Statue Showdown: Kotobukiya vs. Bowen Designs Colossus Statues

     Once again it's time for the statue comparison showdown melee video bonanza you never knew you needed to see.

Warning:  The following video may help you form an opinion you didn't know you needed to form.

Solve For X 6 - Not Solved (Solution on next post)

     The following is a black and white photo of an X that is located on one of the statues in my collection which has already been featured on my blog.  The image may or may not be rotated, so the X won't necessarily look exactly as it would in an upright statue. Your job is to tell me which statue it belongs to.

     You can weigh in on the comments section if you think you've  figured it out. If nobody gets it by the time I post the next "Solve  For X" post, then I'll reveal it there. If someone gets it before hand then I will update this post with the statue reveal and give credit to the clever sleuth that figured it out.

Good luck mes amis!

That Would Make A Great... "Apocalypse: The Twelve" Edition

     Apocalypse the 12 is the first X-men crossover of the 21st century. It started in Uncanny X-men 376, published in January of 2000. It involved Apocalypse bringing together 12 mutants in an attempt to gain the perfect balance of powers so that he may transfer his essence into one of them. The purpose of this scheme was to allow him to continue his legacy in a new and powerful body. The story's main impact was on Cyclops. This was the first step toward changing Cyclops' character into the revolutionary that he is today. Apocalypse possesses his body (contrary to his plan), and thus affects Cyclops at his core bringing about a new perspective that slowly erods his old ideals and eventually gives character more of a rough edge.

©MARVEL

Wolverine - Brown Museum Statue by Bowen Designs

I would like to introduce you to the Wolverine statue that you don't know as well as you should.

(Note: You can improve the quality of the video as you're watching it by clicking on the "spur" icon in the bottom right menu of the screen)

Beyond My Collection: Jean Grey Bishoujo Statue by Kotobukiya

     What does Bishoujo mean?  I'm sure that is your first question, since it was mine as well when I first heard it.  Here's the definition:

Bishoujo - (Japanese) beautiful young girl.

Apparently that is all this word means.  It does not refer to a specific genre or set of stories.  Instead it simply seems to be a style directly linked to the various beautiful looking young (under college age) girls that have appeared in Manga/Anime (Japanese animation).

     Kotobukiya, a Japanese company that has both a Marvel and a DC license, got the clever idea to take the female characters from these companies and turn them into Bishoujos.  As of now there is a whole set of these that have been produced (ie Phoenix, Psylocke, Rogue, etc.). I have decided not to collect them though since doing so would take my collecting trajectory in a new direction.  

     The first statue in the Bishoujo line I thought I would feature is the Jean Grey statue that was released in 2011.

Display Options: Cable Modern Action Statue by Bowen Designs

     This is the first of the new series of posts focusing on individual statue's display potential.  The first to be featured is the recent Bowen release, Modern Action Cable statue.

(Note: You can improve the quality of the video as you're watching it by clicking on the "spur" icon in the bottom right menu of the screen)

Solve For X 5 - Solved by Zoro Mugiwara Roronoa

     The following is a black and white photo of an X that is located on one of the statues in my collection which has already been featured on my blog.  The image may or may not be rotated, so the X won't necessarily look exactly as it would in an upright statue. Your job is to tell me which statue it belongs to.

   
     You can weigh in on the comments section if you think you've  figured it out. If nobody gets it by the time I post the next "Solve  For X" post, then I'll reveal it there. If someone gets it before hand then I will update this post with the statue reveal and give credit to the clever sleuth that figured it out.

Good luck mates!

Snapshot: Dark Phoenix Display

     It's time for another Snapshot post, where I post crappy flash photography shots of various parts of my collection, to wet the appetite of those that can't wait for me to properly document it. This post focuses on the two new statues I received this week.  I won't be posting too much info on them as that will be reserved for their individual posts.

    The Dark Phoenix saga is one of the most important storylines in the X-men canon and a personal favorite.  In order to honor it I wanted to do something special with the display.

©MARVEL

That Would Make A Great..."X-men (v4) #1" Edition

     I love that there is now an X-book focusing on a team of only female members.  The X-men have always been to me an allegorical vehicle for a discourse on civil rights struggles for all the marginalized groups of society.  Although women have made great strides the last century, there still needs to be special attention paid to the fact that we're living in a traditionally patriarchal society.  An all X-female book can do that in the X-books.

©MARVEL

Phoenix Statue by Bowen Designs

      She is fire and life incarnate (or at least she will be once Mastermind gets a hold of her) now and forever.  She is Phoenix, and she deserves a proper introduction.

Should I or Shouldn't I?: Bowen Sunfire Statue Edition

     I am on the fence about getting certain statues.  Contrary to what you might think, I don't get every X-men statue that is produced.  Like most folks, I am on a budget and can't get them all (they're not Pokeman after all).  Thus I am often left to wrestle with the decision to get certain pieces or to try and forget them.  This series of posts will hopefully help to get me make more informed decisions.  I'm going to turn the question to you to see if you think I should take the plunge or not with the statues I'm ambivalent about.

