Bmutha's Deadpool PF Review
(Displayed with "merc" head and exclusive rubber chicken)
My personal favorite piece from 2013...please enjoy this review and leave me your comments.
(Please excuse the poor quality of the photos...these are older photos...I intend to give the Merc with a Mouth another photo shoot soon.)
Product Details:
Product Size: 20.00" High x 14" Wide x 9" Long
Product Weight: 10 lbs.
Artists: Mireya RomoBowen (Paint), Idol Workshop (Sculpt), Matt Beutler (Sculpt), Walter O'Neal (Sculpt), Brayton Carpenter (Costume Design), Seth Rinaldi (Design), Kristafer Anka (Design), Michael Allen (Development), The Sideshow Collectibles Design and Development Team
Originally Released: August 2013
Deadpool Fun Facts:
First Appearance: New Mutants # 98 (1991)
Origin: Deadpool #-1 (1997); Marvel Comics 1998 Annual Starring Deadpool and Death (1998); Deadpool #33 (1999)
Real Name: Wade Wilson
Place of Birth: Unrevealed location in Canada
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 210 lbs.
(one from the personal collection)
Can you believe that Deadpool has been around for over 23 years? That’s right, he first debuted way back in New Mutants # 98, first published in February 1991. Since that time, the “Merc with a Mouth” has either starred or co-starred in several comic book series, he appeared in the 2009 feature film X-Men Origins: Wolverine (although, I think we can all agree that wasn’t the real Deadpool), and starred in his own solo video game in 2013. Yup, Mr. Wilson has gone on to become one of Marvel’s most unique and popular characters.
What makes him so popular? Well, for starters he is an expert with nearly all types of weapons: guns, knives, explosives, his signature katana, you name it. He’s a skilled martial artist, so when he is not blowing you to pieces he will karate chop you in the face! He is imbued with a healing power making him virtually immortal. Oh yeah, and one other thing…he’s certifiably insane! In many comic issues there is an ongoing monologue taking place in his head that makes for some of the wackiest prose you’ll ever see in a Marvel book.
I’ll admit that I have not followed Deadpool since his debut oh so long ago. I started on with Daniel Way’s run with the character, which started with Deadpool (volume 2) # 1, published in late 2008. Since that time, though, Deadpool vaulted up easily into my top 10 favorite characters, maybe top 5. Needless to say, I was salivating for this PF.
Deadpool’s suit, although consistently red and black (not counting his stint with X-Force), seems to change subtly quite often (different harnesses, the red/black patterns seem change slightly). Although the suit on this statue doesn’t match any incarnation exactly, Sideshow seemed to borrow heavily from the “Cable and Deadpool” comic series. The sculpted suit on this guy looks really, really great with wrinkles and folds added for a more realistic look, and the buckles on the boots and wrists add some nice sculpted detail to the costume.
(a page from the Cable & Deadpool comic series)
The gun in the left hand is sort of a combination of old school revolver and futuristic machine gun…likely a Deadpool custom creation. I have read complaints that the gun is too cartoony, but honestly this gun fits the overall tone of the character…the “is this guy for real” kind of tone…oh yeah, he’s real and he just blew your face off with his cartoon gun! A switch-out gun for the left hand could have been a cool feature to add some more realism for those who wanted it. The katana swords are separate pieces that actually slide into place through loops on back of the harness. Mine were a very tight fit, so be careful getting the swords into place. Deadpool’s trademark blades hanging freely on his back are possibly my favorite detail on this piece. I also love the detailing on the sword handles, they look outstanding poking up on either side of his head.
(Deadpool's katana swords...awesome)
The regular version gets a right hand holding a hand gun. One awesome feature of the handgun is the inclusion of the writing “Chimichanga XP” on the side. Sideshow was clearly doing their homework on the character, and finer details like this writing on the gun make that readily apparent. The exclusive version of the statue also comes with a switch-out right hand holding a rubber chicken. But this isn’t just any rubber chicken…oh no, this one is stuffed with dynamite up its…erm…well, turn it around and find out. The chicken is one of the better exclusives out there, in my opinion, as it reflects the zany side of the character and adds a very unique look to really differentiate the exclusive version of the statue from the regular.
