Jedi Order
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Habs Nation
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XM STUDIOS – DAREDEVIL STATUE – StatueForum Review
The creative team behind this magnificent ¼ scale statue is Mufizal Mokhtar (i.e., who also sculpted the spectacular Black Widow statue) and the XM Collectibles Design and Development Team (design and concept).
The Daredevil statue stands a massive 27 inches tall, 11 inches wide, 16 inches deep, and weighs approximately 20 pounds. The edition size of this statue was limited to only 999 and the MSRP is $859-SGD (approximately $640-US) plus shipping and local taxes. XM studios began shipping out this statue to clients and distributors in March 2015.
Sculpture: XM did an incredible job portraying the sleek, dexterous, muscle-toned, and lithe-defined aspects of Daredevil. The sculpture also successfully exemplifies the character’s grim nature. He stands ever fearless and prepared to take his death-defying fight against squalid street-level crime to the dimly-lit backstreets and alleyways of Hell’s Kitchen. This is a definitive Daredevil – solemn, defiant, daring, and fearless.
The large base features a stunning gothic-esque church buttress which allows for Daredevil to be poised to leap into battle. This dynamic ancient architectural design is a fabulous departure from what we might typically see in ¼ scale pieces. The masonry stonework looks impeccable. I absolutely love the skid-mark aspect featured on the slanted side of the buttress which provides the statue with a sense of fluidity and movement. The horned lion sentries are a fabulous touch as well. However, as magnificent as this sculpture turned out to be, I did wonder how it might have looked like if it also featured a colorful stained glass window component instead of the less defined mosaic-lined granite. Perhaps that area was too small to insert a stained glass component.
The statue ships with two distinct and wonderfully detailed portraits, i.e., masked and unmasked. While I prefer the masked portrait, the unmasked is a marvellous display option as well. The only misgiving I might have with the portraits is that they might appear a touch small in scale in comparison to the body but it’s certainly not a deal breaker. Also, I would have preferred more of red-hue to Matt Murdock’s hair, if only to be more comic book-faithful, but again, not a deal breaker.
This statue also serves as a perfect example of “less is more”. Unlike other characters which shipped with (too numerous) tough-to-decide display options, this one basically only comes with two, masked or unmasked – and that is 200% fine by me. This piece isn’t missing anything from a display standpoint. The piece ships in 11 pieces, i.e., two base parts, the body, the hands, 4 horns, 2 portraits, and a print.
Rating: 9/10
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Paint/Mixed media: The paint applications on the polystone are fabulous. From the skin tone to the various red textures and shading featured on the costume, there’s certainly lots to be happy with here. Very clean and tight paint applications. From a distance, the costume might actually be mistaken for leather. It looks that real. While it may not be the most detailed piece in XM’s stable (i.e., not many different colors to this piece), I can just as easily say that it didn’t need to be. This is a beautifully painted piece.
Rating 9/10
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Production and Build quality: This is a strong and sturdy piece and again, in line with XM’s reputation for producing the heaviest and most durable statues in the market. The pieces slip in relatively easy. Yes, from some angles, you might be able to see the peg located underneath Daredevil’s left leg but I cannot see how that could have been avoided. It’s a non-issue for me as I think the stance is refreshingly original. However, there is something wonderful which must be said about Daredevil’s weapon of choice - his billy-clubs (i.e., nunchucks). It doesn’t appear to be made from the same material as the rest of the sculpture, and that was the best call to make when producing this piece. It looks like a separate weapon apparatus, as it should be. The only slight downside to the billy-clubs is that you can’t easily bend, position or manipulate the steel wiring. What you see is what you get. I would have preferred to have been able to position it more easily.
There’s no tilting or imbalance to the piece or cause to be concerned about long term leaning issues. The magnets work very well.
Rating 9/10
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Design: I’m at a point where I’ve come to truly appreciate XM’s creative departures from the original comic book source material. In that regard, the creative license of the XM design and development team remains on the forefront of the statue market and industry. It is an audacious, pioneering company which continues to show remarkable evolution in their creative mandate.
In the year 2016, it’s become evident that the simpler designs of the 1960s are in need of a revamp or modernization of some kind. I love the design aspects of this costume. I can totally see Daredevil being branded with a costume like this if he were created today. However, while I’m generally on board with XM’s choice of departures, in this case, I was a bit puzzled by this small back-pack-like feature located on Daredevil’s back. In my mind, welcomed departures notwithstanding, in my humble opinion, sculptures should generally stay within the fantasy realm and away from the practical (i.e., where does Daredevil keep his sandwich) as those types of potentially overthought add-ons risk breaking the fourth wall. That aside, from a design standpoint, minor nitpicks aside, this is a fabulous piece.
To add: The print is gorgeous. If possible, get it signed and frame it.
Rating: 9/10
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Overall, I think this piece is a tremendous success. In my opinion, it’s by far the best ¼ scale interpretation of Daredevil. Go out and buy it.
P.S. Lastly, please do not forget to register your statue’s serial number on the XM website. Join the fight against recasters who continue to plague our industry in growing numbers.
Overall rating: 9/10
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