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Packaging - ***
In an obvious attempt to keep the costs down on both the Doc and
Wyatt, Sideshow went with the same box for both. Yep, it's odd - I
don't ever remember them giving us an identical box for any items
before - but not a major issue, I suppose.
There's
no Certificate of Authenticity, but then that's not a Sideshow thing.
The edition number is on the bottom of the box though, as well as the
bottom of the statue.
Since
you've already seen the front of the box in the Doc Holliday review, I
thought you might like to see the back of the box this time around.
Sculpting - ***1/2
It might be that Kurt Russell managed to pull off a very accurate Wyatt
Earp, or maybe it's just that if you throw that monster of a mustache
on anybody they'll look like the infamous gunfighter. Either way, this
portrait captures the essence of the character, and does it with clean,
sharp lines and nice detailing.
The
head is held in place with a very strong magnet, as is the right hand.
The hands on the exclusive swap easily enough, but the gangly E.T.
fingers bug me, especially on the splayed left hand.
On the
prototype, this left hand was positioned to hold back the left side of
the coat, as though he'd just drawn his weapon. It doesn't work as well
on the production version, however, due to a slightly different angle
on the arm and hand. They needed to bring this in closer to his body,
and tilt it slightly to give us a better pose.
The
rest of the pose is perfect, with the feet place just right, the right
arm bent slightly at the elbow, and the head tilted with a deadly
expression. I find it interesting that this pose is almost identical to
the stance taken by the Kotobukiya
Iron Man Mark IV statue I just reviewed last week - it's a
classic shooting stance.
He's standing
on a base that's about the same size as Doc's, but recreating a
completely different situation. While Doc was clearly standing on the
wooden floor of a saloon, Wyatt has just stepped into the street off
the wood walkway behind him. Horseshoe prints are visible in the dirt,
adding additional realism to the base.
I do wish they'd gone for
a matching look with these two, however. While some folks may buy only
Wyatt, I doubt many bought Doc alone, and for those of us displaying
them on the shelf together, a similar base would have been much
appreciated.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint quality is on par with what we saw with Doc, with generally
above average levels.
The skin tone is good, and the
black on the sculpted pieces - the hat and boots - matches the cloth
costume well.
The
eyes suffer from some of the same bleed though, and the edging around
the mustache shows a bit too much skin riding up on the hair. I'm also
not particularly thrilled with the dirty fingernails look, which may
very well be historically accurate but ends up just looking like sloppy
paint here.
These are minor quibbles though,
and when he's on the
shelf and you're scoping out the complete picture, you'll probably find
little to complain about.
Accessories - Regular **1/2;
Exclusive ***1/2
While the exclusive version only has one extra item, it's a pretty
important one. In fact, I'd say this was one of those rare times when
you really want the exclusive over the regular due to the coolness of
the extra goodie.
He
comes with a second right hand, this time holding a Schofield pistol.
He supposedly carried a Schofield with him to the O.K. Corral, one that
was gifted to him by Bat Masterson, making this gun a tad more
interesting than the standard Colt. Let's face it, a Colt in Tombstone
was like a cel phone in L.A., but the Schofield adds a little extra
personality.
Sadly, it's not nickel plated or
engraved like the supposed
actual gun
was (there's lots of controversy over this particular weapon), but it's
still well sculpted. The second hand has the same dirty fingernails and
long fingers as the regular.
Both the regular and exclusive
have
one other extra - a set of cartridges to fill the loops on his belt.
These appear to be metal, but since the magnet has no effect on them,
I'm betting they are cast in lead or pewter. There's enough to fill the
belt, and they slip in pretty easily. The belt is not attached to the
body in any way, so you can rotate it on his hips to get at some of the
more hidden loops.
Outfit - ***1/2
Historical figures like these really allow the Premium Format style to
shine through, especially in the outfits.
The
high white collar is made of plastic, allowing it to remain stiff and
be less likely to get damaged when putting the head in place. There's a
black tie, black coat, black pants, and black vest, all made from high
quality materials and tailored for a perfect fit.
Running from the vest pocket to
the vest buttons is a silver watch chain which is metal, of course.
The
leather belt has a metal belt buckle, and a leather holster on the left
hip. These are made from a very soft leather, and look great slung low
on his hips.
There's no wire in the jacket,
but you can flip it
behind his back if you'd like. You'll notice that in some of the photos
I have it hanging straight, while in others it's pushed back to reveal
the watch chain and cartridges. I think I prefer the latter, but your
mileage will most certainly vary.
The score would be a full four
stars here had it not been for one issue with the watch chain.
Mine is attached so that the top section has a kink or twist. Short of
cutting the stitch on one end or the other, straightening it and
re-attaching, there's not much I can do.
Value - ***
Both Wyatt and Doc get a three star score in this category, and I know
that's hard to believe at this price. That is until you start thinking
about the price of many of the other Premium Format statues right now.
Disney's Evil Queen? $300. Yoda and the Clone Trooper? $350.
Blackbeard? $400! If you're not going for the exclusives, you can pick
up either Wyatt or Doc at several places for around $250 each.
Considering the quality of the outfits and weapons, as well as the
extremely low production numbers, that's actually a better than average
value.
Things to Watch Out For -
As always, take care inserting the metal post on the foot into the
softer resin base.
Overall - ***1/2
While I'm sad that we'll probably never see a Russell Earp and Kilmer
Doc, I have to say that I'm extremely happy with the real life
counterparts. I generally don't spend my money on any non-licensed
figures in this scale (for example, as much as I love zombies, I did
not order the Dead Premium Format statue), but this time it was cash
well spent. These two will have a very high place of honor on the
shelves, mixed in with other movie licensed statues, and they'll hold
their own in quality and style.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Accessories - Regular **1/2; Exclusive ***1/2
Outfit - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Sideshow has the
exclusive on wait list at the same price as the
regular, $275.
-
Alter
Ego Comics
has the regular
version in stock at $248.
-
Big
Bad Toy Store
has the
regular on pre-order at $260.
- or you can wander
ebay watching for a deal.
Related
Links -
Obviously, the most important related review is the Doc Holliday PF that
Sideshow released just a few weeks ago.
If you're a fan of the historic
old west, you should also check out Sideshow's Six Gun Legends figures.
Sideshow also did a Custer and Crazy Horse,
and Drastic Plastic did their own extremely authentic Custer.
- and a company called Dog
Soldiers has done a ton of western them figures, including a Buffalo Soldier, Apache Warrior, Pawnee Warrior, and Cheyenne Warrior.
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