Spider-Man 1/4 Scale Statue
by Iron Studios
Released: September 2016
Edition Size: 1,300
Product Size: 25.5" H
Product Weight: approx. 19 lbs.
Design Team: Mike Deodato (Design and Concept), Iron Studios Design and Development Team
Original Retail Price: $750 USD plus shipping
Please watch the video review HERE
Sculpt: 7.0 / 10
At this time, I do not know who sculpted this piece. Whomever did, did a fine job given the complex concept design. Spider-Man himself looks really good, with realistic cloth folds on the suit and a nice texture on the blue areas. Overall, the piece looks very much like the concept...however, I do believe that part of the sculptor's job is to determine how the piece will break down for moulding and casting, and allow for easy assembly afterward. In that regard, the sculpt on this piece leaves a lot to be desired.
Paint & Mixed Media: 7.0 / 10
Paint, overall, is reasonable. As you typically find on Spider-Man statues, the black web lines on the suit are hit and miss quality. Paint throughout the base is acceptable, but very mono-chromatic with very little "pop".
Design: 9.0 / 10
The concept design for this piece is what had me drooling from the start. I loved the diorama, splash page feel of the piece...it's like an action scene right out of a comic or movie. The statue had tremendous potential to be Iron Studios' signature piece and put them on the map with collectors worldwide.
Production & Build Quality: 3.0 / 10
Typically, I try to leave price out of the equation when reviewing a statue. But, the simple fact for this piece is that the quality in no way matches the price-point...not even close.
Very little thought apparently went into how this statue would be assembled as a final product. Parts do not line up with the holes they are meant to connect to, making it very difficult to assemble.
Many parts of the base are made from a very brittle, cheap feeling plastic...not at all what one should expect from a statue in this price range. If you do buy this statue, be VERY careful assembling the stairs, as they are very flimsy and break easily.
Spider-Man himself has potential to look very good, but many pieces are plagued by fit issues between the boots/legs and arms/gloves, as well as large paint blemishes throughout. The fingers are made from a flexible material to help prevent breakage...a good idea in theory, but many pieces are arriving with bent, gnarled fingers, which is unacceptable.
The fact is, I cannot fathom how this piece was allowed to leave the factory like this. Someone, somewhere, made a conscious decision to make the piece out of poor quality plastic, and it has absolutely ruined what could have been something special.
Overall: 6.5 / 10
Although there are some small positives to be gleaned from this train wreck of a piece (Spider-Man has potential to look very good, the overall dynamic concept is exceptional, Doctor Octopus tentacle with posable pincers and light-up feature is nice), it is largely a disappointment.
Hopefully Iron Studios can learn from this situation, because they have shown they are able to produce quality statues in the past (see my Magneto vs Sentinel review, for example). Unfortunately, this was the piece that caught many collector's attention, and the end result will leave a bad taste in many people's mouths.
Such a shame, because this statue had so much potential. All we can do is think about what could have been.
