be answered. We’re happy to drop hints when we can, but we cannot answer any direct questions about what we’re planning in the future for a variety of reasons, which include (but are not limited to) licensing, production, artistic contracts, and ever-changing schedules and projected release dates. Please feel free to use the form for all these sorts of questions or quasi-suggestions, BUT don’t be offended when we don’t answer to your full satisfaction… or don’t answer at all – it’s not personal, we promise!