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The
dynamic duo of artist Adam Hughes and sculptor Jack Mathews came
together once again to produce this beauty. Clearly DC Direct knows
they have a winning combination with this team up, and it's nice to see
consistency with the artists. It adds consistency to the style of the
statues as well, a key component of a series such as this.
This is a limited edition of course, but does not come with a Certificate of Authenticity. The edition size is 7000. Packaging - ***
Didn't we normally get Certificates of Authenticity with past releases?
I could have swore we did - but not this time. Either that, or mine has
gone missing. Supergirl didn't have one either, so I doubt it's just my
statue. Not cool. When you start a series with COA's, you keep the
COA's throughout. But
the package is otherwise well done, with the same style of graphics and
text. The foam trays are well designed, and keep the two pieces - stand
and statue - safe. While there's no COA, the edition number is on the
bottom of the box, as well as the bottom of the base.
Sculpting - ***1/2
Adam Hughes did the original artwork for Wonder Woman #173, which inspired his design for this statue as well. Wonder
Woman is leading her horde (in this particular case I believe it was
parademons) into battle, pointing the way with her deadly blade. She is
screaming for vengeance - at least that's the idea. The face
sculpt is pretty, yet determined and set. This version isn't quite as
busty as we normally see, especially when Adam is doing the drawing,
but she still fills out her armor quite nicely. The helm looks
great, and the wings have truly beautiful feather detail. The
proportions are great all around, and she fits in nicely with the rest
of the series. She also fits easily on the base, without fear of
causing damage when you place the posts inside the holes. My only
complaint is with the belt and scabbard. These are placed askew on her
hips, riding quite high, and glued in place. It's not hanging on her
hips naturally, and you can't adjust it easily.
Paint - ***1/2
Overall, the paint quality is quite high this time around. It's been a bit hit or miss with the series, but Diana is a hit. At least in terms of quality - no slop, clean cut lines, consistent colors - this statue is at the top of its game. I
do have one niggling problem though, and it might just be me. She's
looking at one thing...and pointing at another. If the sword was
pointed higher, more toward the sky, I could get it. But it's not -
instead, it's pointing toward whatever it is they are charging...and
yet she's looking at something else. Like I said, it might just be me,
but I found it distracting.
Value - **1/2
The price on these is starting to rise, but is still competitive with
other statues on the market in this (and smaller) scale, even from DC
Direct. You
can grab Diana for around $80 - $85 with a little effort, which is
about the same price that the first Wonder Woman in the series cost,
almost two years ago. Considering how much other items have risen in
that same period, I'm glad to see these holding the line.
Things to Watch Out For - Not
a thing! Unlike some statues we've seen recently from DC Direct, the
posts on the bottom of her feet line up perfectly with the holes, and
there's no chance of breaking the feet.
Overall - ***1/2
The future of DC Direct is clearly up in the air these days. Will they
still be making product in 2012, and what might that product be? It's
already pretty clear that action figures are dropping out of their
strategy, but what about statue? Busts? Prop replicas? I suspect a well
known company is going to be doing quite a bit of that work for Warner
Brothers, but I don't think it will be DC Direct. The
loss of their action figures isn't going to bother me too much, since
they've been dropping off in variety over the last couple years anyway.
But if we lose the Batman Black and White statues and the DC Cover
Girls statues, we'll be the poorer for it. Not our wallets, but our
collections. And if you're feeling this series, don't forget to pre-order the smokin' hot Hawkgirl - I suspect she'll be a fan favorite.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:
- Urban
Collector has her at $79.
- Big Bad Toy Store has her listed at $85. - Capstone Comics has her at $90. - Things From Another World has her at $90. - Entertainment
Earth also has her at $90. - or you can search
ebay for a deal.
Related
Links - Related reviews include: - the last Cover Girls statue I reviewed was Supergirl, and just prior was Poison Ivy, Batgirl, Harley, Power
Girl, Catwoman/Wonder Woman, Zatanna,
and Black Canary.
- If you're looking for another great Wonder Woman statue, check out the Bishoujo version from Kotobukiya. Discussion:
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