First off, please forgive the poor quality of the photos, I tried to clean them up as best as possible for the review and felt that I just had to review this statue.
The Thing has been a stalwart marvel icon for over 40 years, and just like his jade friend, has often seen variations on the way the character is portrayed. A point of great debate (to this day) is the appearance and introduction of the character to the silver screen in Fantastic Four (2005).
From the size and proportion of the Thing to the design (or lack thereof) of his almost trademark caveman brow - fans were split on their vision of what Ben Grimm should look like in the movie.
Sideshow presents fans of both the movie and the character with the 1/4 scale Thing statue.
But the question arises: is it clobberin' time for its sculptors, or is this a piece that even Aunt Petunia herself would be proud to display? Read on.
The Sculpt
The statue itself, created by artist Moto Hata, is a rarity - it is not based on the movie version of the Thing, but rather the inspiration for it, having been used by Spectral Motion to create the full-sized suit in the movie.
Standing atop a rocky base, Ben Grimm stands in his Fantastic Four costume, skin tight trousers and giant boots, affected by the same space radiation that changed Ben Grimm from a proud astronaut from the Bronx to the Thing, a monstrous mass of orange rock - powerful yet tormented. His pose shows the unmoving power of his physique, with a strong piercing gaze and determined grimace. Whatever he's thinking - he means business!
Added to the statue, as a nice touch for comic fans - Ben holds a rather large stogie in one hand, a treat as the movie Thing didnt smoke them on screen.
The quality of the sculpt, from the texture of the trousers to the carving of every fragmented rock covering the Thing's torso is exquisite, as should be expected seeing as its movie counterpart had to look as good as possible on a giant screen for millions of people. Although not as huge or exaggerated as the Hulk or how he is represented in comics, the statue exudes power in its stance and limbs. Not the most dynamic, but definitely a truly powerful look to a truly powerful hero.
I for one really enjoyed the movie and paid close attention to the look of the Thing - the smaller brow isnt an issue for me, the size is still reasonably 'hulking' and you can gain a sense of emotion from the face, sadness and power personified.
Im very much into bodybuilding and it comes at no surprise that part of my interest in statues comes from the aesthetics of the musculature of these characters - how over the top they often are in terms of symmetry, proportion and scale (the Hulk and Colossus are my all time favourites). When I opened the box to this HUGE 16" tall statue, I was overwhelmed with pride and excitement, this statue is a pure symbol for strength and power.
It is a great ode to the character and a fantastic sculpture that its creator should be very proud of.
The Paint Job
I can not see anything wrong with the paint application of this statue. The colours are obviously designed to be darker than the brighter comic colours we are more used to, in order to blend it into a 3D world in a more realistic manner. The uniform has dark, deep blues and greys akin to the film. The rock skin is what it is all about though and its fantastic.
Each rocky facet is a mixture of darker shading, and lighter jagged highlights, giving it a truly authentic impression that it is orange rock. The different paints blend seamlessly with the craggy design of the body - pardon the pun, but its fantastic to behold the level of detail to pull the effect off. To finish, the ever loving blue eyed thing's baby blues have never looked better!
Value
The price I got the statue for was shocking, around £90 ($150-160 dollars) off the UK rrp. That's half price including shipping for such a great collector's item. In the US, ebay prices and store prices vary, but even SS offers this for a lot less than their newer 1/4 scales, around $75-100 cheaper. I cant compare its worth to that of the other 1/4 scales as I have yet to see them, but I am definitely glad to have invested in this huge piece.
Conclusion
Its truly up to the beholder - are you a disgruntled fan who has gripes about how the movie Thing looks compared to the comic version, a fan of the character and the new look, or just a collector who admires a good sculpt and paint up. Depending on your position, you may love or hate the sculpt itself. But I doubt anyone can question the level of immaculate detail and time taken in sculpting and painting this one - its a definite crowd pleaser, truly standing tall amongst most statues and although I agree its not the definitive representation of the character, for me its a great expression of the character in every sense.
If you are a fan of the look, you wont be able to fault the sculpt or the paint of the big guy
5 out of 5.
btw, you say he doesn't smoke them on screen, but doesn't he smoke one at the end of the movie? During that party.. I'm not 100% sure but I think he did. Oh those shoes.. I think those aren't movie accurate. But aI really love the face..
