XM Studios - 1/3 Scale Elite Series - Classic Thor

[Iko Iko]

INSANE looking (in a good way) - congrats and thanks!

[The Merovingian]

Originally Posted by Iko Iko

INSANE looking (in a good way) - congrats and thanks!

Thank you.

[pdenham]

Originally Posted by The Merovingian

Thank you. Per your request, please see photos.

I still haven't opened it yet, but I'm going to go ahead and say it anyway-
No matter what anyone thinks of the base in purely aesthetic terms, it is -without a doubt- one of the absolutely worst designed bases I've ever seen.

I say that because of this



and this



This is how DHL left it on my doorstep, and very likely how it traveled across the globe to me.

Some f'ing brilliant knucklehead in Singapore slapped the shipping label directly over the icon that specifies which direction should be "up".

Most of the time I take that specified orientation with a grain of salt. You aren't usually going to run into trouble laying a SSC PF any which way you want. Upside down might cause issues because of the weight distribution, but usually you should be OK.

This thing has most likely made the whole trip with that label easily accessible on top like that.
That means the base inside wasn't being jostled while sitting on it's stable, flat bottom. It's been knocked around several days while standing on it's side- and the entire exterior circumference is full of delicate protrusions like that damn serpent.

EVERYTHING on the base should have- at the very least- been recessed.
That's a rookie design mistake. LBS are rookies- but still... not cool.

If I just find only minimal damage to that stuff, I'll be very surprised.

This is another reason I absolutely HATED having to have this shipped express. No doubt in my mind that these will all be properly upright when they are loaded into a container for that slow-boat ride. The odds of people getting theirs intact with slow delivery are so much better.

[The Merovingian]

Originally Posted by pdenham

I still haven't opened it yet, but I'm going to go ahead and say it anyway-
No matter what anyone thinks of the base in purely aesthetic terms, it is -without a doubt- one of the absolutely worst designed bases I've ever seen.

I say that because of this



and this



This is how DHL left it on my doorstep, and very likely how it traveled across the globe to me.

Some f'ing brilliant knucklehead in Singapore slapped the shipping label directly over the icon that specifies which direction should be "up".

Most of the time I take that specified orientation with a grain of salt. You aren't usually going to run into trouble laying a SSC PF any which way you want. Upside down might cause issues because of the weight distribution, but usually you should be OK.

This thing has most likely made the whole trip with that label easily accessible on top like that.
That means the base inside wasn't being jostled while sitting on it's stable, flat bottom. It's been knocked around several days while standing on it's side- and the entire exterior circumference is full of delicate protrusions like that damn serpent.

EVERYTHING on the base should have- at the very least- been recessed.
That's a rookie design mistake. LBS are rookies- but still... not cool.

If I just find only minimal damage to that stuff, I'll be very surprised.

This is another reason I absolutely HATED having to have this shipped express. No doubt in my mind that these will all be properly upright when they are loaded into a container for that slow-boat ride. The odds of people getting theirs intact with slow delivery are so much better.

Wow! That is unfortunate regarding the position they left your box in. Looking at the photo of your box, my concern is the condition of your base during the shipping journey, if indeed your box travelled being placed sideways for the entire journey. The dragon and the wolf sticks outward from the side of the base, so if your box is tilted to the side, potentially more pressure and weight is exerted on top of either the dragon or the wolf. This statue is packed with a great deal of care with many cushions inside the compartments of the larger pieces in order to absorb the shock and blunt force of the box being dropped or thrown around. You should be okay, my box took a great deal of punishment and everything came out perfect. I'm positive you will have the same result.

[pdenham]

I hope, but we'll see.

Even though it's still going to be days of moving stuff around before I can display it, I decided to crack it open to check for damage.

This is taking up just all the free floor space in the attic right now. I literally have no room to remove the box top and layers and set them aside.
Can't get to the base or cape, I was only able to check the figure and a couple heads/hands.

Heads- Was concerned about those fine tendrils of hair, but I'm not seeing any problems. Just be careful fishing those out.

Jarnbjorn/Mjolnir- Hope the magnet is strong on Jarnbjorn because it's large & weighty, and it's going to be battling gravity the whole time.
Mjolnir seems a lot lighter.

Paint apps- I'm surprised how dusky and dark the skin tone(s) are. Reminds me of the last Wolverine PF. If anything, I would have expected him to be on the fair-haired pale side.

Precision-wise, they look great, and it looks like there is some subtle, sophisticated coloring in the skin (like greens for veins), but the general darker values are throwing me off.

I don't think it will get picked up in most photos. I had that problem with Wolverine. Every pic I took looks about 4 steps lighter (and more appropriate to the character) than it actually is.
How's yours look in that dept. Merovingian?

The Body- WoW!. I especially love the texture and color of blue on the pants in conjunction with the yellow on the boots. Those primaries, along with the red cape, are going to add some fun color to the room.

Here's the box art, in case anyone is interested.

Originally Posted by XMAN

I agree it’s gotta to be the best Thor ever made.

From what I can see so far, ^ major understatement.

[pdenham]

Top layer of the packing.

[The Merovingian]

Originally Posted by pdenham

Top layer of the packing.

Wow! The outer parameter of the styrofoam does not appear compromised; looks great! Can't wait for you to unpack. I apologize, but I meant to tell you about the removal of the portraits. You have to be very careful with the tendrils as you're working the tissue paper upwards. (especially on the helmeted versions - My bad on that one).

[pdenham]

Originally Posted by The Merovingian

Wow! The outer parameter of the styrofoam does not appear compromised;

I know your shipper was beat to hell- was your inner box damaged or the styrofoam compromised too?

[The Merovingian]

Originally Posted by pdenham

I know your shipper was beat to hell- was your inner box damaged or the styrofoam compromised too?

No, I was lucky regarding my inner box and styrofoam - no damage. There was a slightly bent corner on my inner box but it did not penetrate into the styrofoam. It amazes me how much abuse these boxes endure and the larger the box, it seems the more abuse it goes through. It gives me great piece of mind that LBS and XM uses high quality packaging materials.

[Subby1938]

I’m confused was your base damaged ? I don’t see any