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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #1
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XM Studios – PUNISHER STATUE – StatueForum Review

XM Studios – PUNISHER STATUE – StatueForum Review

“…I caught a glimpse of heaven once. The Angels showed me. The idea was I'd kill for them. Clean up their mistakes on Earth. Eventually redeem myself. Tried it. Didn't like it. Told them where to stick it. So they brought me up to heaven, to see what I'd be missing. A wife. A son. A daughter. I hadn't seen them since they bled out in my arms. Then I was cast down. Back to a world of killers. Rapists. Psychos. Perverts. A brand new evil every minute, spewed out as fast as men can think them up. A world where pitching a criminal dwarf off a skyscraper to tell his fellow scum you're back is a sane and rational act. The angels thought it would be hell for me. But they were wrong…”
(Garth Ennis, “Welcome Back, Frank”, Marvel Comics, 2002)

XM Studios proudly presents its third ¼ scale premium quality statue of 2017, the scourge of the criminal underworld, the Punisher. Sculpted in a captivating diorama-like design which features a fully equipped motorcycle and arsenal in-hand, XM offers the fanbase a spectacular interpretation of Marvel’s flagship vigilante.

Francis “Frank” Castle (born Castiglione) notoriously known as the Punisher first appeared in the Amazing Spider-Man #129 published by Marvel Comics in February, 1974. The Punisher was created by writer, Gerry Conway and legendary comics artist, John Romita Sr. However, Stan Lee is actually credited with naming him the Punisher. Driven by the senseless murder of his wife and two children who were killed for having witnessed the brutal execution of a mob informant in Central Park, New York, the Punisher has since sworn to wage a one-man war on crime. He was initially introduced to comics as a ruthless mercenary hired by the villainous Jackal to kill Spiderman for a murder he did not commit (i.e., the death of Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, who died in the classic Amazing Spider-Man #122, published just a few months prior). However, the former decorated Marine and Navy Seal soon saw through the Jackal’s diabolical plot to frame the webslinger and eventually sided with him to defeat the vile Jackal.

The Punisher has been meting out his own brand of judge, jury, and execution for over 40 years. His unapologetic, take-no-prisoners, zealous approach has made him the most feared and detested man on the mean streets of New York.






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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #2
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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #3
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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #4
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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #5
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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #6
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The extras!













The Punisher print: 12'' x 16.5"

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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #7
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XM Studios – PUNISHER STATUE – StatueForum Review

The extraordinary creative team behind the remarkable Punisher statue are Adam W. Ross (sculpt) and the XM Studios and Hive Studio Design & Development teams. You may recognize Adam Ross’ name as he is also credited with having sculpted the outstanding Ghost Rider statue produced by XM Studios, which incidentally was voted ¼ scale statue of the year 2016.

The Punisher statue stands an impressive 17 inches high and is approximately 22 inches wide and 17 inches deep, and weighs approximately 33 pounds. It was limited to only 800 pieces worldwide at a retail price of $990 SGD (approximately $700us). XM Studios began shipping out first batches of this statue in early March, 2017.
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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #8
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XM Studios – PUNISHER STATUE – StatueForum Review

Sculpture: This is a magnificent sculpture. It exemplifies the Punisher’s unadulterated reign of terror over the criminal underworld. He appears fearless, defiant, and hell-bent to carry out his brand of life-sentencing justice on the brazen rabble who prey unabashed on the weak and defenceless. This isn’t the spandex-clad Punisher from the mid-seventies with a conscience. This is the one-man-army-corps Punisher with an unwavering penchant to mete out his unrelenting punishment upon the unscrupulous, and he’s armed with enough artillery and weaponry to challenge any force daring to halt his brutal and vicious onslaught. This is the Punisher with an unyielding Death Wish who knows, perhaps even thrives knowing, that his next patrol of the dimly lit streets and alleyways of New York could very well be his last.

On what appears to be a stretch of heavily slogged asphalt and brick-stone spattered in bullets, a bruised and bloodied Punisher looks out to the distance as if planning for his next blitzkrieg upon the underbelly of crime. Riding a modified Harley Davidson “Fatboy” and wielding an M60 machine gun, the Punisher looks primed and ready to face overwhelming odds with his life ever hanging in the balance. Within his satchel, just over the dented rear fender of his Harley, the Punisher also packs an Uzi with a suppressor, an adapted shotgun, a profusion of rifles, oodles of bullets, and other armaments of destruction to use in his inexorable war on crime. The Punisher also wears a sheathed clip-point hunting blade by his thigh, a holstered fully automatic glock handgun by his shoulder, and a packed utility belt.

