DC Comics
Bombshells: Harley Quinn
Limited Edition of 5,200
Size: 10” Tall
Inspired by the pinup girls of the 40’s and 50’s
Designed by Ant Lucia.
Sculpted by Tim Miller
Initial Thoughts/Story: I think the idea for this line is awesome. IMO, it hits two targets, pin-ups and DC ladies. AND, it is something different. You have to give a hand to DC for straying from the typical character representations.
I have to admit, I did not pre-order many of these statues when they first went up for pre-order. My largest concern was production quality. DC is definitely not known for having great or even good paint applications. So, I was willing to wait until after some in hand pics surfaced and then purchase them if I felt they lived up to what was previewed.
However, Harley Quinn was the exception. I did pre-order her and little good it did. My order ended up being allocated. And at that point I really had no hope in getting this piece, since the pre-orders were sold out everywhere. I was devastated!
Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. I messaged Tim Miller a few times on here and on Facebook crying about my misfortune. He even let me call him to discuss my sorrow, lol. (Thanks Tim, that was super awesome. I was nervous as H-E-double hockey sticks,
.)
A couple weeks ago I decided to do my usual browse of the buy/sell/trade section of the forum and noticed that a Statue Forum angel (queue heavenly music now, lol), built2shred, had his DC Bombshell collection for sale. And my long struggle on finding the Harley Quinn Bombshell statue came to an end. I have to thank built2shred for giving me an opportunity to snag this awesome piece at an affordable price. I love it. And I can see why this piece is so sought after.
Sculpt – 8.5 – Very Impressive
Right here is the highlight of this piece. A great, clean sculpt done by Tim Miller. Mr. Miller obviously knows how to sculpt a great female figure. Harley’s proportions aren’t overdone, they are nice, realistic and represent the pin-up style well. The best part of this sculpt are the abundant details. They really keep you engaged. I love the goggles, the small Batman charm, the hidden Joker card in her stocking, the textured wind-blown pony tails, the leather jacket with the “Joker’s Wild” design on the back, the Batman belt buckle, earrings, the fur collar, floppy combat boots…..Too Fun!
Paint & Mixed Media – 6.5 – Above Average
Do decals count as mixed media? There are three decals on this piece. The “Joker’s Wild” art on her jacket, the “Harley Quinn” decal on the base plate, and the Joker design on the card in her stockings. Otherwise everything else is sculpted.
The paint on this piece is comparable to most 1/6 scale pieces being produced. I wouldn’t say the paint application on this piece is any better or worse than pieces produced by Bowen and Gentle Giant. I would even say that the paint on this piece isn’t any worse than what we see on some Sideshow pieces. I think a few bad decisions were made though. Like the red wash around her eyes. It makes it look like Harley was either punched in both eyes and fell asleep with a slab of steak on them or that she has severe pink eye. I am also not a fan of the perfectly circular patch of blush on her cheeks. It works on the art, but not on the statue. Was the diamond under her right eye necessary? I don’t think so. It looks more like a paint drip or mistake. I don’t like it on Ant Lucia’s artwork either. Is Harley part of a gang?
While comparing the statue to the Lucia print, I noticed that some of the colors were changed. I would have liked her shorts in the army green color that is on the print, instead of the black that was used on the statue. I also like the gold pouches on the Bat belt better than the black and red ones on the statue. I might have to customize the paint on mine to resemble the art.
Design – 7.0 – Good
I have to be honest, I would have preferred the original design. I really liked Harley on the bomb. It is a fun nod to the quirky movie Dr. Strangelove. There were probably some design issues or licensing issues that had DC revise it. It looks like there are other aspects on the piece that were changed, from art to statue. What happened to the dog tags? I might see if I can sculpt some. I think that would have been an awesome addition to the piece. And, as mentioned above, I am not a fan of the changed colors on the belt pouches and shorts. I can live with it, but I think the addition of those two colors would have given the piece more dimension. I can understand why DC focused more on the red/black combination, to make it more consistent with the character. Maybe they felt there wasn’t enough red and black. That it would be less recognizable as Harley. That the pin-up design was already too much of a deviation. I get it. I still think there are enough aspects of this statue for us to know who this is supposed to be.
The base design is nice. I get the metallic silver paint and the textured floor. It definitely has a aviator/garage feel to it. They are kind of simple, but it allows most of your interest to focus on the sculpture. And I really like that. Some companies get way too carried away with bases. I don’t’ want to be throwing out more and more cash for an unnecessary base. These are not dioramas people! However, the faceplates on these bases aren’t the best design. It sounds like quite a few people had issues with them arriving broken. And I did see a number of the Bombshells statues on ebay with damaged bases.
Production & Build Quality – 7.5 – Very Good
Taking into account everything I stated above, I think this piece came out very nice. I am really happy with it. I don’t have any paint runs or gobs. I also don’t see any dirty paint. The sculpt is smooth and I don’t see any defects like air holes or dents. There aren’t any large gaps between pieces. The factory definitely did a good job on this piece.
Overall Grade – 7.375 – Very Good
Closing comments: Sadly, this version of Harley is hard to find and seems to catch some good coin on ebay. If you are interested in getting this piece, I would ick up the holiday version. I am definitely going to pick up more of the Bombshells. I am really looking forward to Stargirl and Zatanna. Can’t wait to see who is next. Patiently awaiting Catwoman.
