In Defense of Sideshow's Premium Format...

Loeffelholz

I have received my Premium Format, 1/4 Scale Sean Connery as James Bond figure today...and let me tell you...

:007)

Boys and girls, save your money. Establish a piggy bank, search your sofa cushions for extra coins, start a lemonade stand to capitalize on the summer heat, sell your collection of Beanie Babies on ebay, do something (legally) to acquire the funds necessary---and BUY the premium format Bond figures, if you're in the least inclined to do so...

The Sean Connery is... Absolutely (pun intended) Fantastic. I know that artist Matt Falls has often been given short shrift in comparison to the other sculptor, Oluf Hartvigson, but it certainly appears to me that the larger Premium Format is where Mr. Falls truly excels. For those who haven't seen it, here's the link to Sideshow's website:

http://www.sideshowtoy.com

Click on "James Bond" in the left-hand column, then click on the image of Pierce Brosnan in the figures listed as "Figures Available for Purchase." Then, once you are looking at the Premium Format Pierce Brosnan (my next target! :v ), click on the "Sean Connery as James Bond - Second Chance - EU Only" in the 'Recommendations' column...

The difference between the 18" Premium Format and the standard 12" figures, to which we have all become accustomed, can best be described as "Night and Day."

Because of my recent discretionary expenditure on this Premium Format figure, I am still without a digital camera, ;% but I will gladly answer any questions. Keep in mind that the Pierce Brosnan Bond is currently available, the Roger Moore is in 'pre-order' status...and I can't help but think that future offerings---including a Premium Format Poor Danny---cannot be far behind. B-)

Trust me: This is how to show a visitor to your home that you are a James Bond fan... B-)

EDIT: POST-SCRIPT - My very specific and special thanks go out to my good friend, Markus, in Germany---best known to AJB members as Bondtoys. Markus is a tried, true and trustworthy James Bond cohort. He moved Heaven and Earth to help me get this very difficult and rare item to my front porch...I would, without hesitation, refer anyone to Bondtoys for their collectible James Bond needs.

- The German

Loeffelholz

...Of interest to no one but myself, I'm sure...but I have decided to cancel my (as yet unreleased) Legacy Figure purchases---the Connery and the Brosnan---plus three other, older, 'waiting list' 12" figures...and am putting my eggs (and my discretionary $$) into the Premium Format figures.

My goal is to one day have all of the actors lined up, in a curio cabinet, in the order they played the role...right now, I've only got the Connery---but where else to start? B-)

I'm sure my wife will put a 1/4 scale Santa Claus hat on each of them during Christmas...

:007)

Nightshooter

You better hurry and pre-order the Moore, I believe he is running out!

Loeffelholz

Hence my financial reshuffling of the 007 deck, as it were...

400 pieces...world wide...ye Gods...

i expect u2 die

I'd love to buy the 1/4 Moore figure, but I imagine the postage to the UK would be very expensive!

Loeffelholz

Sideshow does have a UK warehouse for the EU...so it might be worth looking into, IEU2D---not until after I've pre-ordered mine, LOL ;% )

Sir Miles

Isn't it odd that they have cut down the number of pieces from 2000 to 400 for the premium figures ?

I have both the Connery and Brosnan premium figures - bought for half-price, and I would like the Moore figure but not at that price

Loeffelholz

Just pre-ordered the Premium Format Roger Moore; now it's a quest... :v

Nightshooter

Just announced: Thunderball PF Conney. Not in a jetpack, but in a nice three piece suit. http://www.sideshowtoy.com/behindtheshow/?page_id=2494&source=011107news

ohm5s

1/4 scale figures on sale at www.play.com £129 with delivery in the UK.

LOO7K OUT

Nightshooter wrote:

Just announced: Thunderball PF Conney. Not in a jetpack, but in a nice three piece suit. http://www.sideshowtoy.com/behindtheshow/?page_id=2494&source=011107news

From what I understand, the picture shown is just a teaser and the Thunderball figure will be a new scuplt with jetpack. It's a prototype grey suit on the 1st issue Connery 1/4 scale. Which is why you only see the chin, neck and torso on the teaser pic.

superado

LOO7K OUT wrote:

Nightshooter wrote:

Just announced: Thunderball PF Conney. Not in a jetpack, but in a nice three piece suit. http://www.sideshowtoy.com/behindtheshow/?page_id=2494&source=011107news

From what I understand, the picture shown is just a teaser and the Thunderball figure will be a new scuplt with jetpack. It's a prototype grey suit on the 1st issue Connery 1/4 scale. Which is why you only see the chin, neck and torso on the teaser pic.

