SIDESHOW NOW DISTRIBUTING HOT TOYS AND THEY'RE ...WELL...ACTUALLY REALLY HOT!

When Sideshow got into the distribution deal with Hot Toys I figured I just wouldn’t be interested. Especially when I saw the price tag! Hundred plus is a lot to plunk down well above Sideshow’s usual $40-$60 price tag for figures in the 12-16 inch range. But the packaging and the products support it. These are true collectables.

I can take or leave AVP without batting an eye. As far as I’m concerned it’s just one more sad example of studio interference trashing a potentially wonderful modern mythos. But the moment these huge boxes arrived I was taken aback. For one thing the packaging here is outstanding. Metallic turquoise box covers slip off to showcase a similar matte color scheme box with plastic windows enabling you to view the predator in it’s various parts or the alien almost completely assembled.

And….yes! I was able to get the figures out without damaging the boxes! They now stand facing off each other in battle pose on top of my computer tower. Was there really any other pose to be considered? I tend to relate everything back to Cthulhu these days but there’s no escaping the comparison here. Co-writer of the film Alien, Dan O’Bannon and designer of the creature HR Giger have both extensively cited Lovecraft as a primary inspiration. And though I’ve never heard Stan Winston or his staff do so I think a strong case can also be made for the Predator being connected to the Lovecraft Mythos in spirit as well.

Imagine you suddenly come upon these two titanic races locked in combat. It’s a moment that hearkens back to Lovecrafts impossibly huge hidden ruins, and the otherness of cultures who worship some perverse “other.” Such characters are alien not just in the sense that they are from another planet but in that they suggest an otherness which threatens to break beyond the bounds of human imagination leaving the viewer shattered. This of course was Lovecraft’s stock and trade. What are these creatures if not perversions of the whole idea of being? Only the predator is tethered to any sort of recognizable human culture and yet his is a visage of pain, he seems to worship that which wounds him, renders him unable to relate except in terms of force and dominance and destruction, that which forces him away from into that which nurtures into that will eventually devour him. C.S. Lewis remarked often, especially in The Screwtape Letters, that this was true difference between the Devil and God. The Devil desires to take us into himself as food; God desires to see us serve our true potential- to be fulfilled. Lovecraft of course spoke of Cthulhu as one who devours, annihilates etc. Of course the Predator culture as described in the comics and films is linked more to classic science fiction ideas of otherness than those of the horror genre.

As far as assembly the alien only has a few parts you need to lock in place. The Predator however took a much longer time and a lot more patience. I almost rediscovered my love modeling. I had to be careful not to rip the mesh as I put it on the doll. I had to be very, very careful not to deviate from the instructions even a little. Once the parts are snapped together they are difficult at best to take apart again without causing damage. And I still haven’t attached the dozens and dozens of tiny hairs to the head and face of the Predator-maybe when I retire.

At first the attention to detail was irritating but soon I found myself enjoying it like I never did putting a model together and in less than a tenth of the time it took to build and paint something, I had an absolutely pristine figure that would hold any pose I put it in.

The Predator is accessorized with bone jewelry a beautifully tailored cape and very, very sharp metal weapons. Be careful- I actually drew blood messing around with them. In addition to the extendable spear he also has twin extendable wristblades.

Robocop and Ed-209 are simpler figures but no less enjoyable with Robocop having a flip open leg holster, standard issue weapon and spot on sculpt. The Robocop figure is so finely balanced you can pose him with no stand although I recommend using the stand to avoid scratching its finish. The Robo was actually the first Hot Toys figure I received and I have to say a lot of my reaction to the line sprang from the feeling of quality that exudes from it. The figure also comes with a an additional set of interchangeable hands, including fist with spike.

And in scale with Robo is Ed-209 one of the last great stop motion movie monsters. For those of us who miss that particular art form having access to a model much like the one that was used to create the character is priceless. And this rendition of Ed seems ready to kick butt even at 15 inches. Again this figure will hold any pose you put it in. One minor complaint here is the major difference in the paint job between what is featured on Sideshow’s site and what you actually get. The pics on Sideshow suggestwhitish shell trimmed in a bluish green. The actual Ed figure is much darker- bluish green shell wth black trim. I’m no purist when it comes to such things myself especially given the wonderfully quality of the piece overall. There isn’t a person who comes into my office that doesn’t remark about Ed.

Paul Verhoeven has never been a favorite of mine and though I enjoy Robocop and Total Recall- heck I even have a certain fondness for Starship Troopers- I’ve watched his career devolve into exactly the sort of wretched excess I expected. His stomach turning violence and gratuitous use of sex and nudity betrayed exactly the lack of finesse that makes for a good storyteller. I haven’t seen his new film Black Book but will soon and am interested to see if age is helping him aim a little higher than the groin.

Speaking of aiming higher than the groin, all of the above figures look like they could spring to life at any moment to do major manhood damage. My advice is to bolt them in place. After all, a couple of computer chips in the right place and Sideshow could probably take over the modeling world if not the world itself with these little brutes