2005 San Diego Comic Convention
-- Special Thanks to Rebelscum.com, LordoftheRingsGuide.com,
Action-Figure.com, AFTimes.com, TNI, Toymania, The Outer Reaches, TORN, etc. --
-- MAJOR THANKS go out to Mike N. (aka Radagaster), our SDCC attending Dragonspy, for all the AWESOME photos!!--
Prelude: Loads of new stuff we are covering this year with the impending release of KONG, Chronicles of Narnia, more Pirates of the Carribean, and loads more cool movies that suit The Green Dragon just fine...the more the merrier! Here you will find all the news and information about your favorite lines of Action Figures, Toys, and Collectibles. Be sure to check out each section for updates as each section is updated separately.
Now...on with the updates:
Last Updated: 16 Jul 2005, 1pm EST
Convention Highlights: Narnia and POTC are some very positive highlights so far as well as the very cool looking KONG collectibles. Sideshow, despite abandoning LOTR...has some great stuff to show off!!
Convention Disappointments: There are always a few things seen at the shows that are disappointing. From the 2005 SDCC, we already have a couple items to report:
Sideshow/WETA: The folks at Sideshow/WETA announced in early July 2005 that their Lord of the Rings lines are coming to a close. This Press Release goes into the details and reveals the final pieces to be included as part of the Lord of the Rings line. This is very sad news...inevitable, but sad nonetheless.
NECA: The Lord of the Rings Balrog is a HUGE question mark for NECA this year. This production piece, which would be a massive venture...and probably THE centerpiece of many Lord of the Rings collections...has been continually pushed back for retooling, etc. If NECA can't get this puppy made, loads of Lord of the Rings fans are sure to be disappointed. We are hoping that the SDCC 2005 will reveal the FINAL plans for this figure! Below are some shots of this figure from SDCC 2004!
  
Stay tuned for further news on the above and even more potential disappointments. We sure hope that Lord of the Rings has more Highlights than Disappointments!
Sideshow/WETA (LOTR): We expect a massive showing as Sideshow/WETA closes out the Lord of the Rings lines for all time...I would assume that this show is likely the last that you will see of Lord of the Rings products at the various major toy shows...lets hope they go out with a memorable BANG!
AWESOME Sideshow/WETA Links:
Remaining Sideshow/WETA LOTR Items (IN STOCK)
Sideshow/WETA LOTR PRE-ORDER Items
Sideshow/WETA LOTR Special Deals
Sideshow/WETA LOTR Line (16 Jul 2005: 1pm): Our dragonpsy Radagaster got another cool shot of the Aragorn Statue, a great shot of the SDCC 2005 Exclusive Rohirrim Soldier BUST, and he also got some great shots of the Sideshow/WETA AFTERHOURS party where they gave away some very cool stuff including a set of the Gondorian Helms and a sweet Hellboy Statue:
Sideshow/WETA After Hourse SDCC Party
Sideshow/WETA LOTR Line (14 Jul 2005: 8am): The folks at Sideshow/WETA revealed the sculpts of the Peter Jackson as a Corsair, the Mumak, and the Amon Hen environments at the show. They all look very promising. The Mumak looks a bit plain in our opinion and the blood work looks a bit drab, but other than that the statue looks like another amazing Sideshow/WETA production piece. They also had the Sauron, Troll, KOTD, Aragorn on Brego, Legolas on Gimli, Pippin, and Eowyn Statues as well. Check out all the cool stuff below:
Sideshow/WETA SDCC 2005 Announcements
Sideshow/WETA SDCC 2005 Announcements
Sideshow/WETA Announces Star Wars 12" Line (13 Jul 2005: 11pm): The folks at Sideshow/WETA dropped another very cool little bomb. Looks like they are teaming up with Hasbro to do 12" figures based in the Star Wars Universe...this is a very promising license and these figures will be extremely detailed with awesomely detailed accessories. Be ready for the pre-order announcement! Read the press release HERE!
Sideshow/WETA Announces Star Wars Line and MORE (13 Jul 2005: 10pm): The folks at Sideshow/WETA dropped their first SDCC 2005 bomb. They announced a line of 1:1 scale Star Wars BUSTS and are leading it off with a Darth Maul Bust. It is now ready for pre-order...so get on over and check it out.
Sideshow/WETA 2005 SDCC Exclusive,SWEET LINKS, and 2005 Offerings (13 Jul 2005): The folks at Sideshow/WETA announced the EXCLUSIVE SDCC products back in JUNE 2005 and enable folks to PRE-ORDER the items and pick them up at the show...they also allowed a select few of each product to be sold to folks online who were not attending the show. A very cool jesture by the Sideshow/WETA team to give folks who are not attending the opportunity to get in on the EXCLUSIVE action. As news and imagery trickel in...stay tuned right here as we learn more about the future of Lord of the Rings from SSW perspective...if their is a future!
