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Old 01-21-2018, 02:32 AM   #1
GaryTonge
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Sideshow Collectibles Thanos on Throne Maquette Exclusive Review

Sideshow Thanos on Throne Maquette EX

Youtube Turnaround video here!




The Thanos on Throne Maquette was one of the most marketed and anticipated pieces of 2017. Starting with the “Inside Look: Thanos Maquette” mini documentary, followed by the EX sellout of 750 pieces within 10 minutes, this statue has captured the attention of collectors from the get-go.

Sideshow recruited one of their best sculptors, Will Harbottle, to tackle the Mad Titan. From the promotional videos to its display at comic-con, this piece had the collecting world buzzing. Collectors wondered about the outcome of the final product. How close will it look to the amazing prototype? Will QC be on point? EX or Reg portrait? I’ll try to address these points throughout the review.

Sculpt:
As always, Will Harbottle did a tremendous job with the sculpt of the Thanos on Throne Maquette. This piece has two characters fighting for the attention of the viewer; the figure, Thanos himself, and the throne. Both elements are masterfully done and comic fans will gawk over the detail throughout the piece.
Figure:



Thanos is portrayed in a modernized interpretation of the character yet still maintaining the classic comic silhouette. He’s big, bulky and imposing. The level of detail is simply stunning. My favorite aspect of the anatomy sculpt is the intersection between his left latissumus and obliques. Here we see the natural curvature of flesh with a few subtle wrinkles creasing the costume. You’ll never see this view unless you get up close and personal with the statue, but it’s absolutely fantastic.

The shoulder armor is intricately detailed with cosmic runes, the anterior and posterior columnar armor have overlapping geometry which gives a nice level of complexity. The gauntlets themselves are works of art with a unique design element at every joint segment.

The suit has a criss-cross texture that can only be accomplished through digital sculpting. The piping elements add a bit of a modern flare to the costume, but also helps to demarcate the two shades of blue that are applied throughout the costume. The loin cloth looks like mixed media as the subtle wrinkles and creases are perfectly applied.

Thanos’ boots are intricately detailed, again with varying geometrical elements to them. There are also more cosmic runes to the front of the boots.
Both portraits are fantastic. This is one of those pieces where the portrait dramatically changes the feel of the statue. The EX portrait is the Starlin/Lim variation. It has a classic comic feel to it. It transforms piece, giving it a comic vibe. The teeth help to add some separation to the blue/purple flesh of Thanos which gives this portrait more personality.

The regular head has a more modern design to it. The helmet is more intricately detailed than the EX and I like the addition of the rear helmet band.

With each portrait I have a favorite pose; for the EX head it’s a 3/4 view, whereas with the regular portrait the straight on look is best. In my opinion the teeth of the EX helps to break up the colour and texture on the face, while the Reg portrait has nicer detail to the helmet, specifically the rear helmet band. If I could have designed my own portrait for this piece it would be combination of the two, with the facial expression of the EX and the helmet of the reg.

Throne:




As mentioned earlier, the throne is a character unto itself. Quite simply, this is one of the most detailed statue components I’ve ever seen. Definitely the most detailed in my collection.

This throne is as good as anything you’ll see in this hobby. I’ll focus on a few elements and let the pictures speak for themselves.

Three Skulls and three Spines: There are three skulls and spines found on the throne; down the middle of the back and on each armrest. They are intricately designed and menacing. The combination of the skull and mech themes create a throne that has a perfectly comsic look to it. It also has a futuristic/organic quality like something out of the imagination of H.R Giger.

Score: 10/10


Paint:



The paint apps on the Thanos on Throne Maquette are perfectly balanced to have enough contrast between the various costume elements on Thanos, as well as between Thanos and the throne.

There are varying shades of blue on the costume that are demarcated by black piping. Using these varying shades of blue is a fantastic way to keep the costume from looking too monotone. Both colours work well together. The varying shades of gold used on the armor, boots and gauntlet perfectly compliment the colour of the costume and portraits.

