Sideshow 1:6 Vader Pics Including Size Comparison To Medicom Vader

A lucky Sideshow contest winner scored a production sample Vader figure and has posted some great photos, including a picture with the earlier Medicom Vader figure. Medicom has taken considerable criticism lately for the size of their figures (closer to 11" than 12") and the difference between the 14" Sideshow Vader and the Medicom version is pretty staggering.

That said, the Medicom sculpt still looks more screen accurate to me, making this an okay Sideshow figure, but a fail overall, especially as the Medicom figure had been out for at least a year and Sideshow knew what they had to beat.

Which begs the question, what the hell is going at Sideshow these days? Their prices go up as the quality of their output goes down. Meanwhile Hot Toys is doing amazing work at comparable prices.

I greet new Sideshow figures with the same enthusiasm I have for new naked Britney Spears pictures; sure, I'll look, but I've seen it all before and there's a strong likelihood that what I'll see will really gross me out.

Then I'll reminisce about the pre-Fed days and try to cleanse my pallet with some Megan Fox shots or even a Kelly Clarkson upskirt pic to get those horrible images out of my head!!!

Mattel DC Universe: Dear God Series 10 is a Wal-Mart Exclusive; Series 11 To Be Revealed AT SDCC; New SDCC 12" Flash Exclusive for TRU

Mattel revealed today that Series 11 of the impossible to find DC Universe line will be shown in it's entirety at SDCC in July. The assortment will include The Question, a fan poll winner, but the rest remain under wraps.

Bad news for Series 10: This assortment will be a Wal-Mart exclusive, as was Series 5, which most fanboys never saw on their local Wally shelves due to low production and horriffic distribution. Two figures from the assortment have already been shown; The Joker (originally teased as a possible SDCC exclusive) and Power Girl (with, surprisingly, the same redonkulous boobs she sports in the comics).

With the Joker being a key figure in the set, let's hope that this time Wal-Mart and Mattel have a better plan to distribute these to their stores than leaving three monkeys in a room with some darts and a map of the USA like they apparently did last time.

There will also be a previously unnanounced 12" DCU figure at SDCC; the Flash, which will only be sold at the TRU booth. The figure appears to have no ankle articulation, but surprisingly has 6" scale DCU type arms, although this may just be a photo of the 6" Flash, as there is nothing else in the shot for scale.

Yes, you read that right, TRU, the store with the worst internal distribution of any large chain in America, is setting up at SDCC for the first time this year. They will no doubt be trying to sell all those overstock Speed Racer and Dark Knight figures that are growing hair in their stores, along with this sure to be overpriced and underarticulated worm on the hook, that will at least get the fanboys to slow down as they pass the TRU display on the way to more rewarding booths.

If I was in charge of TRU, I'd spend more time trying to fix the problems at the existing loactions than setting up off site sales opportunities that come with the extra baggage of exclusive buys like this one, that will undoutably lead to some sweet in-store clearance prices on the 12" Flash for non-San Diego attendees. But that's just me.