Statue Collections 23 23

[2d2r]

Not a really a statue but wouldn't look out of place in a statue display. this is a new version of one i made a few years ago.

[Cool & Collected]

👍 Final video on how I made this Custom Base for my PRIME1 VENOM statue.  All material can be found at most local hardware/craft stores.  😍

I'm not an artist or professional painter... but, this is very simple and inexpensive project that anyone can make at home.
The add-on base is completely removable and no permanent changes were made to the original statue. 🧐

The custom LIZARD base videos shows in more detail how to make the base using the foam 😬 and how it was painted.  The foam used was Owens Corning FOAMULAR Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Rigid Foam Insulation.  
 

 

 

 

[comicartfan]

I just started this statue collecting about 6 weeks ago and it is already a serious issue. 
 

I have three more on the way 🤦‍♂️
 

 

[Drummy]

Statues are fun, Michael!   You're gonna get hooked...

So where's Luke Cage??? 

[Kevin76]

12 hours ago, comicartfan said:

I just started this statue collecting about 6 weeks ago and it is already a serious issue. 
 

I have three more on the way 🤦‍♂️
 

 

Superman looks great , Still need the Batman and Harley Quinn though 

 

[The Man Without Beer]

Iron Studios 1:4 scale DD arrived today. Best DD statue out there imo.

[piper]

These statues are all gorgeous. I think about buying one for my office but I’m pretty sure it’s a slippery slope.

I see a mix of 1:4 and 1:6 statues. I’m leaning towards the smaller statue size because they are cheaper and take up less space.

I assume that 1:4’s have better resale value?

What size statues do folks prefer?

[F For Fake]

56 minutes ago, piper said:

These statues are all gorgeous. I think about buying one for my office but I’m pretty sure it’s a slippery slope.

I see a mix of 1:4 and 1:6 statues. I’m leaning towards the smaller statue size because they are cheaper and take up less space.

I assume that 1:4’s have better resale value?

What size statues do folks prefer?

Luckily there are a wide variety of statue sizes and price points available from a variety of vendors these days. I was a big Bowen Designs collector back in the day, when that was pretty much the only game in town. In a way, I really miss those days, as you could be guaranteed to get a beautifully sculpted 1/6 scale piece for $150-$200. Prices crept up, more companies started doing their own things, and times changed. Sideshow really pioneered the 1/4 market, but seeing how they've progressed from the $250-$300 range to the current ask of $500-$700, it's gotten hard to keep up, to the point where I sold off most of my stuff.

When it comes to display, the Premium Format statues from Sideshow are my preference, though as you note, display space is definitely an issue. The XM stuff is just too big, expensive, and too hard to get ahold of, for my tastes, and the Prime Studios stuff is just too crazy big. Sideshow's 1/4 PF stuff fits the bill as being impressively large, yet not unreasonably so. Also, SS stuff is usually mixed media, so you sometimes get soft goods which can really enhance the piece. Plus, Sideshow offers Flex Pay, so the $500-$700 is still hard to swallow, but breaking it up into bite sized installments helps a bit.

That being said, I don't buy many of them anymore, because I'm too flaky with my collecting whims. I love buying and collecting, but very little is in my "permanent collection", so when something new catches my eye, I usually sell something old to pay for it.. But with the Premium Format pieces, that can be very difficult. They're extremely fragile, and it's difficult to ship them without something getting broken. It seems like many of the new pieces shipped directly from Sideshow end up having breakage issues, I've had several arrive damaged myself. So, when it comes to selling, dealing with returns, insurance, etc can be a real hassle. Therefore, I only have a few Premium Format pieces, because I don't want to have to deal with the eventual shipping hassles. But if you don't expect to be reselling down the line, that wouldn't be an issue for yuo.

If you're just wanting to get your feet wet, there are also a variety of cheaper, PVC based statues from companies like Diamond Select and Kotobukiya. Nicely detailed statues, though much smaller, but usually available in the $50-75 range. And while DC Direct is no more, there's still a lot of product floating around out there from their full size, miniature, and mid-size lines, that are very afforable.

At the end of the day, I'd say Bowen Designs is still the all time champ, but as for new stuff, if I could pick just one scale and company to stick with, it would be the Sideshow PF line.

