Up for review today is the Bruce NTT (Nose To Tail)Maquette by Mike Schultz. The Bruce NTT is a precision scale representation of the right-sided platform hero prop of the worlds most famous shark. It’s 37” long and 14” high. This Maquette is by far the best representation of the famous Bruce the shark out there. Made right here in the USA each and every Bruce NTT was made by Mike Schultz himself with tender love and care. As a JAWS fan this product was a dream come true. To call this anything but a fantastic piece of art would be way off base. What also made this item unique was that Mike would do each NTT to the specifications of the buyer. Want more gore? No problem. Darker shade if grey? You got that. Pectoral Fins high or droopy? All taken care of. Add that to the fact that Mike would add his own personal touches and you have an item that is unique and like no other. My NTT is #40 of 75. The item now is sold out and no longer available from Mike.
Sculpt - 5 out of 5 - Not much to say here except this sculpt is PERFECT. Every detail is here. The Scars, the little imperfections, the patch work, and the oversized mouth. Everything that made the original Bruce the shark so much more then an ordinary Great White is here. Mike Schultz really hit all the details. There are no words to describe how well the teeth are sculpted. It’s like Mike took the teeth from a actual small shark and but them in this Maquette. You can not look at this piece without hearing the “dun dun” music start playing in your head. This is as good as it gets and probably as good as it’s ever going to get. Again, just perfect.
Paint - 5 out of 5 - Just as good as the sculpt is the paint apps. The detail around the mouth is really something to see. Very realistic without ever losing that unique Bruce look. What I really love is where the white underbelly and the grey top side meet. Just distinctly Bruce. The touches of gore and blood added to the scars bring this piece to life. It really takes this piece to breath taking status.
Extras - 5 out of 5 - You would think getting Bruce the shark in all of his perfect detail would be good enough but you get some fantastic extras. First off is the Base. This base is made to look like the dry dock that they would put Bruce in for repairs. The base comes with lots of little extras lying around for “repair of the beast” to add to the character of this piece. There are ropes, rags, a bucket with tools, extra to scale teeth, blue prints to the sharks construction, story boards, and magazines of the times. Mine came with the Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine that had the “JAWS vs. Ape” cover. This was really cool because I had this exact magazine when I was younger.
Bruce NTT also comes with a refurbished "Bruce" shark tooth was modeled from an actual on screen production "Bruce" tooth. Not to shabby huh?? Looks great displayed along side the NTT.
Not done yet. This also comes with two barrels. This is a great addition because the barrels are almost as important to the identification of the shark as Bruce himself was. The detail on the Barrels is great and really adds to the dynamic of the piece and really brings it all together.
But there is still more. We get a classy looking COA and also the notes that Mike took on the form you filled out to explain to Mike what you wanted done with your Bruce NTT. His notes explain all the work and little things that he had done to your particular Bruce NTT to make it unique and one of a kind. This was a nice surprise and very interesting to read and look at.
Lasting appeal - 5 out of 5 - OK, I have only had this for four days so it may be a tad unfair for me to rate this one way or the other. But since it is a perfect replica of the Great White Bruce from my favorite film of all time, I think it’s safe to say I will never grow tired of this piece. Add to that all of the cool extras and you have a piece that deserves it’s 5 out of 5 score in all areas.
Overall - 5 out of 5 - As I have said this item is perfect. This is my first all around perfect score review and it is well deserved. There are no errors or nit picks. There is nothing to complain about. The detail in the sculpt and paint are spot on perfect. The extras are unique and fun. It is an all around classic piece of art that is without a doubt the center piece of my collection. As many of you may or may not know. I have been trying to cut back on my collection to just pieces that have special meaning to me. I love my PF Indiana Jones and Conan the Barbarian. I adore my Hulk and Punisher Comiquette. But this Bruce NTT tops them all. Of course much of that has to do with the fact that he is from my favorite film off all time and the fact I never dreamed that a piece this accurate to the actual Bruce would ever be made and that I would own him. Oh yeah, being one of 75 people to own this item makes it feel all the more special. All of these things bring this piece to truly epic scale for me.
Thanks Mike
For those f you who may have missed out on the Bruce NTT. Mike is making a NTG (Nose to Gill) bust and a 12 inch NTT (which is open sided so you can see the mechanical inner workings of Bruce) which are on sale for pre order now.
I just saw this today in the feedback section of mikes site and thought it was pretty cool
"I wanted to say how much I love the BRUCE. Mike did a great job, and it is proudly displayed in my office!!!! Saw Spielberg over the weekend at the DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS and told him about it!"
-- Greg Nicotero, KNB EFX Group, CA
Besides being a great make up artist, Greg is a huge JAWS fan. He himself has made a life sized JAWS bust. Just thought it was cool that he owned one also.
