Sideshow Collectibles joins with Hasbro and Lucasfilm Ltd.

Westlake Village, CA - July 14th, 2005 - Sideshow Collectibles announced today the acquisition of the license to manufacture and distribute a line of 12-inch Star Wars action figures. Sideshow plans to provide details of the product line later in 2005 via www.SideshowCollectibles.com, but collectors can look forward to the new 12-inch figures hitting store shelves (and online) in mid 2006.

"We are excited to expand our relationship with Lucasfilm, and to begin working with Hasbro," said Greg Anzalone, CEO of Sideshow Collectibles. "As dedicated fans of both the Star Wars saga and the previous Hasbro product, we aspire to bring a new level of detail and authenticity to the 12-inch figure category."

Kenner, a division of Hasbro, first introduced 12-inch Star Wars figures in 1978. Hasbro reintroduced the format in 1996, producing updated versions of classic characters like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Darth Vader. "Over the last 10 years, we've produced over 150 different 12-inch Star Wars figures," said Derryl DePriest, Hasbro's Director of Marketing for the Star Wars brand. "We have chosen Sideshow to carry the torch because they have an unparalleled reputation for producing quality limited edition 12-inch figures."

Sideshow Collectibles announced the 12-inch figure license on the one-year anniversary of the premiere of Sideshow's first Star Wars offerings. Sideshow began solicitations for a line of high-end Premium Format 1/4 Scale Figures at the San Diego Comic-Con International show in July of 2004. More recently, Sideshow Collectibles announced a line of life-size Star Wars busts. "The 12-inch Star Wars line really complements our previous series of Star Wars collectibles. Our larger scale, high-end Star Wars offerings are perfect as centerpieces in any collection. They're museum quality representations of the most heroic and villainous characters, and they're BIG," says Tom Gilliland, Creative Director at Sideshow Collectibles. "The 12-inch line packs the same quality & detail into a smaller and more affordable package. This 12-inch series also enables us to go even broader in our character selection than we have gone previously. Fans of the previous Hasbro 12-inch figures will be excited by our character choices - our goal is to enhance, expand, and update the amazing collection that Hasbro has offered."

"The alliance between Sideshow and Hasbro grew out of mutual respect within the two companies," said Casey Collins, Director of Domestic Licensing & Retail Marketing at Lucasfilm. "Designers at Sideshow were collecting Hasbro product, designers at Hasbro were collecting Sideshow product. Sideshow has a fresh and unique approach to the 12-inch collectible figure category - we recognized the potential in the relationship immediately."