Punisher PF Review
I have to admit, this is one of the only PF’s that I have bought (not counting the secondary market) in the last couple years that I did not pre-order day 1. I like the character and I liked the prototype pics, but it just wasn’t a “wow” piece for me. Then the in-hand pics and the gushing comments started flowing in once it shipped…the EX was long gone by this time, but the regular version was still available…so I jumped on it.
Punisher debuted in Amazing Spider-Man 129; waaayyyy back in 1974. Fitting that this piece shipped in 2014, the 40th anniversary of the character (wow, can you believe the Punisher has been around that long). He was originally (sort-of) a villain in the Spider-Man series, trying to kill Spidey because he thought he was a criminal. The character morphed into an anti-hero, a one-man anti-gang squad willing to clean up the streets by any means necessary (usually deadly force!), and quickly became a fan favorite. The character’s popularity helped spawn three major motion pictures, several video games (remember that classic for NES?), and many solo comic book series over the years.
Sideshow has tackled this character twice before, with one PF and one comiquette being previously released (also one diorama, which featured him in a battle with Daredevil...those two just don't see eye to eye...see what I did there?). The earlier pieces were more modern takes…while this newest PF takes Frank Castle back to his roots, depicting him in his original classic black and white costume.
The costume on this piece is pretty simple, basically a skin-tight black outfit with the unmistakable white skull logo emblazoned across the chest. The chosen material is quite nice, it’s thicker than the material used on the recent Batman, but not as felt-like as the material on the Wolverine PF (no “jammies” here). As this piece was released right on the heel‘s of the Batman PF, you can’t help but compare the pit areas on the two pieces. It seems Sideshow had no problem creating a form fitting suit in ALL areas on this piece…no saggy pits here (gives hope to future releases, such as Superman). The tailoring on the costume is really spot-on to the prototype, and the simple white on black color scheme really pops. The only complaint I can raise about the costume is that I wish it allowed a bit more of the sculpted muscles beneath to show through, as much of the detail on the body sculpt is lost.
Punisher wears a white leather harness over top of his suit. Ammo pouches are included around his belt, and the four larger pouches in the front are meant to align with the teeth on the logo. You can actually adjust the buckles on the shoulder straps to raise or lower the entire harness to your liking. The belt has a Velcro connection in the back for even more adjustability (if you wanted, I believe you could take the whole harness off). Similarly, the leg strap buckle can also be adjusted (the handgun on the leg is actually removable, which is a really cool feature). They must have added some weathering to the leather, because when you adjust the buckles, you can see brighter white spots in areas that were previously covered by the buckles. These spots are hardly noticeable, though, and this harness is very, very well done (it seems Sideshow has these harnesses/belts down pat with characters like Deadpool and Batman also having top accessories).
The sculpted details on this piece are also very satisfying. I particularly like the boots. The lacing up the front looks very realistic, and if you look along the top edge, they actually sculpted the tongue of the boot in there…now that’s attention to detail! The knife on the right boot is a separate piece, connecting to the boot with a magnet. It’s small, so make sure you don’t miss it before you pack the box away in storage. The gloves have nice weathering details (no blood stains, though…this suit must have recently been washed). He holds a set of brass knuckles in his left hand…Frank is ready to bust up some gangsters! The paint on the boots and gloves is good…they’re white, with a bit of weathering, so not too complicated, but it came out nice.
The face looks absolutely amazing on this piece. I have read that Sideshow used an intrinsic resin on the portrait, one of the first pieces to use the process. I don’t know much about it, but I can say that Sideshow needs to implement this process more often. The level of realism on the face is off the charts, and the great paint job adds another layer of awesomeness to this portrait. I’m very impressed with it. Another cool detail is the cauliflower ears…this dude has been in his fair share of street fights, and it shows. Add in his slicked back, black hair along with the threatening stare, and this is clearly a guy who you don’t want to mess with! I don’t know if there is any particular artist’s take that they based the portrait on, but I definitely see a resemblance to Ray Stevenson from the Punisher War Zone movie (I may be one of the few who actually liked that movie…Ray Stevenson was BOSS as Punisher!).