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Rohirrim Soldier Bust
SOLD OUT |
AWESOME Sideshow/WETA Links:
Remaining Sideshow/WETA Items (IN STOCK)
Sideshow/WETA PRE-ORDER Items
Sideshow/WETA LOTR Special Deals
Master Replicas (LOTR, POTC, and Narnia): Master Replicas announced, via The Green Dragon, that they have no Lord of the Rings products in the works. They just could not come up with something that they felt would be a successful product to produce. This is proabbly more a case of getting in the market of Lord of the Rings a bit late...as United Cutlery, Sideshow/WETA, and loads of other companies were already hot on store shelves. We will see what the future holds for MR and Lord of the Rings...if anything.
Master Replicas NARNIA and POTC(16 Jul 2005: 1pm): Master Replicas revealed a couple more very cool products coming as part of their Narnia line. These products are looking very sweet. Peters Sword Miniature, The White Witch's Scepter, and the very cool Peter's Helm simply look amazing. In their POTC line, our Dragonspy Radagaster got a couple more cool shots...Flintlock and Davey Jone's Key:
Master Replicas NARNIA (14 Jul 2005: 8am): Master Replicas announced in their recent SDCC press release and they have their first waves of Narnia products on display in San Diego. These products raneg from Sword Replicas like those from United Cutlery, Miniatures? or are these mock-ups of the children's Christmas Gifts. And some other cool looking stuff. Check out the shots below:
Master Replicas POTC (14 Jul 2005: 8am): Master Replicas announced in their recent SDCC press release and they have all of these products on display at this years SDCC 2005. Looks like these will be some very cool items...especially that Sparrow statue, compass, and flintlock! Check out the shots below and get ready for a great year from MR:
Master Replicas SDCC 2005 Coverage: Master Replicas announced in a press release just before SDCC 2005 of several products that they have hitting the streets over the next year or so. Below we have captured the heart of the Press Release...you can check out their entire product line HERE. We expect a great showing from MR this year at SDCC 2005...stay tuned right here for detailed imagery and information!
Toybiz (LOTR): The coverage of all things LOTR and Toybiz follows...some great news and some great imagery...be sure to check out all the coverage:
Toybiz SDCC 2005 Coverage (16 Jul 2005: 1pm): Looks like Toybiz made a showing afterall. There were tons of reports that they were a no show, but it looks like they showed up this year with the Epic Trilogy line...and what appears to be the exact same figure from Toyair 2005...with slight paint changes. Heck, they even have the Gondorian Soldier WITH the mustache...who knows which version we will get in stores. Also, the Frodo and Gondorian soldier look VERY COMICAL in our opinion...the head of the Gondorian just looks cartoonish...don't you think:
News from Julius Marx at Action Figure Insider: "There are a few things being shown at the Diamond booth. There are still at lease 2 other waves that Damon is working on right now. I asked Damon about this on Thrusday. He said they still have plans for more LOTR, they're just waiting to see what retailers are willing to order. He has two other assortments designed and ready to cut steel on the tooling overseas."
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Toybiz Epic Trilogy Assortment - DUE Fall 2005 |
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Toybiz SDCC 2005 Coverage (15 Jul 2005): Is Toybiz a NO SHOW at this years SDCC as far as Lord of the Rings is concerned? Several sites are reporting such. JayC, moderator over at ToyNewsInternational.com, is reporting that there was NO LOTR whatsoever at the Toybiz booth. What gives...is Toybiz following Sideshow/WETA's lead and dropping the line. Who knows, but hopefully they will make a LOTRshowing before the show ends...sad news nonetheless! Below are some of the press shots of what is likely the last waves EVER for Lord of the Rings from Toybiz...the EPIC Trilogy Series:
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Toybiz Epic Trilogy Assortment - DUE Fall 2005 |
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Toybiz SDCC 2005 Coverage (13 Jul 2005): We expect Toybiz to show off the Epic line of figures at this years SDCC. It will be interesting to see if they have anything NEW to show us from their Lord of the Rings line. With Sideshow/WETA closing out their LOTR lines, Toybiz may be quick to follow.
Other Site Coverage:
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AFTimes.com - Check them often...they always have a little something! |
Action-Figure.com - Likely to get stuff in, but usually a couple days after the show ends!
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NECA (POTC and LOTR): Loads of information...especially about the UPCOMING LOTR Balrog figure...also expect to see the next wave of Pirates of the Carribean figures on display. Get ready for all the latest info below:
NECA Epic Gandalf (16 Jul 2005: 1pm): We added a new shot...a much better close-up...of the impending Epic Gandalf figure. Also, check out the LOTRG.com interview with NECA's Randy Faulk...some VERY POSITVE news about the Epic Balrog!
Mike N. got a very cool shot of the upcoming Epic Scale Gandalf the Grey figure...check it out below. He also had some comments...read on:
"Only had Epic Gandalf, and no sign of the Balrog. No other stuff for POTC nor LOTR. They still had some of their stuff in wraps. I'm hoping for the Balrog . . ."
 
NECA SDCC 2005 LOTR Coverage (13 Jul 2005): Coming Soon...we expect to see the Epic Gandalf figure and the Balrog...remains to be seen exactly whatthe fate of the Mighty Balrog will be...will it get made...will it be FULL SIZE as originally planned...will it retain electronics...stay tuned here for the latest:
  
REMEMBER THIS from Toyfair 2005??? (30 Jan 2005): Perhaps the BIGGEST news of the show is that NECA confirmed the release of the Epic Scale Gandalf and Epic Scale BALROG for THIS YEAR!! No details on the ACTUAL release date for the Balrog, but the Gandalf figure is expected in the Apr/May 2005 timeframe. No details on what features the Balrog will have either. At least a bit of good news though with all of the recent negative speculation about the Balrog...finally something to cheer about!
