Star Wars 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper

The 442nd Siege Battalion was a unit of clone troopers within the Grand Army of the Republic. As their name implied, the 442nd were skilled in besieging enemy fortifications. They were equipped with AT-RT walkers and ISP speeders with green markings. During the Clone Wars, they were sent to aid in the capture of Cato Neimoidia, a key Trade Federation stronghold.

It is possible that this unit takes its designation from the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a highly-decorated unit of the US Army consisting mostly of Nisei volunteers. These Japanese-American soldiers earned many honors fighting in brutal close-quarters and mountain combat in Italy during World War II. (source: wookiepedia)

The 442nd was a self-sufficient force, and fought with uncommon distinction in Italy, southern France, and Germany. The unit became the most highly–decorated regiment in the history of the United States armed forces, including 21 Medal of Honor recipients. The motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was “Go for Broke.”

Here's another Sideshow Collectibles clone trooper from their Star Wars Militaries series - the 1/6 scale 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper has the same armor as all the other earlier released clone troopers including the Phase II helmet but with a different color scheme.

You can pre-order this Sideshow Collectibles Star Wars 1/6 scale 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper 12-inch figure at TFH till it closes on 11-12-2011. Launch date is expected to be in the 2nd Quarter 2012.

Star Wars Republic Clone Captain

Sideshow is certainly keeping up with their clones. Having previewed the Sideshow Collectibles Star Wars 1/6 scale 442nd Siege Battalion Clone Trooper 12-inch figure in the previous post, here's a first look at the Sideshow Collectibles Star Wars Republic Clone Captain 12-inch figure.

The Clone Wars, also known as the Clone War and the Great Clone War, was the name given to the major galactic conflict fought between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. The war was named after the clone troopers utilized by the Republic against the battle droid forces of the CIS. These armies, the Grand Army of the Republic and the Separatist Droid Army, were two of the largest ever pitted against each other in galactic history, and the fighting between them rapidly spread to countless inhabited worlds.

During the Clone Wars, the clone trooper captain was a specialized clone trooper breed which was bred on Kamino as battlefield officers and special mission operatives.

At the start of the war, clone trooper captains were recognized by the red markings on their helmets and torso armor, but as the war progressed, clone trooper armor became more customized and red marking not longer signified the rank of captain.

This is Sideshow Collectibles offering of the 1/6 scale Republic Clone Captain 12-inch figure from their Star Wars Militaries line. It is a clone trooper captain of the Grand Army of the Republic in Phase I clone trooper armor. The most obvious difference between Phase I and Phase II armor is the helmet.

The clone troopers were an army of identical, genetically-modified clones, created to serve in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars.

The armor was loosely based on the design of Jango Fett's Mandalorian shock trooper armor. The most notable feature of Mandalorian influence in the armor's design was the helmet's distinctive T-shaped visor.

The full uniform consisted of twenty plastoid armor plates, attached to a black body glove. Other aspects of the armor included the helmet's breath filter, a utility belt and the boots' high-traction soles.

Click on the picture for a bigger and better view :)

At the beginning of the Clone Wars, Phase I battle armor used color to distinguish clone officers from each other and the rest of the rank-and-file stock. For instance, commanders were marked by yellow stripes; captains, lieutenants and sergeants were identified by red, blue and olive green respectively.

Here's a picture of all the various colored clone troopers Sideshow has released.

You can pre-order this Sideshow Collectibles Star Wars 1/6 scale 4Republic Clone Captain 12-inch figure at TFH till it closes on 11-12-2011. Launch date is expected to be in the 2nd Quarter 2012. 

Hot Toys Artist Collection 1:6 scale Samurai Predator

Sideshow Collectibles and Hot Toys are proud to present the first entry in Hot Toys' Artist Collection, the Samurai Predator Collectible figure. A collaboration project with artists Mr. Takayuki Takeya and Mr. Yuji Oniki from Japan, the Samurai Predator features a newly sculpted head and body, detailed accessories, weaponry, and a diorama base with a defeated Alien body.

