"Where are we going? Life, the timeless, mysterious gift, is still evolving. What wonders - or terrors - might evolution hold in store for us in the next ten thousand years? In a million? In six million? Perhaps the answer lies in this old house in this old and misty valley..."
..in this action figure...

Gwyllm Griffiths comes from the episode "The Sixth Finger", from the first season of The Outer Limits, and aired on October 14, 1963. The story concerns a dumb peasant boy who allows himself to be subjected to some evolutionary experiments that basically hurl him thousands of years into his "biological future". In other words, he doesn't actually travel through time himself, but his body undergoes the changes of the species as it advances through the generations, one of those changes being the addition of a sixth finger, for added dexterity. The entire episode is viewable online. Here is part 1:

Gwyllm Griffiths is another one of those figures that I never cared much for until I actually owned it. On the surface, it doesn't look that spectacular. It's just an egghead with an extra finger on each hand and a boring all white costume. But perhaps because of it's almost antiseptic appearance, the figures really stands out from the rest of my monster toys. Perhaps moreso than any other figure I've got, this one just screams "SCI-FI" more than horror.

As you might expect, the head sculpt is once again phenomenal. Even if they weren't set so far back into the skull, I think those eyes would show a depth rarely seen on a toy. There is some real emotion in these eyes, from sadness to arrogance and contemplation.

Unforunately, perhaps because he has just a bald head, the seam lines across the top of the cranium is a bit more noticeable here than it might be on other figures. Still, it's not a huge distraction.

The hands are unremarkable, excepting of course, the addition of the sixth finger on which the episode is named. The costume, a simple white patient's uniform, is well made and features buttons along the right side of the figures torso. These buttons appear to be old fashioned from the outside, but underneath have metal snaps. A pocket is also sewn into the left breast. The pants have no real distinguishing characteristics to speak off and the black shoes are removable. All in all, it seems to be an accurate representation of the character from the episode.

The only accessories included with this figure are two books: "Descent Of Man" by Charles Darwin and "Bach: Preludes For Piano". They are rather large so I don't bother displaying them with the figure, but he can hold them if you so desire.

The packaging matches the other releases from the line. A black and white photo adorns the front cover with pertinent episode information on the inside flap.

Although he's using the "wrong" finger, the image on the back looks rather, uh, dismissive. Who knows.. maybe customs, and hand gestures, have also changed 10,000 years in the future.

"A war between worlds had long been dreaded. Throughout recent history, Man, convinced that life on other planets would be as anxious and belligerent as life on his own, has gravely predicted that some dreadful form of combat would inevitably take place between our world and that of someone else.

And Man was right."

"Nightmare" was an episode of the classic science fiction program "The Outer Limits" and aired during the first season, on December 2, 1963 to be exact. The episode featured a young Martin Sheen as an Earth soldier captured by an advanced race of aliens from the planet Ebon (pronounced with a soft "E", like "Eh Bon") and separated from his fellow soldiers for questioning.

In 2002, Sideshow Collectibles (then still known as Sideshow Toys) released a series of 12" figures to commemorate the classic program. In addition to the Ebonite Interrogator, there were the Zanti Misfits from the episode of the same name, Ikar and Ikar's Soldier from the episode "Keeper Of The Purple Twilight", Gwillm Griffiths from the episode "The Sixth Finger" and The Helosian ("O.B.I.T.") and Andro ("The Man Who Was Never Born"), who were sold together as a set.

Originally, I didn't care too much for the box art for these figures, but over time I'm come to like it a lot. It's simple, but really evokes the feel of the show. The front lid opens and a ton of information about the episode (a synopsis, production notes, cast and crew) is printed on the inside front cover. Across from that, the figure is visible throw a plastic window as it rests in it's tray.

As with most of these types of figures, a fully poseable generic doll body is used along with character specific designs for the head, hands, costume and accessories. I can't say enough about the sculpt of the head of this one. It is PERFECT. This guy looks like he stepped right out of your TV screen and onto your shelf. Even the paint applications on the head perfectly highlight the ridges of the creatures skull without being distracting or overstated.

The hands are also well done and are molded specifically to hold the characters included accessories. The interrogation wand fits snugly in the left hand while the right hand can hold the mind control device.

The costume is simply but effective. A plastic collar circles the neck and a black outfit, highlighted with light purple, covers the rest of the body. The wings of the are large and exaggerated, running literally from the ankles to the wrists, but are an effectively spooky addition.

