Statue Gentle Giant 18" Black Widow - Winter Soldier

[Sweet Rabbit]

Yeah Gentle Giant needs to come up with something more than clear plastic blocks & bases.

Maybe it's not in the contract

 

[Darth Snoopy]

Very few people have the skill to create an alternate head sculpt. Far more will be able to re-paint a statue.
But just about anybody can create an environmental base if they wanted to. You would be surprised what kinds of things are already available off the shelf at a decent hobby shop. It's not a question of "why should I have to do this for a $XXX statue?". It's a fact that this is something you CAN do if you want it bad enough, at some but not a great deal of, extra cost. Try it- you might be amazed at how much more of a sense of pride you have in your collection after you give some pieces a personal, one of a kind, touch.

For myself, I never had a problem with the clear base here. And when I opened the box up yesterday and saw how the light played on the cubes in person, I felt even more strongly that it is a supremely elegant and modern way to show off this (overwhelmingly black clad) figure. I don't have a problem with an especially well realized environmental base- but...viva la difference.
That said, I don't think the clear base on the Cap statue is nearly as well executed. That curving ridge he has his foot up on is a little too soft and feminine for a male figure.

+1

Maybe it's not in the contract

That's a possibility I suppose.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

I don't think I've even seen a Gentle Giant statue with an actual base

 

[Darth Snoopy]

I don't think I've even seen a Gentle Giant statue with an actual base

Gentle Giant's Statues with Vehicles line (Deadpool, Ghost Rider and Captain America) have black bases.

 

[Chronos1919]

Gentle Giant's Statues with Vehicles line (Deadpool, Ghost Rider and Captain America) have black bases.

If that's the case I want to take this one for a ride.

 

[Darth Snoopy]

 

[Kamandi]

View attachment 151051

If that's the case I want to take this one for a ride.

Darth Talon is a case where Sideshow did it much better.

 

[Darth Snoopy]

Darth Talon is a case where Sideshow did it much better.

Agreed.

 

[SolidLiquidFox]

Disagree.

 

[Darth Snoopy]

Difference of opinions is cool, IMO.

 

[Mose Harper]

Interesting read, Mose. I wouldn't be against adding to a statue as long as it's nothing permanent. I'm obsessive about keeping my collectibles stock.

I wouldn't modify the GG base. Any large hobby shop, like a Michaels or Hobby Lobby in the states, should have a large, flat circular piece of wood that you can use as the base. You'll just need to drill a hole in it for the screw and measure the distance from the screw hole to where her knee rests on the blocks, and the distance from her knee or shin (whatever area is resting on the block) to the base.

Once you have those measurements you can let your imagination go wild. The same place you got the wood base should have wood blocks of various sizes. And they will definitely have balsa wood. You could construct a crate with thin strips of balsa that would look killer. If not that, case the hobby aisles. There's a ton of doll accessories that could be retro fitted into something else for this- just the way Industrial Light & Magic way back when cannibalized common model kits of cars and planes to give the surface of Star Destroyers and other ships texture. I'm sure in the bigger hobby stores you should be able to find plenty of soldier related scale stuff.

And I'm sure you could get a lot of how-to help here. A good bit of the fun for me with a project like this is just planning it out and brainstorming ideas. Even if you aren't an artist, sketching out your ideas on paper first will be a big help to you.

 

[duckman]

I don't dislike the base,in fact it's grown on me a little. I do plan on doing something different at some point, leaving the original as is, if only to change things up occasionally. Now the as yet unreleased Vampirella is another story.

 

[Khev]

Opened Allied Cap tonight, just opened Widow now as well. Holy crap, like the rest of you mine had flawless paint apps. The two cubes somehow shimmied out of their plastic bag in the shipping box though and one of them got some scratches from the Styrofoam that I couldn't get out. Random.

But Widow herself is perfect. Epic night for Cap collectibles.

 

[Kamandi]

I like the base. It's one off this things pictures don't do justice but in person out catches light nicely and doesn't compete with the figure for attention.

 

[Darth Snoopy]

Opened Allied Cap tonight, just opened Widow now as well. Holy crap, like the rest of you mine had flawless paint apps. The two cubes somehow shimmied out of their plastic bag in the shipping box though and one of them got some scratches from the Styrofoam that I couldn't get out. Random.

But Widow herself is perfect. Epic night for Cap collectibles.

Yeah, opening the box and seeing the shimmering cubes was kinda like this...

 

[Mose Harper]

Opened Allied Cap tonight, just opened Widow now as well. Holy crap, like the rest of you mine had flawless paint apps. The two cubes somehow shimmied out of their plastic bag in the shipping box though and one of them got some scratches from the Styrofoam that I couldn't get out. Random.

But Widow herself is perfect. Epic night for Cap collectibles.

Yeah, that unfortunately, is the one huge negative to them.
I can tell right now these things will definitely get scuffed up and dulled over time...even with the most conscientious of care. I expect that even just brushing away dust now and then with the softest of sable brushes will still be enough to put some super fine scratches on them over time.

Aesthetic-wise, they work great to me. But I think I might work up an alternate base myself just so this doesn't get gunked up too soon.

 

[CallMeTheDoctor]

I liked the base, my issue is how easily it'll scratch and have finger prints. As well as trying to clean it post-dusting. Still an amazing base when you see it though.

 

[Chronos1919]

I expect that even just brushing away dust now and then with the softest of sable brushes will still be enough to put some super fine scratches on them over time.

What about a microfiber cloth with a mild cleaning solution, just for the cubes?

 

[DarthChrisDK]

No solution needed. Just give it a careful but thorough rubbing with a fine cloth like the ones you get for free with your glasses our iPhone covers.

 

[Mose Harper]

I didn't think of using a microfiber cloth. I use a paint brush on all my others because it can more easily get in nooks and crannies- but I'll take the advice and keep a microfiber/lens cleaning cloth handy.