The Samurai Predator Sixth Scale Figure features: Original Samurai Warrior design, Realistic sixth scale measuring approximately 14 inches (35 cm) tall, Over 22 points of articulation, Newly sculpted head and body, Interchangeable open and closed mandibles, Movable jaw, Fabric net on left chest, Fabric skirt, Two (2) pieces of interchangeable palms including: One (1) pair of open palms and One (1) pair of holding palms, One (1) articulated left shoulder canon, One (1) broken sword with Alien cells, One (1) sword with sheath, Four (4) attached swords at the back, One (1) helmet, One (1) additional mouth mask, One (1) neck armor, One (1) set of shoulder armor, One (1) left chest armor, One (1) pair of forearm gauntlets with movable hooks on right side, Waist and thigh armor, One (1) set of leg armor, Extendable Alien tongue trophies on waist, One (1) dead Alien head accessory, One (1) diorama base featuring defeated Alien body and broken sword piece

Hot Toys had given us a sneak peek of this 1:6 scale Samurai Predator figure when they were participating in all the toy fairs this year, including the 2011 Singapore Toy, Games and Comic Convention (STGCC 2011) - you can see the pictures HERE in my earlier post :)

At that point in time, everyone thought that this Hot Toys Samurai Predator figure was a once-off creation designed and manufactured as a diorama piece because of the complex and highly detailed diorama base (NOT included with this box set) and seemingly fixed pose of the Samurai Predator even though you can see the articulated joints.

It's a pretty awesome figure but it also comes with a pretty HIGH asking price: USD359.99, most likely because Hot Toys has to pay the artists Mr Takayuki Takeya and Mr Yuji Oniki from Japan for the copyright to use their designs since this is NOT a movie masterpiece series figure (not movie-related) but artist inspired collection piece.

Scroll down to see more pictures of this Hot Toys' Artist Collection, the Samurai Predator Collectible figure.

Estimated Ship Date: 2nd Qtr 2012

Hot Toys 2011 Catalog

There have been pictures posted on the internet of the Hot Toys 2011 Catalog and it offers an interesting sneak peek into what will be available in 2012. What Hot Toys promises to deliver in 2012 include "The Avengers", "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Prometheus" 1/6 scale movie collectibles plus Metal Gear Solid videogame 12-inch figures. Excited to say the least. Question is: Will Hot Toys be able to finish the work they started? i.e. complete the series and not leave us hanging. An example: what happened to the rest of "Platoon"? It seems they have all gone MIA (Missing In Action)!

Besides the figures that have already been previewed and shown earlier this year, Hot Toys manages to throw up a few much awaited and much anticipated pictures such as Captain America (Rescue version), the Red Skull, Loki, Spiderman Black and Samurai Predator, to name a few :)


Captain America (Rescue version) is the version of Cap before he goes after the Red Skull full throttle. Reduced to just entertaining the troops and raising money to buy war bonds, Steve Rogers is disheartened and disillusioned by what he has been asked to do, not being able to truly engage the enemy. When Steve realizes that Bucky (his best pal) was a part of the 107th Division that has been captured by the enemy, he hastily pulls on a pair of army trousers and leather jacket over his Captain America costume. With a blue helmet that has a white 'A' stamped on the front and his shield in hand, Steve goes off to rescue his fellow Americans.

In the 2011 American superhero film "Captain America: The First Avenger" based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America, Captain America's nemesis is Johann Schmidt / Red Skull (played by Hugo Weaving). Red Skull is the commander of the terrorist organization HYDRA and has plans for world domination.

In the 2011 American superhero film "THOR" based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics, Tom Hiddleston plays Loki, Thor's adoptive brother and nemesis.

Having already released Thor and Odin 12-inch figures, Hot Toys has finally revealed that they will be releasing Loki as well so that's good news for all the Thor fans

The other stuff in the Hot Toys 2011 Catalog has already been revealed throughout the year and offers no surprise to collectors. What's not posted are pictures of the 1/6 scale Spiderman Black and Samurai Predator.

