Review of Elvira 1/6th statue

Introduction

Once upon a time, the only way you saw old movies was when someone was nice enough to broadcast them. No VCR's, no DVR's, no On Demand, no streaming - just good old broadcast television. This was particularly true for the classic horror films of the 30's, 40's and 50's, and if you grew up in the 60's or 70's, you got your fix of black and white monsters through some sort of Saturday horror feature show hosted by a goofy character.

For those of us in the Detroit area, it was Sir Graves Ghastly. If you lived in Los Angeles, it was Sinister Seymor, a very popular host for many years. It was the early eighties when Seymor was replaced (he'd died a number of years earlier) by a new character, and one that was a whole lot sexier - Elvira. With her huge...hair, tight black dress, and Valley Girl patter, she was an instant classic. Played by the gorgeous Cassandra Peterson, the character went on to star in every form of media and be immortalized in pop culture history.

As you'd expect, she's also been immortalized in plastic and resin on more than one occasion. The latest is from Tweeterhead, who are producing a line of cool sixth scale maquettes based on various old school television properties. First up is Elvira, with characters like the Munsters and the 66 Batman Newmar Catwoman soon to come.

These are high end statues with a high end price. Sideshow has her in stock right now at $275. The statue is limited to just 350 pieces.

Packaging - ***
The box does it's main job just fine - protecting the statue. The solid foam trays keep both the statue and base (two separate pieces) from harm, and the included Certificate of Authenticity is always a plus.

The box proclaims this is a 'limited edition', but there's no mention on the COA, box, or base of any edition size or numbering. The Tweeterhead website does say it's limited to just 350 though, and with such a small edition size it would have been a great idea to include that info elsewhere.

Sculpting - ***1/2
There are lots of things to like about this sculpt. As a sixth scale collector, I like that she (and the others Tweeterhead is producing) can fit in with other similarly scaled figures.  I like the general pose, with the exposed right leg, sly expression, and playful theme.

She's also beautiful, a trait not always easy to translate in porcelain, resin or plastic. The delicate features look great, and while the nose seems a *smidge* too pointed, overall the bone structure and facial features match the character extremely well.

But perhaps my favorite feature is the hair. It's hard to get truly great stranding and detail in any hair, let alone a style of this volume and height. Because of the size and unusual style, this could have ended up looking like a big helmet plopped down on her head, but they managed to avoid that entirely.

I suspect some fans will dislike the overall pose and expression. Everyone has their favorite, and picking just one that works for every adoring geek is an insurmountable task. I like what we have here, and can certainly imagine just what she's saying...

Of special note are the Swarovsky gems used on the knife buckle, as well as her bracelet.  They add some much needed color and pop to the otherwise black costume.

Just to be clear on size, Elvira stands about 14" tall with the base and huge hair, making her about 1/6th scale.

Paint - ***
As I said, the costume is largely black, but to avoid any monotony, they added the crystals and varied the finish. By mixing in some gloss with the overall matte look, they've given the costume a bit more definition.

The work on the eyes and lips is great, and the teeth are generally clean and defined. Both pupils line up properly for the expression, and the makeup effects are well done.

They've used a darker skin tone for the leg, which works great, giving you the impression she's wearing nylons.

However, there is some slop, and at this price point, it's not acceptable. Most noticeable - at least to every man that looks at this statue in hand - is the pool of skin tone between her breasts. From an angle, it's hidden, but when viewed straight on it's very obvious and detracts from the lifelike appearance.

There's also a bit of slop along the costume edges, especially around the wrists and jewelry.

While the overall quality is decent, you have to keep in mind that this is a very high end statue. For Tweeterhead to sell collector's on this price point, they'll have to tighten this up.

Value - **
This is a well done cold cast statue, but it's also a very expensive one. At $275, it's approaching Premuim Format costs (the Elvira Coffin PF was just $350, and I believe the release that was similar in stance to this was also originally about that price), and lacks both the size and the mixed media features. I'm sure the big driving force behind the cost is the edition size - 350 really is quite limited.

Things to Watch Out For -
Once you have the statue on the base, it can be very difficult to remove it. Take your time to avoid damaging the edges on the long flowing dress. It is possible to take her back apart, just don't rush it or force it.

Overall - ***
While I'm a bigger Sir Graves Ghastly fan than an Elvira fan, I'll gladly admit that I'd put this statue on my shelf before one of that pasty old dude any day of the week. Serious fans of the beautiful horror host will appreciate the overall quality of this maquette.

They do need to get the paint quality to match the price point, however. I realize the low production runs on these are going to drive the cost up, but there's an expectation of perfection when you start pushing $300.

Even if you're only a casual Elvira fan, this statue has it's draw.  Because Tweeterhead is producing an excellent series of these maquettes, all done in a similar style and scale and all from nostalgic licenses, fans can have an excellent display of their favorite old school characters. After Elvira we'll get a Newmar Catwoman, Herman Munster, and Lilly Munster with more to come. There's something to be said for getting in at the beginning of a series like this, especially if it has some legs.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has her in stock for $275.

- Entertainment Earth comes in at $275 as well.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
It's hard for me to believe, but this is the first Elvira collectible I've reviewed in 15 years! There's plenty out there though, including the cool Premium Format statue from Sideshow, as well as another in a similar style.

You should also check out the Tweeterhead website, where you can see photos of their upcoming Julie Newmar Catwoman - meow! The emerald edition goes up for sale tonight, and will only be available for a very short time!

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!