|
Sculpting - ***1/2
While I don't love everything about this PF, I certainly do love the
sculpt.
Mystique
is done in comic book style beautiful, but it's not impossible
beautiful. She's realistic enough in proportions and musculature to be
a an actual person, and she has a beautiful face sculpt. Natch, she has
a beautiful body to go along with it.
The pose is seductive yet
dangerous, equal parts pole dancer and assassin. I have some issues
I'll discuss later with the fit of the leather pants, but that's not
the flaw or fault of the gorgeous sculpt.
The hair is nicely detailed for this scale, and the features are sharp
yet feminine. Yep, she's hot.
Her
base is done in a odd black and white ceramic tile design, sort of like
a bathroom floor. I suspect I should be recognizing it, but I don't.
Still, it makes a nice contrast to the outfit and skin color, and
stands out on the shelf.
Remember, this is a Premium Format
figure, so she's intended to be about quarter scale. In total she
stands about 20", with the base.
Paint - ***
There's a couple aspects of the paint that unfortunately let me down
from the great sculpt.
My
first issue is with the eyes. Mystique has yellow eyes, and it's part
of her unique appeal. In photos, you can see that she's looking off to
the side, but in person, it's almost impossible to discern the yellowed
whites from the yellowed iris', making it look like one big yellow eye.
My
other problem is with the lips. It's hard to place exactly what's gong
on there, but from certain angles it almost looks like her tongue is
showing slightly between her lips. The problem is that the paint
doesn't make it clear one way or the other - it's not making the
intention of the sculpt clear. So either the sculptor
intended
the lips to be slightly parted and the tongue slightly visible and the
paint is hiding it too much, or the lips are completely closed and the
paint is creating some sort of funky look. Either way, it's a paint
issue.
I have a third much more minor
issue as well. The gloves,
which should be black leather just like the clothing, is a painted a
matte black. This makes the fact that they are sculpted versus actual
leather much more obvious.
The rest of the paint ops are
excellent, however. The gun metal contrasts perfectly against the soft
blue skin, and the red hair is very even and consistent. Even the small
silver skull has sharp cut lines and clean edges. There's a subtle
shading to the skin too, giving her interesting shadows and highlights
even in direct light.
Articulation - Bupkis
As you'd expect with the modern Premium Format figure, she's just a
statue. Some past PF's have actually included articulation, so this is
worth noting, but it won't effect my overall score.
Accessories - Bupkis
Unlike the recent Leia PF, Mystique has no accessories or unattached
extras. I wasn't expecting any, so it won't effect my score, but it was
worth mentioning anyway.
Outfit - ***
The costume is leather, of course, and is made from a high quality
material. The stitching is great, and I particularly love the look of
the halter top.
The
pants are a bit of a weirder fit for me. I like the hip hugger look,
but the shorter pant legs don't do it for me, and there's something
about the tailoring around the thighs that leaves the pants looking
off. Or maybe I'd just prefer them off.
Speaking of which, some
folks have had success removing the clothes, but they are glued in
certain spots, so you may end up damaging things you don't want damaged.
The exclusive adds one more
piece to her outfit - her wide black leather belt, complete with skull
buckle.
This
belt is not intended to be removed. Of course it can be, but once you
do, reattaching it is going to take some effort. Therefore, this might
be a situation where you want to NOT buy the exclusive, if you don't
like the belt.
I mess around with it a bit,
posing it higher and
lower on the hips, and I have to say that it really doesn't do a lot
for me. You can get it to look decent, but it doesn't add much to the
overall appeal of the statue, and in some poses detracts from it.
Value - **
At $250, this PF is slightly overpriced. Considering the character, and
the level of detail in the costume compared to other PF's in this price
range, I think she really needs to be closer to $200 for an average
value.
Things To Watch Out For
-
I like to always remind
folks that the metal post on the bottom of her foot is much harder than
the polyresin base - insert carefully to avoid damage!
You might
be tempted to remove her clothes, and some folks have had success. But
the clothing is glued to the body in key spots, so you might not end up
with what you're hoping for. Leave the poor girl some dignity, you big
pervert.
Overall - ***
I love the sculpt on this Premium Format statue, but there's a few
items that keep her from getting the full marks overall. None of them
are major, but there's enough of the minor ones to cool my enthusiasm
slightly.
She's probably not a must have
for most Marvel fans, but if you're a aficionado of the character,
she's well worth picking up.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Articulation - Bupkis
Accessories - Bupkis
Value - **
Overall - ***
Where to Buy -
Options include:
- the regular and exclusive
versions were originally available at Sideshow, and the exclusive is
currently available through the second chance opportunity offer.
- Alter Ego Comics
has the regular version for $225.
- Corner Store Comics
also has her at $225.
- for the UK collectors, Forbidden
Planet has her at 195 GBP.
- or you can peruse
ebay looking for a deal.
Related Links -
Other Star Wars Premium Format
figures include Boba Fett,
Darth
Vader, ANH Leia,
ANH
Obi-Wan, and Han
Solo.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be
discussing it!
|
Stumble It!
