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View Poll Results: What do you think of this FS of Annihilus?
The statue looks amazing. Two thumps up! 4 66.67%
The statue is OK but I like the Mini-Bust better. 0 0%
I wish BD would release a new FS of Annihilus since I do not like this statue very much. 0 0%
I do not care for a MB or FS of Annihilus since the character does not interest me. 2 33.33%
Voters: 6. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 08-10-2014, 12:43 PM   #1
Force of Nature
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Total Annihilation! - The Annihilus FS by Bowen Designs

Those who deserve to die, die the death they deserve.
― Ian Fleming, Live and Let Die

Hi guys,

I hope you are all doing well and have enjoyed a wonderful summer so far.
So far we have had a pretty great summer over here in The Netherlands and what has made me even happier is the arrival of incredible statues and busts which I have been able to add to my collection lately.
The FS of Annihilus which I will discuss today arrived some time ago already and I have been thoroughly enjoying it ever since I displayed it.
It's a fairly big statue with an enormous presence and what immediately struck me when I first laid eyes on it, is how well Randy Bowen and his team managed to transfer the comic book character to a 3D character in polystone.
Bowen Designs really did an awesome job in breathing 'life' into Annihilus and they have captured the ruthlessness, determination and awesome power of 'The Living Death That Walks' perfectly.
Looking at Annihilus it is very easy top see him destroy whole worlds and obliterate entire civilizations for the sake of his own survival and supreme power.
The Negative Zone is in peril now that its Lord is on the warpath!

The statue impresses with its presence but the goodies certainly do not stop there. The sculpt, the pose, the paintjob, the finish and eye for detail all deliver the goods in spades and they all add up to a very impressive and 'cool' statue which will look great in the collection of any fan and collector.
In my evaluation of the statue below I will go into this in a bit more detail but let me start by saying that the statue is so impressive that it makes me almost see and hear the destruction, pain, misery and unavoidable death which Annihilus leaves behind in his struggle for survival and supreme power.
This is a being which does not care for tact and diplomacy and 'negotiations' and 'mutual understandings' are words Annihilus never heard of.
No, this is a being who hits hard, strikes harder, blows your lights out amd never cares top ask any questions.
Annihilus has no mercy and he takes no prisoners and if you are ever unfortunate enough to cross his path it's time to say your prayers and prepare yourself to meet your Maker.
The Living Death is on the loose and Bowen Designs not only understood that but also managed to capture that horrible truth into a great statue.

My Verdict

Evaluating a statue is not always easy since there is always the danger of losing your objectivity once you have added a statue to your own collection.
If you like a statue there is the risk that you will give the statue (very) high marks and turn a blind eye on the flaws the statue might nevertheless have. On the other hand if the statue turned out to be a disappointment you can be tempted to let your disappointment shine through your evaluation too much thus giving the statue too much unwarrented criticism.
In those cases it is important to keep in mind that one man’s failure can be another man’s grail.
In this specific case I liked the statue very much from the moment I took it out of the box. The sculpt, the pose, the skulls on the base, the paintjob all added their part and provided the statue an awesome and menacing presence.

This is how the Lord of the Negative Zone and the self-proclaimed ‘Living Death That Walks’ should look like and the ruthless and devastating essence of Annihilus has been captured masterfully in this statue. This is not the statue of a being which treads carefully in its interaction with others.
No, Annihilus is the kind of being which devastates and obliterates first and then simply skips the stage of asking questions.
To live and let die that is what Annihilus is all about and to wipe out and eliminate are the values he lives by.
When it comes down to dangerous and incredible tyrants in the Marvel Universe fans often think of enemies of the state like Thanos, Doctor Doom and Apocalypse.
And I have to say they do so with a good reason.
But I have the feeling Annihilus is in this regard often overlooked and disregarded and that is a mistake of the worst category. On his best days Annihilus is a dangerous menace to society and on his worst days he is an outright threat to life anywhere and everywhere as we know it. Apart from his own life, no other life is sacred for Annihilus and he would obliterate the whole universe without a second thought if it would mean he could survive one day longer.

This is an incredibly dangerous being with lethal powers and I am very happy to see that Bopwen Designs managed to turn this statue into a truly fitting tribute for such a heavy-hitter in the MU.
Of course there is nothing more personal than pointing out the merits and flaws of a statue but I will give it a shot nevertheless.

