Review of Stargirl - DC Bombshells statue

Introduction

DC Collectibles teamed up with artist Ant Lucia to produce a series of statues called DC Bombshells.  The designs are based on the pin-up art of the 40's and 50's, and more specifically, the sort of designs that were often painted on the fighter planes of the era, hence the double meaning of 'bombshells'.

The latest in the series is Stargirl, a very modern creation. She first appeared in 1999, but her costume, with its stars and stripes patriotic theme, certainly lends itself to this particular concept.

She's just started shipping, and will run you around $100 or so, depending on the retailer. She is also a limited edition, with a run size of 5200.

Packaging - ***
The basic box works well, and the sturdy foam trays keep her safe. The edition size and number are on the box and trays (as well as the bottom of the statue), but there's no Certificate of Authenticity.

Sculpting - ***
I really like this design - it has all the right elements of both the character, and the pin-up style.

Thanks to the large star on her chest, the overall red, white and blue color scheme, and the Cosmic Staff she's riding, you'll recognize her immediately. But they've used the pose - riding the staff on a downward slope, like a falling bomb - and the clothing and hair style to emote the pin-up era.

The base helps as well, but that's nothing new. All the bases are done in a riveted sheet metal design, to bring a bit of the plane theme into the overall look.

I love the red plastic lens inside the goggles as well, matching the bright lipstick.

This design and sculpt would have picked up another half star easy, if not for one annoying mistake. The goggles don't sit properly on her face, with the left side riding too high. They seem slightly off center too, hurting an otherwise terrific sculpt. I feel bad for the artist and sculptor, since this isn't their fault - it's a manufacturing defect.  With the higher price point on these statues, DC Collectibles needs to ensure high quality manufacture.

These statues are fairly large, done in a 9" scale. That makes Stargirl almost 10" overall, including the base.

Paint - ***1/2
The majority of the paint work is sharp, clean and nicely done. I particularly like the eyes, with the seductive sideways glance. And in case the multiple visual clues weren't enough to convince you this was Stargirl, they added a tampo tattoo on her left shoulder of, what else, shooting stars.

There are a few minor spots and issues, however. The biggest problem is where her back leg rests on the Cosmic Staff, and the paint slops over from one area to the other quite a bit. There's a few other minor nits, but overall the work is well above average.

Value - **
This girl is going a little cheaper than some of the other releases, probably due to a smaller fanbase. Even as a member of the JSA, only so many people will recognize her, and I think retailers understand that.  Still, a hundred bucks is a lot for a statue in this scale, and to really command the price tag they need to avoid any paint issues, and certainly any manufacturing issues like what you see here with the goggles.

Things to Watch Out For -
If you can pick one out off the shelf, watch those goggles!

Overall - ***
I really like this line overall, but not every statue has been a winner. Stargirl could have been one of the best...but there's a couple issues that held her back.  The askew goggles is the biggest one of course, and if you get fortunate and don't have that problem, you can add another half star to my overall score.

Bring on Hawkgirl!

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is at $100.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Bombshells include Black Canary, Batgirl, Harley, Poison Ivy, Supergirl and Wonder Woman.

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