I am surprised THX217 hasn't posted these here yet since it was a couple days ago. I hope he doesn't mind me copying his post from over at Statueforum but I think it is important having this information over here too.
See what a $2k statue gets for quality control...
I posted this below and I will repost it since it is relevant even more now as we are seeing a $2,000 statue that is not only too thin, poorly packed, and poorly painted. It seems sideshow isn't doing anything to correct the problems which is a shame. We should hear from Sideshow in this thread what they are going to do to improve this statue if they want more of us to purchase this.
It kind of does look like the your blue photo in my photos but I think it must be the metallic paint "glimmering" if you know what I mean and throwing the flatness of the surface off a little.
Cheers mate
My criticisms are solely to point out to sideshow what "could be done better". That is all. If I got home averone's 1:2 IM, I would probably act the same way he is and not be too worried about the flaws and simply enjoy it being there which I know he is doing. I can dig that. I am not here to get into an argument with anyone about their IM they received and I am certainly not trying to get anyone upset here. I am simply someone very interested in buying this and am letting Sideshow know my concerns.
EDIT: You can add three IM's have been delivered and one redelivered broken. We have real measurements of how thin the cast is which is part of the problem.
1: Two of the IM's delivered have had packing problems. One had an arm broken off, the other some paint rubbed off at the toe areas. (The broken arm showed the piece is hollow. How hollow is measured in the last pic in this post. )
Solution: have the Styrofoam fitted better so neither of these things happen again.
2: Certain molding on one of the pieces wasn't done properly, and then greased improperly as well.
Solution: Make sure enough polystone is placed int he mold so uneven spots don't occur. QC these issues better.
3: One piece had dust formed in the crevice of the shoulder next to the head that apparently dried with the paint application. The picture makes it look like a mold is growing there.
Solution: Cover the statue while the grease application part of the paint is drying. At least the red and gold look to be covered properly while drying.
4: The paint job shows some "orange peel" as far as I can tell.
Orange peel is a certain kind of finish that may develop on painted and cast surfaces.[1] The texture resembles the bumpy surface of the skin of an orange (fruit) hence the name.
Gloss paint sprayed on a smooth surface (such as the body of a car) should also dry into a smooth surface. However, various factors can cause it to dry into a bumpy surface resembling the texture of an orange peel. The orange peel phenomenon can then be smoothed out with ultra-fine sandpaper, but it can be prevented altogether by changing the painting technique or the materials used. Orange peel is typically the result of improper painting technique, and is caused by the quick evaporation of thinner, incorrect spray gun setup (e.g., low air pressure or incorrect nozzle), spraying the paint at an angle other than perpendicular, or applying excessive paint.
Solution: The good thing is that if it is orange peel, then that could easily be corrected if the proper painting and sanding technique is used for future paint jobs with this statue.
(The orange peel phenomenon can then be smoothed out with ultra-fine sandpaper, but it can be prevented altogether by changing the painting technique or the materials used. Orange peel is typically the result of improper painting technique, and is caused by the quick evaporation of thinner, incorrect spray gun setup (e.g., low air pressure or incorrect nozzle), spraying the paint at an angle other than perpendicular, or applying excessive paint.)
Overall, we all want as perfect a product as we can get. I agree that it will never be perfect. Each will have their own unique flaws. I am aware of that and am not expecting perfection. However some or all of these issues can be fixed and or eliminated with a few changes in the assembly line procedure for this statue.
Thinness measured.