 

[piper]

28 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

Luckily there are a wide variety of statue sizes and price points available from a variety of vendors these days. I was a big Bowen Designs collector back in the day, when that was pretty much the only game in town. In a way, I really miss those days, as you could be guaranteed to get a beautifully sculpted 1/6 scale piece for $150-$200. Prices crept up, more companies started doing their own things, and times changed. Sideshow really pioneered the 1/4 market, but seeing how they've progressed from the $250-$300 range to the current ask of $500-$700, it's gotten hard to keep up, to the point where I sold off most of my stuff.

When it comes to display, the Premium Format statues from Sideshow are my preference, though as you note, display space is definitely an issue. The XM stuff is just too big, expensive, and too hard to get ahold of, for my tastes, and the Prime Studios stuff is just too crazy big. Sideshow's 1/4 PF stuff fits the bill as being impressively large, yet not unreasonably so. Also, SS stuff is usually mixed media, so you sometimes get soft goods which can really enhance the piece. Plus, Sideshow offers Flex Pay, so the $500-$700 is still hard to swallow, but breaking it up into bite sized installments helps a bit.

That being said, I don't buy many of them anymore, because I'm too flaky with my collecting whims. I love buying and collecting, but very little is in my "permanent collection", so when something new catches my eye, I usually sell something old to pay for it.. But with the Premium Format pieces, that can be very difficult. They're extremely fragile, and it's difficult to ship them without something getting broken. It seems like many of the new pieces shipped directly from Sideshow end up having breakage issues, I've had several arrive damaged myself. So, when it comes to selling, dealing with returns, insurance, etc can be a real hassle. Therefore, I only have a few Premium Format pieces, because I don't want to have to deal with the eventual shipping hassles. But if you don't expect to be reselling down the line, that wouldn't be an issue for yuo.

If you're just wanting to get your feet wet, there are also a variety of cheaper, PVC based statues from companies like Diamond Select and Kotobukiya. Nicely detailed statues, though much smaller, but usually available in the $50-75 range. And while DC Direct is no more, there's still a lot of product floating around out there from their full size, miniature, and mid-size lines, that are very afforable.

At the end of the day, I'd say Bowen Designs is still the all time champ, but as for new stuff, if I could pick just one scale and company to stick with, it would be the Sideshow PF line.

 

Super helpful post!

[F For Fake]

Just now, piper said:

Super helpful post!

Happy to help! 

[F For Fake]

5 minutes ago, piper said:

Super helpful post!

Oh @piperone more thing! Sideshow also sells/distributes pieces by Prime, Tweeterhead, DC Direct etc, so it’d be worth your time to check out their site, as you can do some direct comparison on scale/sculpt/price all in one spot!

Good luck and have fun!

[bronze johnny]

9 hours ago, F For Fake said:

Luckily there are a wide variety of statue sizes and price points available from a variety of vendors these days. I was a big Bowen Designs collector back in the day, when that was pretty much the only game in town. In a way, I really miss those days, as you could be guaranteed to get a beautifully sculpted 1/6 scale piece for $150-$200. Prices crept up, more companies started doing their own things, and times changed. Sideshow really pioneered the 1/4 market, but seeing how they've progressed from the $250-$300 range to the current ask of $500-$700, it's gotten hard to keep up, to the point where I sold off most of my stuff.

When it comes to display, the Premium Format statues from Sideshow are my preference, though as you note, display space is definitely an issue. The XM stuff is just too big, expensive, and too hard to get ahold of, for my tastes, and the Prime Studios stuff is just too crazy big. Sideshow's 1/4 PF stuff fits the bill as being impressively large, yet not unreasonably so. Also, SS stuff is usually mixed media, so you sometimes get soft goods which can really enhance the piece. Plus, Sideshow offers Flex Pay, so the $500-$700 is still hard to swallow, but breaking it up into bite sized installments helps a bit.

That being said, I don't buy many of them anymore, because I'm too flaky with my collecting whims. I love buying and collecting, but very little is in my "permanent collection", so when something new catches my eye, I usually sell something old to pay for it.. But with the Premium Format pieces, that can be very difficult. They're extremely fragile, and it's difficult to ship them without something getting broken. It seems like many of the new pieces shipped directly from Sideshow end up having breakage issues, I've had several arrive damaged myself. So, when it comes to selling, dealing with returns, insurance, etc can be a real hassle. Therefore, I only have a few Premium Format pieces, because I don't want to have to deal with the eventual shipping hassles. But if you don't expect to be reselling down the line, that wouldn't be an issue for yuo.

