I wonder if these AP are actually pieces that had for replacements. I haven't heard of anyone who has needed any replacement pieces for this yet.
Not sure, this is the exact email I got for mine:
On behalf of Sideshow Collectibles, I am proud to tell you that we are releasing ARTIST PROOFS of The Reaper: Death's General Legendary Scale Figure in extremely LIMITED quantity. If you don’t already know, Artist Proofs are items that exist outside the numbered edition and are generally reserved for the licensors, movie studio executives, the filmmakers, and Sideshow owners/partners. These Reaper proofs are ONLY being offered to those who placed waitlist reservations for the numbered edition figure. As it seems you made a reservation for a Reaper numbered edition piece, you now have the opportunity to acquire this piece for your collection. To give you an idea of how few Artist Proofs exist, we can only offer them to a handful of people on the waiting list.
Typically Artist proofs are more expensive than regular edition pieces due to their limited nature…however this is a special occasion. So, we will be matching the price of the numbered edition at $999.99-USD. Be mindful that this price does NOT include shipping costs or any applicable duties/taxes/fees. Should you decide to purchase this piece you can either pay in full or setup a flex-pay plan with up to 3 payments. If choosing flex-pay your first payment will be scheduled for July 5, 2013. Please note: No reward points,
gift cards, or other discounts can be applied to this order, however you will earn new rewards points for placing the order.
If you are interested in purchasing an Artist Proof of The Reaper, PLEASE REPLY DIRECTLY to this email BEFORE Monday June 24th, 5:00pm Pacific Standard Time. In an effort to be as fair as possible I will have to contact the next person on the waitlist should I not hear back from you by end of day Monday.