XM Studios Vulture
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Sculpt:
XM Studios have crafted an amazing statue of one of Spiderman’s earliest villains and founding member of the Sinister Six. Overall the statue is representative of the classic Vulture with a few modern tweaks. This statue is absolutely massive from the wing span to the height of the top position. You ‘ll need to seriously consider your display options when committing to a piece of this size.
Figure:
The figure itself features the vertical seams characteristic of the classic Vulture costume. The black accent piping helps to add detail and a bit of a modern feel to the overall design. There are nice wrinkles sculpted into the costume that helps create the illusion of fabric.
The body is well proportioned although perhaps slightly more muscular/cut than the way he appeared in the early issues of ASM.
The head sculpts accurately portray the classic look of Toomes from the original Ditko illustrations. Both head sculpts have nicely detailed features such as veins and skin texture. The open mouth portrait in particular has fantastic detail to the teeth and tongue.
Vulture’s sculpted wings are truly amazing. No corners were cut in the sculpt of the wings. Every detail on every feather is noted here. I would argue that the wings are the best sculpted feature of this piece.
Base:
Absolutely massive is the first things that comes to mind with the base. The base features brilliantly sculpted wooden planks, nails, bricks among other elements.
The inner part of the base shows the interior of a dilapidated building with crumbling walls and damaged trusses, while the exterior displays a brick and mortar façade with an art deco style window frame. Classically New York and classically Spider-man!
Score: 9/10
Paint:
A practically flawless paint job with exquisite details!
Body:
The figure features a fairly uncomplicated paint job with subtle shadows to help bring out details of the body contours. The black piping is clean and there are no errand paint streaks on my piece in particular.
I like the look of the black paint used on the fingers. Another modern addition to the design and a good way to break up the green of the costume
Base:
Beautifully painted bricks adorn the rear side of the base which is contrasted by the lighter coloured window frame and corner elements.
The interior of the base has trusses and beams painted to simulate wood. Fantastic details to the metal elements of the beam which helps to differentiate it from the woody features.
Score: 9/10
Design:
XM Vulture features three display options which make it one of the most versatile pieces in their collection.
Each position gives the piece a unique look although I’m most partial to the top front position. The multiple display options are a great idea especially considering how large this piece is.
My biggest gripe with this piece is related to the position of the wings. When displayed with Vulture in the top front position and the statue is approximately at eye level, you can’t really appreciate the details on the wings because they in the horizontal plane.
I would have preferred the wings to be rotated downwards, similar to the Bowen Designs Vulture. As a result, I have to rotate my statue slightly which makes the left wing more visible. This being the case, I would have preferred Vulture to be looking straight on instead on his neck turned to the right.
Score: 8/10
Production and Build Quality:
No issues noted with production or build quality. The statue was easy to assemble and the magnetic keys are strong. The wings are quite light but reasonable considering their size and thickness. As is typical with XM Studios, the piece comes expertly packed and continues to lead the industry in packaging.
Score 9/10
Overall:
Overall, Vulture by XM Studios is a highly detailed well-crafted piece that compliments any Spider-man collection. As typically seen with an XM piece, the paint work and overall quality sets the standard for the industry.
Collectors with limited display options may have difficulty with finding a good place for Vulture. The statue takes up a fair bit of real estate even in the lowest position.
XM Studios Vulture is a fantastic addition to the Sinister Six line and has the quality and high production value to be a highlight in any collection.
Overall Score: 8.75/10