If you're just wanting to get your feet wet, there are also a variety of cheaper, PVC based statues from companies like Diamond Select and Kotobukiya. Nicely detailed statues, though much smaller, but usually available in the $50-75 range. And while DC Direct is no more, there's still a lot of product floating around out there from their full size, miniature, and mid-size lines, that are very afforable.

At the end of the day, I'd say Bowen Designs is still the all time champ, but as for new stuff, if I could pick just one scale and company to stick with, it would be the Sideshow PF line.

 

Agree with you on Bowendesigns being the best. Started collecting statues back at the beginning or what I call the Pre-Golden Age of Statues  that followed the “Garage Kit Era” when Creative License and Grapphitti Designs produced some great stuff (Bowen’s Batman and Superman are a few examples) still have Bowen’s sculpted Wolverine on the Sentinel statue. DC Direct then came along with great stuff sculpted by Paquet. The Golden Age of Statues began when Bowen introduced his first sculpted statue and mini-bust under the banner of his Bowendesigns. I had gone on to collect just about every single Bowendesigns statue along with my favorite DC Direct statues and props - especially those sculpted by Paquet and Bruckner. Bowen also introduced the Shiflett Brothers and a number of other great sculptors that produced classic statues. Hard Hero came along for a short time and produced some really good and slightly larger statues. Can’t forget Art Asylum and Marvel Milestones stuff- they were inconsistent but had some classic sculpts including Meg Stone’s Dale Keown style Hulk. Digger’s Iron Man and Thing FF 51 version are great ones (especially the Thing) too and Jean St. John’s Tomb of Dracula is a classic. Moore Creations has fantastic Conan and statues based on Frazetta’s artwork. Moore was one of the best sculptors of his era. Then of course, Sideshow Collectibles came along with the 1/4 PF line that produced fantastic stuff for reasonable prices. I collected many of them and highly recommend the Universal Monster PF and diorama lines. Also recommend the first Thor and Surfer. 

Still, after amassing a collection of all these statues, dioramas, props, and figurines, Bowen’s stuff is the best overall. Randy Bowen’s line of statues is the closest you can get to capturing the essence of the Marvel Universe of characters. His Hulks are the best representation of the comic book version and he captures Kirby best. The other amazing thing about Bowendesigns is how consistent it was in producing a great line of statues for a fair and affordable price. The Golden Age of Statues ended with the end of Bowen’s last phase but the stuff produced during that time is the standard by which everything is measured today and based on art drawn and designed by a human being’s hand until Randy used computer based art to design the Mephisto statue. 

I want to give kudos to DC Direct back them for having the line of statues painted by hand and continuing to use a cold cast porcelain after poly resin entered the statue world. DC Direct produced inconsistent stuff but the statues they hit on are classic. Check out Bruckner’s Green Arrow and Aquaman to see what I mean. The Brave and the Bold 28 and Flash of Two Worlds, and Action Comics 252 are other examples.

The last thing I want to mention is box design. Much of the artwork on the boxes these statues came in are classic and significant for a collector like myself. So if you’re pursuing statues, look at the condition of the box.

Going to stop here because I can spend forever discussing all things statues and having most of them from that era keeps me interested.

Best,

john
 

[F For Fake]

44 minutes ago, bronze johnny said:

Agree with you on Bowendesigns being the best. Started collecting statues back at the beginning or what I call the Pre-Golden Age of Statues  that followed the “Garage Kit Era” when Creative License and Grapphitti Designs produced some great stuff (Bowen’s Batman and Superman are a few examples) still have Bowen’s sculpted Wolverine on the Sentinel statue. DC Direct then came along with great stuff sculpted by Paquet. The Golden Age of Statues began when Bowen introduced his first sculpted statue and mini-bust under the banner of his Bowendesigns. I had gone on to collect just about every single Bowendesigns statue along with my favorite DC Direct statues and props - especially those sculpted by Paquet and Bruckner. Bowen also introduced the Shiflett Brothers and a number of other great sculptors that produced classic statues. Hard Hero came along for a short time and produced some really good and slightly larger statues. Can’t forget Art Asylum and Marvel Milestones stuff- they were inconsistent but had some classic sculpts including Meg Stone’s Dale Keown style Hulk. Digger’s Iron Man and Thing FF 51 version are great ones (especially the Thing) too and Jean St. John’s Tomb of Dracula is a classic. Moore Creations has fantastic Conan and statues based on Frazetta’s artwork. Moore was one of the best sculptors of his era. Then of course, Sideshow Collectibles came along with the 1/4 PF line that produced fantastic stuff for reasonable prices. I collected many of them and highly recommend the Universal Monster PF and diorama lines. Also recommend the first Thor and Surfer. 

