This is not a Bowen Bashing Thread!

[risingstar]

It's a shame the busts line was discontinued. There are a few missing like Lady Sif, Emma Frost, Molecule Man, Gamora, and numerous others... I strongly doubt that what Bowen managed to accomplish with his line of busts will ever be repeated. It was a remarkable achievement.

[eljefe1981]

I hope he does get everything in order in get back to making statues hopefully he is just taking a break in will return what a lot more designs in just wants to get people missing the bowen statues

[DeadGhostKnight]

I love Bowen. I still think they are the only place to get statues that look like they have come straight from the comic.

Just the amount that's out there is amazing, if you like the marvel universe in it's entirety then Bowen is the only way to go.....Genis Vell, Adam Warlock, Super Skrull, Nova, Mephisto, Moon Knight, Captain Marvel, Frankenstein, Dracula, Mojo, Wendigo and so many more only Bowen has made or in Novas case, only Bowen has done justice.

Not only the largest selection of characters but so many costumes and variations has been done, there isn't a team you can't assemble in some form.

Want a Captain America....Modern? WW2? Museum? Action? Newsreel? Metallic? Avengers? Ultimate? Faux Bronze?

Want a Wolverine....Museum? Action? Original? Modern? Astonishing? X-Force? Unmasked? Brown Costume? Faux Bronze? Weapon X?

I'm not even going to attempt to list up Iron Man options! lol.

I really really REALLY can not wait for them to start again next year.

[eljefe1981]

It is true bowen has the most statues of characters out there may be they will start with 1/4 statues maybe that is why they need to clear out there warehouse in Rocky's vault is the way they are doing it

[JP Sarri]

G

Originally Posted by DeadGhostKnight

I love Bowen. I still think they are the only place to get statues that look like they have come straight from the comic.

Just the amount that's out there is amazing, if you like the marvel universe in it's entirety then Bowen is the only way to go.....Genis Vell, Adam Warlock, Super Skrull, Nova, Mephisto, Moon Knight, Captain Marvel, Frankenstein, Dracula, Mojo, Wendigo and so many more only Bowen has made or in Novas case, only Bowen has done justice.

Not only the largest selection of characters but so many costumes and variations has been done, there isn't a team you can't assemble in some form.

Want a Captain America....Modern? WW2? Museum? Action? Newsreel? Metallic? Avengers? Ultimate? Faux Bronze?

Want a Wolverine....Museum? Action? Original? Modern? Astonishing? X-Force? Unmasked? Brown Costume? Faux Bronze? Weapon X?

I'm not even going to attempt to list up Iron Man options! lol.

I really really REALLY can not wait for them to start again next year.

I completely agree, Alex. Bowen offers multiple choices for any kind of display, modern or classic, action or museum. In fact, with the exception of a few missing characters, you can assemble any team from any given era of Marvel comics. That, its longevity and its perennial quality are the greatest accomplishments of Bowen Designs. No other company or collection can say the same. Whoever dismisses the contribution of Randy to the hobby, has no clue.

[Hellsbells51]

Originally Posted by jpsarri

Personally, I like the Bowen scale and I see no need for it to change. Bowen Designs hits a niche in the market that hardly has any competition but reaches a large percentage of the consumers. Only Kotobukiya and in some extend Gentłe Giant are able to compete but they are still years away of the level of BD.

As someone that started collecting in the late 90's (1999 to be exact), I have seen the industry change and supersize quite a bit. Back in those days, we were content with the 1/10 and 1/7 scale statues because those were all we ever got. Right when I got married (in 2004), I took a 5 year break just to make it back to the Sideshow's 1/4 and 1/5 statue craze days. Like everyone else, I bought into it until I ran out of room and new display ideas. That is when I made the decision to go back to the smaller scale statues that brought me into the hobby in the first place.

the major asset of 1/6 and 1/7 scale pieces is its smaller size. They are easier to display, easier to clean and easier to store. 1/4 and 1/5 scale pieces always present challenges whether in how to display them or where to put them. You can always make room for small pieces but it is almost impossible when you are dealing with large size statues in a reduced area. That is why some collectors have multiple collection rooms, but not everybody can afford to relinquish valuable living space. At least, this is my personal case.

What I have come to know over the years is that most Bowen collectors grew up reading comics. This is not necessarily the case for Sideshow, PopCultureShock and the new XM Studios collectors. Mainly, these collectors are pop culture aficionados rather than Comic lore connoisseurs. Therefore, their lack of interest for anything that resembles the art and the attitude portraited in comics. This is where Randy's company shines over the others. I have own many pieces, from almost all of the companies, and regardless of the size I can say with total certainty that I enjoy my Bowen and Kotobukiya pieces the most. They make me feel like a kid again. I have never felt this way with pieces from other producers, mixed media or not.

