Sideshow Collectibles 2015 Premium Format Vampirella Statue

Here's a question for you to ponder. What is the largest figure you have in your collection? Just a couple of days ago I received my largest figure. It is a 1/4 scale Sideshow Collectibles Premium Edition Statue of Vampirella. She stands 16" (41cm) tall from the soles of her feet to the top of her head or 22" (56cm) tall if measured from the bottom of her base to the top of her head. When I first saw the announcement that Sideshow Collectibles were making a new statue of Vampirella I knew I had to have her. The photo to the left was taken from the Sideshow Collectibles website and they have placed an apple alongside her to show just how tall she is. I placed my order for her over a year ago, knowing I was in for a long wait before she'd be released. I could have paid for her then but decided to spread the $400 cost for her over a period of ten months. Yes, she is incredibly expensive but I'm paying for quality and she'll be a very good investment as her value will only increase.

As you can well imagine, the figure arrived in a huge box, which I show here. The figure came in six parts - head, body and legs, right arm, a choice of two left arms and the base. The photo above shows my preferred option with Vampi's left arm holding a bat. All of the parts are held in place via slots fitted with strong magnets.

In this photo you can see the alternate left arm without the bat. Sideshow placed an apple alongside the statue to give a sense of scale. I, however, have chosen a 30mm scale miniature figure of Vampirella, which I have placed in front of her base to show just how tall this statue is. That is some height difference, huh?

Here is the rear view of the statue with Vampirella showing off her perfect backside. The amount of detail that has gone into this figure is staggering. I know it's hard to take your eyes off Vampirella but check out her base and see how much work has gone into that. It's incredible!
This is my third statue that I have bought from Sideshow Collectibles and my second Premium Format 1/4 scale figure. You can see my first Premium Format Vampirella statue here -
 http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/sideshow-collectibles-vampirella-statue.html
Although she is the same scale as this statue she is sitting down so looks smaller.
My other Sideshow Collectibles Vampirella was a Tooned-up version which you can see here -
http://vampifansworldoftheundead.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/vampifans-views-44-monthly-musings-25.html

Because this is a Premium Format Statue, the craftsmanship of the sculpting and detail of the paintwork is absolute perfection. Note that Vampirella's costume and boots are made of real leather. If I was a perfectionist I'd have to criticise her boots because they are too long. However, I think she suits thigh-length boots and they look great on her.

Here's a close-up of Vampi's friendly little bat. Once again, the detail on the bat is incredible. It looks like a real bat.

Finally, here's a close-up shot of Vampirella's head. I love the way her hair is flowing out behind her. Just look at her eyes and see how beautifully painted they are. The more I look at her the more I fall in love with her! Is this my all time favourite figure of Vampirella? A resounding yes! She is sheer perfection!

Vampifan's Views 44 - Monthly Musings 25

And so we come to the end of another year... and what a year 2013 turned out to be for me. The obvious highlights were meeting up with Mathyoo and Joe (aka Zabadak) in April. That was a great week and we sure did have a lot of fun. Mathyoo stayed with me for the week, prior to leaving for London to attend Salute 2013. In June my health deteriorated to such a point that I was rushed in to hospital for an emergency operation to repair a hole in my bowel. Four months later I was discharged. In October I made a life changing decision and enrolled with the on-line Dating Agency. I fell in love with the gorgeous Ashley and we have been great friends ever since. Even though my stay in hospital was a low point in my life I did pull through and I made many good friends with the staff who looked after me so well. I was only too happy to attend the Christmas party run by the critical care team of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital earlier this month. The chance to meet up with such close friends was one I was not going to miss.

So Christmas has been and gone. What did Santa bring for Vampifan? Well top of the list was this statue of a tooned-up Vampirella made by Sideshow Collectibles. It cost me about $150 (roughly £100) and I think she is ever so cute and adorable! Continuing the Vampirella theme, my mum bought me the Vampirella Archives Volume 8, an anthology of old Vampi comics when it was published by Warren during the 1970's. Naturally I have the previous 7 volumes, but this is all new stuff for me as I didn't start collecting Vampirella comics until she was published by Harris Comics much later. Mum also gave me money to spend as I wanted, so I used that to pay for my tooned up Vampirella statue. I also got my Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood calendars, which I buy every year. An assortment of sweets, toffees and chocolate, as well as socks and men's toiletries made up the rest of my presents. I had no complaints about what I got and all presents were gratefully received.

