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Packaging - **1/2
The exterior of the box shows the bust itself, with no actual actor
photos. It keeps the bust very safe inside, with sturdy styrofoam
trays, but the exterior is pretty dull. There's no window, there's no
COA, and I didn't even see the edition number on the outside of the package.
Sculpting - Logan **1/2; Veronica **
I simply don't understand how the same company that produced the Gandalf or
Dumbledor mini-busts can produce these.
Logan is the better headsculpt of the two. There's enough of the
character in the eyes, nose and chin to recognize him, but there's still way
too many issues here. His face suffers from distortion, with the right
cheek sunk further into his face. His head is tilted down, staring at
the ground for some reason, and the entire bust lacks the sort of texturing
that is necessary to make it look realistic. The overall coating of
slightly glossy paint doesn't help, but the absolutely smooth clothing and
hair blend together too much.
And what is that he's holding? Ipod? Blackberry? Cel
phone? I'm not quite sure, because it has almost no detail - it's
pretty much a black square.
I like Veronica even less. Both versions are identical sculpts, and
they are at least a decent representation of an attractive woman. I'm
not sure who that woman is - it's certainly not Kristen Bell and isn't
nearly as attractive as she is - but she's not an ugly generic woman.
That's actually a tad harsh. At certain angles you can actually see
some of Ms. Bell's features. One of those angles is NOT straight on
though, the most likely way you'll be looking at her. From the side,
and from slightly below, you can get a better approximation.
The wide face, large forehead, and odd expression - the cheeks appear to
be pushed up and out as part of a large smile, and yet she has just a small
smile on her lips - do not make me think of the character.
There's also a bit of a weird cubic look to certain parts of both
figures. The sides of Veronica's face are long, flat and smooth,
almost making her head look square from some angles. The same effect
is apparent on Logan's arms, where the forearms and upper arm muscles are
more square than round. This isn't a huge issue, but one more to add
to the list of minor annoyances.
What these two do remind me of is the work you often see at a wax
museum. And that's not a good thing.
Paint - **1/2
The paint is very consistent...too consistent. The extremely
smooth skin tone, extremely smooth clothing colors, and overall gloss finish
on everything makes the bust appear unrealistic and cheap.
All the busts also have problems with poor cut lines and slop. The
worst example is on the front, where the names are painted in silver.
The variant was the most sloppy, with the 'e' running together badly, but
the other two had serious issues on the lettering as well.
The eyes have the flat, dead appearance of a mannequin, the jewelry and
skin show poor cut lines, and the edges around the shirts and collars are
sloppy. Some of the paint work is passable, like the hair and the wash
used there, but for the most part the work is mediocre at best.
Design - Veronica **1/2; Logan **
Neither design is doing much for me, largely for the reasons I mentioned
under Sculpt. The crossed arms for Veronica wouldn't be my first
choice, and the weak smile doesn't do much for me either. However, the
weird tilt to Logan's head and awkward uninteresting positioning of Logan's
arms leave me cold.
Another flaw is in the edition number and info on the bottom of the bust.
This is usually painted on/printed with most mini-busts, but here they went
with a paper sticker. Cheap.
Value - **
The retail price on these is $55, or $60 for the variant. That's even more
than the Malcolm Reynolds bust I reviewed recently, and these simply aren't
of the quality to command that price tag.
The problem is the low edition run, of course. With so few
produced, they only way to make up the cost is to raise the price. But
convincing folks to fork out extra cash for a lower edition size is a tough
sell.
It's worth mentioning though that Veronica (regular) is on sale right
now, marked down to $40. I might give her an extra half star at that
price.
Things to Watch Out For -
Nothing. The bust are unlikely to break or have issues beyond the
obvious.
Overall - Logan **1/2; Veronica **
Logan's sculpt is a bit better than Veronica's, but his overall design
and paint work pulls him down. Veronica doesn't stand a chance,
although you can get her to look more like Kristen from certain
angles. In person though, you'll have a hard time seeing past the
front view.
I loved the show, and was really sad to see it end. I think Kristen
Bell is not only a fantastic actress, but a beautiful woman. Both her
and the character deserved better than this. Unfortunately, this is
probably the only three dimensional version you'll ever see of the
character.
Score Recap:
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpt - Logan **1/2; Veronica **
Paint - **1/2
Design - Veronica **1/2; Logan **
Value - **
Overall - Logan **1/2; Veronica **
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Stumble It!