Still, after amassing a collection of all these statues, dioramas, props, and figurines, Bowen’s stuff is the best overall. Randy Bowen’s line of statues is the closest you can get to capturing the essence of the Marvel Universe of characters. His Hulks are the best representation of the comic book version and he captures Kirby best. The other amazing thing about Bowendesigns is how consistent it was in producing a great line of statues for a fair and affordable price. The Golden Age of Statues ended with the end of Bowen’s last phase but the stuff produced during that time is the standard by which everything is measured today and based on art drawn and designed by a human being’s hand until Randy used computer based art to design the Mephisto statue. 

I want to give kudos to DC Direct back them for having the line of statues painted by hand and continuing to use a cold cast porcelain after poly resin entered the statue world. DC Direct produced inconsistent stuff but the statues they hit on are classic. Check out Bruckner’s Green Arrow and Aquaman to see what I mean. The Brave and the Bold 28 and Flash of Two Worlds, and Action Comics 252 are other examples.

The last thing I want to mention is box design. Much of the artwork on the boxes these statues came in are classic and significant for a collector like myself. So if you’re pursuing statues, look at the condition of the box.

Going to stop here because I can spend forever discussing all things statues and having most of them from that era keeps me interested.

Best,

john
 

Great points all around, John! Were you on the old Bowen Designs forums? Those were fun times. I remember I had the blue collector club shirt, and I wore it until it pretty much fell apart! I got to meet Randy at SDCC back in 1998, bought my blue box Grendel Hunter Rose statue directly from him. Also have many fond memories of buying stuff from "the vault" back during those collector club days. I wish I'd held onto the stuff, I'd be rich now! It seemed like prices dipped once BD kinda called it a day, and Sideshow started to take over the market. But looking at prices now, they clearly rebounded! 

You're right on about the pre-Golden Age. We take it for granted now just how much product there is, and how easy it is to find. But back then, there just wasn't much around. Superman, Kelley Jones Batman and Sandman, and a few more here and there. Speaking of garage kits, I used to love Bowens' Kongzilla piece, which you could get as a statue or a kit. I remember that one being pretty cheap back in the day because it seemed like people only cared about his licensed stuff. I checked out prices last night and...whew boy. Insanity. I also really wish I'd held onto my HP Lovecraft and Cthulhu statues, and my Hellboy Bronze and etc etc etc So much cool stuff.

Also a great point about the sculptors that Bowen brought to a larger audience. It was a huge move to credit the sculptors and turn them into names in their own right. The Shifletts, Ray Villafane, many others I learned of because of BD. And yes, DC had Paquette and the great Tim Bruckner, who also sculpted some great action figures for them.

Lots of good memories here, in danger of sending me down a very expensive eBay rabbit hole, so I'd better punch out before I start trying to buy my collection back!

[comicartfan]

On 2/28/2021 at 12:45 PM, Drummy said:

Statues are fun, Michael!   You're gonna get hooked...

So where's Luke Cage??? 

Oh, he's coming 

[bronze johnny]

23 hours ago, F For Fake said:

Great points all around, John! Were you on the old Bowen Designs forums? Those were fun times. I remember I had the blue collector club shirt, and I wore it until it pretty much fell apart! I got to meet Randy at SDCC back in 1998, bought my blue box Grendel Hunter Rose statue directly from him. Also have many fond memories of buying stuff from "the vault" back during those collector club days. I wish I'd held onto the stuff, I'd be rich now! It seemed like prices dipped once BD kinda called it a day, and Sideshow started to take over the market. But looking at prices now, they clearly rebounded! 

