Review of Fertility Idol - Indiana Jones
Prop Replica

Introduction

When Sideshow first announced and solicited for their new Fertility Idol, I figured I really didn't need one. After all, I have the Diamond Select bank, and for the money it's mighty good. Hell, it's only about 10% (yes, you read that right) the cost of the Sideshow version!

But then I was out in California a few weeks ago, visiting with my nephew. He's better known as that "Indiana Jones kook" outside my family. The name inside the family is a tad less sympathetic.

He had the idol, fresh from the box, and I had to admit that it was mighty, mighty sweet. So, upon returning home, I broke down and ordered one as well.

You can still get this guy from Sideshow for $190. It was a limited edition of course, this time of a run size of 1500, but there was no exclusive. That means you can pick it up from various retailers (see the "Where to Buy" section) at a lower cost.

Packaging - ***
It's a box. Yep, the graphics are attractive, and the text reasonably good, but there's nothing earth shattering or ground breaking here.

The Styrofoam inside is sturdy, so I don't have any complaint there, but as usual with Sideshow, there's no Certificate of Authenticity. The edition number is printed on the bottom of the box, as well as the bottom of the display base. More on that in a minute.

Sculpting - ***1/2
No, Virginia, there is no Santa Claus - because if there was, we'd have the perfect screen accurate Fertility Idol by now. But while this one isn't quite exact (it's really all about those eyes again), I have to say that for me, this one is the look I want.  And yes, I know that normally I want the exact thing off the screen, but when people see this, they are more likely to BELIEVE it's accurate even though it's not.

Should there be actual brown eyes? It seems from everything I've seen, including one of the actual props at SDCC a couple years ago, that yes, it did have actual human-like eyeballs. But if you told people that, they'd look at you like you were nuts. There were more than one version in the film, and that's what causes much confusion - check out this terrific article for more details.

Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't complain if they got it exactly right, and it would get four stars in this category in that case. But I can live with the smooth, gold eyes, and whether you can or not will make a big difference overall.

Other features are very screen accurate, including the funky grimace/smile and the lack of the hair band that somehow made it on to the DST bank.

Scale-wise, this version appears just about right. He's just a hair under 8 1/2" tall, and very heavy.

Sideshow also produced a base that replicates the look - sort of - of the large podium on which the idol sat in the film. The sculpted patterns are film accurate, and the size of the rough stone center is about right. The smaller circle around the center is not screen accurate in terms of scale, but of course it isn't - the rest of the altar was HUGE. This approximation works fine, and adds quite a bit to the overall display quality of this prop.

Paint - ***1/2
In the photos, he looks a little dark and brassy, but in person he's very, very, very shiny and bright. He's hard to photograph in such a way as to show the sculpt and show the bright gold, so you'll have to take my word for that one.

The plating is thick and smooth, and really gives this replica the leg up on many of the others I've seen. The texture us a bit rougher in areas like the inner curves of the arms and legs, and I suspect that's because it was harder to buff the surface in those areas. But overall the quality is extremely good, and sitting on the shelf he looks like an actual solid gold artifact.

The paint work on the base is good as well, similar to other stone work done by Sideshow on various dioramas. No, the center stone doesn't move up and down, but did you really expect it to?

On the bottom of the base is a nicely painted Indy logo with the edition number as well. Little padded feet will hold it off the shelf, so this paint job shouldn't get scratched up over time if you're careful.

Design/Quality - ****
While there's still some things that the Indy purist may take issue with, the overall quality of this piece is extremely high. The original prop was actually hollow, but this weighted, heavy version is much more to the average person's liking. The inclusion of the base adds a tremendous amount of value to your display, and while she's not cheap, I can't imagine ever needing to buy another.

Value - **
As sweet as this bad boy...er, girl...looks, I'm still hard press to say it's worth almost $200. It's big, it's heavy, it's a very good looking replica, and the inclusion of the base really makes it much, much better than the usual replica. But $200 is no small potatoes either, so it's likely to only be the hard core Indy fans that add this one to the media room.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. You probably want to keep the fingers off the idol as much as you can, just to avoid any tarnishing.

Overall - ***1/2
It appears to me that there were a number of idols produced for the film, and many of them varied in their exact appearance. I think that has been the crux of the problem with past replicas, and this version is the best overall representation for me.

The extreme Indy purists may take issue with the eyes, and let's be honest - you really can't argue with the concept that a prop replica should be as exact in appearance to the original prop as possible. But this version matches the idol's representation in most folks minds andis visually impressive enough to overcome any accuracy issues for me.

One nice thing - this one is going to age a whole lot better than the hollow, plated fiberglass originals.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow still has it at $190.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
If the price tag is a bit much, but you still want a cool replica of the idol, check out the DST version that costs 1/10th the price.

And for more info on the 'correct' version of the idol, check out this article.

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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