NECA SDCC 2005 Pirates of the Carribean Coverage (13 Jul 2005): Expect to see the SECOND wave of POTC 7" action figures and perhaps an announcement of additional waves!
Other Coverage:
Art Asylum (LOTR): It will be interesting to see what Art Asylum shows at this years SDCC...be sure to stay tuned right here to see what happens in the Medeival world from SDCC 2005!
Art Asylum LOTR Minimates (16 Jul 2005: 1pm): Our very own SDCC 2005 Dragonspy, Radagaster, got some great shots from the AFX booth of the upcoming Wave 3 Minimates and the AFX exclusive minimates of the Prologue Elves and the Prologue Elrond! Check out the cool shots below:
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LOTR Wave 3 Minimates - DUE Fall 2005 |
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Art Asylum LOTR Minimates (15 Jul 2005: 1pm): The folks over at LOTRG.com have just added some great new imagery of the upcoming WAVE 3 Lord of the Rings Minimates. While these are not images from SDCC, they are new images and coincide with SDCC 2005. Be sure to check them out.
Other Coverage:
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Looks like they got some images of the upcoming Wave 3 Minimates...Witchking, Ringwraith, Lurtz, Aragorn, and EOWYN! |
Hasbro (Chronicles of Narnia): This section is dedicated to the Chronicles of Narnia Toys that will be hitting the shelves of every retailer from here to eternity in November for the upcoming The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Hasbro has some very promising stuff coming...below are a few teaser images of what we have seen thus far in the Narnia Toy World:
Hasbro Chronicles of Narnia (16 July 2005: 1pm): Our very own SDCC 2005 Dragonspy, Radagaster, got some very cool shots of the upcoming Narnia toys from Hasbro. They were in the Narnia display area and they look pretty cool. About the biggest drawback of these toys looksto be a SERIOUS lack of articulation. Remains to be seen how these do when they hit shelves:
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The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe Toys - DUE Fall 2005 |
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Figures.com - Great shots of the Deluxe Line of Figures!!
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Action-Figure.com - A load of imagery from the US Toyfair! Regardless, read the artciles and start the rumor mill churning!!
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WETA Collectibles (Kong and Narnia): We are making the great leap and assuming that WETA collectibles, in partnership with Dark Horse, will be showing some preliminary sculpts or statues of their upcoming Chronices of Narnia line. Stay tuned right here as we learn more about this new line of collectibles from WETA...perhaps we will even see some of the King Kong stuff as well. Below are a few press and teaser shots of what we should expect in the first waves of WETA collectibles based in the Narnia universe:
WETA Collectibles, More KONG and NARNIA (16 Jul 2005: 1pm): WETA Collectibles have an AWESOME looking display at SDCC this year. Our Dragonpsy, Radagaster, was able to get a few more cool shots of the WETA products coming for the Kong and Narnia movies. Check these out...as well as a very cool shot of WETA's own Richard Taylor!
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WETA Collectibles NARNIA and KONG (16 Jul) |
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WETA Collectibles NARNIA (14 Jul 2005: 8am): WETA Collectibles have an AWESOME looking display at SDCC this year. Looks like they have a LOAD of KONG stuff and a LOAD of Narnia stuff coming as these movies are being released later this fall. The Narnia stuff is especially sweet and looks very similar to the Lord of the Rings line of statues, busts, and environments released by their partnership with Sideshow. Check out all the sweet shots obtained from Mike N....our SDCC 2005 Dragonspy! Mike also got some nice tidbits from WETA as well:
Got this official word from a Weta rep on LOTR figures:
Q: Where is Faramir?
A: "No Faramir because they have since panned out to other ventures (namely
Kong and Narnia)."
Q: Any plans to revisit LOTR after Narnia/Kong:
A: "Not officially since some of their statues did not sell (namely Grima)".
Q: Asked about possibility of Hobbit merchandise when it comes out?
A: "Will wait for Newline to seal the deal"
McFarlane (Dragons and Conan): McFarlane was present at this years show and our SDCC 2005 Dragonspy Radagaster was able to capture some very cool imagery of the McFarlane Conan and Dragons figures at the show. They has the 2-ups at the show as well and these were very cool to see in person...check out the cool shots below:
McFarlane Conan and Dragons (16 Jul 2005: 1pm): Todd McFarlane was presetn at the show and so were some of the figures from the Conan and Dragons lines...especially cool were the 2-ups!!
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McFarlane Conan and Dragons (16 Jul) |
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Sabretooth Games (LOTR): The folks at Sabretooth games made a showing and brought their very cool Balrog figure:
Cinamaquette (LOTR): A very cool PROTOTYPE of the Cinemaquette Aragorn figure was present at the show. Check out the cool images below (this is pending licensor and actor approval) :
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