If the figures fails anywhere, it's because the stand (included) cannot really wrap around the figures waist without compressing those wings against the body. The back of the costume can be unbuttoned so that you can insert the metal clamp around the waist under the costume, but you have to really pull it down a bit farther than it goes naturally to do it. Still, I think it's the best way to display it and if it stretches out the costume too much over time....well, so be it.

I really like this figure and am glad it never really shot up in price. I got mine for about $10-$15 on Ebay not long ago, along with the Gwyllm Griffiths (review forthcoming). I would highly recommend these to any monster or sci-fi fan.

The Ebonite Interrogator was limited to 5,000 pieces.

The last piece of my Sideshow 12" monster collection.

It's always nice to be able to complete a collection, be it a run of comics, a vintage line of toys or some modern releases. And this past Christmas I lucky enough to be given this 12" Hunchback of Notre Dame toy, completing my collection of Sideshow monsters. I don't have all the different color variations and things like that, but I'm not interested in those. Just one of each monster released is good enough for me.

This figure is based on the character of Quasimodo as portrayed by the great Lon Chaney in the 1923 silent movie classic The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

This was the last one I got because it's just not one of my favorite characters and on top of that, it's a pretty easy one to find. Furthermore, the price on this one has been pretty consistently low (about $30-40) so there just was never any urgency for me to pick it up. As so often happens in cases like that though, now that I have it, I love it.

As with all Sideshow 12" figures, the Hunchback comes in a full color box with opening top lid and clear plastic window inside. I'm not too big a fan of the artwork on the front of this one, though, as it features Esmeralda more prominently than Quasimodo.

The toy is very well articulated, allowing a wide range of motion to strike some pretty unique poses.

The clothing is very well done, with several layers to add depth. The shirt is nicely tied off with faux rope and the belt strapped on and actually adjustable. In addition to his regular costume, accessories include the crown, robe and sceptre of the "King of the Fools". With the last entry in the line, they finally got it right by giving the toy a hand than can actually hold it's accessory!

Unfortunately, the crown itself doesn't fit on the head too snugly and you basically have to rest it on there and pose the toy so it doesn't fall off. The crown is made of a very flexible plastic, maybe even a thin rubber, but it's just to small to fit over the head. Not a huge problem though. It will stay off if you just put it on after posing it.

An adjustable stand with the title and an image of Frankenstein in the Universal Monster logo on the base is also included.

This figure was limited to 2000 pieces. A black and white "Silver Screen Edition" was also released in even smaller numbers. That version was limited to just 500 pieces.

"All good people are asleep and dreaming.."

The original "Outer Limits" has always been one of my favorite tv shows and it's really something of a mystery why I don't own more merchandise from it. Until recently, the only things I had were both figures from the Zanti Misfits, both by Sideshow Collectibles. In addition to the Sideshow figures, there's also a really cool vintage board game that I'd love to have, among other things.

This set features two 12" figures from the episode "Keeper of the Purple Twilight", which aired on December 5, 1964. The story concerns an emotionless alien who comes to Earth to learn about humans. He manages to somehow take a scientist's emotions (in exchange for knowledge of how to build an incredibly destructive weapon) because he thinks that things like love and hate are energy sources. Honestly, outside of the nice alien designs, I thought it wasn't one of the best episodes I've seen. It's up on YouTube in 6 parts...

Perhaps the thing that I like most about this episode is that it is the source of a sample found in Skinny Puppy's song Tin Omen. It may sound weird, but one of the things in life that makes me happiest is to be just chillin' out watching some movie or tv show when suddenly you are surprised with a sample that you've heard plenty of times but never knew where it was from. Sure, these days I'd bet there's all sorts of places online where you can find out where they are from, but I still love that surprise. (If you didn't watch the clips, it's right at the beginning of part 3.)

Ok, so enough about the show and the song and whatnot. Now the toys.. Both figures come packaged together in a 14" square box with a lid that swings open to the left to reveal the toys resting behind a clear plastic window. On the back of the lid you will find a synopsis of the episodes, along with production notes and cast and crew credits. Furthermore, there's several pictures from the show and even a picture of Ikar kicking back reading an issue of "Famous Monsters Of Filmland"!

