2019-04-27

Eaglemoss Batman Universe Bust #10 -- Batgirl of Burnside Review

Street Date: 2018-09-19
MSRP: $25
Price I Paid: $25
Edition Size: 4250

Eaglemoss is primarily known for making very small figures and chess pieces based on pop culture intellectual properties.  Recently, the company has begun making upsized, 1/6-scale versions of its DC products.  It's also making busts of DC and Star Trek characters.

Eaglemoss has branded the DC busts as the "Batman Universe" line.  This line includes Batman cowls.  If you subscribe to this line, you also get exclusives.

The Barbara Gordon Batgirl of Burnside bust (the tenth in the line) was released during the second half of 2018.  The pose is based on the cover of New 52 Batgirl Issue 35.  This was the debut issue of the Burnside costume, designed by Cameron Stewart and Babs Tarr.

New 52 Batgirl Issue 35

I saw pictures of other busts from this line, and the paint apps looked worrisome.  I took a chance on Batgirl because she's my favorite comic book character and because the pose is based on a memorable "first appearance" cover.  Unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with the final product.

The bust arrived in "half a box".  There's nothing covering the top of the box, so the plastic trays holding the bust aren't fully protected.  The bottom of the base shows a number, 4250, which I assume is the edition size.  My copy was labeled "AAF", which might mean that it was a factory, production, or manufacturer's sample (aka Artist Proof).

The decal on the phone's "screen", which mimics the screen of a smartphone while one is taking a selfie, is a nice touch.  However, the phone has ugly protrusions to allow it to be glued between Batgirl's fingers.  One expects to see some paint bleed on a $25 statue/bust, but this one has too much black paint on the purple areas, especially the arms.  The black paint is supposed to imply shadows, but on my copy, it makes the bust look dirty.  The right ear has black paint slop.  The left hand has molding issues.  The base is chipped and has a few bumpy areas.

Some collectors might treat a piece like this as a DIY project, but if I have to paint a statue/bust myself, I'd rather it be an all-white paint kit rather than a fixer-upper.  I've already prepared a Return Shipping label and will be going to the UPS Store after I'm done typing this review.












2019-04-23

GameStop / ThinkGeek Jim Lee Exclusive Statues

I found these statues on GameStop.com.  They appear to be from a company called Chronicle Collectibles, which is based in Dallas, TX (just like GameStop).  With an MSRP of $50 each, they seem like decent values.  They're currently scheduled for August and September 2019.

https://www.gamestop.com/browse?nav=16k-3-jim+lee+statue,28zu0

Batgirl (from All-Star Batman and Robin)


Batman (from Hush)


Catwoman (from Hush)


Harley Quinn (from Rebirth Suicide Squad)


Joker (from Hush)


DC Collectibles Bombshells Black Canary Statue Review

Street Date: 2014-06-04
MSRP: $125
Price I Paid: $125
Edition Size: 5200
Statue Scale: 1/7

Designed by Ant Lucia
Sculpted by Sam Greenwell

I started collecting statues in July 2016.  By that time, some of the first Bombshells (a line that began in 2014) were already double or triple MSRP.  Also, some of those early statues were plagued by QC issues.  The earliest batches had nameplates that were glued to the bases.  Many of these nameplates broke during transit.  Some statues were shipped as single pieces, no assembly required.  Unfortunately, these statues often had broken ankles, especially the ones standing on tippy toes or wearing high heels.  Batwoman was notorious for having horrible paint jobs and mis-aligned baseball cap bills.

In some instances, DC learned from its mistakes and made changes to avoid damaged statues.  Bombshells Black Canary has an edition size of 5200. DC didn't make a full run of 5200 when it first manufactured the statue.  The first batch was shipped in 2014 as one piece.  The second batch was shipped in late-2016 with four separate pieces: the statue, the right arm holding the microphone, the base, and the nameplate.  The right arm attaches to the statue with a magnet.

A second batch Black Canary

Although I'm a fan of the character, I avoided getting the Bombshells Black Canary statue for several years because I don't like "beauty marks" on faces.  I was very happy when I found out that factory painters forgot to add the "beauty mark" to the second batch of Purple Batgirl statues.  However, second batch Black Canary still has the "beauty mark".

I finally took a chance on Black Canary when I saw a decently-priced first batch on eBay.  I figured that a first batch copy that's lasted five years without breaking would be a safe purchase.  I may paint over or scrape off the "beauty mark", but that's a project for another day.

Rough MS Paint mock-up of "beauty mark" removal

DC Collectibles has scheduled a Sepia variant for November 27, 2019.