I highlighted that portion because I've noticed this big time. Sideshow and now even XM gets hyped up to the point where it almost turns me off from collecting. It reminds me of the early 90's comic era. While I enjoyed the early 90's of comic collecting it became too much and the fun was taken out of it because all these variants and hype took over the hobby. Yes, it brings excitement to collecting, but it also kills the hobby. It happened with sports cards, comics, etc. It may or may not happen with statues, but with the rapidly inclining prices over the years it sure seems like it's inevitable.

Bowen seems to cater to all eras of comic fans, but it's niche is the classics so they actually have two big advantages: classic comics and the 1:6 market.

[chunkster702]

Can't go wrong with Classic comic style in 1/6!

No way to 1/4 Bowens.

[moon_knight1971]

Originally Posted by jpsarri

Personally, I like the Bowen scale and I see no need for it to change. Bowen Designs hits a niche in the market that hardly has any competition but reaches a large percentage of the consumers. Only Kotobukiya and in some extend Gentłe Giant are able to compete but they are still years away of the level of BD.

As someone that started collecting in the late 90's (1999 to be exact), I have seen the industry change and supersize quite a bit. Back in those days, we were content with the 1/10 and 1/7 scale statues because those were all we ever got. Right when I got married (in 2004), I took a 5 year break just to make it back to the Sideshow's 1/4 and 1/5 statue craze days. Like everyone else, I bought into it until I ran out of room and new display ideas. That is when I made the decision to go back to the smaller scale statues that brought me into the hobby in the first place.

the major asset of 1/6 and 1/7 scale pieces is its smaller size. They are easier to display, easier to clean and easier to store. 1/4 and 1/5 scale pieces always present challenges whether in how to display them or where to put them. You can always make room for small pieces but it is almost impossible when you are dealing with large size statues in a reduced area. That is why some collectors have multiple collection rooms, but not everybody can afford to relinquish valuable living space. At least, this is my personal case.

What I have come to know over the years is that most Bowen collectors grew up reading comics. This is not necessarily the case for Sideshow, PopCultureShock and the new XM Studios collectors. Mainly, these collectors are pop culture aficionados rather than Comic lore connoisseurs. Therefore, their lack of interest for anything that resembles the art and the attitude portraited in comics. This is where Randy's company shines over the others. I have own many pieces, from almost all of the companies, and regardless of the size I can say with total certainty that I enjoy my Bowen and Kotobukiya pieces the most. They make me feel like a kid again. I have never felt this way with pieces from other producers, mixed media or not.

Best Bowen post I've ever read on this forum. Here's hoping he gets the contract.

[nbr3bagshotrow]

Originally Posted by jpsarri

Personally, I like the Bowen scale and I see no need for it to change. Bowen Designs hits a niche in the market that hardly has any competition but reaches a large percentage of the consumers. Only Kotobukiya and in some extend Gentłe Giant are able to compete but they are still years away of the level of BD.

As someone that started collecting in the late 90's (1999 to be exact), I have seen the industry change and supersize quite a bit. Back in those days, we were content with the 1/10 and 1/7 scale statues because those were all we ever got. Right when I got married (in 2004), I took a 5 year break just to make it back to the Sideshow's 1/4 and 1/5 statue craze days. Like everyone else, I bought into it until I ran out of room and new display ideas. That is when I made the decision to go back to the smaller scale statues that brought me into the hobby in the first place.

the major asset of 1/6 and 1/7 scale pieces is its smaller size. They are easier to display, easier to clean and easier to store. 1/4 and 1/5 scale pieces always present challenges whether in how to display them or where to put them. You can always make room for small pieces but it is almost impossible when you are dealing with large size statues in a reduced area. That is why some collectors have multiple collection rooms, but not everybody can afford to relinquish valuable living space. At least, this is my personal case.

What I have come to know over the years is that most Bowen collectors grew up reading comics. This is not necessarily the case for Sideshow, PopCultureShock and the new XM Studios collectors. Mainly, these collectors are pop culture aficionados rather than Comic lore connoisseurs. Therefore, their lack of interest for anything that resembles the art and the attitude portraited in comics. This is where Randy's company shines over the others. I have own many pieces, from almost all of the companies, and regardless of the size I can say with total certainty that I enjoy my Bowen and Kotobukiya pieces the most. They make me feel like a kid again. I have never felt this way with pieces from other producers, mixed media or not.

Bingo, well said.

[qz33]

Originally Posted by risingstar

It's a shame the busts line was discontinued. There are a few missing like Lady Sif, Emma Frost, Molecule Man, Gamora, and numerous others... I strongly doubt that what Bowen managed to accomplish with his line of busts will ever be repeated. It was a remarkable achievement.

I'd love to see a Satana and Nova FS made from the busts like they did with Enchantress.

Originally Posted by Kicksplode

I don't see much wrong with the way Bowen handles their product other than the constantly rising prices. They've been better than most companies about meeting release dates and offering solid QC. Maybe they could stand to get their scale issues under control a little more. The increased focus on digital sculpting has resulted in a lot more statues that are either either too small or too large.

I guess this is this biggest point against his current operations. When Bowen comes back prices are going to have to be higher as the market has changed and he has been down for a while.