You're right on about the pre-Golden Age. We take it for granted now just how much product there is, and how easy it is to find. But back then, there just wasn't much around. Superman, Kelley Jones Batman and Sandman, and a few more here and there. Speaking of garage kits, I used to love Bowens' Kongzilla piece, which you could get as a statue or a kit. I remember that one being pretty cheap back in the day because it seemed like people only cared about his licensed stuff. I checked out prices last night and...whew boy. Insanity. I also really wish I'd held onto my HP Lovecraft and Cthulhu statues, and my Hellboy Bronze and etc etc etc So much cool stuff.

Also a great point about the sculptors that Bowen brought to a larger audience. It was a huge move to credit the sculptors and turn them into names in their own right. The Shifletts, Ray Villafane, many others I learned of because of BD. And yes, DC had Paquette and the great Tim Bruckner, who also sculpted some great action figures for them.

Lots of good memories here, in danger of sending me down a very expensive eBay rabbit hole, so I'd better punch out before I start trying to buy my collection back!

I go way back to the beginning of Statueforum and spent my time on the Bowen and DC Direct forums before also adding Sideshow when it was included. You’re bringing back a lot of memories and how exciting it was in that era to see incredible three-dimensional sculpts of the comic book characters we loved so much for the first time outside of action figures, Aurora models, garage kits, and occasional lesser quality attempts from not so good casts. It’s an historical period for statue collecting and super exciting. Seeing Bowen’s sculpts upon opening the box was a first for all of us collecting back then. Glad you mentioned Ray Villafane- he’s one of the best ever. Who can forget the Kucharek Brothers? DC Direct had Matthews who also did great stuff. I use to love going to my LCS on the day the statues came in and we would inspect them to make sure there were no issues. We even had a local guy called the “statue doctor” who was great at repairing any issues. A lot of fun! 

[Cool & Collected]

On 3/1/2021 at 6:36 PM, piper said:

These statues are all gorgeous. I think about buying one for my office but I’m pretty sure it’s a slippery slope.

I see a mix of 1:4 and 1:6 statues. I’m leaning towards the smaller statue size because they are cheaper and take up less space.

I assume that 1:4’s have better resale value?

What size statues do folks prefer?

 

I collect action figures and statues  As far as size, it really depends on how much money and space you have.

To me, 1/4 is the perfect size for statues.  1/2 and 1/3 is just too big and expensive to me.  1/6 are really cool too, but after looking at the 1/4 in person, I do prefer that larger size better.   Most of my collector friends go with 1/4 statues for detail/quality, and 1/6 -1/10 for quantity/price.  🙄  If my goal is 30+ statues, 1/4 scale may be too big/expensive; if my goal was 5-15 statues I'd go with the 1/4 scale... 🧐

My action figures (4", 6", and 12"" already meet the quantity/price requirements and I thought the 1/10 -1/6 statues would just get "lost" with the figures.  I really wanted the statues to be more noticeable and larger scale. 😱

 

Not the best comparison, but you can get an idea how much more "massive" the 1/4 Hulk statue is next to the 1/10 action figure (see pic below).  The 1/4 scale is great for "centerpieces" large room displays; the 1/6- 1/10 are usually better for desk/shelf, smaller displays.

 

Cost can be a big factor too... some 1/4 scale statues can be 2x, 3x+ the cost of a 1/6 statue.

I sold my used BowenDesigns Hydro-man for $400+ship, so smaller statues are cheaper, but you can find 1/4 statues for reasonable prices too; it really depends on how popular/rare the statue is.  The 1/4 XM studios Black Cat can be found for $600 shipped.  Sideshow has a good collection of 1/4 statues for a good price too.  I think the Prime1 Venom you see on my video/previous post was about $900 locally.

Iron Studios has a really cool collection of 1/10 statues that are around $100-200. 😁

I personally don't think there is a "best scale" for everyone, it's just what works best for your particular needs/display. 👍

 

 

 

[kdoginohio]

Been away for awhile on the boards. Thought that I would start here.

[ADAMANTIUM]

48 minutes ago, kdoginohio said:

Been away for awhile on the boards. Thought that I would start here.

Is it sideshow? I remember the last ivy they had the face was a bit different, didnt ever see this one though, it looks better and that is some serious vegetation!

 

[piper]

1 hour ago, kdoginohio said:

Been away for awhile on the boards. Thought that I would start here.

Such a great statue! 

[nearmint]