When I first started getting into collecting it used to seem like Sideshow's stuff was really a thing to aspire toward. When I saw this announcement I was sort of worried as much as excited, because I thought it might be something so awesome I'll have to dig deep in my pocket because I won't want to miss out. But seeing it, much like many of you, I'm underwhelmed.
Yep, it's an alien queen. Yep, the queen herself looks very well sculpted. But the details are just too bothersome. And the pose/diorama is kind of mediocre. I can do all that with my NECA stuff. And I hear you say already, the paint! The paint! But again, even on this showcase piece it's not as crisp as I'd like, and this is their best. From what I've seen of the production problems with 1:1 alien busts this piece will be a QC nightmare.
Perhaps I'm wrong, perhaps I'm just feeling let down by a lot of alien stuff recently. It seems like the alien franchise is being painted with a pretty coarse brush these days, like the people merchandising this stuff aren't big enough fans/or don't care enough to get things right. I'd like to see something and think, wow, I never noticed that detail before, they've made such an effort with the detail. Rather than the opposite, and trying to ignore all the inaccuracies.
Sideshow used to be better, I'm sure. I'd love a 1/4 scale Queen bust! Such a dynamic pose! Or even some of their older maquettes/dioramas. But this recent stuff continually leaves me unimpressed. One of the other new pieces, the Warrior, for instance. The mouth looks weird, and base itself is more interesting than the actual figure!
#firstworldproblems #takingittooseriously
