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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Vision - Animated Marvel Avengers Statue

Gentle Giant
Date Published: 2017-03-31
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Vision Animated Style Marvel Statue by Gentle Giant

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Introduction

Gentle Giant likes doing creative and unique collectibles, something you won't see from every company out there.  One of their recent additions has been the small statues of various Marvel characters, done in a unique animated style.

These are based on the designs of Skottie Young, and are certainly a different take on some classic characters. They've produced 13 so far, and tonight I'm checking out one of the most recent to ship - the Vision.

On a side note, tomorrow is my birthday (the 31st, but I always publish each review the night before the actual date) and I'm going to get a ton of wonderful birthday wishes. It always makes the day brighter to hear from readers that appreciate the reviews, and wish me the best on my birthday. But the thing that would really make my day is if you could do two things - share the site, and click the links.

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Now let's talk Vision!

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Vision Animated Style Marvel Statue by Gentle Giant

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Packaging - ***
Hey, it's a box. The exterior shows the statue off in photos, since there's no window.  The interior foam trays are decent quality, and they keep the two pieces - statue and base - very safe and secure.

There's also the classic Gentle Giant Certificate of Authenticity, done up baseball card style. These are some of the neatest COA's in the industry, and the style and size make even them collectible.

The edition size (1000) and individual number are printed on the bottom of the box, the bottom of the statue, and on the COA of course.

Vision Animated Style Marvel Statue by Gentle Giant

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Sculpting - ****
This is a very interesting design and style, and whether you love them or hate them is going to depend heavily on your feelings toward the aesthetic decisions.

The quality of the sculpt is not an issue. The statue is well made, and quite heavy for the small size.  Vision stands about 5 1/2" tall overall with the base and clear support.  Everything is solid, and even the cape is thick and sturdy. The clear rod that supports the statue is quite stiff and solid, so there's no fear of wilting over time, and it slips inside the hole in the base tightly but cleanly. There's actually a rubber edge to the hole, which keeps the fit tight without risking damage.

But what about the design? Personally, I love it.  These aren't simply 'animated', but are done in a style that reminds me of the old Tiny Toons Adventures. These are child-like, impish, pre-adolescent versions of your favorite Marvel characters. This youthful quality means the Vision is slightly round, a bit softer than usual, almost like Baymax. He's posed floating along gently, but with a tough expression. He might look like he's ten, but I wouldn't mess with him.

The overall line has this same look and feel. Other examples are the Punisher and Deadpool, which I particularly love thanks to the juxtaposition of their character traits and this design style.

Vision Animated Style Marvel Statue by Gentle Giant

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Paint - ***
These are hand painted, and as such suffer from a few of the glitches that all hand painted statues and busts exhibit.

The colors are bright, and generally consistent in coverage and finish. There's a bit of slop along the cut lines between colors though, particularly along the red of the mask and the various diamond patterns on the suit.  A cleaner edge would have raised this score considerably, but the overall quality is pretty much in line with the price point.

Vision Animated Style Marvel Statue by Gentle Giant

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Value - ***
The retail on these is $65, but most comic shops and online retailers will be closer to $60. At about 5 1/2" tall, the size is quite similar to the classic mini-busts, which can run $100 or more. Keeping these at $60 gives the completist a lot better chance of purchasing them all, and also helps keep the overall market in line. They're a solid value, well worth the price.

Vision Animated Style Marvel Statue by Gentle Giant

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not much. Visions' design does make him a little top heavy, so bumping a shelf or table could result in a topple. But with basic care you shouldn't have any issues.

Vision Animated Style Marvel Statue by Gentle Giant

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Overall - ***1/2
If you're a big fan of both the Marvel Universe and cartoon style characters, you really want to check these out. They'll kill you with cuteness, and there's already enough variety to provide for a fantastic looking group display. That's important with a design like this that goes its own way - if you don't have a large enough group, they can look out of place. Gentle Giant already has more than a dozen either out or soon to be released, and I suspect we'll see more announcements at SDCC.

Speaking of SDCC, if you like these statues I'd keep my eyes and ears open. While I have no insider information, I wouldn't be surprised if we saw them produce another SDCC exclusive in this series. Rocket Raccoon was available at the show last year.  Gentle Giant usually provides a way for non-attendees to pick up their SDCC exclusives, but you'll want to keep an eye on the process. If you missed out on Rocket, have no fear - he's still available directly from Gentle Giant's website.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2

Vision Animated Style Marvel Statue by Gentle Giant

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has Vision for %59, plus several others in stock and on pre-order.

- don't have the Vision, but they have a few of the others for around $59 each.

- Entertainment Earth just got Vision in stock for $65.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I haven't reviewed any of the other Marvel Animated statues from Gentle Giant - there's quite a few, and their all damn cute - but if you're a fan of the Vision, you might want to also check out the Hot Toys release. If you'd like to see more of the animated statues, check out Gentle Giant's website. That Deadpool is so damn adorable!

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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