Looking to the future, what do I think that 2014 has in store for me? At some point next year I'm going to have to go back to hospital for another operation. Because my bowels are not functioning properly I have had a stoma bag fitted to my stomach. I've got used to it being there. I saw the surgeon who operated on me a couple of months ago and he wants to see me in April when we will discuss having my operation reversed. This is something I very much want to happen. Knowing the staff at the QE Hospital I have no fears in returning there and I have been told that it is a simple operation and I shouldn't be in for very long.
I will continue blogging. That is such a major part of my life that I just couldn't give it up completely. On the hobby front there is much to look forward to. 2014 will see the release of the following Kickstarter projects I have backed - Reaper Bones 2, Zombicide Season 2 second wave of figures, ATZ figures, Mars Attacks figures and 3D Forge Zombies, Survivors and Barricades.That's a LOT of figures I'm waiting for! Oh, check out these resin cast vehicles that have been added to the 3D Forge Kickstarter set. Nice!

3D Forge resin cast vehicles with metal extras

A few weeks ago I heard from Simon Hunter, another upcoming sculptor wanting to produce a range of zombie and survivor miniatures. I've seen the greens for five of his survivor types and very nice they are too. He's currently working on Zeke, an intelligent zombie, who will be his company's mascot. These 28mm scale figures are set for release in March 2014. I'll keep you posted on Simon's progress as and when I learn more.





I'll leave you with this extremely funny message and picture that Bob (aka Irqan) sent me. Enjoy!

Annual Apology
Over the past few months I have forwarded some inappropriate pictures and 

jokes to friends who I thought shared the same sense of humour.. 

Unfortunately this wasn't the case and I seem to have upset quite
a few people who have accused me of being sexist and shallow.. 

If you were one of these people, please accept my sincerest apologies. 

Looking to 2014 onward, I will only post or send e-mail with a cultural or 

educational content such as old monuments, nature and other interesting topics. 

Below is a picture of the Pont Neuf Bridge in Paris . It is the oldest bridge
in Paris and took 26 years to build. It was completed in 1604.

BLOODY HELL, WHERE DID SHE COME FROM????

 I wish you all a very happy New Year. Peace and goodwill to all my followers.

Sideshow Collectibles 2012 Vampirella Statue

A short while ago I placed an on-line order with Amazon for my main Christmas present. My mum very kindly agreed to pay for it. Considering how much it cost this was an extremely generous offer. No, I'm not saying what I paid for it, but it was the most I have ever paid for a figure. For quite some time now I have had my eye on the Sideshow Collectibles 1/4 scale Vampirella statue. As soon as I saw her I fell in love with her and I knew that I had to have her. It is quite simply the best figure of Vampirella I have ever seen and without doubt, the best Christmas present I have ever received, even if she did arrive early.

This is the box that the model came in and it is HUGE! The box measures 26" by 22" by 8" (66cm by 56cm by 20cm) and features this stunning piece of artwork.

And this is what is inside the box - Vampirella sitting on the skull of a dragon, surrounded by human skulls and bones with a rat trying to keep hidden from view. You can just see the rat lurking in between the two human skulls.

At 1/4 scale this statue is tall. The base measures 14.5" by 10" (37cm by 25cm) and Vampirella is 13" (33cm) tall. If she was standing up, you could easily add another 3 or 4 inches to her height. She is cast in heavyweight polystone and weighs 18 pounds or just over 8 kilograms. Believe me, that is some weight!

Vampirella's hair is much longer on this model than how it usually appears in the comics but I am not criticising the sculptor for that because I think it looks gorgeous. It is so full of movement

The model comes in numerous parts. Vampirella's head and arms are attached to her body with powerful magnets. The skulls, bones and rat are attached to the base by means of plugs. They tend to move about if you pick up the model but Vampirella herself and the dragon skull are held firmly in place

The painting of Vampirella is exquisitely done. Just look at her face - it is truly outstanding. Note that her earrings are gold-plated rather than painted. Her skimpy red costume is made of shiny, red leather. Yes, I did what any other male would do and I checked to see if her nipples had been sculpted on. They had been!

The painting of the skulls and bones and the rat is equally impressive. Just check out the amount of shading on this close up. Likewise, notice the shading on the base as well.

I only have one minor criticism to make of the model and you can see here that Vampirella's bat logo is missing from the crotch of her red costume. If I hadn't mentioned it, I very much doubt if any of you would have noticed that. You have to be a big Vampi fan to notice a little detail like that.
I keep most of my Vampirella models and statues in my bedroom/man cave. However, this one has pride of place on our china cabinet in the living room. Even my mum couldn't fail to be impressed by the quality of this sculpt and she was quite happy for me to display it so prominently in our lounge.
I have managed to collect a fair number of Vampirella figures, models and statues over the years but none have had quite the impact as this one on me. This shows Vampirella at her best. She is sexy, confident, playful and stunningly beautiful. Not only has she made this my best Christmas ever, she has made my year. I hope your Christmas was as good as mine!