Review of the Flash - Justice Leage statue

Introduction

It took me awhile to get to the theater to see Justice League, but I'm glad I did. It's a better movie than BvS, and a better movie than Suicide Squad...but isn't quite as good as Wonder Woman.  She steals the show again of course, and it's well worth watching on the big screen.

I was a bit worried about the Flash. I like the character on the CW show, and switching to a new actor just seemed...risky, to me.  However, Ezra Miller is a great casting choice, and he does manage to be my second favorite character in the film. And that's coming from a Batman fan.

DC Collectibles has been doing a series of sixth scale statues based on the DC movies, and their version of Barry Allen is out and about for around $120 - $150, depending on the retailer. This guy is a limited edition, with a run size of 5000.

Packaging - ***
Nothing special here, but the thick foam eggshell trays keep the two piece statue safe and sound on its way to your home.  There's no Certificate of Authenticity, but the edition size and number are printed on the bottom of the base. It's collector friendly of course, and serves job one.

Sculpting - ***
As I said, this is a roughly sixth scale statue, and he stands about 12" tall not including the thin base. He's not as bulky as a sixth scale figure, a common situation with statues.

He comes in two pieces: the base, and the rest of the statue. A metal rod connects him to the base on the bottom of one foot. Assembly was easy and error free.

From the neck down, there's some really nice detail work on the costume. Silver lines that could have simply been painted are sculpted, and there are different textures for different material looks. They did a great job making poly-resin look like anything but.

The portrait is reasonable, if not exceptional. I can see Ezra in there, especially in the cocked smirk. The lips and jaw match up pretty well, and of course, the rest of the face is hidden by the mask.  You can make the argument that in costume you shouldn't be able to tell who he is - that pretty much defeats the purpose of the mask. But they did a pretty decent job capturing the visible features. My one complaint with the portrait is it looks a little old to me, as though it's the Flash in another 5 - 10 years. It's not like he's heavily wrinkled or aged, but something about the face looks more 30 than 20, if you know what I mean.

They also used a material for the skin that is more translucent, more porous, much like the material used for sixth scale action figure heads. It's a big improvement in realistic skin color and tone, which is usually so flat and smooth with a statue. Kudos in this category for the use of the material - kudos in the next (paint) for looking more realistic.

Based on all that I would have gone an extra half star in this category, but I did have my own personal aesthetic issue.  I'm not loving the pose. It's not awful, and they avoided going with a too extreme, too dynamic look. They tried to be a *little* dynamic, posing him as if he is just about to take off. But the overall design isn't quite working for me - of course, since this is a highly personal observation, your mileage may vary.

Paint - ***
The paint work is consistent and bright, with various finishes applied to indicate different types of material. This co-ordinates nicely with the different textures, creating a complex look to the costume.

In hand, it looks quite good, but in macro photos you can see some of the areas where there's a bit of slop, or a messy edge. The biggest issue is around the lips, where there's some stray marks and the thin interior 'lip line', designed to add some depth and shadow, is a little too obvious. The silver lines can be a bit wonky as well, although it's not as obvious in hand.

On the plus side, I really like the slight translucence exhibited by the skin. It gives the face depth, and a much more realistic skin tone than we normally see with statues.

Value - ***
If you end up paying full retail - $150 - you can drop this score to an average **1/2. Consider smaller statues are in the $100 - $120 range right now, the extra thirty bucks is pretty much expected but not loved.

However, I bumped him a half star here because many retailers have him in the $120 - $130 range, a much better price.  I'm willing to go that extra half star above average here at that price point.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. Assembling the statue and base is easy, but of course you'll want to take some care with the hard metal post.

Overall - ***
DC Collectibles has been doing some fantastic statue lines - DC Bombshells and Batman Black and White are just two of my personal favorites. Their work on the Justice League film - and others before that - has been solid. This is another good entrant, and while I'm not enamored with the pose, the overall quality is very good.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has him for $130, plus free shipping!

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I don't have anything else yet from the new Justice League film, but I have plenty of Flash related goodies. Check out the cool DC Bombhells statue, the One:12 Collective action figure, or go way back with the Justice Leage 10" version from Mattel.

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

Discussion:
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