The AA 12 shotgun is where I am kind of torn on this piece. This weapon is most definitely something that the Punisher would use (watch this video here xxxxxxxx…after watching that, the biggest question I have is why isn’t he carrying two!!), but the monotone black paint job makes it look very bland (I think a cool EX feature could have been a switch out smoking gun barrel). I know it is a plain looking weapon in real life, but I have seen some custom paint jobs where chromed accents were added…very simple details, but it added a lot to the look. I think Sideshow could have done more here to spice it up a bit. Let’s face it, Punisher’s weapons are big part of the character, and this one, although devastating, just doesn’t really stand out (in terms of design…it’s certainly large enough).
I have the regular version, but the EX version comes with a switch-out left hand holding a knife. By most accounts, it is a pretty weak accessory and the knife appears to be simply a tacked on piece of plastic. Rumor have it that a switch-out battle damaged portrait was in the works and got scrapped last minute. It appears to me that this EX was an unplanned rush job, and although I don’t have it in hand, it doesn’t appear to add much to the piece on the whole. It’s not the knife idea that is lacking (I have seen one mod with a BIG, mean looking metal knife and it is awesome), it just seems like poor implementation (again, I am judging it by the photos I have seen, so perhaps it is better in person).
The figure has a pretty plain pose on the figure, but it serves to show off the character nicely. Some people thought the bended knee on the left leg made the pose look feminine, but that is not the sense I get. It looks like he is just stepping out of the battle van, ready to dish out some serious punishment (no pun intended) to some hapless gang members…they don’t stand a chance against this dude…he’s a man on a mission, with nothing to lose.
The base is a simple flat, black and white base with the Punisher logo. It is simple, but again, I think the white on black is very eye catching…and you can never go wrong with that timeless Punisher logo. Maybe some spent bullet casings strewn about the base would have added to the overall look? The only odd thing I found with the base is that its logo has 6 teeth, while there are only 4 teeth on the chest logo. Various artists have drawn the logo many different ways over the years, and both versions are technically comic accurate, but I wonder why they don’t match? It’s either an astute way that Sideshow chose to show off two interpretations of the logo, or it’s a slight miscue at the design stage. Also note that the peg on the heel was an extremely tight fit into the base, so be careful when assembling yours.
Overall, the Classic Punisher PF is a great success. If you are a big Punisher fan…stop reading this right now and go buy yourself this piece while you still can. If you were on the fence with this piece, I think it is safe to say it will be a welcome addition to your collection.
Sculpt: 8.0/10
The sculpted details on the face and boots especially stand out to me, but I wish some of the muscular physique stood out more through the fabric. Simple logo base looks nice, but it's nothing overly impressive.
Paint/Mixed Media: 8.5/10
The tailoring on the suit and harness is spot on…great job here. The paint app on the boots and gloves is good, but these areas do not really call for anything spectacular. The portrait is extremely well painted, and very realistic. But, some simple accents to the AA 12 could have added a lot to the piece.
Design: 8.0/10
Although you can’t really point to a specific moment in time that this piece was based on, it is an excellent representation of the Punisher as he first appeared in the comics. The production piece is almost a spot on copy of the prototype. The pose is good (not feminine at all in person), but nothing extraordinary. The switch-out parts on the EX leave something to be desired.
Production and Build Quality: 8.0/10
Head and hands are held on firmly. The statue is sturdy and has decent weight, giving that sense of quality. The metal peg under the right heel is an extremely tight fit into the base, to the point that I was worried about breaking it. Be very cautious when inserting the piece into the base.
Overall 8.1/10 (Impressive!)
Again, if you are a big time Punisher fan, do yourself a favour and pick this one up…you’ll be glad you did. Overall, an impressive piece by Sideshow, I’m definitely hanging on to mine.
