Review of Wonder Woman
DC Bombshells Statue

Introduction

DC Collectibles has several very successful long running statue series.  I remain a completist on a couple, and still try to pick up every one of the DC Bombshells. Sadly, I lost out on Katana. Oh, I bought her, but she arrived damaged. I returned her, they were never able to replace her for me, and now she goes for crazy money on the bay. Of course.

But otherwise I've remained pretty consistent with this series. The latest release is Wonder Woman, a character who already got the Bombshells treatment five years ago. They even re-issued that version as a 'holiday' release, repainting her in Christmas colors and replacing the chain with a string of lights.

This time she is a 'deluxe' release. Not quite sure what that will mean for the line going forward, but one notable change is the base, which is specific and large.  The statue is a limited edition as well, with 5000 produced. Expect to pay around $160, depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
Pretty standard stuff, with graphics of the statue itself on the exterior of the large box. Inside are medium density foam eggshell trays, and the edition size and number is printed on the box, the foam trays, and the bottom of the statue base. It's all collector friendly of course, as you'd expect with simple statue packaging, but there's no Certificate of Authenticity.

Sculpting - **
The new base and the specific pose makes this a very tall statue. From the bottom of the base to the top of her head, she's 12", and the raised sword adds several more.

I've been pretty happy over the years with the quality of the sculpts on this line. This is the first in quite awhile that disappointed me.

The pose isn't bad, and the deluxe inclusion of a more interesting (but less consistent) base is a nice touch. She's storming up a destroyed tank, sword raised triumphantly. The costume itself is very similar to the one we saw with the first DC Bombshell's Wonder Woman, and I'm okay with that, although a little more creativity wouldn't have killed them.

I don't love a couple things about the pose, however. First, there's the tiny feet. I get it, she's in heels, and it's the 40's, but these feet are still too tiny to look properly proportioned.

I do like the overall stance, with the sword raised, the feet climbing, and the shield behind her slightly. But then they added in some bullets ricocheting off the shield...which looks weird. Why would she not be confronting those firing on her? Why are they behind her? It's jarring because your eye realizes something just isn't right...I suspect this was one of those situations where the sculpt looked too simple to someone in the approval process, and they asked for more dynamic features. It looks added after the fact, and doesn't help the overall design.

But the big fail is from the neck up. The hair looks good, and has enough detail based on the overall aesthetic of the series. The face is just all sorts of wrong, however. The eyes are very large and set far apart on the wide face. The chin is small, with a much narrower jawline, and the tiny nose is almost non-existent. The face is very flat, and with the big eyes and tiny chin, she looks like a fish. In hand it's even worse than it is in photos. I haven't always love the poses or designs, but this is the first time a Bombshells portrait has disappointed me so much.

Oh, and my sword came out of the package bent. The blade is a separate piece that you attach to the hilt, and this blade is warped slightly. I'll try some hot water/cold water to straighten it out at some point, but at this price point that shouldn't be necessary.

Paint - ***
The paint work is generally clean, although you can find a few rough edges, particularly on the thin white and gold lines of the costume. The face paint - eyebrows, eyes, lips, skin - is good, as is the hairline.

Other blips occur around the top of the boots, sleeve edges, and white stars. Still, it's B grade work, and is pretty much in line with the quality we've seen overall with this series.

Value - **
A regular Bombshells statue will run you around $100 - $120 these days. This one is 'deluxe', with the new, larger and more specific base, and will cost $160 or more. That's a pretty hefty jump up for what amounts to slightly more polystone. Unlike some past releases, I don't expect this one to sell out too quickly, or rise precipitously on the secondary market.

Things to Watch Out For -
While the bullet 'ricochets' are rubbery, I'd still be very careful with them them. A sharp hit or too much pressure could still cause breakage.

Overall - **
While I'll be continuing to purchase this series - it's a sickness, I know - this one isn't going to take a spot near the front of the shelf.  While the paint work is generally decent, the sculpt is a real let down, particularly the weird looking features and odd facial proportions. Add in the bent sword blade and a higher price tag, and there's no way for this one to recover.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also $160, but they have free shipping!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other DC Bomshells reviews include Green Lantern, Starfire, Jessie Quick, Killer Frost, the Superman/Power Girl statue, Mera, Hawkgirl, Stargirl, Black Canary, Batgirl, Harley, Poison Ivy, Supergirl and Wonder Woman.

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

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