The infamous white skull emblazoned on the Punisher’s shirt invites this penetrating sense of fear and finality, as intended. At the risk of sounding morose, the symbol of death is typically the last thing his contemptuous victims see before they meet their untimely and unceremonious demise at his hands.

XM Studios definitely paid extra special attention to the detail on this statue, i.e., adding silver-coated studs on the sheath of the blade, branding the gun holster with the Punisher’s skull insignia, scuffing and scraping his arsenal of combat weapons, exposing a copious amount of crushing dents on his battle-trenched cycle, and adding blood-soaked stains and smudges on his facial bandages. The only slight I could point out in the design of this remarkable statue is with the general appearance of the dashboard. Those multi-colored light fixtures and buttons do not seem to match the integrity and complexity of the rest of the statue. I would have preferred something more realistic looking.

XM offers the fanbase two distinct display options, i.e., two portraits. The first portrait which features facial bruising and adhesive bandages is based on the original comic artwork by Ariel Olivetti. The second cleaner-cut portrait appears based on Steve Dillon’s interpretation of the character. While both portraits serve the trademark well, I prefer the Olivetti portrait as it better captures the indomitable cold-blooded intentions of the sculpture’s design. The Punisher looks impenetrable, determined and single-minded in his expression.

The statue comes in 25 pieces: The Punisher body, two arm pieces, two portraits, six bike related pieces, six small screws, one long screw and cover, 4 stray bullets, an assembly booklet, and a 12'' x 16.5" print.

Rating: 9.5/10
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Paint/Mixed media: Silver, white and black are the main colors featured on this piece. The paint applications look really slick, to the point where parts of it look like actual leather and other parts of it look like actual metal. Clearly, this was XM’s objective, and they succeeded in this endeavour.

There was virtually no painting over lines, smudges, or off-centered eyes, or other paint imperfections we sometimes see on sculpts, which is another positive. The paints on the base feature some remarkable shading too which allows you to appreciate the mix of concrete, brick, and steel. I particularly like the puddles-effect on the base. This was extremely well done as parts of the base actually look wet.

There is some mixed media. The motorcycle chain is actually made of metal, which adds tremendous authenticity of the design. The strap for the M60 is made of a durable fabric which you can hang over the Punisher's shoulder. The handle bars are made of a slightly flexible material which will allow you to place the Punisher's hand on it.

Although the painters of this statue may not appear to have been terribly challenged, they nonetheless meticulously fulfilled their mandate. Very nice job overall.

Rating 9.5/10
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Production and Build quality: This is a solid piece of craftsmanship. It has a fabulous size, shape, and weight to it. However, worth noting here is that there are areas of this statue where the use of screws is required (i.e., by the motorcycle’s handle bars and by the satchel attachment over the rear fender). XM demonstrates yet another innovative approach to production and build quality by providing the fanbase with this new security feature.
The magnets worked perfectly. There’s no tilting or imbalance to the statue or cause to be concerned about long term leaning issues. Again, very nice job overall.

Like the Ghost Rider statue, the Punisher comes with an easy to follow assembly booklet which identifies what goes where and how.

Rating 9.5/10
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Design: I’m generally in favor of classic designs, however, that was not the case here. XM’s decision to move forward with the more modern interpretation of the Punisher is both ideal and gutsy. As alluded to earlier, XM deliberately chose not to play it safe with Marvel’s notorious and infamous vigilante and elected instead to present him as the man he truly is: an obsessed, unforgiving, and fanatical marine-corps veteran on a mission to rid his city of the foul stench of crime and corruption.

While I imagine it would have been easier to simply present a standard museum pose, I think we would have lost too much of the story this spectacular piece is trying to tell. By featuring the battle-primed motorcycle, we have a good idea where the Punisher is, where he is going, what he is planning, and how far is prepared to go to exact his final justice on the contemptible and the reprehensible. This is an extraordinary piece of work and could easily centerpiece one’s display of ¼ scale statues.

In closing, this definitive interpretation of the Punisher is another winner for XM Studios, who continue to set the bar for passion and creativity in the industry. This statue will likely be used to define all the other Punisher statues unfortunate enough to follow it.

Rating: 9.5/10
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Overall rating: 9.5/10 (A+)



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.
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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #9
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Old 03-16-2017, 09:34 PM   #10
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