|
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
Join Date: Jul 2023
Posts: 1,106
|
Sideshow's Mount Rushmore...and the Rise of the Phoenix...and Jordan vs LeBron!
Sideshow haters, Tubers pushing and hyping other companies sending statues for "reviews", Sideshow bashers, this thread is not for you.
This thread is for the BEST COMPANY producing comic statues nowadays. Its Sideshow and its not even close. It has always been.
For a couple of years, XM with the help of Tubers and constant hyping and pushing tried but XM's sculpts are LIFELESS, they lack artistic direction. Their early sculpts looked like big Bowens (and i hate, i loathe Bowens and their stickness to "comic simplicity"). Check Sandman (a laughable sculpt) or Medusa and the hype and pushing they got by Tubers. Their latest sculpts are all "lifeless". This hype is now over. The new "beloved" company by Tubers is LBS that is also lacking artistic direction, its sculpts are ALL looking like big, INFLATED BOWENs with the exception of their Hulk 1/3 which is the only one that does not ooze a strong toyish, a strong amateurish vibe.
So let this thread, for us, Sideshow fans (Forps is also an ECC, Infinity, Prime1 fan).
So, Sideshow's Mount Rushmore ?
1) Will Harbottle - the Magician
Harbottle is a master in drawing and it shows. You see in the description Will Harbottle's sculpt, you instantly know it is going to be a masterpiece.
His Dejah Thoris. A masterpiece.
His Gambit. A masterpiece.
His Rogue. A masterpiece.
His Nightcrawler. A masterpiece.
His Harley on Wheels. A masterpiece.
His latest Psylocke. A masterpiece.
2) Martin Canale - the Master
Martin Canale, the master of hand sculpting. His perfect knowledge of human anatomy, his mastery in hand sculpting shows up even in this era, the era of Z-brush. Especially in this era, Martin Canale's fundamentals discern him by other sculptors who only learnt to sculpt digitally and are clueless about TRUE art.
His OG Captain America is still a masterpiece.
His newest Captain America is also a masterpiece.
His first Lobo PFF. A masterpiece.
His OG Thor. A masterpiece.
His latest Sabretooth. A Canale's masterpiece.
His Venom Comiquette. Although being too small (1/5), it is the BEST, i repeat, the BEST, i repeat again, the BEST Venom ever produced at any scale (licensed or not).
Or his OG Joker PFF. The QUINTESSENTIAL Joker.
3) Andy Bergholtz - the Guru
Andy is no longer with Sideshow but i beg Sideshow to cut some slack and get Andy back. To unite with the other 2 GOATs (Will Harbottle and Martin Canale) and have the 3 GOATs GOATing.
His OG Hulk. The Grail of Grails. The statue being inside Marvel Studios. A masterpiece.
His OG Joker LSB. The best Joker LSB ever produced, licensed or not.
His OG Green Goblin LSB. Again the best ever, never to be topped.
His Batman LSB. Again. The QUINTESSENTIAL Batman.
Sideshow, bring him back.
4) Ryan Peterson - the LSB (Life Size Bust) sculpting Genius
I did not know Ryan Peterson before working for Sideshow, but his LSBs are a work of art. I know that majority of casuals (98%) do not like his LSBs, but they are all ARTSY. The man is a LSB sculpting genius.
His Hulk LSB. A masterpiece. Artsy and different. Not for casuals, only for art lovers.
His Wolverine LSB. The same. Only for collectors with an "Artsy eye", not for casuals of the hobby (98%).
His Deadpool LSB. A masterpiece.
His Venom LSB. A masterpiece.
His Joker LSB. A masterpiece.
The aforementioned 4 guys are Sideshow's Mount Rushmore.
So what Sideshow should do ?
Sideshow made CRUCIAL mistakes between 2013-2020 by letting in basically Prime1, the ONLY SERIOUS COMPETITOR for Sideshow.
The fail of Sideshow's 1/2 line falsely convinced them that a 1/3 line of DC or Marvel was going to fail. The problem was with 1/2 scale in general. 1/2 is an "awkward| scale, i had approximately 10 1/2s and sold them all, basically going for LSF (Life Size Figures).
So it was a problem of the scale (1/2) and not that anything over 1/4 is going to fail.
Sideshow also had some CLUELESS guys working for her then (and a lot of slack also) who nearly destroyed the company.
Sideshow made some crucial changes, parting ways with various people and now stands on a crossroad.
What to do next?
Forps is here to provide with the ultimate plan for Sideshow to rise again.
