Tag Archives: justice league

Jan 24 2014

DC Comics: The Flash ArtFX+ Statue by Kotobukiya

Today I’m taking a look at the next addition to my Justice League ArtFX+ statues by Koto. This time it’s The Flash and he’s been sitting around waiting to be opened since just after Christmas. I think it’s well past time I get him out and add him to the team! I should note that there’s no particular order in which I’m picking these up. I’ve just been going for whichever ones turn up at special prices online.

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There’s the packaging. It’s the same style used for Supes and Wonder Woman only this time with a Flash motif. Once again, the clear illustrated plastic box makes for a great presentation, but it is rather fragile. I worry about it surviving in the long term, but I still think the tradeoff was worth it. Besides, the character art all matches up with the other statues so chances are you’re going to opt to display the boxes behind the statues rather than put them away into storage. On the downside, I’m going to have to find a wider shelf to display them all because I estimate I’ll only be able to get five across in the display case they’re in now. I call that a First World Problem!

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As with Supes and Wonder Woman, the pose here leans more toward “museum style” than it does action scene, and yet with each release, Koto has managed to work a little inferred energy into the character’s stance. In this case, Flash is standing with one fist punching his open palm. It’s a great pose as it conveys a “Let’s do this!” attitude, as if he’s getting ready to go up against a wave of Parademons.

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If you aren’t up to speed on this line, it’s the “New 52” look and I’m quite partial to The Flash’s current costume. As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, many of the current DC costumes were expressly designed with 3D modeling in mind and it really shows in a statue like this one. Every single detail on this piece relies on sculpt rather than just paint. As a result you get all the cut panel lines, the texturing on the boots, the raised chest emblem and even the belt is raised. On top of that Flash features some superb musculature, particularly in his back. You don’t get to see the back detail on Supes because of the cape, but here with Flash it looks pretty spectacular.

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The portrait retains the same anime style as we saw with Superman and, to a lesser extent, Wonder Woman. I don’t think it’s quite as apparent here either, but mostly because Flash is looking slightly down and his mask does cover a great deal of his face. It works for me, but I know some have been put off the style. Either way, the coolest thing about Flash’s head sculpt for me are the lightning bolts. They’re slightly bent to follow the curve of Flash’s head, but each ends in a razor sharp point and boy do they look amazing.

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And then there’s the coloring. No doubt, one of the high point of these statues for me has been the jaw dropping metallic paint jobs. I was a little concerned about Flash because the statue substitutes the gold for the yellow in his costume. It’s really the first time Koto had to make a significant color change to make the metallic finishes work and it obviously makes Barry Allen’s costume look more like old school Wally West’s. In hand, it doesn’t bother me so much, probably because I’m just smitten by how gorgeous it looks.

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Once again, the included base is a simple black metal square with “Justice League” printed on the front. The magnets in Flash’s feet allow him to stand up without toppling over and you can position him on the stand anywhere you want without having to worry about the placement of peg holes or posts.

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So far this line has not disappointed and these statues just look amazing alongside each other! Koto continues to deliver fantastic display pieces for extremely reasonable prices.  Flash retails at around $40-45, but like a lot of these statues, I was able to grab him for just under $30 and that’s quite a steal for the workmanship involved. Next week, I’m going to take a week off from the ArtFX+ statues to give the Kotobukiya slot to Bishoujo and then the following week we’ll swing back around to look at Aquaman!

Jan 17 2014

DC Comics: Wonder Woman ArtFX+ Statue by Kotobukiya

Last week I started checking out Koto’s ArtFX+ Justice League statues with Supes himself and since we are dealing with the “New 52” verse, I thought it fitting to move on to his main squeeze Wonder Woman. This is also where I resist the urge to comment on any recent casting announcements made by Warner Bros. regarding a certain Amazon for their Man of Steel sequel in fear of pissing off any fans of that movie or that casting decision. Oh, look! We have a statue to look at!

