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Old 09-28-2017, 10:17 PM   #1
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HUNTRESS PREMIUM FORMAT EXCLUSIVE – Sideshow Collectibles – StatueForum Review

Sideshow Collectibles – HUNTRESS PREMIUM FORMAT EXCLUSIVE – StatueForum Review

Sideshow Collectibles proudly presents Gotham City’s relentless vigilante, the Huntress. Sculpted in a battle-primed design, this striking ¼ scale premium quality collectible statue promises to command attention. This eagerly awaited release should please collectors hoping to display her among Sideshow’s previously released members of the Birds of Prey, i.e., Batgirl and Black Canary, and Gotham City’s other heroes and rogues, i.e., Batman, Catwoman, Joker, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Bane, and Killer Croc.

The Huntress, also known as Helena Rosa Bertinelli, was first introduced to the DC Universe in The Huntress #1 published in April 1989. She was created by writer, Joey Cavalieri and comic artist, Joe Staton. Perhaps not as commonly known is that the Huntress featured here is actually based on an alternate DC universe Huntress created in 1977. That earlier incarnation was named Helena Wayne, the daughter of Bruce Wayne, who wore a different costume but shared many of her abilities and traits.

While The Huntress’ origin has been revamped numerous times since her first appearance nearly 30 years ago, the one consistency in her origin is that she was always born into one of Gotham’s City’s most prominent organized crime families in the midst of a gang war. However, her privileged childhood would always be marked by profound loss and trauma. Following the brutal slaying of her parents by a rival crime family, which she unfortunately bore witness to at 8 years of age, Helena swore revenge upon the denizens and purveyors of crime. However, unlike Batman who strives to work within the law, the Huntress strives to punish, to make suffer, and to make repent, much like her namesake. While her often fierce and violent nature has sometimes placed her at odds with Gotham City’s finest, under the guidance of Barbara Gordon, the Huntress eventually found a way to balance her compulsion to mercilessly hunt down criminals with the need to maintain order and justice in Gotham City. In time, she would become a valued member of the Justice League, the Birds of Prey, Checkmate, and the Outsiders.

The Huntress does not have any super powers. However, she is skilled in gymnastics, hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship, gadgetry, and hand-held weaponry (i.e., battle-staff, crossbow, and knives). She also knows how to ride a motorcycle as good as any professional competitor and she's ridiculously rich.




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Old 09-28-2017, 10:17 PM   #2
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The exclusive edition features the option to display two crossbows:














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Old 09-28-2017, 10:17 PM   #3
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Close ups of the Exclusive:



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Old 09-28-2017, 10:17 PM   #4
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The collector's edition features the battle-staff.










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Old 09-28-2017, 10:17 PM   #5
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Close ups of the collector's edition:








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Old 09-28-2017, 10:17 PM   #6
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The close ups in design:


















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Old 09-28-2017, 10:18 PM   #7
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Sideshow Collectibles – HUNTRESS PREMIUM FORMAT EXCLUSIVE – StatueForum Review

The creative team behind the modern age Huntress statue are Ian MacDonald, Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, Mark Solyanik, Kris Anka, and Zac Roane (design), Keith Kopinski, Justice Joseph, Alfred Paredes, and Walter O’Neal (sculpt), Adam Smith, Chadwick Andersen, and Dave Kuwano (mold and cast), Amy Carpenter (costume fabrication), and Sandy Shaffer and Kat Sapene (paint). The Huntress statue stands an impressive 23 inches high and is approximately 12 inches wide and 10 inches deep, and weighs approximately 14 pounds. The Exclusive edition was limited to only 750 pieces and the collector’s edition was limited to 1250 pieces. Both versions were offered at a retail price of $469.99. Sideshow Collectibles began shipping this statue in late September, 2017. For now, the collector's edition is still available through the Sideshow website. I imagine it will sell out very soon.

Sculpture: This is a delightful sculpture. The numerous artists attached to this piece did a nice job focusing on the character’s driven nature. Her stare looks cold and fixated on the hunt, which is ideal. She presents as a woman consumed by her war on crime. This is the story the sculptors wished to tell and they did a fine job of it.

From a distance, the crossbow and staff almost look real. The battlewear on the crossbow is a nice touch too. Her trigger finger just adds to the grim sentiment of the moment, i.e., the hunt. I like the extra features on her costume design as well, i.e., the belt and thigh pouches, boot buckles, armbands, and utility belt and knee pads. The base which features the medieval-looking dragon and red-stained-glass-look adds to the overall motif as well, even if it may be the least striking part of the sculpture.

Ultimately, although those costume features are certainly appreciated, overall, when compared to other Sideshow and competitor releases, this struck me as a rather simple looking sculpture. While that does not necessarily mean to say the sculptors left something to be desired or called it in, it does mean to say that perhaps the sculpture could have benefitted from greater detail in certain areas, i.e., more costume folds, more intricate detail on her weapons, a more intense facial expression, and less of an overall cartoony feel, if only to add more realism to the piece. That being said, I still like it.

The statue comes in 6 pieces: The Huntress body, two crossbow forearm pieces, portrait, battle-staff, and the base.

Rating: 8.5/10
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Paint/Mixed media: Violet, black, and white shades and flesh tones are the main colors featured on this piece. The paint applications look relatively smooth and unrushed (i.e., no bubbles or unnatural-looking mix of paints), though they do present as thick in certain areas (i.e., eyebrows, around the eyes, the black costume parts, the mask). The paints on the portrait are adequate, though a bit too plain-looking for my liking. While I can certainly imagine more intricate and subtle paint applications (i.e., tighter paints around the eyes, more shadowing at various points throughout the skin-tones and costume), I think most fans will be generally content with this offering even if it doesn’t feel particularly inspiring. However, if the less detailed, cartoony-type look is what Sideshow was going for, it succeeded.

