Thor PF by Sideshow Collectibles

Sideshow Collectibles’ Premium Format (PF) line is another level in the statue industry. The PF characters are a combination of polystone material and ‘fabric costuming’ that makes them realistic. Scale-wise, these are statues that are over 20 inches tall so just imagine how majestic they would look inside your house.

I recently borrowed this awesome statue of Thor for a pictorial and blog as well. This is by far the best statue of Thor that I have ever seen and even though I am not a fan I would definitely love to own one.

The PF Thor has a production run of 1,250 pieces and comes with his Mighty Mjolnir and a small base. The articulation's amazing and the fabric costume clothing compliments the god of thunder very well.

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=7205&ref=search0109

This statue is already sold out so the secondary market is your best bet. Amazon is selling this for $599.99 (contrary to its original SRP of $324.99).

http://www.amazon.com/Sideshow-Thor-Premium-Format-Figure/dp/B001JPWXJG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1281536586&sr=8-1

PhoTOYgrapher's Perspective:

I have a difficult time shooting these statues because of their big size; Thor is approximately 30 inches tall. My lighting setups are designed for action figures and small statues so I had to do some modifications for the big guys.

Statues are memorable to me because this is where I honed my skills in lighting. I have spent a lot of time and effort in making sure that I could give my best representation of these collectibles.

I just started practicing digital composites or super imposing as some would call them and am enjoying every minute of it. Had I been fortunate into having my very own studio or a big setup then the pictures that you will see are more or less the usual stuffs that I do – light painting, rim lighting and some high key images.

It's going to be a hassle (and danger) bringing these statues outdoors because just one scratch and the value goes down. 

Issues:

1.) Though the pose is different I would prefer to see Thor's face when he is in display instead of looking up.

2.) The base is terrible. Sideshow made an awesome base for Captain America so how come Thor gets a simple boulder with drawings?

Captain America PF by Sideshow Collectibles

Sideshow Collectibles is a company known for producing and selling fine quality statues. Over the years I followed their extensive lists of statues from a friend who used to collect statues before. I’ve come to appreciate, drooled and wished that someday I may own at least a couple of them.

Approximately 3 years ago I borrowed his Captain America PF (Premium Format) for a photo shoot and was awestruck when I saw the statue. That was probably the best statue rendition of Captain America that I ever saw. Eagerly anticipating the movie of the star spangled avenger next year I borrowed the statue again from my friend for yet another photo shoot.

Package Contents:

Captain America stands over 19 inches tall and is packed together with a base (with Ultron’s head). Sideshow does well with box designs and this one is no different from their other ones. The bottom of the box also indicates the edition number of the statue, which is limited to 1,100 pieces.

Collector’s Perspective:

The limited production alone is enough to convince you that this is a collectible. Sideshow’s Premium Format line combines polystone statues with fabric clothing that makes them realistic and they are 1:4^th scale.

The SRP of this from Sideshow’s website is $249.00 but is already sold out. The only way to get this is from a secondary market. Amazon lists this statue, a new one for $1,299.00 and a used one for $850.00. 


http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=7161&ref=search0109

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000UPZGFY/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000UPZGFY/ref=dp_olp_collectible?ie=UTF8&condition=collectible

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=71611&ref=search0109

Sideshow released another version of this, similar to the WWII Captain America. It has the same pose but different shield and instead of stepping on Ultron’s head, he is stepping on a military helmet. Another difference is his mask, which only covers half of his face. The production is limited to 875 pieces and it retails for $279.99.

PhoTOYgrapher’s Perspective:

These statues are not designed for tabletop phoTOYgraphy unless you have a big setup. Cap’s over 19 inches tall and I would prefer to bring this to a studio or maybe outdoors. My setup is not designed for big toys so I improvise whenever I can.

The details and paint job are superb in all aspect. The statue looks magnificent and the sculpting of the face is very good. I like what they did with the base incorporating Ultron’s head and letting Cap step on it. No matter what angle I take Captain America looks magnificent!

If you have the extra time then a composite would definitely make this statue stand out. I am pretty much a newbie at this craft but you can check my colleague Bleau Aquino's stream. I guarantee you will be amazed and inspired. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11178052@N03/4826904365/

Some Issues:

1.) The white fabric on his arm turned a bit yellow already.

2.) I would probably prefer if his head were tilted a bit downwards to convey his victory over Ultron.


For more pictures of PF Captain America kindly check my flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/powerpee/sets/72157624536211145/

Gears used:

Canon DSLR

Canon 100mm f2.8 Lens

Benro A300 Tripod

3 pcs. Jinbei 180 watts (each), octagonal and rectangular softboxes, grid, green background and Morris IR trigger

Falcon Eyes product table