I've scanned a thread on this on the Sideshow Collectors board and didn't see any "official" indicator or even a hint from Sideshow about the new sculpt and jetpack. Are there other sources stating this out there?

Loeffelholz

I'm actually a little disappointed by the reappearance of Connery as a PF figure, as I was hoping for Craig, Dalton or Lazenby I'd have liked all six actors to have appeared in classic, 'period' Bond tuxes before they started down the more (IMRO) derivative path taken by their recent 'Legacy' line of 12" figures...

Mind you, I understand why they're doing it---Connery, the greatest and most popular Bond, nearly sold out his 2,000-figure production run; I had to resort to extraordinary means (aided by AJB's own Bondtoys, in a remarkable, 'beyond-the-call-of-duty' effort) to get one of the 'second chance' figures...

Brosnan's PF figure was made in a more limited run of 1,200, and some are still available...Moore's figure was limited to a paltry run of 400 worldwide...and apparently some might still be had...

I suppose, rather than risk production of a Craig, Dalton or Lazenby figure (of which only a couple dozen might be made ), they've opted to recycle the cash cow by putting him in new attire. Don't get me wrong---I'm happy for collectors who will get a chance at the excellent Connery PF sculpt, but I confess to being a bit dismayed by the cynical, rather crass obviousness of it all.

I'm sure it will be a cool figure to have, and I recommend the sculpt, but...

LOO7K OUT

superado wrote:

LOO7K OUT wrote:

Nightshooter wrote:

Just announced: Thunderball PF Conney. Not in a jetpack, but in a nice three piece suit. http://www.sideshowtoy.com/behindtheshow/?page_id=2494&source=011107news

From what I understand, the picture shown is just a teaser and the Thunderball figure will be a new scuplt with jetpack. It's a prototype grey suit on the 1st issue Connery 1/4 scale. Which is why you only see the chin, neck and torso on the teaser pic.

I've scanned a thread on this on the Sideshow Collectors board and didn't see any "official" indicator or even a hint from Sideshow about the new sculpt and jetpack. Are there other sources stating this out there?

I've been searching for where I saw this. Can't find it anywhere, but it def wasn't official news. Thunderball is a particular favourite of mine (60% of my collection is Thunderball related) so I'm always searching for stuff I haven't got or new releases) I thought it was on CBNs forum but a search didn't bring anything up.

If in the end, it hasn't got the Jetpack then it's a massively wasted opportunity, as that is the the figure everyone seems to want.

By the way, I think the new pics of the Roger Moore PF figure look excellent. Much better than the prototype pics. Best sculpt of His Rogesty so far. Now, if only they'd do a Lazenby PF....

superado

Thank you for confirming, but there's still hope, I suppose. I myself have been frustrated about the jetpack and not just with Sideshow but for other, smaller shops that have/had planned to make a 1/6th jetpack. I'm actually planning to just scratch build a movie poster of the jetpack because the Dr. No Connery figure is already in a tux, and there's less to do (with more artistic license) compared to a miniature of the real thing.

TonyDP

Here's Sideshow's official page on the new Connery Premium Format figure. Personally, I'm a little disappointed with it. It's pretty much the same pose as the first one and the hair doesn't look quite right if this is supposed to be based on how he looked in TB.


http://www.sideshowtoy.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=71121&source=011807news

LOO7K OUT

Well, that'll teach me to believe rumours of new sculpts and jetpacks ;%

Nice figure but I think I'll reluctantly pass on this one as it's not a new sculpt

Nightshooter

I think it looks great. The suit looks perfect. It is ridiculous that they changed nothing, however.

superado

The lighter color of the suit makes the figure's slightness more obvious, which didn't show as much with the tux's black fabric. I can understand if they were going for the poster art effect, esp. here:

http://www.filmposters.it/imgposter/grandi/007domani.jpg

...but the shoulder imo came out too narrow and the neck a tad long.

Oh, one more thing I just realized, the head now looks big. Don't get me wrong, I have the 1st statue (my only PF) and I'm pleased for what it is, if not in an ideal sense.