|
These are a limited edition, and
this time they aren't joking. Only 200 were produced, making them far
rarer than most Gentle Giant products.
Packaging - ***
It's a box of course, and quite sturdy. It will do job 1 (keeping the
statue safe) extremely well, but beyond that it's fairly basic. The
photos do include both the actual character and the statue, but without
a window you can't check it out at the store.
A very big plus is the cool
Certificate of Authenticity that Gentle Giant includes with all their
products. Baseball card sized, these things are collectible in their
own right.
Sculpting - ***1/2
Like the previous two statues in this series, Remy's sculpt is
extremely nice. Gentle Giant has made his transition from two
dimensions to three pretty seamlessly, getting the proportions, style
and design close to perfect.
The fur is textured nicely, with
variations in thickness and density over his body. Some areas have more
detailed work, while others have less, making it appear matted or
thick.
Remy is quite large, standing
almost 7" tall without the base at the tip of his ear. He'll be huge
compared to
the Linguine should you pick him up, and he'll be out of scale with
Wall-E and Bolt, but I prefer him larger in this case. An in-scale
statue would simply be too small to look good on the shelf.
There's also a name plate, and
the wording and symbol are etched in the background. They could have
cheaped out with a tampo style print or sticker, but went the extra
mile here.
Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is extremely clean, especially the always critical eyes.
The lines are sharp, and they've used a nice gloss finish on them to
give them that shiny wet look. They stand out from the fur and skin
perfectly, adding quite a bit of visual pop to the overall presentation.
The fur could stand a bit more
of a wash though, to bring out some of the detailing and texture. It's
a minor gripe at best though, and holds the score back only slightly.
The paint could also be slightly
cleaner on the name plate, but you'll have to look pretty close - or at
close up photos - to really notice the slightly fuzzy cut lines.
Design/Quality - ***1/2
I love the dynamic nature of the pose, rather than the more traditional
static pose of a normal maquette. Remy is acknowledging your presence
with a wave of his hand, a big smile on his face that extends to his
eyes. He's a happy rodent!
They also went with the standard
black base here, similar to Bolt. However Bolt didn't have a name
plate, and Wall-E did. But Wall-E didn't have the same basic black
base...I'd prefer if they'd stick with one style or the other.
Value - **1/2
At $100, he's not a cheap maquette. But with such a limited run, I'm
not at all surprised by the price tag. These statues are going to
disappear into the hands of collectors pretty quickly, and once they
do, you'll probably see them pop up only rarely, and then for an
inflated price.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!
Overall -***1/2
I have a couple minor quibbles with the paint and design, but minor is
truly what they are. Any fan of the film will love this guy, and he's
one of those rare statues that can stand on his own - he doesn't
require a shelf full of similar items to bring out his best.
Considering the woefully inadequate Ratatouille collectibles we've
gotten from Disney, this is a welcome addition.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Design/Quality - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2
Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:
-
Big Bad Toy Store
has several of these available with cracks in their feet. The cost is
much lower for these, running under $60 in most cases.
- or you can search
ebay for a
deal.
Related
Links -
I've also checked out Bolt
and Wall-E
in this series.
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!
|