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The packaging is similar to what we saw last time only now we get a Wonder Woman motif and her emblem looks particularly nice on the side panel. Everything I said about Superman’s box applies here as well. The printed art on the clear plastic looks great, and it’s designed that you can even display the statue pretty well while still in the package. On the downside it’s very fragile. Case in point, mine must have gotten bumped in shipment. The outer box is fine, but the inner tray was cracked at the bottom. The trays protected the statue just fine, but a regular cardboard box probably would have prevented any damage at all. I always keep my statue boxes and I’m rather concerned about these boxes getting scratched up or crushed over a long period of time.

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Out of the package, WW looks gorgeous. I’ll get to her pose in a moment, but first I really need to gush about how beautifully the matte plastic used for her skin contrasts with the high gloss metallic paint used on her costume. Granted, she’s showing a lot less skin than the older and more iconic WW costume. Here she’s graduated to wearing full pants and a corset-style top leaving just her arms and shoulders bare, but the effect is still striking. I probably like WW’s “New 52” outfit least of all the Justice League member makeovers, but I do still like it. I miss the gold, I think the boots should still be red, and the darker blue and lack of colored stars mean that it’s not quite colorful enough for me, but Koto still did a wonderful job recreating the new look here and they even managed to include her short sword. Still, it’s the sculpting on the corset is what really grabs me. The eagle motif on top and the panel lining are both fantastic.

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And then there’s the portrait. Koto is no stranger to sculpting some lovely looking ladies and Wonder Woman here is no exception. There’s still a bit of an anime influence here, but I don’t find it as overt as what we saw in Superman. She’s looking slightly down and off to the side, which is practically Koto’s trademark look by now, and sporting a stern and noble expression. The sculpted work on her hair is splendid and I love the way they carried it over to her face with paint apps. The tiny choker necklace and tiara tie the whole portrait together.

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Like Superman, the pose here is very much “museum style” with just a hint of action. Wonder Woman is practically mugging for the camera with her left arm cocked and her fist is resting on her hip. Her right arm poised at the ready to grab her golden lasso. The way her back is arched is almost poetic and I think she looks best when positioned on her base at a slight angle with her left foot pointing forward.

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Speaking of bases, you get the exact same base that came with Superman. It’s a simple black metal square with “Justice League” on the front. The magnets in Wonder Woman’s feet help her to stand up, which is a good thing because she’s hard to keep standing without the assist. The magnet system also ensures that you can position her anywhere on the stand. She looks particularly nice when sharing a stand with Supes.

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I was already sold on this line with Superman, but with the acquisition of Wonder Woman I was further assured that there was no turning back now. She’s an absolutely gorgeous statue. Initially I had some minor doubts about the scale on these pieces. 1:10th scale seemed a bit too close to the action figures and I tend to associate Koto’s work with 1:8th scale and above. Those doubts, however, are starting to fade and I’m thinking that these statues are going to be the perfect size for assembling the entire team on my shelf. Wonder Woman originally retailed at around the $40-45 mark, but I was able to pick her up off of Amazon for just under $30. A very nice deal for a very nice statue! Next week, we’ll check out The Flash!

Jan 7 2014

DC Comics: Superman ArtFX+ Statue by Kotobukiya

Anyone who’s kicked around FFZ for a while knows that I have a long standing love of Kotobukiya and their Bishoujo statues. Well, late last year I started to branch out thanks to some irresistible pics of the Justice League ArtFX+ statues posted by this konsummate kollector of all things kool. I’ve already pre-ordered the first offerings in their Avengers line, which is due to start hitting later this year and now I’m busy piecing together the Justice League and some of the other DC statues. I’m kicking off my look at this line today with the Man of Steel himself, Supes!

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The packaging is artsy and gorgeous. While the Bishoujo statues come in proper boxes with windows, these pieces come in a box made of windows. Yes, the entire package is made of clear plastic with printed graphics, all surrounding a set of plastic trays with the statue nesting inside.

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This packaging definitely has its ups and downs. On the upside, it’s a beautiful presentation, complete with art that links up with the other boxes to make for a great looking backdrop behind your statue display. Also, if you take the plastic wrap off the statue, you can return it to the package and still get a pretty good look at it while it’s inside. It practically makes its own display case.