There was very little painting over lines or other paint imperfections we sometimes see on Sideshow sculpts (i.e., off-centered eyes, messy lipstick). The paints on the base feature some adequate shading, though not much of an upgrade from what we’re used to seeing from Sideshow.

The cape is made of fabric. It’s nice, fits well, and adds to the overall look to the piece. However, like numerous other reports which have unfortunately begun to surface, there was significant bleeding from the violet cape coloring along the stitched white trim edges, which I admit was very disappointing. I would think that something like this should have been caught by Quality Control because it is so obvious to the naked eye. Perhaps this happened during transport. Perhaps this happened because the cape was of a lower quality. Either way, I imagine Sideshow will soon be receiving some phone calls and e-mails. If Sideshow decides to produce new capes, I would suggest making the collar a bit smaller as it tends to crease below her chin. It's a bit too long. Right now, it is not an ideal fit and the violet bleed is quite the eyesore.

I would suggest collectors be extra careful when removing the cape. The cape pegs are quite snug so the potential is there to nick off some of the black paint around the peg holes on her chest whenever the cape is removed. Best to leave it in place and only remove it for storage or sale purposes. I would have preferred magnets here instead. Perhaps Sideshow considered this route but worried the magnets wouldn't stay in place while attempting to position the wired cape.

I wonder if Sideshow has reached a point where they are ready to abandon the cloth component altogether as it seems we’re seeing less of it featured on the more recent Premium Format releases. From this vantage point, it’s difficult to determine if this aspect of statue design has evolved much over the last few years. All this to say, I would have preferred a porcelain cape. However, it isn’t a deal breaker. Hopefully, Sideshow will replace the discolored cape. I certainly won’t keep it looking this way.

Nice job overall, even with the cape imperfections issue. However, the other reason why Sideshow loses some points here is because the competition seems to have discovered a way to produce more impressive and detailed paint applications. While Sideshow paints are more than adequate here, there’s better out there, and if we’re to be brutally honest, most of us know it too. Sideshow used to be a leader in the statue community, in virtually every aspect of it. However, it’s pieces like this, even though nice, which suggest they may be falling behind the evolutionary scale in statue design and production. I'd like to think the hobby is much better defined when Sideshow is either leading or keeping up with the charge. However, this piece is a move in the right direction.

Rating 8/10
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Production and Build quality: This is a solid piece of craftsmanship. While the slant in her pose may invite some concerns regarding leaning in the future, for now, at least, everything seems to stay in place comfortably without cause for immediate concern. However, I do see the legitimate concern some fans have voiced with regards to the potential long term wear of the cloth cape, i.e., discoloring, lint, loss of integrity, and so on.

One of the things I’ve grown to appreciate about Sideshow is its simplicity in assembly, more so than in its simplicity in design. Like most other Sideshow pieces, assembly was quick and easy. While I can generally do without the painstaking process of having to toil away at the wired-cape until it somewhat resembles the image in my head, once you do get it right, it looks good, though rarely exactly the way you envision it. Overall, Sideshow isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel here, and that’s fine.

While my cape suffered from violet bleed, which was rather disappointing, others have reported and posted pics of their cape flaking and cracking along the white trim. Hopefully, Sideshow will pay greater attention to the production quality of the mixed media they choose to include on these expensive statues. Fans should feel like they're getting their money's worth.

The pieces slipped in fairly easily and the magnets worked perfectly. There’s no tilting or imbalance to the statue. Although it's difficult to say "cape issue aside", this is still a good job overall.

Rating 7.5/10

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Design: I like it. It’s neither too dynamic nor over the top. At the same time, Sideshow didn’t play it entirely safe either and appeared to resist offering the fanbase yet another superheroine who looks like she’s auditioning for Vixen Video’s latest release (e.g., the recent Black Canary). While I typically prefer classic costume designs over modern interpretations, Huntress isn’t really a classic enough character to demand one variation over another as the mask, battle-staff, and the overall violet, black, and white theme seem to be the consistent offering when it comes to her representation. In this regard, I think fans of the character will be pleased.

Another issue regarding the design choice is that because the battle-staff is a two-handed weapon, ideally, I would have preferred a display option that illustrated this. While it still looks good in one hand, it may seem impractical in a battle pose.

The Huntress is a veteran street level crime-fighter with a mean streak. She isn’t out to only stop you. She wants to hurt you. She wants you to remember having crossed her path and to rue the day you ever inflicted any pain and suffering upon the undeserving. I think Sideshow’s design choice managed to translate that adequately in its interpretation of the character. Huntress looks fearless and ready for battle. Overall, this is a nice piece of work and should easily compliment one’s display of ¼ scale Batman-world statues.

In closing, this is a good interpretation of the Huntress and worth the investment, providing Sideshow addresses the unfortunate violet bleed issues with the cape.

Rating: 8/10
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Overall rating: 8/10 (A-)





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Old 09-28-2017, 10:18 PM   #8
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Close up of the violet bleed on Huntress' cape. Mine actually bleeds violet all along the white trim on both sides of the cape.



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Old 09-28-2017, 11:34 PM   #9
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Old 09-28-2017, 11:54 PM   #10
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Great write-up as usual!

I agree that Black Canary's design was a missed opportunity, especially for people who want to display the Birds of Prey together.
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