1) Sideshow must give Will Harbottle and Martin Canale the final word in EVERY sculpt getting produced. These 2 masters, these modern Michelangelos should approve (or step in when needed) every sculpt. PERIOD. END OF DISCUSSION.
2) Exception to the aforementioned rule should be given only to Kucharek Bros and Maria Panfilova, already proving their sculpting geniuses. The former with sculpts the likes of Rebel PFF or Darth Vader Mythos and the latter with the MASTERPIECE, the best Penguin EVER, i repeat, EVER, i repeat, EVER created in any scale (licensed or not).
3) For busts, exception to the rule no1 should be given to the genius, Ryan Peterson.
4) Sideshow should wait 1-1.5 year for the market to bottom out and then bring back the 3rd GOAT. Andy Bergholtz.
Bringing back the 3rd GOAT and having the Trinity of Will Harbottle, Martin Canale and Andy Bergholtz GOATing would be like having MJ, Kobe and LBJ on the same team.
The 3 GOATS of our hobby uniting in order to create the best sculpts of all time.
5) Also after waiting 1-1.5y for the market to bottom out, then Sideshow should get (if Sideshow doesnt already own them) the 1/3 comic licenses for Marvel and DC.
Then allocate between the 3 Michelangelos, the 3 DaVincis the 2 new lines for Avengers 1/3 and Justice League 1/3.
Just imagine Will Harbottle who sculpted the masterpieces of Dejah Thoris or Gambit or Nightcrawler or even Harley on Wheels, getting to sculpt a 1/3 Harley.
The GOAT would simply GOAT.
Or imagine Martin Canale who gave us the BEST Joker in any scale EVER produced (custom or not), the OG Joker PFF, giving us a 1/3 Joker. Lord have mercy!
Or Martin who sculpted 2 marvellous Captain America 1/4s to sculpt a 1/3 Captain America.
Prepare your wallets!
Then Andy Bergholtz sculpting a 1/3 Superman. Lord have mercy!
The 3 GOATs would simply GOAT and give us the QUINTESSENTIAL representations of these characters.
Some of you guys are going to say "Hey, Forps. LBS is already producing a 1/3 line for Marvel and DC. What about that?"
Forps replies. That BOWEN-looking sculpts? Brrrrrrrrr.
LBS sculpts remind me of the early XM sculpts eg Sandman. LBS sculpts give a STRONG, an extremely strong, ACTION FIGURE vibe, an OVERSIZED BOWEN.
They move due to hype. I?ve seen all of them close and they look like OVERSIZED BOWENS with the exception of their Hulk 1/3 which is ultimately going to keep its value being the sole exception from that BOWEN-looking lines.
As soon as hype fades out, all of LBS sculpts with their lack of finesse, lack of details, lack of artistic view are not going to be sought after. Especially if Sideshow, the king of comic sculpts, makes a new 1/3 comic line.
I already saw this "story" with many pieces skyrocketing due to initial hype.
LBS Hulk 1/3 would be the sole exception from their 2 1/3 lines.
So leaving that behind, Sideshow should wait for its moment. Its coming. Competition is struggling, Sideshow has the reach, has the 2 BEST SCULPTORS in the hobby (PERIOD. I am not going to discuss if Will Harbottle and Martin Canale are the 2 best sculptors BY FARRRRRR in this hobby, along with Andy Bergholtz who have maybe retired? I dont know).
As i already mentioned, some years ago Sideshow made a crucial mistake. Due to their 1/2 line not selling well, they did not believe in a 1/3 line. The problem was the 1/2 as a scale. I had many 1/2s but it was an awkward scale and I sold them all. It is better to go up to Life Size or go down to 1/3, 1/2 scale is awkward (I went up in Life Size).
So Sideshow was caught unprepared by the popularity of 1/3 scale and Prime 1 taking hold of the hobby (sometimes in collaboration with Blitzway).
1/3 is the scale of the sophisticated collector nowadays. Ok, sophisticated collectors are burnt out currently but 1/3 is along with 1/4 the 2 best scales (for me personally, it is also Life size having +100 LSBs or LSFs).
Its time for Sideshow (but Sideshow, wait 1-1.5y for the market to bottom out) to GOAT again.
Sideshow's comic sculpts are the BEST and always have been. Their sculpts are ARTSY, they are modern, they are refined, they are finessed.
Let the 2 GOATs (Will + Martin) along with Andy (if it would be possible), GOAT.
Give us the QUINTESSENTIAL representations of Marvel Avengers and DC Justice League in 1/3 scale by the 3 MASTERS. The 3 modern "Michelangelos".
|
Don't bite...