The first figure, Ikar, is the main antagonist of the episode and features a distinctive design with pointy ears, a large bulbous head and a trio of gills for a mouth. The design was quite popular and was used as the inspiration for one of the cantina band members in the original Star Wars.

The hands of Ikar have really long figures, but the figure features an odd choice. The left hand has separated, flexible fingers, but the right hand has all the fingers connected to each other. I have no idea why they would bother to make it like that.

As you can see, Ikar also has the gun that he helps create in the episode, but it's not easy to get him to hold it properly. You basically have to just rest it in his hands and hope it doesn't fall out.

The second figure, Ikar's soldier, is basically a modified version of Ikar. It has the same body, feet and clothing, but has a different head and hands. The soldier is meaner looking and not just because his hands look like sharp metallic claws. He's also got an angry look in his eyes, whereas Ikar himself looks almost cute.

Both figures feature standard articulation for a 12" doll, except for Ikar's soldier, who has a really thick neck that doesn't allow for any significant movement. Ironically, even though the entirety of their bodies are covered by their clothing, the flesh colored figures are painted green to match the heads around the edges. Not the whole body, just near the ends of the clothing. Wish they'd done that for all their figures...

Custom adjustable stands featuring the Outer Limits logo, the name of the episode and the name of the character are included.

If you're a fan of science fiction and 12" figures, these Outer Limits monsters can be found at a good deal on the after market. Although this set originally retailed for $70, I think I got mine for about $22 on Ebay. Now I just gotta get off my butt and get the rest in this series, not to mention the Twilight Zone figures (of which I have none as of yet...)

Sideshow Collectibles and CollectionDX team up to give one lucky winner a 12" Hot Toys T-REX - Apexplorers!

How to enter:

Just send an email to contest@collectiondx.com and mention the Sideshow / CDX giveaway. We'll pick one lucky winner randomly on the last day of Toy Fair, Wednesday, February 18, 2009. Sorry, CDX staff are not eligible to enter.

Sideshow Collectibles and CollectionDX team up to give one lucky winner a 12" Hot Toys T-REX - Apexplorers!

One lucky winner will win a 12" Hot Toys T-REX - Apexplorer, courtesy of Sideshow Collectibles.

Limited Edition of 75 imported to US, retail value of $199.00!

The T-REX Apexplorers 1:6 scale figure comes with a full uniform and accessory set.

Sideshow will be posting their Toy Fair news on their site, starting Feburary 5th at the Sideshow Toy Fair News page, so be sure to visit and check it out.

How to enter:

Just send an email to contest@collectiondx.com and mention the Sideshow / CDX giveaway. We'll pick one lucky winner randomly on the last day of Toy Fair, Wednesday, February 18, 2009. Sorry, CDX staff are not eligible to enter.

The Fine Print

The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after announcement of win to receive the product from Sideshow Collectibles. All prizes are non-transferable, with no cash redemptions and/or substitutions except at Sponsor's sole discretion. See below for more International Shipping Terms. To get the latest news from Sideshow Collectibles, join our Newsletter!

Delivery time & Restrictions: All continental US orders are shipped via either UPS or FedEx ground service. Because FedEx cannot provide tracking numbers for P.O. Boxes, Sideshow Collectibles will not ship to a P.O. Box. Please provide your street address or your shipment will be delayed. For FedEx Ground deliveries, please allow up to 6 business days for delivery from the date your order is shipped.

International Shipping Restrictions: At this time Sideshow Collectibles is unable to make shipments to Venezuela or Nigeria. Please Click Here for further international shipping information and restrictions.

All taxes are the responsibility of the winner. All prizes are non-transferable, with no cash redemption and/or substitutions except at Sponsor's sole discretion. All international winners will be responsible for any duties, tariffs, taxes or import fees assessed to their prize. Further, some countries outside of the U.S. do not have reliable mail services. In the event that a prize has been stolen or mishandled during shipment to an international destination, Sideshow may not be able to replace the specific item and will substitute a prize at its own discretion. If the winner prefers a specific quicker shipping method, they are responsible to notify Sideshow immediately, and will also be responsible to cover the additional costs if any. At this time, we do not accept credit cards from Mexico. Refer to our Help Desk for alternative payment options.

"A Mate... For The Monster!"

So the guy I got my Mummy from also had this Bride Of Frankenstein, which I'd also put off buying, and I figured I might as well save on shipping. So, here she is, the penultimate figure in the completion of my 12" Sideshow Monsters collection. (I still need the Hunchback and then I'm done!). Naturally, the Bride of Frankenstein hails from the movie of the same name, released in 1935 as a direct sequel to Frankenstein.

