Remember last week, when we saw that very early prototype teaser image of a new comic book style Sideshow Red Skull Premium Format Figure? Yeah? Well… it turns out it wasn’t quite as early in the developmental cycle as we may have thought. Just how far along is the new Premium Format Red Skull statue? Well–as it turns out, the all-new 2014 Red Skull Premium Format Figure is completely finished and on display right now at the Sideshow Collectibles booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2013!

My heart definitely fell a little bit the first time I gazed at the new Red Skull Premium Format Figure prototype being displayed by Sideshow at SDCC 2013 this week. The sculpting on this statue is intricate and beautifully done, and I even love the soft-goods uniform and jacket (soft goods are pretty hit or miss for me).

No, the thing that I’m having a terrible time coping with is the actual design and pose that Sideshow selected for this new version of the Red Skull. The Red Skull’s pose, combined with his facial expression, gives off this terrible vibe of “Curses, foiled again! My gun is jammed! I’ll get you next time, Captain America!” It just looks silly to me, and that’s not what I want from my $350+ Sideshow Marvel Premium Format Figure. I’m hoping that this statue will get some tweaking done before it goes up for sale, but what with it being displayed at SDCC 2013 and all, this one is probably ready to hit the production line already.

In keeping with the Sideshow Collectibles’ modus operandi, I’m betting that we’ll see the Red Skull Premium Format Figure go up for sale before the end of this month as part of their Online Comic Con 2013 event. I’d estimate that the Premium Format Red Skull statue should be scheduled to arrive in spring/summer 2014. I’ll post an update with the glamor shots and pre-order links once this Sideshow Premium Format Figure Red Skull goes up for order.