The throne features varying tones of metallic purples and silver. There are also subtle highlights of a light blue that emulate a sort of cosmic energy throughout the throne.

The factory paint apps are very well done. On my piece there was only one errand paint line and a small blemish to the shoulder armor. The general look of the paint apps on the production version of the piece look very much like its prototype counterpart. .

Score: 9.5/10


Design:




I think the design of this maquette is what took the collecting world by storm when it was first revealed. It’s been universally lauded by collectors and competitors.

The organic/cosmic look of the throne with its intricate detail, as well as the intimidating finger beckoning pose of Thanos, help to encapsulate a perfect representation of one of Marvel’s most supreme villains.

I do wish that Sideshow would have included the resting left arm featured in the original teaser for this piece, but I do prefer the finger beckoning pose over the two.

Several licensed throne statues have been made up to this point with a couple of them being genre defining. I think this piece will join the upper echelon of the Dooms and Magnetos of the world as far as design goes.

Score: 10/10



Production and Build Quality:
Both the Throne and Thanos figure are heavy. The magnets to all of the components are strong and hold well. No issues noted with the keying of the portraits or any other component.

The loin cloth is very thin and delicate. Be very careful when handling Thanos during assembly
The shoulder component is also delicate, but not as thin as the loin cloth.

The light up feature to the gauntlet is done to perfection. The lights look great and worked for me without issue. The switch is hidden beneath the gauntlet and needs to be activated manually. I actually prefer the look of the non-illuminated gems. They are very well done and have a neat level of depth to them. The colours look fantastic as well!

Addendum: Since writing this review, there have been several cases of the ToT Maquette arriving with a damaged right leg. My statue in particular had several small cracks near the peg hole of the figure. Sideshow has since replaced my piece and there are no issues with it.

Score 8.5/10


Overall:



I think Sideshow accomplished what they set out to do here; create a masterful interpretation of one of Marvel’s most significant villains, and make a statement to their fans and competitors that Sideshow still has what it takes to make a genre defining piece.

This piece carries with it a hefty price tag, but in my opinion, this piece is worth every penny.
This might be the best produced statue to come from Sideshow Collectibles. I believe this will be Sideshow’s flagship piece for years to come.

Overall Score: 9/10
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Old 01-21-2018, 02:32 AM   #2
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Old 01-21-2018, 03:44 AM   #3
Force of Nature
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Congratulations with this awesome piece Gary!
I have really enjoyed your review and the stunning pictures.

Good stuff!

Rainer
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:39 AM   #4
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Agreed, this statue's a real marvel. I have no interest in owning a Thanos, but there were many moments when I was tempted to get it nonetheless.
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Old 01-21-2018, 06:26 AM   #5
Iacon13
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Wow and congrats on getting this one! Beautiful pics and your review was very informative.
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Old 01-21-2018, 09:04 AM   #6
goto
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Thank you for this nice review
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Old 01-21-2018, 11:14 AM   #7
XMAN
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Excellent review amazing pics amazing piece
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Old 01-21-2018, 01:51 PM   #8
Bullseye
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Excellent review. Out of curiosity what photo web hosting site are you using. Photo bucket is not working anymore.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:08 PM   #9
GaryTonge
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Force of Nature View Post
Congratulations with this awesome piece Gary!
I have really enjoyed your review and the stunning pictures.

Good stuff!

Rainer
Quote:
Originally Posted by Iacon13 View Post
Wow and congrats on getting this one! Beautiful pics and your review was very informative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by goto View Post
Thank you for this nice review
Quote:
Originally Posted by XMAN View Post
Excellent review amazing pics amazing piece
Thanks for checking it out guys!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bullseye View Post
Excellent review. Out of curiosity what photo web hosting site are you using. Photo bucket is not working anymore.
I'm using Imgur at the moment. No issues yet, although photos take longer to load than Photobucket.
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Old 01-21-2018, 05:23 PM   #10
risingstar
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Great Sideshow piece! Thanks for posting the awesome review!
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