It's kind of ironic that I should end up getting both of these figures at once since they are the only two in the line that both come almost entirely wrapped up in bandages and it's interesting to see how the two figures compare in this regard. One would think they would be pretty much the same, but they are really not. The Bride figure has much more maneuverability in the limbs than the Mummy does. I'm not sure if this is because the fabric used is more flexible (hey, it hasn't been in a tomb for thousands of years!) or if it's due in part to the smaller arms used for the female figure. Maybe it's a combination of both, but either way, you can pose this doll much easier than the Mummy.

The face sculpt by Mat Falls is a bit weird to me. Looking at it without comparison, I find myself thinking that it doesn't look like the the Elsa Lanchester Bride that I remember, yet when you compare it to the images on her on the box, it's actually pretty spot on. The paint details on this figure are particularly good. Notice the individually painted eyelashes.

The gown is HUGE and covers everything except the head and arms. It is tied behind the head and it looks like you could pretty easily undo it and remove the gown. Once exposed, you'll see that most, but not all, of the figure is wrapped up. The hips are not wrapped much, but there is a white undergarment instead. I'm not off-hand if that's the way it was in the movie, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume so. Either way, you're never gonna see it on display anyway, assuming you display it with the gown on.

Included accessories are some laboratory equipment, a heart and a stand. The heart goes in the jar and the other two pieces can connect via the wires, but be careful. The tab on one of them broke almost immediately on mine. Which kind of stinks because I never display that stuff anyway and I only attach it to take a picture for this review. See the sacrifices I make for CDX?!?! ;)

Naturally, as usual we get a nice box featuring the original poster art for The Bride Of Frankenstein with some still images from the movie on the back.

Box Front

Box Rear

In and of itself, Sideshow's 12" Bride of Frankenstin figure is a nice doll, but I wanted it mostly to have a complete set of the classic monsters. I mean, if you've got Frank, you gotta get him his bride!

"It comes to life!"

I'm sure I've said it more times than you care to hear, but my favorite Universal Horror picture as a lad was The Mummy. So, which 12" Sideshow monster did I never get around to buying? Why, the Mummy naturally! Too bad too, because it ended up being one of the most expensive in the line, with prices around $150-200 not being unusual. Fortunately, I was able to get a decent deal on mine from a seller who didn't really seem to be in touch with the going rates, as he had this and The Creature (another desirable, high priced Sideshow figure) both up "Buy It Now" for $90 each. Still more than I think it's worth, but I decided to take the plunge and get it.

I found the Mummy to be a pretty disappointing figure. The sculpt of the face is fine, but the rest of the figure is just too hard to pose. It's actually wrapped in gauze from head to toe (ok, more like from neck to foot, but you get the idea) and while that is pretty cool in terms of being screen accurate, it almost completely elimates all the articulation you normally enjoy in a 12" doll. You can move the head around pretty good and raise the arms to almost 90 degrees with the body, but not much more than that. The elbows will barely move now nor will the legs. Now, I know that you barely see him in the movie and that he wouldn't be terrible dynamic in his movements anyway, but I just found it somewhat disappointing.

Granted, what you lose in articulation you gain right back with how cool those wrappings look, particularly the end pieces hanging off the right arm and trailing behind the left leg.

The accessories here are few, but nice. Just like with the 8" Mummy, you get a replica of the box containing the scroll of Thoth and the scroll of Thoth itself. However, this time around there is no stone tablet. The box is nicer than on the smaller version, with heiroglyphics added to the top lid, a row of stars around the middle of all four sides and the figures along the edges have greater depth to them, in addition to being painted gold. If I had any complaint at all with the box, it might be that it looks a bit too new.

The Scroll of Thoth is very nicely done and seems to be the exact same one that comes with the 12" Ardeth Bey. It's very different from the 8" version though, with a far greater amount of detail placed into the writing.

While the figure itself is "ok", I think this time around the box is my favorite part of the ensemble. The original poster art for The Mummy is among my favorite Universal Monster posters and it is lovingly recreated for the front lid of the box of the figure, with minor modifications of course. The back of the box has a closeup of the Mummy's face and the interior of the lid features a listing of the cast and crew of the movie.

