Review of Harley Quinn - Bishoujo statue

Introduction

There are lots of Harley Quinn statues this year - DCU Online, Arkham Asylum, DC Cover Girls - and it might be easy for the latest Kotobukiya Bishoujo style release to get lost in the crowd. But fans of the style know that would be a mistake.

The 'Bishoujo' style is Japanese in origin, and means 'beautiful young girl'. Kotobukiya has had great success translating this general anime/manga style into a long running series of statues. They've also managed to do something that's pretty rare these days - produce a consistent series that includes characters from Marvel and DC.

This is a bit of an early review, as this statue is still on pre-order at most retailers. She should be showing up soon, and will retail for around $50 - $60. I have some terrific suggestions at the end of the review where you can find it in that $50 range, which is a terrific price on the current market.

Packaging - ***
The box features traditional artwork, rather than photos of the statue. There are a couple small statue photos on the back, but since there's a nice big window in the front, you can see the statue you're getting, an important feature in my opinion. That only helps when you're picking it off the shelf at the comic shop or local convention, of course.

The box also protects the statue quite well, and that's the most critical responsibility of any packaging. There is no Certificate of Authenticity or edition numbering.

Sculpting - ***
Here we have Harley straddling the very phallic hammer handle, and based on the artwork on the box, she should have a coy, sexy expression.

The sculpt of the body is excellent, and Harley has all the right curves in all the right spots. Proportions are excellent, and fairly realistic for a comic book representation.

This statue is all one piece, with everything attached right out of the package. Harley stands about 8 inches tall without the base.

The best part of this sculpt is the eyes. Clearly a separate piece, they are set within the head in a very realistic way, especially in hand.

So why the slightly lower score? As I said, the artwork on the box shows her with a great expression for this pose, very coy. It's as if she's saying "we all know just what I'm doing with this hammer, but I'm still a sweet girl".

Unfortunately, the sculpted version doesn't manage to capture that same subtle suggestion. Instead, it looks wistful, far away, as if she's day dreaming about a nice slice of pizza, or perhaps a hunk of chocolate cake. For me, the pose and expression don't match up well, hurting the overall look a bit.

Paint - ****
The paint work is gorgeous, with a high gloss finish on the costume that's extremely consistent and clean. The edges are very sharp, especially around the mask, diamonds and cut between the black and red halves of the costume.

The coverage and tone is very consistent, and the white is bright and clean. The eyes look very realistic, and the paint adds to the quality of the sculpt.

Accessories - ***
When does a statue ever get an Accessory score? It's awfully rare, since they usually aren't designed for it.

Here we get two faces - one in white makeup, and one in skin tone. They are held in place with a strong magnet, and you can't tell that the face is a separate piece - the edge is nice and tight.

I only took a couple photos with the skin tone face, the LifeSizer shot and the first of the two closeup portrait shots. The skin color is only slightly less white than the makeup, but when you see them side by side it's pretty obvious which is which.

Small touches can tell you just how much attention a company is paying to the quality of their work. Here, we get a small box inside the bottom of the base in which you can store the extra face - that's a fantastic idea, and much appreciated!

Value - ****
I was recently raving about the $65 price tag on a Batman Black and White release, and the $50 price tag on a Gentle Giant mini-bust. And then I see that this Bishoujo statue can be found for even less than $50 at some of my sponsors - wow! 

While she's plastic instead of resin, the quality of the paint and sculpt will hold up next to any of the polystone or resin statues and busts on the market. At this price point, it makes it much easier for the big fan to remain a completest, and pick up all the characters they want.

Things to Watch Out For -
Getting the skin tone face off was extremely hard, and I had to hook a thin knife blade under the edge near the chin to pry it free. This was because of the rubber plastic strip behind the face and between the magnets inside, used to protect it in shipping. That makes the fit too tight, but once it's removed, the faces swap easily. Just be very careful that first time to avoid scratching her face.

Overall - ***1/2
While I'm not a huge fan of the wistful facial expression, I have to say that the great price and excellent paint ops make up for it. Including the two faces and the small box to store them is also a great touch, especially at this price point.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is at $55.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Bishoujo statues I've reviewed include Poison Ivy, the black costume Batgirl, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Phoenix and Rogue.

Other Harley statues includes the first Cover Girl version, and there's another coming out soon.

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

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