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Packaging - ***
The box does it's primary function,
keeping the statue safe from harm. It also includes a nifty Certificate
of Authenticity, and uses the high quality hard foam, so you won't have
to sweep up a million little pieces when you crack him open.
An
addition that would have gotten extra points here would have been a
shot from the film itself, to remind you of what the actual screen
costume
looks like.
Sculpting - ***1/2
Derek Miller did the work this time, and some fine work he did.
The
last few statues in the series have been decent, but not outstanding.
Perhaps it's just been a bit of overload, or maybe they've just had a
hard time coming up with really interesting or unique designs. Or maybe
I'm just getting jaded. But this design really stands out for me, and
is one of the more interesting in quite some time.
Of course, it
depends on how well you like Gotham Knight, and in particular, Field
Test. The armored outfit is different, that's for sure, and I don't
really recall getting a great, clear look at it in the film. But from
what I do remember (and can see in screen caps), they've done a great
job recreating it here.
There's plenty of small, fine
detail,
including the ridges in the shoulder armor, the highlighted bat
symbol, and even the belt. The muscle definition looks good, and the
proportions of the various body parts are much better than usual.
It's
really the design that snags me though, and I'll talk about that more
in a moment. This statue is in the same scale as the rest of the
series, right around 6" (1/12th).
Paint - ***
The paint is a bit sloppy, most noticeable on close up inspection, but
harder to see in person than in photos.
Obviously,
the statue is done in multiple shades of black and white, and the
colors are consistent and clean, even across wide expanses like the
cape.
There's a little slop around the
eyes and face, where the white cut lines aren't quite clean, but it's
fairly minor.
A
highlight is the use of a bright gloss black on the symbol, which makes
it stand out nicely against the matte black of the armor.
Design/Quality - ****
The best feature of this statue is the dynamic design. It's tough to
come up
with a new way to show off the cape and make the character appear
active, considering the huge number of statues done to date. And yet,
they've managed to do that here.
The cape flows out from Bats in
back, with the front edges/ends held in either hand. The poses of the
arms, chest and cape itself are very realistic, with no odd or
uncomfortable angles.
Batman is posed in a very
cat-like stance,
either in landing or taking off in a jump, your choice of
interpretation. The overall flow of the body
and cape works perfectly, and even though the pose is extreme, it isn't
awkward. That's a very tricky thing to pull off, and they've done it
beautifully.
The statue attaches to the base
with two metal pegs.
These pegs are attached to the base, and fit into the bottom of the
standing foot, a longer one in the heel and a shorter one in the foot
itself. Even with only one standing attached foot, the statue is
extremely stable and sturdy.
Value - **1/2
This statue will run anywhere from $60 - $70, depending on the
retailer. Sadly, this seems to be the going rate for statues in this
scale (only 6"), which I still think is about $15 or so more than it
should be...but I suppose you can't fight the increase at this point.
I
am grading this at $60 - $63 though, since enough retailers are selling
it in that range to make it easy to get at that price. If you pay $65 -
$70, I'd drop this another half star.
Things To Watch Out For
-
Nothing that should be an issue.
Overall - ***1/2
This is the first release in the series in some time that I feel really
shines. It's not necessary to love or even see Gotham Knight
to
appreciate the cool suit, and the uniqueness allows it to stand out
amongst all the comic book based costumes. The dynamic design is also a
highlight, especially the cape.
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