XM Studios Spider-Man 1/4 Statue

[ZenLogikos]

Originally Posted by supermetroid

I can see risingstar's point that the tower might keep you from displaying Spidey facing forward, both eyes ahead. I also wonder if it'd be possible to have switch out hips/legs with them coming forward?

I agree with this. As is, the pose seems to indicate the start of a typical Spidey swing, like this common move:



But also, as the statue is currently, he seems to be twisting to evade attacks, so those two factor in to reduce his momentum. If one or both legs were extended (like above), I think it would help look more dynamic.

[Ryanbusts]

Originally Posted by loricstone

Then more power to them.

I would ask why can't Beta Ray Bill outshine Thor? Firstly, Thor is in the first phase of XM statues and as such I would expect a company to get better with some concepts and statues than their first phase. Furthermore, and we may differ here, but I think XM Thor is BY FAR...the best Thor I have seen in 1/4. In fact, I think its in the top 5 of XM statues.

Ironic how some want a more dynamic Thor pose from XM and I really, really like the more stout pose they did. But Beta Ray Bill is every bit an impressive character as Thor and so I don't see why he couldn't be better. And I would say those that do own the Thor statue probably bought it because they feel it best suits what they want from a Thor statue...ergo..they like it best.

Is there a difference in excitement and details from say Darkness? Absolutely....but....that is Darkness and what makes that character so visually alluring. But to say Thor isn't any way as well sculpted (thanks to ES once again) or built like Magneto, Black Bolt, Medusa, Phoenix, DD, Thanos, Dr. Strange, Black Panther, Iron Man, Hawkeye, etc. is a disservice to him.

But I ultimately understand that some want a different more action oriented pose (I'm all for that as well don't get me wrong), so for some it was never going to be one they liked. But there is no way anyone can tell me that the Sculpt in and of itself is not primo.

Dynamic poses aside, and i can understand your point. I dont see how you can overlook that the bases take way too much away from the characters represented in good portion of their pieces. Its hard to agree with any of your opinions, because fact is and no offense, you are a raging XM fanboy. You are purposefully blind to the major faults with this company as far as the sculpt issues(especially PORTRAITS)
Everything is opinions on these forums but Loric, no way in beck is XM Thor the best 1:4 out there.
Now I love the fact that we have a good company out there making some of the lesser popular characters. Its great and fills me up with joy. This doesnt mean they shouldn't be criticized for faults. Not every piece they make is just perfect and makes me just love the dynamic pose. I cant overlook wocky sculpts and odd color choices and bases that force a certain angle of displayIability. There is a lot of awesome stuff and pieces about XM but they have their faults like every other company, if not a little more. The excitement of soo many characters coming does not blind me to critism and expectation.

[Spidey976]

Originally Posted by loricstone

Then more power to them.

I would ask why can't Beta Ray Bill outshine Thor? Firstly, Thor is in the first phase of XM statues and as such I would expect a company to get better with some concepts and statues than their first phase. Furthermore, and we may differ here, but I think XM Thor is BY FAR...the best Thor I have seen in 1/4. In fact, I think its in the top 5 of XM statues.

Ironic how some want a more dynamic Thor pose from XM and I really, really like the more stout pose they did. But Beta Ray Bill is every bit an impressive character as Thor and so I don't see why he couldn't be better. And I would say those that do own the Thor statue probably bought it because they feel it best suits what they want from a Thor statue...ergo..they like it best.

Is there a difference in excitement and details from say Darkness? Absolutely....but....that is Darkness and what makes that character so visually alluring. But to say Thor isn't any way as well sculpted (thanks to ES once again) or built like Magneto, Black Bolt, Medusa, Phoenix, DD, Thanos, Dr. Strange, Black Panther, Iron Man, Hawkeye, etc. is a disservice to him.

But I ultimately understand that some want a different more action oriented pose (I'm all for that as well don't get me wrong), so for some it was never going to be one they liked. But there is no way anyone can tell me that the Sculpt in and of itself is not primo.

