Summary
Sculpt: 10/10
First off I feel the sculpt has an amazing presence in poise and definition. This representation and likeness of the character from its source material (which varies greatly) paints a picture of a definitive Red Sonja which lacks little to nothing in compromise of the premium format standard. All proportions are as they should be and the amount of detail from flesh to armor is exceptional. Such a gorgeous interpretation of the female form and that of a warrior to boot.
There has been some who feel the head of the giant is sitting in an awkward position but I feel it captures an exact moment in time. The detail on the exclusive severed head is straight in line with the rest of the statue and looks great either laying by the statue or in place of her left axe hand. With examination and consideration I couldn't find anything about the sculpt that i personally did not like or that i thought should be brought to attention as odd, off, or misleading or lacking thereof.
The one small complaint and its only a personal viewpoint is i was not happy with the sculpted blood on the sword. Things of this nature such as blood or fire sculpted into the piece always seem to bring a cheap unrealistic feel to them and though this actually looks fairly good and is well done for what it is I feel it would have been better without it.
Paint & Mixed Media: 5/10
Here is where I felt the importance of the pictures came into play. The mixed media is ultimately done very well in design look and assembly. The line work of the statue is super clean. I found very few very small parts that had any sloppy lines or paint flow into parts where it shouldn't be I was really happy and impressed with how accurately all the small parts and detail had a smooth clean look.
The hair was more of a single shade throughout than a layered multicolored application that the prototype had. Though not bad I found it lacking depth and should have had more attention paid to it. The base has very realistic look to it from the weathered stone to the shield and the helmet under her foot. No complaints with the base at all it turned out fantastic. Her sword and the severed head had a great amount of attention to detail put into them and couldn't have been any better than they were in my opinion. Also the axe hand was extremely well done.
The flesh tones have been varied greatly. The production piece had a more monotone and light colored flesh look which most preferred over the tanned look of the production pieces and is more fitting of a redhead though she has been portrayed in the comics with a tanned tone. The real issue is where the tanned tone meets with the lighter flesh tone. The varying amount of this meld of flesh tones has been pretty bad. I will say the piece I received is among one of the best ones I have seen but its is still noticeably nonuniform mostly so on her stomach area and where the portrait meets the body.
As you can see in the pictures it goes from one shade to a completely different shade of flesh tone. The choker on her neck makes it even more visible as its a complete separation of colors. as is said I felt the piece I had was not too bad other peoples were quite a bit worse in this case. The person I sold mine to was amazed at the difference between the one I supplied him with and the one he received from Sideshow. He was happy with mine but returned the other to sideshow for the poor quality of the paint application. There have been numerous complaints about this and is overall reflective of poor quality control. You can also see besides the difference in color how the one I had has a blotchy look to her neck its not a smooth transition from highlights to low lights at all.
Her eyes are also not even much of a green at all they are so dark and have no highlights in them as did the prototype. The piece really suffered from these issues. It could be absolute perfection with a repaint but that shouldn't have to be a factor when purchasing a collectible of this caliber.
Design: 10/10
The overall design of this piece is wonderfully asserted. From the flowing hair to the snowy base it harkens to its own telling of a story that is the essence of Red Sonja. The variety of design in the sculpted and multimedia adornments is pretty fantastic. The velvet swede and faux fur cape has a weathered look to it and breathes a lot of life into the piece. The rock on the base with the dirty snow also has a great weathered look to it. The shield on the base with wood grain detail and battered feel to it. Her armament also holds plenty of detail with the attached dagger, scabbard and axe hand. The sword itself is not thin or flimsy and has a nice solid feel to it and is straight and not bent as we have seen in other weapons with characters.
The exclusive switch out hand is probably one of thee best exclusives ive seen to date and also is amazingly detailed from his dead eyes to the severed back side of the neck showing the entrails and bone. The piece fits together easy and is sturdy with no issues of leaning or weakly attached parts. All in all the design is Sideshow coming in at one of their best pieces. It grabs your attention and holds it.
Production & Build Quality:6.5/10 Here we are finding some faults. Though I did not have any issues with the one I received there has been some issues. Backwards magnets in the switch out pieces is pretty horrible and has been seen on more than a single instance. Exclusives not coming with the switch out axe hand. Her cape has had issues with the hook being sewed in backwards and falling apart at the seems in some cases.
The small leather loop that hold the sword scabbard onto her belt has come unglued. I had that same issue with my DROM statue. None of these things are uncommon and have been seen before in other production pieces as well but for the increasing price point quality control needs to be at its best these are all unacceptable issues and I will say again it needs to be addressed. Other than those few instances across the board the production quality is pretty good with consistency in most other aspects from balance to assembly.
OVERALL: 7.5/10Overall this piece is still a awesome piece to have and if you can get one without all the flaws and a good paint app id say she something one would want to always keep in their collection. She is extremely easy to customize which adds a certain aspect to collectors but doesn't count in on the overall rating of this piece in its factory form. Though a hit out of the ballpark she may be its still a foul ball and needs to be replayed.
(to quote the legendary Stan Lee...)