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On the downside, the thin plastic packaging is fragile and very susceptible to scratches and whatnot. Statue boxes are among the few packages I hang on to, and I worry about how durable these will be to store over time. It also means that if you’re buying these sight unseen from an online retailer, you better make certain that they’re known for their careful packing. In the end, I think the good outweighs the bad here. I’m prepared to go the extra mile to be careful with the boxes in exchange for what is a truly fantastic presentation.

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So, obviously we’re dealing with “New 52” Superman and that’s perfectly fine with me. While I do have some issues with a few of the character re-designs of the current DC Universe, I have no problem with any of the core Justice League. In fact, I’ve really grown to love Supes’ new costume, particularly when it’s presented as well as it is here. Superman stands at about 1:10th Scale, which makes him smaller than Koto’s Bishoujo pieces but a little bigger than your average DCUC or DC Collectibles action figure. I’ll be honest, I would have probably liked to see these in the 1:8th Scale, but it’s a trade off because the smaller scale doesn’t gobble up as much space and yet they’re still big enough to host plenty of detail. Clearly Koto knows what they’re doing, so who am I to argue?

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The sculpt is truly excellent. One thing DC did brillaintly was design the new costumes with 3D modeling in mind. If you look at the early “New 52” comics there are explicit notes about how everything should be raised and three-dimensional. As a result, every detail of the figure is sculpted in rather than just painted. You not only get all the musculature, but a great 3D effect in the boots and cuffs as well as the belt and the S-logo. When you add that to the sculpted panel lines of the outfit you get a detail that really stands out no matter what angle your looking at. The cape is sculpted in stiff plastic and hangs down off his shoulders perfectly. It can be seen from the front, but it isn’t obtrusive, nor does it flare out to the sides to take up extra space on the shelf. It’s a nice compromise. As for the pose itself, the statue assumes what is mostly a traditional “museum-style” pose, but his fists are clenched and his arms slightly bent as if he’s poised for action. The stance allows him to stand among his fellow Justice Leaguers with a degree of uniformity, while at the same time offering a feeling of excitement and kineticism. 

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The portrait maintains a great deal of the character’s comic feel but there are also some heavy anime overtones in the portrait. I’m really happy with the pose that Koto went with here. I know a few collectors who have taken issue with the Asian overtones of the portrait, but I’m not one of them. I don’t think it’s at odds with the some of the Jim Lee line art and quite frankly I think it works quite well in conveying the more youthful look of the “New 52” Superman. Either way, the expression is great. Superman looks determined and resolute and there’s a lot more detail in the facial sculpt than my poor camera can adequately capture, particularly in the brown and the cheek bones. 

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As nice as the sculpt here is, I have to say it’s the paintwork that really makes this statue pop on the shelf. The high gloss metallic paint gives Supes’ costume that luscious new-car shine that begs to be admired under the light. The tones of red and blue, with a hint of gold, complement each other splendidly. Naturally the glossy outfit contrasts beautifully with the matte flesh tones used for the head and hands, as well as the matte red plastic used for the cape. I still take this statue off the shelf at least once a day just to turn it over in the light and admire the beauty of the paintwork.

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Superman includes a square black base with the “Justice League” logo on the front. It’s a metal base with some heft and the statue uses magnets in the feet to help connect him to the base. It’s not a very strong connection, not enough to pick up the stand with, but it does keep him from toppling over. It also allows for you to move him about the base or even pose two statues on one stand. It’s a clever system that Koto has used for many of their ArtFX+ statues and it allows for multiple options when displaying the team.

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I’ve frequently remarked that Koto offers some of the best values in statues and that’s certainly the case here as well. While Superman’s MSRP clocks in at around $40-45, I was able to pick him up for just under $30, which is a pretty comfortable price for such a striking display piece. If you aren’t quite prepared to make the jump from collecting action figures to pricier high end statues, this would be a great way to go, as I really think this is one of the finest portrayals of this version of the character in statue or action figure form. He’s a great stand-alone piece, but I wasn’t been a big fan of Superman’s stand alone book last year, but I have enjoyed the character in the Justice League book, so the real draw for me is going to be displaying him with his comrades. I’ll try to be checking out one of these beauties each week until I’ve run through them all!