Review of Judge Death - Judge Dredd 1/4 scale statue

Introduction

Pop Culture Shock is doing some terrific quarter scale statues for various licenses. A few months back I checked out their Judge Dredd, based on the 2000 A.D. comic, and now they've followed that up with the leader of the Dark Judges, Judge Death.

There are two versions of this statue. The standard release was limited to just 275 pieces - that's an actual 'limited' edition. If you want an even more limited version, you can pick up the Pop Culture Shock exclusive (which I'm reviewing here) that includes three extra swappable pieces and is limited to just 125 pieces.

You'll pay around $350 for the regular, and $375 for the exclusive.

Packaging - ***
The box is pretty standard stuff, with the usual photos and basic text.  They did put in a lot of effort in protecting the paint and pieces, with lots of wrapping and foam. It's going to take you awhile to get it all unpacked, but you can be pretty much assured that everything will be in perfect shape.

They've included a basic Certificate of Authenticity as well, which is always a nice touch with a true limited edition like this.

Sculpting - ****
The statue comes in several pieces, with the base and body separate. The body attaches with a square metal post on the bottom of the foot.

This is a 1/4 scale statue, with Death coming in at 21" tall, including the base. He'll look great with the earlier Judge Dredd, as well as any other figure or statue in this scale.

The arms are also separate pieces, as is the head (more on swapping them in the Accessories section). The dragon on his right shoulder is also unattached, and is held in place with a strong magnet.

I love the detail in the emancipated, insane Judge. Both heads look terrific, although I have to say that the regular release open mouth portrait is my favorite. The grinning version is nice, but the teeth seem a little softer to me, not quite as well defined.

The uniform details are all sharply defined and cut, and the deadly claws look amazing. There's also a ton of small detail work on the complex belt, especially the adornment on the front.

The figure has multiple textures, giving the skin, clothing and metal areas their own unique look. While the entire statue is simply polystone, this variation in texture allows it to look far more realistic.

The base has several skulls along with the tombstone inscribed ' Sidney Death'. The statue attaches easily to the base, but stays tightly in place. Remember that the square post is metal, which can damage the softer base if you don't take a little care when attaching it.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is extremely clean over most of the statue, which is key at this scale. Problems here can't be hidden by lots of wash or throwing a few extra colors in the mix.

There's nice cut lines between most of the colors, and they are vibrant and consistent. There's some wash used to bring out the detail, but nothing is over done or excessive.

There's lots of nice detail work too, from the blood on the severed head to the costume baubles. There's a slip here and there - I'd like the hair line on the severed head to be a smidge cleaner, for example - but overall it's very high quality work.

Accessories - ****
It's pretty unusual to have this category for a statue - getting any score here is a big plus. Not only are there extras with the exclusive, they are excellent additions.

The regular release is the one you see on the box - wide mouth and two open, clawed hands. The exclusive has an additional 'grinning' head, and two extra right arms. One arm has a Judge's helmet impaled on two of the claws, while the other has the severed head of an Angel's Gang member impaled on the two claws.

The hands and heads swap easily, and are held tightly in place with magnets. The right arm is also held on with a magnet (easier to cast the figure and create the foam tray to hold the figure that way), but there's nothing to swap it with.

The extra parts allow you to personalize this statue, and all six combinations look great.

Value - **1/2
High quality quarter scale statues are generally in the $300 - $400 range these days, making this guy a pretty average value. While the exclusive is going to cost you a few extra bucks, I'd say go for it - the number of extras you're getting (along with the lower production run) outweighs the additional cost.

Things to Watch Out For -
Getting everything unwrapped will take some time, so be patient. If you use a knife or other sharp object to cut the wrappings free, be extra careful!

Overall - ***1/2
If you're looking for a great companion piece to the Judge Dredd statue, then your search is over. This guy looks terrific, and would make a great book end to the earlier release.

There's no doubt that you need deep pockets and plenty of space to collect in this scale, but it's well worth it. There's nothing quite as impressive in a collection as at least a few of these big boys, and Pop Culture Shock is doing an exceptional job with each of their releases. Fans of Dredd will certainly be impressed.

And I don't know about you, but I'm going with the gang member's severed head and the open mouth - that's a combo you can't beat!

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- you can get this exclusive with the three extra pieces direct from Pop Culture Shock for $375.

- Sideshow has the regular edition for &360.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent Pop Culture Shock releases include the Judge Dredd to go with this guy, and the life size Sub-Zero bust.

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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