Ladies and gentlemen, please find below the verdict of the jury:

Statue Number: #255/500
Release date: September 2011
Sculptor: Avinash Hegde
Statue Size: The statue is over 15.5 inches tall
Painter: Randy Lambert
Box Design: Jeremy Perkins
Art Direction: Randy Bowen

Sculpt: 9/10
The sculpt itself is awesome and I find it impressive from every angle I look at it.
The statue is large and big and it gives Annihilus the kind of dominant presence he commands. This is a being bent on its own survival and Annihilus’ dynamic pose and the skull he is holding, convincingly emphasize that he means business and is out to destroy and conquer each and every other lifeform out there which might become a threat to him.
I have read comments of fellow collectors who believe Annihilus’ pose resembles the pose of a quarterback who is about to throw the ball to a teammate through a game winning pass but in my eyes Annihilus is portrayed in a victorious and conquering pose trashing the skulls of the opponents he just wiped out.

Annihilus is screaming a battle yell which should serve as a warning to the civiliazations stupid enough to stand up to him and his stretched left arm and bent right arm signal that his attack is far from over yet. Annihilus has won the battle but he is not going to stop until he has won the whole war on every imaginable planet in the Negative Zone.
But that is not all that I like: I think the base is sculpted in a great way as well. I love the fact that Annihilus is standing on a tall base since the height of the base creates the impression that Annihilus is overlooking the remnants of his defeated opponents on the battlefield. The skulls on the base speak loudly of the devastation which Annihilus has caused just like the piece of broken machinery on the base. Annihilus conquers, kills, breaks and destroys and his destructive nature is perfectly captured in the base in itself.
The only reason I did not give a perfect ‘10’ for the sculpt is because the pose of the legs: the pose in which one leg is raised and the other one is not is a classic pose used for other statues as well. All-in all the sculpt is an amazing tribute however to one of the most dangerous villains in the MU.


Paint & Mixed Media: 9/10
If I would have to summarize my comments in this section shortly, I would mention that the paintjob is great and leave it at that.
It would be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth but at the same time i would be left feeling that the paintjob would deserve more praise.
I love the three various colours of green used on the wings (deep green), the legs (a more metallic kind of green) and the face and arms (light green). I also admire the way the surface on the base and the skulls are painted: the surface of the base gives the impression Annihilus has conquered a planet deep down in space and with regards to the skulls I really dig the realistic colour. I especially like the cracked lines on top of the skull which Annihilus is holding. It gives the impression that Annihilus is holding the skull so tightly that he is going to crush it in the next couple of seconds.
The only thing which I would have liked to see is a ‘deeper’ kind of purple fro Annihilus body armour and gloves. In my opinion the purple chosen is just a little too pink but this does not distract from an otherwise impeccable paintjob.
The statue does not include any mixed media but with a paintjob this good what else could one be wishing for?


Design: 10/10
The statue has an impressive presence and it really captured the clear and present danger which Annihilus presents. On one hand this is realized by the height and width of the statue which make it a natural eye catcher whereas on the other hand the eye for details such as the skulls and destroyed machinery on the base, the cracked skull in Annihilus’ right hand and the gold coloured Cosmic Control Rod around his neck all add to the realism and accuracy of the statue. It looks like Annihilus simply walked away right out of the pages of a comic book and straight into my collection and that is I think Randy Bowen and his team deserve a big compliment for achieving this.


Production & Build Quality: 9/10
The statue feels reassuringly solid with sufficient mass and heft. I would not recommend handling the statue carelessly out of fear the wings could fall off, but if you take normal care and give the statue a little TLC, Annihilus should be part of your collections for many, many moons to come.
The statue, the base and the wings are separate parts and I found it easy to assemble the statue and get it ready fior display. I had read some comments from a fellow collector indicating that it could take quite some efforts to attach Annihilus to the base but on the statue I received Annihilus stepped right on the base without any issues.
Annihilus was waiting to take his rightful place into my collection I guess and assembling was a breeze.

Overall rating: 9.25/10 - Not to be missed and highly recommended!


Now, let's dive a little bit deeper into the background of Annihilus to get a better understanding of the character as well as a better feel for the statue.
Before I do that however I would first like to thank Alex a.k.a. DeadGhostKnight for allowing me to add Annihilus to my collection. Thanks a million Alex; I am really happy with the statue and it's been a tremendous pleasure to get in touch with you.
Keep on rolling Alex; you are an omega class mutant in my books !

Alright then guys, I hope you are brave enough to stare death in its cruellest and most devastating form right into the eyes because once you scroll down there is no way back.
This is it; this is where the men get separated from the boys in one of those defining moments where your courage and determination are measured.
One final warning: whatever you do please make sure you do not attract Annihilus' attention because you really do not want him to mark you as a possible threat to his existence.
Because if that happens, you will bring doom to our entire planet and cause the end of all life as we know it...

