Red Sonja She-Devil with a Sword PF - Not so expensive anymore

[COI]

Originally Posted by Mr. Nice Guy

That also escalated quickly.

This isn't an escalation, it's a de-escalation before we get 20 pages of people insulting each other for having the gall to see something differently.

The conversation/debate has been civil up to this point and I have not seen a single person trash this piece.

[adee]

I haven't read any posts of people trashing it either and I'm really not sure how they can. While the paint apps may not be as good as the prototype they still look really good to me. I think some people were just expecting more due to the price increase. I can't blame them for that but I think everyone will be pleased once they see it in person. To me the consistency is the most important thing. If they all come out looking like that I think she'll be a success. I didn't even order her and I keep coming back in anticipation of seeing some pics.

[COI]

Even though I cancelled my order, I'm also eager to see in-hand pics. I'm not ruling out maybe getting a regular down the road for a slight discount if I have the extra cash. As it stands, I just have other pieces to spend the money on right now.

I honestly do hope I overreacted, and that this is way better in-hand than I'm expecting.

[Divo]

Originally Posted by COI

This isn't an escalation, it's a de-escalation before we get 20 pages of people insulting each other for having the gall to see something differently.

The conversation/debate has been civil up to this point and I have not seen a single person trash this piece.

Admittedly, I screwed up. I did not take the time to read back pages of posts, and over reacted. It was not my intent to start an insulting war, but ironically, the opposite. In truth the critiques for this work are mildly tame, as compared to others, which is rather refreshing and preferred. For what it is worth, I feel that this is a fantastic offering from Sideshow, possibly one of their best. So for those who collect this line, I would advise to not be too picky, as this will achieve a lofty place, and price, once sold out.

[dafadcariad]

Originally Posted by adee

I haven't read any posts of people trashing it either and I'm really not sure how they can. While the paint apps may not be as good as the prototype they still look really good to me. I think some people were just expecting more due to the price increase. I can't blame them for that but I think everyone will be pleased once they see it in person. To me the consistency is the most important thing. If they all come out looking like that I think she'll be a success. I didn't even order her and I keep coming back in anticipation of seeing some pics.

You said it perfectly but to me the new photos just go to validate some of the concerns you bring up. Like many others on here I'm getting knackered by the continued difference in proto to production and to me that difference hasn't been stated enough. Granted, I primarily didn't PO this piece because of paint concerns and even though the new pics don't show anything overly concerning in that regard I also don't see a final product anywhere near the prototype (and even now, these new photos aren't the quality one is necessarily going to receive). From the snake base losing gloss and detail to the skin tone becoming once again more air-brushed in appearance I feel like we have yet another example of why some people might feel a bit like it's a case of bit and switch. For me personally this is not what one should be expecting with the price tag attached and most certainly why the critiques are increasing in size and frequency.

[adee]

Originally Posted by dafadcariad

You said it perfectly but to me the new photos just go to validate some of the concerns you bring up. Like many others on here I'm getting knackered by the continued difference in proto to production and to me that difference hasn't been stated enough. Granted, I primarily didn't PO this piece because of paint concerns and even though the new pics don't show anything overly concerning in that regard I also don't see a final product anywhere near the prototype (and even now, these new photos aren't the quality one is necessarily going to receive). From the snake base losing gloss and detail to the skin tone becoming once again more air-brushed in appearance I feel like we have yet another example of why some people might feel a bit like it's a case of bit and switch. For me personally this is not what one should be expecting with the price tag attached and most certainly why the critiques are increasing in size and frequency.

Totally understand and I do think people would be wiser to wait and see rather than PO these days. Unless you feel the EX is a must there is really very little reason to PO and in this case you didn't even have to as the production pics were out before the ex sold out. That still surprises me for such a beautiful sculpt.

[Shanesg]

Originally Posted by COI

Even though I cancelled my order, I'm also eager to see in-hand pics. I'm not ruling out maybe getting a regular down the road for a slight discount if I have the extra cash. As it stands, I just have other pieces to spend the money on right now.

I honestly do hope I overreacted, and that this is way better in-hand than I'm expecting.

The way things are looking, the ex will likely still be available by the time in hand pics start to drop. However those turn out will ultimately decide how long the exclusive sits or sells.

[Collectorcol]

Still undecided.

Looks good but not happy with the loss of any skin texture and she looks very shiny.

Still have the original, and unlike most here, love it.

[OrangeCrush]

Originally Posted by Divo

I for one cannot believe that people are trashing this piece!? This will be a grail for the genre, without question. Wake-up, or shut the F-up! Just mad, mob, mindless bloodlust, by the brain dead. Pathetic.

This is without question my grail piece for Sonja. No question about it whatsoever. First and foremost, this is BY FAR the best her armor has ever looked and I can't even begin to put enough emphasis on this aspect of this statue. Her armor has FINALLY been rendered in statue form properly. I own 90% of the Sonja statues on the market and none of them even come close to matching this statue in that regard. With this statue, her armor appears to me made of individual scales, which is exactly how you want chain mail type armor to look. They even stick out and follow the shape of her breasts. Most people complained about the paint job on the last Sonja PF, but even that statues armor pales in comparison to this one. Here is a montage of most of the Sonja statues on the market so you can see what a MASSIVE difference in quality there is with the new armor.



There is just no comparison. Its not just an improvement, its in a completely different ballpark altogether. Actually, a completely different galaxy would be more accurate. The armor on the new PF is absolutely stunning and I absolutely LOVE the addition of the arm bands and leg bands. They add a LOT to this piece. Honestly, I just can't say enough good thing about the design of the armor. Every single aspect of it is just drop dead stunning. In fact, I can't think of a single statue out there that has better overall armor design than this one. And I still love that the rings on her hip indent just a bit, like you would expect to see with real flesh. Its details like that which really raise this piece to a whole new level.

As for Sonja's body itself, its absolutely magnificent. IMO, this is easily one of the nicest and sexiest sculpting jobs in the entire history of the statue market and you can really see it best when its sidelit or backlit. The smaller details and the overall shape of her body really pop out. And I absolutely love the hair. The hair can really make or break a statue (Supergirl anyone?) and this hair perfectly complements the overall design and stance of the statue. Its not boring and its not overtly crazy. They really found a nice mid ground between the two for the hair.

I love that the boots and gloves look like real leather, I think the face is absolutely stunning, I think the base is amazing, etc. I could go on and on all day long about how much I love this piece. I have already decided that I am buying a really nice pedastal that will be big enough to hold this piece and the Conan piece I will eventually buy to pair with her. This will definitely be one of the center pieces of my collection and I am going to go all out on the display and lighting.

Now that I will have my grail Sonja, the only other Sonja statue that I would really be interested in at this point is the blue tunic version. Then my Sonja collection would truly be complete. Unfortunately, I don't think the odds are very good that we will ever see that version brough to market. Thats ok because this statue more than satisfies my Sonja statue needs. IMO, this is easily one of the nicest statues Sideshow has ever produced. Just top marks all the way around.

[SolidLiquidFox]

Originally Posted by COI

I honestly do hope I overreacted, and that this is way better in-hand than I'm expecting.

You have overreacted and this decision will haunt you for the rest of your collecting life...