Oh I didn't say that Thor was sculpted poorly, he is EXACTLY what he is suppose to be, but he is isn't as INTERESTING to look at as the statue of BetaRayBill is IMO, and that has nothing to do with sculpt it has to do with design. As for Thor being part of the first wave of XM statues I can give that one to you. I guess what I am getting at is that at times it seems XM, to use a baseball analogy, doesn't get all of the ball when they swing at the designs for the big characters, but they crush it like Babe Ruth on the C and D listers. Now that is just my opinion and again it doesn't have anything to do with the sculpts or the sculptors. Now I am not saying that this won't see some changes or that it won't come out fantastic in the end. It is just my observations right now.

[frenchyoutoo]

I think its awesome that XM are doing a once again epic switch out scenario statue. But i feel the base is missing a big spiderman theme... New York.
This needs to feel like he is protecting his town, his city, his neighbourhood... a random electric tower doesnt do it for me.

i think his left hand needs more "spidey finger" dynamics. And his body its there, but its more like a "its so close its nearly there" kinda spidey look. I cant put my finger on it, maybe it is just a lower body thing, i dont know.

i love his costume, the details to it and i think he has about the right muscularture for his anatomy.

i really really hope they make a seam along the webbing on his neck and not a straight cut line.

[loricstone]

Originally Posted by azurepred

agree about the lesser characters, which my original post wasn't about. It's quite amazing that Magneto is the only XM piece highly sought after. The rest can be found close to the prices it would cost US folks to get them direct from XM in the first place, if not less. This tells me US folks have lost a lot of interest in the Marvel license from XM. There is simply too much competition for peoples money and too many companies have the same licenses.

Really? Captain America, Black Widow...two of their first statues command $1200 or more on the aftermarket...that is a difference of almost $800. The statues have tripled in value...in just 2 years. Pretty impressive. GR sold out in 2 min along with Batman and are highly wanted. Cable and Venom are having people go into coniptions because its super hard to get.

Most SS statues that have been sold out you can get below retail...doesn't mean they are any less popular or wanted by people. A statue like some of PCS SF statues that command lots of money in the aftermarket have an extremely low ES...so of course that is going to make it look like it is the most popular line in all of statuedom. Not true at all. It's rarer, and any rarer statue that is harder to get will usually command more money in the aftermarket

Lastly, your biggest mistake, is not understanding THESE ARE NOT SOLD IN THE US. The popularity and how these do so well is told by how it performs in the territories they are allowed to sell in. I don't understand why that is so hard for some to understand. All you have to do is look on the facebook pages and see what is most popular with XM and what characters are highly wanted or sought after.

So you think the luster with Marvel statues like Ghost Rider, Venom, Carnage, the Xmen statues, Cable, etc. etc, are losing luster? I'm specifically talking about Marvel btw. Here is I think a good analogy.

I'm an aspiring perfumer, and this collectibles market is just like the fragrance market in a way. SS would be the designer store fragrances that can be bought and easily attained at Macy's, Nordstroms, etc. The problem is, most of those fragrances smell similar to one another because they all use similar synthetics, and very few really stand out. Most consumers that shop there are by and large ignorant to what really exists in the fragrance world, of which there are far, far, far more vast and wonderful UNIQUE smelling fragrances that you can never get in the department stores because niche perfume houses CHOOSE not to sell there. With that comes a small issue to the general consumer, and they think that because they don't see it in the department stores, it must not be popular. Simply not true. In fact, the most popular and sought after fragrances are the more expensive and UNIQUE ones like Creed Aventus and a buttload of others that cost $325 for a 3.5 ounce bottle of fragrance. Creed would be the XM of the fragrance world. Highly wanted, but much more costly. But once you get it, and smell it, you realize just how much you really miss out...and begin to understand why the majority of the easily had fragrances just don't cut it compared to Creed or Amouage or Profumum Roma and hundreds of others by and large. But that isn't to say there aren't some really fantastic fragrances in the general market...its just not as vast and eye opening as the niche markets. Funny, these companies have been around for years yet their juice is $100s of dollars more than what you can get at Perfumania.

Sorry for the diatribe, but I thought it was a great analogy.