(exclusive rubber chicken)
(the "chimichanga XP")
There are two switch-out portraits that come with both the Exclusive and the Regular versions. One is a more realistic version (the “merc” head), with sculpted wrinkles, detailed seams on the mask, and some really nice wrinkle detailing around the eyes (the eyes are two different sizes, giving him a crazed sort of look). The other portrait (the “comic” head) has more of a cartoon feel to it, with very smooth features and the black ovals around the eyes are much larger. The eyes are again two different sizes for the trademark Deadpool look. The comic head looks to be just a hair too small for the body, but it is not overly noticeable. Both portraits look great, and it’s just a matter of what sort of feel you want your statue to have.
(the "merc" head)
(the "comic" head)
The base is a standard logo base, with Deadpool’s signature belt buckle logo on top. Sideshow added bullets along the edge of the base all around the perimeter, which is a nice touch that helps to spice up the look somewhat. Overall, though, it’s a pretty simple base that does not add a ton to the overall look of the piece. One cool thing to note about the base is that the exclusive has gold paint on the underside and the regular has red and white paint. Just a little something extra to distinguish between the two versions.
(gold paint on the underside of the exclusive base)
The paint job on this piece came out very well done. I cannot find a spot out of place anywhere on mine. The reds have nice shading to accentuate the muscles, and the blacks have grey undertone in areas to soften the look and also help the details stand out. The chest harness, utility belt, as well as the knife strap (knife is not removable) and ammo packs on the legs are all mixed media, and all are extremely well detailed. The mixed media really shines on this piece, striking a perfect balance with the sculpted details. None of the details on the body are lost, and you still get the added quality and realism from the mixed media that collectors have come to love.
The pose on this guy is fairly static and mundane. He does have a slight lean that makes it slightly more menacing, but not much. That said, it is great that the pose really shows off Deadpool’s costume and accessories.
("comic" head with handgun)
The statue comes in several separate pieced: head, body, left and right hands, left and right swords, and base. The body fits into the base with a peg on the left foot, the hands and head are magnetic, and the swords are held in place by the harness. Although it does not seem to be the case for all pieces, the foot peg on mine does not quite fit all the way into the slot (this happened with my second base), leaving a bit of a gap between the base and the left heel. The heads and hands are held in place firmly; however, there was a bit of wiggle room on the exclusive left hand which could cause the chicken to be at an odd angle (easily adjusted, though).
The figure and all accessories feel solid and have good weight, a very high quality feel to them. The base, though, is hollow and quite light. The thin walls of the base are susceptible to warping, and mine had a crater in the centre initially (got a replacement from Sideshow). The glossy paint on the base makes any variations in the surface stand out even more, so even minor waviness seems to stand out.
One last slight criticism for the piece is the scale. For a 1:4 scale piece, Deadpool is about 1” too short, so a tad smaller than 1:4 scale (though much closer to 1:4 than 1:5). For people that are picky about how well this will display with other pieces (like the
Classic Punisher, for example), this minor deficiency could be a sticking point.
The Verdict
Sculpt: 8.5/10
Although the base is pretty plain, the sculpted details on the suit add so much to the piece, giving a very realistic cloth-like appearance without hiding the musculature.
Paint/Mixed Media: 9.5/10
No obvious missteps with the paint, and the mixed media accessories are great quality. I hope that this piece sets a standard for this style of costume on Premium Format Figures going forward.
Design: 8.5/10
A pretty plain pose, but still shows off the costume well. Switch-out portraits and a splendid Exclusive stuffed rubber chicken can change the tone of the statue to your liking.
Production & Build Quality: 7/10
The body and accessories have a good quality feel to them. The base feels poor quality, though, and is susceptible to waviness given the thin-walled construction. Scale is also a bit off, coming in at slightly under 1:4 scale.
Overall: 8.4
Overall, the Deadpool PF turned out magnificent. There are some issues with scale, and I personally had some issues with the base, but otherwise the quality is top notch. Deadpool is still my personal favorite piece released from Sideshow in 2013, and being one of my favorite characters, I am hanging on to this one.
