Hi everyone,
Similar to my post in the
Wonder Woman vs Hydra thread, and after years of consideration, hesitation etc. -- and mostly as a result of being so pleased with that piece -- I also finally pulled the trigger this week on the Bonus Version of Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman (I got #0021/1350) -- also purchasing it from a fellow collector (still sealed)!
Once again, most of my concerns were immediately alleviated when opening an inspecting her, and I am so glad I added her to my collection.
As a life-long fan and subject-matter expert of Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, my criticisms for this piece aligned with those that had posted earlier in this thread, including:
- likeness being off (I am pleasantly surprised by how correct it looks person!)
- proportions being exaggerated (less severe in person, but still off)
- no "mirror gold" used for bracelets and lasso tips/snap
- "pyro" version of bracelets sculpt used instead of normal version
- lack of alternate gold paint/color accenting trim/bead areas of tiara, breastplate and belt
- shade and finish of blue on shorts
- silver stars on shorts instead of white/ivory
- base design
- ...and so on
My additional concerns from watching many video reviews and studying in-hand photos (both in this thread and elsewhere) also included:
- lack of auburn highlights in the hair (but now I see she DOES have them!)
- shade of blue for her eyes (still could be a tad brighter)
- softer edge around her lips/lipstick (looks fine in person)
- less noticeable blush/rouge (looks great in person)
- overall portrait paint (looks excellent in person)
- shade of red "suede" on boots
Even when pulling the trigger on purchasing her, I had prepared myself to be happy to have her in my collection, but wanting her to be improved and knowing I had the skillsets to make those improvements myself. To the extent that while she was in transit, I ordered the supplies to correct/customize some very specific details (after doing my initial photo shoot of the actual piece as-is for ETW, of course). More on that later.
It's known that there can be a great deal of distortion in photos and videos depending on the angle, depth, focus, etc. So I'll be anxious to get her in my photo booth and find the perfect setup to do an accurate and thorough professional photo shoot with turnarounds, closeups etc for a Featured Exhibit on ExperienceTheWonder.com. I'll definitely share an update here when that is ready.
In the meantime, my opinion is that almost all of my concerns are resolved. The few areas for improvement (IMO) that remain for me include:
Base Design:
- It's just totally wrong for this piece. It should have been dimensional shooting stars with the correct logo design as a nameplate - all accurate to the Season 2 opening credits; even the script logo used is not correct here
- Add an LED feature
- Obliterate all modern comic elements; DC Licensing has a bad habit of forcing the "stacked W" symbol into everything, even when that symbol hadn't even been developed yet when this show aired; get rid of that shield element too!
I am considering making or commissioning a custom base, but not sure if that will be cost-prohibitive.
Eye Color:
- I would have preferred a couple of shades lighter with the blue/gray color; maybe it will "pop" a bit more when I have her fully lit in the photo studio -- just like Lynda's eyes did on set!
Paint Colors:
- The shade and finish of blue for the shorts is incorrect; they were more cyan in the show and had a metallic/satin sheen
- The stars on the shorts should be white/ivory - not silver
- The shade of red "suede" on the boots should be more of a crimson as compared to the "satin" bodice's brighter red
- The bracelets and lasso tips/snap should all be "mirror gold"
- Lack of alternate gold paint/color accenting trim/bead areas of tiara, breastplate and belt; I would have liked to see this detail, as it makes such a difference on other P1S pieces; plus it would be accurate to the styling of these elements
- There should be a small strip of gold "leather" below the breastplate eagle tail that visually connects to the top of the belt clasp (it actually extended a little further down and behind it on the actual costume)
I think I know what happened here. Years ago, I was invited to view the original Lynda Carter worn version and the original shorts had faded to a soft purple, so they do not use that one any more for exhibitions.
But the current "display" costume kept in the WB/DC archives is incorrect on many levels. They replaced the shorts with a darker blue and the incorrect star applique sizes / placement. The replacement bracelets are also not mirror gold on this updated "display" costume. From my research, I think it's actually stunt costume they reworked/restored (incorrectly) adding elements that were missing to use for museum exhibitions and touring, etc.
So, my belief is that either P1S was given access to the reworked costume and used that as their model, or DC Licensing instructed them to use "comic-centric" colors. NOTE: The recent Iron Studios and Diamond Select Lynda Carter statues also use the darker blue for the shorts.
I am also developing a custom template for the bracelet to create the exactly correct flat shape as vector artwork using detailed measurements taken from my statue and cut that shape out with my Cricut machine as a removable vinyl mirror gold overlay/decal. I don't want to make permanent changes and this material would not hurt the underlying paint (I've used it before). We'll see if I can get all of this accurate enough to make the decal and position it seamlessly, though, accounting for the star applique and pyro ports that would need to be meticulously measured and accounted for as knocked-out areas. I won't put a blade against the statue to fine-tune this during placement so this all has to be considered upfront.
Sculpt:
- I still don't like this mashup of the iconic photo from the original promotional photo shoot with a spokesmodel stance; she never stood this way as Wonder Woman in any promotional photo or episode
- She never handled her cape this way either -- it was never shown "off her shoulders" unless she was holding out wide for promo photos or worn by the stunt actor climbing up a building in one or more episodes -- so it makes that bonus accessory positioning very awkward
- The "pyro" version of the bracelets sculpt is used instead of normal version; she only wore the pyro version when the bullets and bracelets stunts were done, so she could use her thumb to trigger the explosion from the bracelets; the "glamour" pose does not call for the pyro version
- There should be a small strip of gold "leather" below the breastplate eagle tail that visually connects to the top of the belt clasp (it actually extended a little further down and behind it on the actual costume)
Verdict:
Now owning this piece and seeing it in real life (IRL)... I have to admit that on my example (reminder she is Bonus Exclusive #0021/1350), almost all of these concerns are totally alleviated, and she looks SO much nicer and accurate in person than ever I thought she would.
Beyond that, I still feel she could have been perfect if the right people were involved to correct the few remaining issues as I have "Art Directed" above.
This is why fan / SME talent should always be called in to advise on these sorts of very niche projects where absolute accuracy matters! Remember way back when we almost got a DC Direct Lynda Carter bust with silver bracelets but wearing the Season 2/3 Costume? I worked with their team to change it to gold before production, but how the painter and approvals team got it far enough for fans to catch it being wrong, is beyond me! I think many of us would have been excellent consultants on this piece.
All in all, I am very pleased to have purchased her after all, and think the portrait sculpt and paint on mine looks exactly right -- just like Lynda -- which was my primary concern!
I'll add another comment below with some quick snapshots of my statue still in the foam and will be anxious to get working on my full photo shoot and Featured Exhibit which I will also share when ready!
Then, maybe I will get creative with some of the customization ideas - keeping the approach and materials such that they will not alter/affect the underlying piece and could be completely and untraceably reversed/removed.