[loricstone]

Originally Posted by Ryanbusts

Dynamic poses aside, and i can understand your point. I dont see how you can overlook that the bases take way too much away from the characters represented in good portion of their pieces. Its hard to agree with any of your opinions, because fact is and no offense, you are a raging XM fanboy. You are purposefully blind to the major faults with this company as far as the sculpt issues(especially PORTRAITS)
Everything is opinions on these forums but Loric, no way in beck is XM Thor the best 1:4 out there.
Now I love the fact that we have a good company out there making some of the lesser popular characters. Its great and fills me up with joy. This doesnt mean they shouldn't be criticized for faults. Not every piece they make is just perfect and makes me just love the dynamic pose. I cant overlook wocky sculpts and odd color choices and bases that force a certain angle of displayIability. There is a lot of awesome stuff and pieces about XM but they have their faults like every other company, if not a little more. The excitement of soo many characters coming does not blind me to critism and expectation.

I mean no offense, but you are ignorant to how much I critique XM. How many times do I have to tell you people on here that the forums is not the only place that opinions and dislikes are mentioned? One thing you can never KNOW...is how much I critique XM...just trust me on this point. And I am not alone...noooooo...not by a long shot. But YOU WILL NEVER KNOW OR SEE THAT.

You do me a disservice because of your ignorance...I am not saying that in a disrespectful manner to you...but if you don't know something, then that means you are ignorant to it. So I mean it in that manner.

And for the future....call me a raging STATUE FANBOY...not an XM one. I appreciate all art and skill...FROM ALL COMPANIES. Get your facts correct.

[loricstone]

Originally Posted by Ryanbusts

Dynamic poses aside, and i can understand your point. I dont see how you can overlook that the bases take way too much away from the characters represented in good portion of their pieces. Its hard to agree with any of your opinions, because fact is and no offense, you are a raging XM fanboy. You are purposefully blind to the major faults with this company as far as the sculpt issues(especially PORTRAITS)
Everything is opinions on these forums but Loric, no way in beck is XM Thor the best 1:4 out there.
Now I love the fact that we have a good company out there making some of the lesser popular characters. Its great and fills me up with joy. This doesnt mean they shouldn't be criticized for faults. Not every piece they make is just perfect and makes me just love the dynamic pose. I cant overlook wocky sculpts and odd color choices and bases that force a certain angle of displayIability. There is a lot of awesome stuff and pieces about XM but they have their faults like every other company, if not a little more. The excitement of soo many characters coming does not blind me to critism and expectation.

Btw, name the statues where the bases take away from the statues. Now you have me curious.

[GrumpyBear]

Originally Posted by loricstone

I mean no offense, but you are ignorant to how much I critique XM. How many times do I have to tell you people on here that the forums is not the only place that opinions and dislikes are mentioned? One thing you can never KNOW...is how much I critique XM...just trust me on this point. And I am not alone...noooooo...not by a long shot. But YOU WILL NEVER KNOW OR SEE THAT.

People just see what they want to see.

[loricstone]

Originally Posted by Spidey976

Oh I didn't say that Thor was sculpted poorly, he is EXACTLY what he is suppose to be, but he is isn't as INTERESTING to look at as the statue of BetaRayBill is IMO, and that has nothing to do with sculpt it has to do with design. As for Thor being part of the first wave of XM statues I can give that one to you. I guess what I am getting at is that at times it seems XM, to use a baseball analogy, doesn't get all of the ball when they swing at the designs for the big characters, but they crush it like Babe Ruth on the C and D listers. Now that is just my opinion and again it doesn't have anything to do with the sculpts or the sculptors. Now I am not saying that this won't see some changes or that it won't come out fantastic in the end. It is just my observations right now.

Well, as shocking as it may be to ryan here, I agree there are some concepts better than others...without question.

IF ANYONE CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION THEN YOU PAY ATTENTION TO MY POSTS AND SEE AND KNOW I DO CRITIQUE XM (somehow I don't think many if any will get this correct).

What character(s) / concept(s) do I not like or have critiqued hard very much so from XM?

[loricstone]

Originally Posted by GrumpyBear

People just see what they want to see.

They're clueless GB...but I am happy to know that YOU and OTHERS know what really goes on.