     The first statue decision I need advice on, is whether or not I should buy the Bowen Sunfire statue.  It was released about a year ago and is a beautiful piece as you can see.

(image from BowenDesigns.com) ©MARVEL

Mr. Sinister Statue by Bowen Designs

Nathaniel Essex deserves a proper introduction:

(Note: You can improve the quality of the video as you're watching it by clicking on the "spur" icon in the bottom right menu of the screen)

Snapshot: New Arrivals

     It's time for another Snapshot post, where I post crappy flash photography shots of various parts of my collection, to wet the appetite of those that can't wait for me to properly document it. This post focuses on the two new statues I received this week.  I won't be posting too much info on them as that will be reserved for their individual posts.

    So, I got a little antsy since not many statues are in the pipeline right now to be released. Thus, I decided to pull the trigger on these two statues which I'd been wanting for some time. I received the original Bowen Sabretooth statue and the blue Quicksilver statue this week. I actually also bought the classic Sabretooth statue, but won't be getting him until next week.

     First up is the first Sabretooth statue released by Bowen Designs in February of 2005.

Solve For X 4 - Solved by Blacko!!!!

     The following is a black and white photo of an X that is located on one of the statues in my collection which has already been featured on my blog.  The image may or may not be rotated, so the X won't necessarily look exactly as it would in an upright statue. Your job is to tell me which statue it belongs to.

      You can weigh in on the comments section if you think you've figured it out.  If nobody gets it by the time I post the next "Solve For X"post, then I'll reveal it there.  If someone gets it before hand then I will updated this post with the statue reveal and give credit to the clever sleuth that figured it out.

Good luck (apparently based on last week's performance, you're gonna need it!!!)

That Would Make A Great... "Savage Wolverine #6" Edition

      The return of Joe Mad! 

©MARVEL

Statue Showdown: Bowen Modern Cyclops vs. Bowen Retro Cyclops

     Finally, you are getting the statue comparison showdown melee video bonanza you never knew you needed to see.

Warning:  The following video may help you form an opinion you didn't know you needed to form.

Snapshot: Age of Apocalypse Display

     It's time for another Snapshot post, where I post crappy flash photography shots of various parts of my collection, to wet the appetite of those that can't wait for me to properly document it.
    
     In the 90's Marvel did something revolutionary.  They created an alternate timeline which completely took over the continuity of the X-books.  The 8 books in the X-line stopped abruptly and 8 new books took over.  X-men Alpha was the first issue that came out, with a chromium wraparound cover by Joe Mad, which introduced us to the Age of Apocalypse.

©MARVEL

X-men: Statue Origins - Bishop Joe Mad Custom Statue

     I thought it would be fun to post the pics that I got detailing the progress of the sculpture for this one and only statue I had commissioned to be created from scratch. The statue I speak of is the Joe Mad Bishop statue that I've already posted to my collection.

     The images that follow show the evolution of this statue from a lifeless lump of clay to an energy redirecting mutant tour de force.

January 26, 2011 - I got the first photos demonstrating that the work had begun.  It would be a 6 month labor of love.  The labor on my side was working on being patient and trying to keep the drool under control in public.

 

Gladiator (of the Shi'ar) Statue by Bowen Designs

When the head of the Shi'ar Imperial Gaurd comes a knockin' introductions are in order.

If you'd like to improve the quality of the video click the spur icon the on the bottom right of the screen as the video is playing.

Solve For X 3 - Not Solved (See next post for solution)

     The following is a black and white photo of an X that is located on one of the statues in my collection which has already been featured on my blog.  The image may or may not be rotated, so the X won't necessarily look exactly as it would in an upright statue. Your job is to tell me which statue it belongs to.

      You can weigh in on the comments section if you think you've figured it out.  If nobody gets it by the time I post the next "Solve For X"post, then I'll reveal it there.  If someone gets it before hand then I will updated this post with the statue reveal and give credit to the clever sleuth that figured it out.

Good luck!

Beyond My Collection: The Worst X-men Statue Ever Made?

     This is the first of many forthcoming posts that will cover statues that I do not have in my collection.  I will be using stock photos from the respective statue producer and will occasionally post photos and videos from other collectors.

     I thought I would start with the Beast Maquette statue produced by Sideshow Collectibles.  It's a 24" tall piece, with an edition size of 300. It was released in 2009.

Jean Grey - Original Marvel Girl Statue by Bowen Designs

     I'd like to introduce you to the original foundation of all that was great about the original X-men.

Colossus Danger Room Sessions Fine Art Statue by Kotobukiya

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I would like to introduce you to the muscle of the X-men, tovarish.

If you'd like to improve the quality of the video as you're watching it, click on the spur icon on the bottom right hand corner of the frame.

That Would Make A Great..."Cable and X-force #8" Edition

     I don't know about you but I am really enjoying the new Cable and X-force series.  I really like the line up.  I really like the art.  I really like the stories (so far).

©MARVEL