A brief history of the 1/6th LOTR line from Sideshow:
The initial figure, Aragorn, arrived on the shores of 1/6th Middle Earth looking amazing when first shown. But then several months later, the
production Aragorn started arriving at the homesteads of the collectors and trouble began brewing.
It was at this time that the
Mouth of Sideshow, Josh, made his appearance in 1/6th Middle Earth...
The distinct differences in paint apps took many aback but considering it was the first in the line, slack was given to SS and all was well in 1/6th Middle Earth as anticipation of the next release grew.
Legolas was the next release and the Freaks noticed some definite differences between the prototype's head sculpt and the production sculpt. There were some grumblings regarding the skinny legs as well (blame the Buck for that) but for the most part, things continued well in 1/6th Middle Earth.
(It was during this time that the Darren Carnell custom Legolas headsculpt arrived from the East, making an appearance in 1/6th Middle Earth. Many viewed it as a gift from the Valar and 1/6th Middle Earth was at peace.)
Boromir followed and was actually the best of the lot released so far. Production paint apps were good and the detailing in the outfit and gear were outstanding. Faith in SS rose and like Sauron being chased out of Dol Guldor, 1/6th Middle Earth shone in glory of what the line could become. There was joy throughout the land and the pints of ale and Old Toby flowed endlessly at taverns such as "The Prancing Toy Fair" and "The Golden Comic Con"...
Then the "Faramir Fiasco" struck.
Not even the wise words from the
Mouth of Sideshow could quell the unrest of the collectors. This was the time when torches and pitchforks were actually being collected for the assault against Sideshow.
The die-hard collectors _____ed and moaned but continued onward.
The casual collectors _____ed and moaned as well but boarded the elven ships and left for the "UnBuying Lands"...
The future of 1/6th Middle Earth lay in the balance. If Sideshow strays but a little...
Then came the high price tags (at the time) of the Frodo and Sam figures. At the time it just seemed unjust for these half-sized figures to cost MORE than the full-sized counter parts, particularly compared to those found in the Star Wars line. The few casual collectors that had remained loyal quickly headed South towards Harad or
Hot Toys Land in the common speech, stating that if they were going to be paying such high prices, they at least should be getting full sized and well painted figures.
By the time the magnificient Gandalf figure was released, only the true
Dunedain Die-hards remained. Sales were slow and Sideshow, blaming the few remaining collectors for their supposed lack of interest in the 1/6th line, left 1/6th Middle Earth in a puff of
Mount GI Joe smoke.
A select few of the Dunedain Die-hards plodded on, coming up with their own custom figures in an attempt to complete the one collection to rule them all, the "Fellowship Nine". Gimli made an appearance. The remaining figures have not yet made an appearance in 1/6th Middle Earth. Hopefully one day...
There have been rumors heard, here and there, occasional whispers and rants, that Sideshow would make a return to 1/6th Middle Earth. But like raw pasta, those are rumors best left unconsumed, lest they make one sick...