Have fun and enjoy!

===========================================

Annihilus, a native of the planet Arthos, is the ruler of The Negative Zone and a longtime foe of The Fantastic Four.
He is a nihilist who is obsessed with constantly finding different ways to extend his lifespan and destroying all that which he sees as a threat to his existence.

I am Annihilus ... Lord of the Negative Zone! Annihilus the Living Death that walks!
-Annihilus

Background Information

Untold millennia ago, the Tyannans, a technologically-advanced semi-humanoid/leonine species of the anti-matter universe the Negative Zone, seeded barren worlds with life spores.
A freak meteor collision hurled one of their ships into the volcanic planet Arthros, where the crew released their spores before starving to death.
Many generations later, one of those spores evolved into a weak insectoid creature.
Instead of embracing its surroundings and fellow fauna however, the creature grew to be paranoid and aggressive, valuing its survival above all other things due to the overall harshness of Arthoros's volcanic environment.

Significantly intelligent due to a mutation, the creature found the Tyannan starship wreckage and used a knowledge transference helmet to master the advanced Tyannan technology.
This enhanced his intelligence and strength, creating a "Cosmic Control Rod" and body armaments.
Obsessed with survival, the paranoid creature, who came to be known as Annihilus, set out to destroy any other living being he viewed as a possible threat to his existence.
Annihilus used his newly acquired power to dominate other lifeforms that had arisen from the spores on Arthros, and plotted to either conquer or destroy the neighboring worlds in the Negative Zone.


Real Name: Annihilus
Aliases: The Living Death That Walks, Lord of the Negative Zone
Identity: No dual identity
Citizenship: Arthros
Place of Birth: Planet of Arthros, Sector 17A,Negative Zone
Occupation: Conqueror, scavenger
Known relatives: Annihilus is a series of clonal scions
Group Affiliation: Sometime ally of Blastaar

Physical Attributes
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 200 lbs.
Eyes: Green
Hair: None

Powers
Annihilus' chitinous exoskeleton renders him superhumanly strong and durable. He can survive in space for up to a year via efficient energy and oxygen conversion and storage.
Upon physical death, Annihilus spawns immature clones of himself that retain his memories.
He can fly at 150 mph.

Abilities
Annihilus has scalloped wings which enable flight.

Paraphernalia
Annihilus wields the Cosmic Control Rod, which houses the essence of the Tyannan starship's stardrive. Cybernetic micro-circuitry allows Annihilus to harness its vast cosmic energy, firing destructive energy beams or restructuring matter.
The Rod's energy retards his aging, and he rapidly weakens without it.
He has also used a rejuvenation chamber to restore his withered body.
Annihilus has wielded secondary weapons and vehicles, such as energy pistols and flying tank like gun ships, adapted from the Tyannan starship.
His body armaments can fire powerful plasma bolts.
He also commands many creatures of the Negative Zone, such as the omnivorous Borers.


It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.
In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.

- Charles Darwin




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Old 08-10-2014, 12:50 PM   #2
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All serve Annihilus! Annihilus is the will and the way and he WILL NOT BE DENIED!
- Annihilus











Rainer

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Old 08-10-2014, 12:53 PM   #3
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Nature abhors annihilation.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero











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Old 08-10-2014, 12:56 PM   #4
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You've just been erased.
- Eraser: U.S. Marshal John 'The Eraser' Kruger











Rainer

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Old 08-10-2014, 12:59 PM   #5
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Only Annihilus is the death that walks!
- Annihilus












Rainer

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Nothing can stop The Juggernaut... NOTHING!
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Old 08-10-2014, 01:59 PM   #6
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The weak die out and the strong will survive, and will live on forever.
- Anne Frank











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Old 08-10-2014, 02:01 PM   #7
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The human race is Doomed! DOOMED!
- Annihilus






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Old 08-12-2014, 09:43 PM   #8
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Cool looking piece, and nice write-up!
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Old 08-12-2014, 10:14 PM   #9
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Always a pleasure to check your reviews, Rainer. I love how much info and passion you pour into them. And your reviews are always spot on. Congrats and thanks for sharing!
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Old 08-13-2014, 02:09 PM   #10
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Nice set of pics!

If I may give you one piece of advice... The review could be less wordy. This review is over 2500 words. That comes out to about 6 pages single spaced. While that's not to say what you have to share is uninteresting. It's just that it's a lot of reading and writing.

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