Box Front

Box Rear

The Mummy is limited to 3,000 pieces and is a good figure, but not great. It's definitely worth having in your collection, if for no other reason than to have a complete set of 12" Sideshow monsters. But I can't really recommend paying the going rate for it. If you can, wait until you find a good deal, like I did. Or better yet, hopefully you got one for it's initial $40 price tag when it came out!

You know, we complain about Japanese toys being too expensive

You know, we complain about Japanese toys being too expensive. The C-3PO Life-Size Figure from Sideshow is really impressive, but at $6,000 you really have to be doing well in this life to afford it.

The R2-D2 Life-Size Figure is similarly priced at $5400.

Sideshow Collectibles' C-3PO and R2-D2 are the most authentic life-size reproductions ever available to private collectors. Available now for pre-order, these highly-anticipated collectibles will begin shipping in 3rd Quarter 2008. Crafted of fiberglass and various quality materials, these sought-after droids are sure to be the centerpieces of any Star Wars collection, perfect for your home, office, or theater room.

Both figures will include light and sound function, for the most 'real' experience possible. The light and sound will be powered by the included power cord and U.S. plug, with International (EU) adapter also included. There is no battery option.

Each figure will include a display base, perfect for keeping your favorite droid in a comfortable standing position.

C-3PO and R2-D2 will each include a restraining bolt accessory, which you may attach via magnets imbedded in the figures.

More details and images of these figures will be released in the time before C-3PO and R2-D2 are ready to ship. Stay tuned to SideshowCollectibles.com for news and updates!

Product Size: 66" H (1676.4mm), Est. Ship Date: 4th Qtr 2008

Limited Edition: 250

Hey, at least they throw in free shipping.

A fearless ally of the Rebel Alliance, Captain Antilles refuses to give up any information on the plans' whereabouts standing firm in defense of his cause.

The men and women of the Rebel Alliance are fiercely dedicated to the principle of freedom and their belief in democracy, willing to lay down their lives to see the fall of the Empire. Some were Imperials disillusioned with their government's tyranny. Some were from worlds subjugated by the Empire. In stark contrast to the faceless anonymity of the stormtrooper ranks or the precision drilling of Imperial Academy training, Alliance troops were aggressively individualistic and much more rag-tag.

Princess Leia led a desperate mission in the battle against the Empire, delivering the stolen plans for the Death Star to the Rebellion in hope that Rebellion forces might find a weakness in the battle station's engineering. Leia's ship, the Tantive IV, was captured by Lord Vader near the desert world of Tatooine, and Vader's forces wasted no time boarding the blockade runner.

Aboard the Tantive IV, Vader's troops are quick to begin interrogating its crew for information on the stolen Death Star plans believed to be on board. Lord Vader has little patience in his inquisition. Vader chooses to make an example of the commander of the Tantive IV, Captain Raymus Antilles. The captain has lead his crew through many battles against the Empire, destroying six Imperial shipyards and saving ferries of Rebel captives from certain death. A fearless ally of the Rebel Alliance, Captain Antilles refuses to give up any information on the plans' whereabouts standing firm in defense of his cause.

The Captain Antilles 12 inch Figure features:

* Fully articulated male body (Art S. Buck) with 30+ points of articulation
* Authentic likeness of Captain Raymus Antilles
* Shirt
* Jacket
* Pants
* Boots
* Detailed belt
* Helmet with antenna
* Rebel Trooper blaster
* Interchangeable hands
* 12-inch Figure Display Base with Star Wars logo

Est. Ship Date: 1st Qtr 2009 - &69.99

Captain Antilles 12-inch Figure

Sideshow had the usual massive display of toys, including items from Street Fighter, Hellboy, Star Wars and more.

Sideshow had the usual massive display of toys, including items from Street Fighter, Hellboy, Star Wars and more.

These Street Fighter statues were pretty rad. There was a lot of love for the Street Fighter characters at SDCC this year, probably due to the unveiling of the new SF4 game.

Another big trend I noticed was everything "Animated". Even shows or characters that havent been cartoons are being done in that "Animated" style. Take for example, Buffy:

The TICK

Alien human crew members

Hot Toys Iron Man

Sideshow 12" Star Wars series

Customized Medicom VCD Darth Vaders

VCD Alien

Medicom Death Note

Medicom Hokuto No Ken (Fist of the North Star)

Hellboy II