G.I.JOE 1/6 Black Dragon Ninja

Both the G.I.JOE team and the terrorist organization COBRA are keenly aware of the superior martial arts skills possessed by members of the ARASHIKAGE CLAN. While COBRA COMMANDER has employed the RED NINJAs from the ARASHIKAGE ninja clan, the ruthless leader formed a select group of ninjas who were completely loyal to protect him should the RED NINJAs or any opposing force ever get too close, leading to the establishment of COBRA'S BLACK DRAGON NINJAS.

COBRA COMMANDER had his BLACK DRAGON NINJAS brainwashed as a precaution to ensure that his growing ranks of ARASHIKAGE never rise up against him or COBRA. Little did he know that the ninja STORM SHADOW is a master of the atsui nami (a deep mind control technique), which he cunningly used on the BLACK DRAGON NINJAS to ensure their allegiance to him.

Regardless of who their true master is, these ruthless ninja warriors are swift, silent, and deadly, and they pose a tremendous threat to anyone who crosses them.

Scroll down to see more preview pictures of this soon-to-be-released Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale Black Dragon Ninja 12-inch figure

Sideshow Collectibles 1/6 scale Black Dragon Ninja 12-inch figure will come with: Articulated Prometheus 1.1 body with over 30 points of articulation, Hand-painted portrait with sculpted fabric style mask, Fabric vest with COBRA logo, Fabric undershirt, Fabric pants, Fabric belt
Rope, Fabric forearm and shin bracers with wraps, Detailed sculpted hands, forearm and shin armor, Fabric sash with pockets, Fabric satchel, Fabric hood, Fabric neck wrap, Sculpted / fabric headband with COBRA logo. One (1) pair standing Tabi boot, One (1) pair action Tabi boot, Eleven (11) Interchangeable hands for alternate display options, Tanto knife with scabbard, Nodachi sword with scabbard, Kyoketsu-Shoge, Six (6) Hira shuriken, AK-74SU assault rifle with parastock and pad, Five (5) waffle magazines, AK silencer, AK sight, Waist support extendable figure stand with COBRA stand

Click to view original size - BIGGER & BETTER!

Sideshow Exclusive: The Sideshow Exclusive version of the Black Dragon Ninja Sixth Scale Figure includes a unique feature available nowhere else - Additional hand painted scarred portrait with sculpted armor style mask for alternate display

ZCWO 1/6 Mens Collection Boxing Legend outfit set

This will be ZCWO's next release: Vol. 003 1/6 scale Mens Collection Boxing Legend (Action Figure Not Included) which looks rather interesting and GREAT for kitbashing, if you are into kitbashing. Kitbashing is the practice of modifying a model (not limited to toy action figures) to achieve some result other than that intended by the manufacturer. So since this is a outfit and accessories set with NO 12-inch figure included, the choice is left to you to decide how you want your figure to look.

The 1/6 scale Sylvester Stallone looking head sculpt is used purely for marketing purposes and is NOT part of this Mens Collection set. The fact that this ZCWO 1/6 scale Mens Collection Boxing Legend outfit set comes with boxing gloves is definitely inspired by Sylvester Stallone's role as Rocky in the 1976 movie "Rocky" about a small time boxer who gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fight the world heavyweight boxing champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.

ROCKY, made on a budget of less than $1 million and shot in 28 days, was a sleeper hit; it made over $225 million which was the highest grossing film of 1976, and won three Oscars, including Best Picture. The film received many positive reviews and turned Stallone into a major star. It spawned five sequels: Rocky II, III, IV, V and Rocky Balboa.

ZCWO 1/6 scale Mens Collection Boxing Legend outfit set will come with Denim Jeans, Denim Jacket, Black Sweater, Brown Leather Belt, Black Cold Cap, Backpack, Black Socks, Black Boxing Shoes, Red Boxing Gloves, Necklace, Towel

Accessories include 1/6 scale Mirror, Clothes Hook, Metal Bucket x 2, Folding Chair, Water Bottle x 10, Beer Cans x 6, Lighter, Cigarettes x 2, Banknotes x 12, Posters x 20, Changing Room Background

Also included: Body Parts - 2 pairs of hands, 1 pair of Feet and 1 pair of Bandaged Fists